Page 51 of My Return to the Walter Boys
I hid a smile. “Those are both exceptional points, but what I was going to say is that it’d be weird for us to go as a brother-sister duo.” Nobody knew about the conversation I overheard between Megan and Savannah. I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want to make a big deal out of nothing; Cole and I weren’t stepsiblings, and there was no shared blood between us, but Savannah’s comment about how weird it was that we were dating hadn’t left my mind since yesterday morning.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“This is supposed to be a couples costume, but Luke and Leia are twins,” I explained. “Her love interest is Han Solo, and he doesn’t use a lightsaber.”
He rolled his eyes. “Okay, nerd.”
Hold on. Since when was it was a crime to remember the plot of a famous movie franchise, onehisbrother forced me to watch?
“Well, at least I don’t have such kinky tastes,” I said in an attempt to goad him. “Pain and incest, really?”
It worked. Cole blinked at me in bewilderment, then slowly set aside the lightsaber when he realized what I’d said. “That tongue of yours is awfully sharp.” He took a step toward me. There was a wicked glint in his eyes. “You better watch it.”
“Or what?” I stuck said sharp tongue out at him.
“This.” Cole caught hold of my wrist, reeled me in, and crushed his mouth to mine.
It wasn’t a sweet kiss. It was hot and demanding, and when he backed me up against the table, his fingers digging into my hips, something rolled off the edge and hit the floor with a thud. I responded in kind, sinking a hand into the hair at the nape of his neck and tugging. Someone cleared their throat, and if it weren’t for the interruption, we probably would have gotten carried away.
I tore away from Cole, heart jolting in my chest, and noticed a guy in his late twenties wearing a Pearl Jam T-shirt and frayed jeans. He was standing in the door to the stock room, a steaming coffee cup clutched in his hand. His expression was neutral, but it was apparent from the way his lips were clamped together that he was trying hard not to laugh.
“Can I help you two find anything?” he asked.
“We’re good,” Cole said, sounding completely unfazed. By contrast,I buried my face in his shirt to hide my embarrassment. “Just looking for Halloween costumes.”
“Okay then,” the guy replied. I stole a glance at him, and he gestured toward the front of the shop with his mug. “If you two need any help, I’ll be up front at the register.”
Once we were alone again, Cole tried to pull me into another kiss, but I ducked under his arm and flitted away, telling him in no uncertain terms that we wouldn’t be picking up where we left off. As it stood, there was no way I’d be able to look the store employee in the eyes when we checked out. Cole laughed but thankfully suggested a return to the task at hand—finding something we could wear to Chase’s party.
It turned out to be easier said than done.
“How are we going to get through all this?” I asked. After spending thirty minutes searching, we’d only gone over a quarter of the clothing section. The sheer amount of stuff was daunting.
“Divide and conquer?”
“Okay,” I said, nodding at the suggestion. “You stick to the tables and bins. I’ll take the racks.” Starting on the far side of the room, I quickly worked my way through the men’s clothes, but the only items I found with potential were a faded tie-dye shirt that looked too small to fit Cole and a red robe that gave me Hugh Hefner vibes, which was an immediate no.
Another half hour of scouring in silence passed, then Cole held up a stethoscope. “Thoughts on a doctor and nurse?”
“Overdone,” I said, skipping over the selection of kids’ clothes andmoving on to the women’s. Like the rest of the store, all the clothing lacked organization. Fur coat. Flip. Lime-green polo. Flip. Polka-dot skirt. Flip.
“What about pirates?” Cole asked ten minutes later. When I turned to look at him, he was wearing a curly, black beard—the cheap kind held in place with an elastic band—that covered the entire lower half of his face. “I found an eye patch, a hand hook, and one of those triangle-looking hats.”
Under no circumstances would I be kissing him in that monstrosity. “Pass.”
“An astronaut and alien?”
“Eh, I don’t think I’d look good green.”
Cole heaved a sigh. “Well, do you have any suggestions? I’m running out of ideas.”
I pulled a pink, drop-waist skater dress out from between a swimsuit cover-up and a puffer vest. It wasn’t perfect—there was a small stain near the hem—but it had potential. “What about Baby and Johnny?” I said, holding my find up for him to inspect. “All you’d have to do is wear a black shirt and slacks.”
“Who?” he said, a crease appearing on his forehead.
“The couple fromDirty Dancing?”
He shrugged. “Never seen it before.”
