Page 43 of Don't Scare Me, My Love

“Sorry, I can’t think straight when you’re dressed like that,” he whispered, pressing his lips to mine and running his hands through my hair before letting go of me a second later.

I wasn’t even wearing anything special, just my grey work pants and the usual dark brown hoodie under a bright orange safety vest.

“It was as busy as every Halloween,” Jason answered my question. “I got to scaresomany people.” He yanked open his locker, took his white sweater, and pulled it over his red company shirt. “How did it go at the fairgrounds?”

“Well enough that Jack let me leave twenty minutes early.”

“I still can’t believe you want to miss the scariest day of the year to go on a romantic date with me. Not that I’m complaining.”

I curled my toenails. If only I could tell him that this night was going to be scarier than anything we’d ever experienced.

“Well, we’ll see…” I bit my lip.Why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut?“So, let’s head home, change, and then get on the road, shall we?” I added to change the subject.

“For your information, I have prepared myself, especially for today, not to be frightened by anything. Look, this is the face I’m going to make.” Jason dropped the smile, his expression now as grim as on a passport photo.

“Well, you won’t need it,” I replied.

It would have been unwise to assume that he thought we were having a normal date. That’s why I planted the fake spider in the car. Hopefully, that would throw him off and make him think that was the only thing I had planned.

“I bet you ten dollars that I will find that lovely little plastic spider somewhere hidden in the car,” Jason laughed as he got his jacket out of the locker.

“I raise it to ten dollarsanda kiss…” I raised my index finger to emphasize my point, “…on a body part of the winner’s choosingthat you can’t guess exactly where it is hidden.”

He tucked his arms into his jacket, his gaze wandering between me and the ceiling. “I’ll take that kiss right now, but let’s invest those ten dollars in dessert.” He closed the door to his locker and came over, pointing to his cheek. “It’s under the sun visor.”

I made a face but pursed my lips to keep my end of the bargain. I leaned in close as he turned around, and the kiss landed on his mouth.

The grin on his face when he pulled away made my heart melt. “Please never stop hiding that spider for me,” he whispered. “It’s always one of the best parts of my day.”

Following Jack’s recommendation,I parked my minivan on the edge of the cliff for a breathtaking view of the valley.

The full moon shone over Seastone, bathing the trees in a soft, ethereal glow. About two miles away, the bonfire lit up a small section of the forest. The mountains towered over the town, protecting it from whatever was brewing behind them. A few tiny orange lights blinked at us from the houses like stars that had found a home in the valley. I’d only seen this view during the day, and,boy, what an improvement.No wonder this had been the designated make-out spot for generations.

Jason leaned his head against the headrest as I turned off the engine. “I’m honestly surprised,” he said, his eyes lingering onthe beautiful view before us. “You didn’t try to scare me at all. I was expectingsomethingat the restaurant, but not even a fake fly in my mocktail. So, is it coming now?”

“I’mnottrying to scare you,” I said, trying to sound a little annoyed. “Nottonight…”

He stared at me as if trying to look inside my head to see if he could figure it out. After three seconds, he put his left hand on my knee and turned his head back toward the valley. “I believe you.”

I dropped back into the seat and uttered a quiet “Thank you.”

The radio was playing a mix of Halloween and love songs. Every five to ten minutes, the fake host would talk about something to make it seem like a real radio show.

It was two past eight, and we still had about ten minutes before something was going to happen.

“Can I tell you something, Nicholas?” Jason said, his eyes still focused on the view. "It was only a year ago that you came here, but now it feels like it was never any different. Like you've always been here, working and living with me." He looked at me. "I like that." The corners of his mouth perked up for a second as his eyes drifted to his lap. "That's actually what I'm most afraid of right now. That one day, you might tell me you want to continue your journey."

My heart dropped to my knees. This wasandwas not what I had hoped to hear tonight. I had no intention of ever leaving again. That was the whole point of this evening. But I couldn’t tell him thatnow.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Why not? You’ve stayed in places before and left.”

“You know—”Damn it. I wish I could just ask him now. But that would ruin everything I’ve been working on for weeks.“It’s difficult. It’s not about the place itself. I’ve seen many beautiful cities, and I’ve met many nice and kind people. But no matterwhere I went, I felt…” I took a deep breath. “…like anoutsider. Does that make sense? And isn’t it best to settle down in a place where you feel you belong?”

“What if you never got to that point because you’ve always left before it could happen?”

“I’ve lived in my hometown for eighteen years and haven’t gotten there. Shouldn’t that be enough?”

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