Chapter 1

 

 

Kate watched the clock on the wall, counting the seconds until she could get out of class. She’d wanted to skip class to help set up, but Reed had insisted she go. To her dismay the professor didn’t seem to notice the hour, and a full minute passed before he glanced at the clock.

“Is class over already?” he asked himself and then frowned. “I suppose I can finish next time. Don’t forget we have a quiz on Friday!”

By the time he finished speaking Kate was at the door and the first into the hall. There she found Reed waiting. He grinned and they hurried to the stairs together, rushing down and outside.

The weather had turned unseasonably warm, melting the first snow of winter and briefly returning the city to autumn. Students had flocked to the grass, taking advantage of the warmth and sun. Reed and Kate rushed through the Frisbee throwers and the girls sunning themselves to reach the parking lot. Three minutes after leaving the classroom, they were driving away.

“What’s still left to do?” Kate asked, looking at the sky to gauge the time. “It’s already getting dark.”

“I already picked everything up,” he said. “Are you ready?”

“Ready,” she said, a thrill seeping into her gut. They’d planned dates for each other, but this was the first time they were planning one together. Granted it was for Jackson’s girlfriend, but it was fun being on the same side.

“I’ll make sure to act surprised,” she said.

“You won’t need to act,” he said, his easy smile appearing on his face.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked. “I thought tonight was for Shelby.”

“It is,” he said. “But you didn’t really think I’d leave you with nothing, did you?”

She laughed, the sound tinged with admiration and excitement. After Aura’s visit, Reed had been even more attentive, and she frequently noticed a strange glint in his eyes, like she was an object to be admired and studied. Rather than feeling disconcerting, it left her wondering what had changed.

“Where’s Shelby?” she asked.

“On her way to your house,” Reed said. “Jackson just texted to let me know.”

They drove to Kate’s house and he dropped her off. Reed caught her hand and leaned into a quick kiss, the contact a promise of more. He grinned and waved to Shelby’s car, which had appeared at the end of the street.

“Don’t give it away by being too excited.”

“I won’t,” she said, and then giggled. “I’ll try not to.”

She strode to her door as he got back into his car. Reed backed out of the driveway, vacating the space for Shelby, and waved as he drove away. Even though Kate knew she would see him soon, she waited on the porch until he disappeared, and then opened the door.

She hurried inside and ditched her backpack and jacket before the doorbell rang. Ostensibly there for a girl’s night, the participants, except for Shelby, had an ulterior motive. Marta swung open the door and Shelby entered with a sack of chips and dip for the night.

“I wasn’t sure what to bring,” Shelby said.

“Brittney usually handles our edibles,” Ember said. “But any contributions are welcome.”

Brittney poked her head into view from the kitchen. “Get comfortable.”

Shelby removed her shoes and sat on the couch. “This may come as a surprise to you,” she said, “but I haven’t been to many girls’ nights.”

Kate picked a bowl of dip and a handful of chips and sank into a seat. “Why not?”

“I always had my teammates,” she said. “But it was always about the game. There wasn’t much time to just hang out.”

“What about on the off season?” Ember asked.

“There was no off season for me,” she said. “I played basketball in the fall, soccer and softball in the spring, and a lacrosse league in the summer.”

“I didn’t know you played lacrosse,” Ember said, and motioned to the house. “I started playing it when there was a guy on the team I wanted to date.”

“Really?” Shelby asked. “We should play sometime.”

“Another day,” Brittney said, entering and placing a tray of fruit, dip, chips, and cheeses on the ottoman. “Tonight we’re binging Halloween movies.”

“Because Halloween is next week?” Shelby asked as she examined the tray with interest.

“Of course,” Kate explained. “But we trade off. Last month was fantasy movies. The month before that was thriller.”

“This is more organized than I’d anticipated,” Shelby said.

“Girls’ night is serious business,” Ember said, claiming her favorite seat at the corner of the couch. “It’s our only chance to avoid men so we can talk about them freely.”

“Is that what we’re doing tonight?” Shelby asked, her eyes sparkling as she picked up a chip.

“Of course,” Kate said.

Kate watched Shelby settle into the evening. At first she seemed stiff and uncertain, the confusion hidden beneath a smile. But Kate had seen the way she sat at Reed’s and Jackson’s house and knew when she was relaxed.

Over the last several months they had all become group friends, with Reed and Jackson merging with Kate and her roommates into one large group. As Jackson’s girlfriend, Shelby was furthest from Kate and Reed, the epicenter that had brought them together. She’d rarely spent time with just Kate and the blondes. As the minutes passed, Shelby gradually settled in and even contributed to the argument of whether Twilight was considered a Halloween movie or a romance.

“There are vampires,” Marta insisted, “and sort of werewolves. That makes it Halloween.”

“Vampires that sparkle,” Ember said. “That makes it romance.”

“Is it bad if I say I haven’t seen the movies?” Shelby asked. They all looked to her and she shrugged. “I never really got the chance to. Are they good?”

Ember snorted and pointed to the rack of movies set next to the TV. “I’m changing my stance for tonight only. It’s Halloween.”

They all laughed and Kate stood to put the movie in, giving herself an excuse to look at the clock on the stove. She’d checked her phone so often Ember had given her a warning look, but Kate couldn’t resist. She could almost feel the doorbell about to ring.

To her dismay her gut was wrong, and they were twenty minutes into the movie when the doorbell did ring. Sitting closest, Marta stood and opened the door to reveal a massive box sitting on the porch. Confused, Kate leaned over and stared at the box.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“I’m guessing it’s another Reed invitation,” Marta said, eyeing the box that was as large as their refrigerator.

When they were all on their feet, Kate looked to Shelby. “Do you know anything about this?”

“Nothing,” Shelby said, raising her hands. “But it’s big enough for Jackson to hide in. What do you suppose it is?”

“Let’s get it inside,” Ember said.

They had to work together to get the heavy box inside, but it caught on the threshold. Kate cried out as her hands slipped and the others jumped free, allowing the box to slam into the floor. They all stared at the fallen box.

“I hope he wasn’t inside,” Shelby said, making them all laugh.

They got a pair of scissors and began opening the box. As they worked, Kate found herself on the receiving end of many looks and she tried to surreptitiously shake her head, feigning ignorance. When they finally got the heavily taped box open they found a second, albeit smaller, box inside.

Ember groaned. “I hope it’s not a thousand boxes going down to a tiny little piece of cardboard.”

An hour later they stood in a massive pile of cardboard, tape, and packaging paper. It covered the couch and stretched into the bedrooms and halfway up the stairs, the sheer volume of cardboard causing Marta to shake her head.

“It looks like Reed robbed a FedEx store.”

“More than one,” Shelby said, her eyes lit with delight.

Kate realized it was the first time Shelby was involved in the opening of an invitation, but she managed to hide the smile that threatened to blossom on her face. Brittney swam through the sea of cardboard to the kitchen and returned with her camera.

“Ready,” she said.

Kate held up the tiny box that had been at the center of the enormous package and carefully undid the bow. Then she cut the tape with the scissors and unfolded the top of the cardboard. Inside, she found a carefully folded note.

She read it and then shook her head. “This isn’t right,” she said.

“What’s not right?” Ember asked.

“The invitation isn’t for me,” Kate said, and turned to Shelby. “It’s for you.”