Page 17 of The Night Before Grumpmas
Of course she’s waiting for a chance to do it without him judging her. Steve adores my sister but couldn’t care less about the holiday traditions. He’s more of a “slap a half-assed carved pumpkin on the porch and call it a day” kind of guy, while Val likes to go all out. That’s where I come in.
I smile, quickly typing back.Turning the apartment into a haunted house. It’s going to be AMAZING. I’ll email you everything soon.
I hit send, imagining Val grinning at her phone, probably already picturing fake cobwebs draped over her spotless kitchen and some perfectly creepy centerpiece on the dining table. She’s all about the details, just like me.
But first, I have to finish turning my apartment into Halloween central. The cauldron looks great, but there’s still so much left to do—bats to hang, a few more skeletons to place, and on Halloween day, I’ll have the fog machine running. Plenty of time to figure out how to get it working without setting off the fire alarm. Again.
I wince just thinking about the last time—a week ago. I was just trying to make caramel for the apple-fall cupcakes. Let’s just say it definitely turned into a situation. The alarm blared through the whole building, and of course, Jacob had knocked on my door within minutes, acting like I was personally trying to burn the place down.
I remember the look on his face—fire extinguisher in hand, jaw clenched. “What’s on fire this time?” he’d snapped, peering past me like he expected flames to leap out.
“It’s just smoke. It was caramel, Jacob. Only caramel. A slight misjudgment on the stove heat. Nothing dramatic.” But to hear him talk, you’d think I was one small step away from torching the whole building.
He was a little too touchy about it, honestly. Grumbling about “safety hazards” and “common sense” while I waved a dish towel at the smoke detector.
I shake my head at the memory, grinning to myself as I adjust the skeleton sitting on my couch. Maybe I’ll leave some caramel cupcakes at his door on Halloween. See if that softens him up. Doubtful, but hey, it’s Halloween—a girl can dream.
As I’m adjusting a life-sized witch’s hat hanging from the ceiling, there’s a loud bang on the wall.
I smirk to myself and knock back—three times, nice and loud. “Use the door, be a little more civilized.” With maybe a little too much flair, I swing the entrance open. And there he is. Grumpy McCallister, standing in the hallway, looking like he’s two seconds away from tossing a pumpkin off a balcony.
“What the fuck is this?” he growls, pointing at the decorations outside the apartment. There’s a garland of black and orange spiders around my doorframe, a plastic skeleton propped up in the corner holding a tiny ‘Trick or Treat’ sign, and a couple of ghost-shaped lights flickering near my feet.
I cross my arms and lean against the doorframe, feigning innocence. “What?” I ask, eyes wide. “Not a fan of Halloween?”
Jacob’s scowl deepens, and he gestures to the plastic skeleton with a jerky movement. “You plan on building a graveyard outside your door?”
I glance over at the decorations and shrug. “It’s festive.”
“It’s something,” he mutters, eyes narrowing as if he’s calculating just how much effort it’ll take to ignore the entire scene until November.
I grin. “You should really try getting into the spirit, McCallister. It might do wonders for that charming personality of yours.”
He scoffs, arms crossing over his chest. “Pass. Halloween’s just another excuse for people to clutter the building with cheap decorations and fake spider webs.”
I tilt my head, unable to resist. “Or, you know, it’s a chance to have a little fun. Maybe scare a few kids with some creative haunted house vibes?”
He raises an eyebrow. “I don’t do fun.”
I gape at him. “I would’ve never guessed such a thing.”
Jacob sighs, clearly exasperated, and I can’t help but enjoy the banter a little too much. There’s something about how serious he is that makes riling him up even more fun. “Just . . . keep it under control, okay?” he says, looking like he’s mentally calculating how many days are left until Halloween is over.
“No promises,” I reply sweetly, knowing full well that things are about to get a lot spookier around here. “There’s a plan you know. I’m thinking of creating a haunted house for the kids on the floor. Cobwebs, spooky sounds—maybe even a fog machine.”
“No.” He shakes his head, glaring harder. “Absolutely not.”
I roll my eyes, stepping back into my apartment and waving him in. “Come on, at least let me pitch this to the board. I think everyone is going to love it. You can’t say no until you see it. Let me show you what I have at my place so far.”
Jacob hesitates, standing there like crossing the threshold into my Halloween wonderland might actually cause him physical pain. Finally, with a sigh that says he’s already regretting this, he steps inside.
“See?” I say, gesturing around the room. “It’s festive. Fun. Look at the bats in the kitchen.”
He surveys the decorations like he’s walked into a horror movie, and not in a fun way. His eyes move from the ghost lights to the cauldron of candy, to the skeleton lounging on the couch.
“Why does it look like a store threw up all its merchandise in here?” he mutters, hands in his pockets as if he’s restraining himself from criticizing everything.
“Because it’s Halloween,” I reply brightly. “The most magical time of the month.”
