Page 5 of Emerald Treats
Still, we had some prep work to do here. Saige was at home with Bette and the girls, but Trick-or-Treat Downtown was tonight. Since we lived right outside of town and there were no sidewalks, we wouldn't get trick-or-treaters at the cottage.
Bram, Kai, and Faris were in charge of getting more decorations for the storefront. I had to admit, I was a little scared to see what they'd return with.
The past couple of months had been some of the most trying in my life... and also some of the absolute best. Regardless of the difficulties, I wouldn't trade the time I shared with my family for anything.
As Fischer continued to work on the lights, I made my way inside The Mystical Piglet. I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia as I gazed around the shop. My feet were placed precisely where they were the first time I met my little witch. I could picture that moment so vividly in my mind... the way the sunlight had burst through the windows behind me, illuminating her red hair to fiery levels. I never stood a chance.
The wooden floor beneath me creaked as I walked deeper into the shop. I saw flashes of memories that we'd made within these walls. Each one of us men, kneeling for one woman, full of love and hope that she'd say yes to being ours for a lifetime... and she did. She said yes.
"If that expression gets any softer, your face might melt."
I snapped out of my daydream and met Sloane's icy blue gaze. I grinned. "If yours gets any harder, your face might turn to stone, brother."
He shrugged and dropped a large box of Halloween decorations on the countertop. "Found these in the back office." He reached into the box and pulled out a skeleton with a string attached to its skull. Frowning, he spun the thing around, revealing blood red eyes. "This thing is hideous."
Without warning, a shrill laugh came from the skeleton.
"The fuck?!" Sloane bellowed, flicking his finger and sending the decoration soaring through the air as it continued cackling. With narrowed eyes, he pointed at the skeleton. It was reduced to melted plastic and ash before it hit the ground.
Before I could react, a tapping on the window had both of us turning to the front of the store. Fischer's face was there in the top window pane, flushed red with laughter.
Sloane tilted his head to the side and raised a brow, as if to say,'Oh, really?'Fischer's laughter died, and I practically heard the gulp of air he no doubt inhaled. It didn't stop me from laughing, and in fact, I laughed harder when Sloane lifted both hands anddirected one middle finger to me, and the other to Fish, before grumbling under his breath something about Halloween being the most pointless holiday.
I shook my head, still chuckling. "You're just mad because you got scared by a little decoration."
Sloane rolled his eyes and began unpacking the rest of the box. "As if. I just don't see the point of all this fake spooky bullshit."
I grabbed a handful of cobwebs and began to stretch them across the counters.
As Sloane continued his rant, I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement in my chest. Halloween had always been one of my favorite holidays. It was the one night of the year when we could be anyone or anything we wanted to be, without consequence. And this year, it was even more special, because it was the first Halloween I'd be spending with my family.
I made my way back outside to help Fischer with the decorations, but he was already finished. The Mystical Piglet was now adorned with an array of purple, orange, and black lights, pumpkins, spider webs, and various other spooky decorations. We all stood back and admired our handiwork, feeling proud of what we'd accomplished.
"I think she's going to love it," Fischer proclaimed, clapping Sloane and me on the back.
A car horn broke through the moment, and I turned just in time to be blinded by headlights. "Shit," I cursed, covering my eyes until the vehicle pulled into a parking spot in front of the shop.
"I guess they're done shopping." Sloane stepped toward the SUV and made his way to the back.
The driver’s side door flew open, and Bram shouted."I wouldn't do that!"
It was too late, the trunk was rising, and the sound of an avalanche followed.
We all raced around the car just in time for one last plastic bag to fall on top of the massive pile. Orange, black, green, and purple seemed to have exploded in a colorful bomb.
"MY TREASURES!" A shriek came from within the SUV. More rustling of plastic and cursing spilled from the dark depths, and suddenly a face appeared.
It was Faris, his eyes wild and his hair disheveled from the chaos in the trunk. "I have obtained the greatest Halloween haul in the history of Halloween!" he exclaimed, holding up a frighteningly realistic zombie mask.
"Fuck your treasures!" The entire pile of 'treasure' pulsed a few times before Sloane broke through.
Faris gasped in horror before narrowing his eyes on Sloane. "Ah. I should've known you were the ruffian behind this disaster."
Kai rolled his eyes and reached down, offering Sloane his hand and restoring him to his feet in seconds. "We should probably start taking this stuff inside before another Halloween prop comes to life and Faris delivers another death blow."
I opened my mouth to ask what he meant before abruptly stopping myself. No. Nope. I didn't need to know.
Chuckling and bickering, we all worked together, carrying the bags and boxes into the shop.
