Page 72 of The Big Easy & Other Lies
He walked out laughing, and Chloe smiled at me again. “Y’all are cute,” she said. “What are you going to dress up as?”
I sighed. “I don’t know, but I guess I’m buying a mask.”
* * *
On the afternoon of the party, Livvie called. “Are you ready yet?”
“Ready? It’s four hours away!”
“But you’re being all hush hush about your costume. Maybe you have to get ready now. Come on, tell me what you’re going to be.”
“I told you a billion times already. I don’t know. I’m not being hush hush.”
“Cam!”
I winced, too slow to jerk the phone away from my ear and avoid the shriek.
“What are you thinking?” she demanded. “You’re not going to do something lame like stick on cat ears and call it good, are you?”
“Of course not. Cat ears wouldn’t hide my face.”
This time she sighed. “I’d love to tell you that you’re being stupid about a mask, but you’re right. Better keep our faces hidden.”
I knew Livvie’s witch costume was chosen specifically not to draw Angelique’s attention either. She was going as a regular witch (as opposed to a sexy witch) with a black plastic half mask. I’d told her she didn’t have to come, but Livvie waved me off. “I want to see the party for myself,” she said. “I heard a bunch of St. Ignatius kids are invited. It’ll be good for window shopping.”
I shook my head. Livvie was prowling for a new crush. “Okay. Try not to babysit me,” I said. “And try not to pick a fight with Bran.”
“Fine. But if he and Chloe are wearing a nauseatingly cute couple costume, I make no promises. I’ll be there at eight-thirty. You’d better walk out with something besides a brown paper bag on your head.”
When she honked a few hours later, I slid into her car to find her smiling. “That’s kind of funny,” she said, pointing to my all-black costume.
I tied my black eye mask on and settled into the seat. “Do you get it?”
“Yeah. You’re girl Dread Pirate Roberts. Holiday-appropriate without calling attention to yourself.” She held her fingers out for the wiggle. “At least it’s sexy.”
I grimaced. “That was on accident. This was all I had to make it work.” I glanced down at the leggings and fitted black tank I had paired with the only piratey boots I had, some black leather knee-high zippered boots with a spiked heel.
She laughed. “Rhett’s going to love it, and Angelique will barely notice if you keep your coat closed. Genius as usual.”
Rhett did love it when he slid his hands inside my jacket to wrap me in a hug. “Nice,” he said after a long, low whistle.
I hugged him back and then jerked my coat closed. “Where’s Angelique?” I asked.
“Outside, overseeing the bobbing for apples.”
“Seriously? That sounds way more kiddie-like than I would have expected for this crowd.” I indicated a pair of slinky devils walking past, their cleavage definitely suggesting a disposition to sin.
“Is it stereotyping if I assume all the devils and angels are from the Catholic school?”
I smacked him. “I’m Catholic.”
“I’m just saying, I haven’t seen a single devil from LaSalle yet.”
“Which brings us back to Angelique.”
He grinned at that.
“Bobbing for apples?” I repeated. “Really?”
