Emma pulled the red cloak further round her and adjusted the face mask so it didn’t drag her wig off.
She was so tired, quick trips to LA screwed with her sleep patterns. The last thing she needed after two stressful days at work was to be dressed up and going to a party.
It wasn’t her fault that the bears had happened. Why Si and McKee thought she had any way to stop it she didn’t know… and not one person had said well done for actually getting Ed to the pumpkin patch.
If one person came dressed as a pumpkin or a bear tonight she wouldn’t be responsible for her actions.
She gave her name and showed her ID at the door. Security was always tight for the Harville-Deakin Halloween shindig, but it seemed even tighter this year. Lew and Harry wouldn’t say whether it was because Austen and Annie were turning up. They hadn’t even given in when Emma, Gee and Johnnie had threatened to allow Georgie to have free reign with their new sofa.
She started up the stairs, catching herself as her foot got tangled in her cape. She hated Halloween.
‘Oh, Little Red Riding Hood, loving the costume, Emma.’ Lewis came up to her and kissed her on both cheeks as she reached the top of the stairs.
How had he known it was her? She looked down at her costume. What gave it away?
‘What the hell, Lewis. How did you work it out? I have on a wig and a bloody mask?’ How? She looked down at herself. What gave it away? She had worked hard at it. Made sure the costume was delivered to work so Gee wouldn’t get a look at it.
If he was going to be mysterious then so would she.
‘I’m not giving away my secrets,’ Lew winked at her, then grabbed her hand and led her further into the party.
It was packed. Or maybe that was the impression because a few people were dressed in full on furry suits. She passed someone who was dressed as a cow, and she had to move quickly to one side so she wasn’t hit by errant udders. The orange hued lighting gave the feeling that they were in the middle of a giant pumpkin. It made her feel a bit nauseous. Lewis stopped a roving waiter, his tray full of different coloured creations, and snagged a glass of some sort of orange cocktail.
‘Pumpkin Potion?’ he offered it to her.
‘No, thanks,’ she said, shuddering. There was no way she was touching anything pumpkin. She wasn’t going to be able to go into Starbucks until they changed to red cups and started serving eggnog lattes. And she hated eggnog lattes.
He nodded seriously and grabbed the green concoction in the glass next to it. It had a kiwi slice and a gummy worm hanging from the side of the glass.
‘Sugar snake?’ He offered it to her. ‘Be careful it has a bit of spice to it.’
She took it and sipped, before coughing violently. He wasn’t kidding.
‘Told you,’ he laughed. ‘Now come with me, I think what we really need is to find you a big bad wolf to go with your costume.’
‘No. Honestly, Lewis. You know I’m not interested in meeting anyone.’ She tried to dig her heels in but he was surprisingly strong and stubborn. He refused to let go of her arm and dragged her further into the party. Why was he doing this? He knew she had a plan and it didn’t include meeting some random man at a masquerade. Lew had always been fascinated by ‘The Grand Plan’ as he liked to call it, they even had a standing monthly meeting, where the two of them went to the pub and he made her give him a status update. He was always threatening to set an agenda and take minutes.
‘I know, I know. No Mr Right for another year. But this is Halloween and there is nothing in that plan of yours that says you can’t have a dalliance with a Mr Right Now. How are you going to get into practice to pull him if you don’t flex the muscle?’ He’d stopped and turned towards her. ‘For tonight, Ems, will you do something for me?’
He looked so hopeful and sincere, damn him.
‘What?’
‘Drop your mask and all those plans you have just for the night. Be Emma living in the moment instead of wondering about the ever after?’
She wanted to laugh, she was at a masquerade ball and the host wanted her to lose her mask. But she knew what he meant and it made her want to cry. She felt as if she were teetering on the edge of something, and her stomach swooped. She opened her mouth to say no, but Lew pushed his mask up and raised an eyebrow, challenging her. She could do this, couldn’t she?
She took a large swig of the cocktail, now enjoying the burn of the pepper infused alcohol as it slipped down and warmed her stomach. Settling her nerves.
What did it matter, anyway? It was one night, that wouldn’t wreck anything. She was in a safe place, Lewis wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She could drink till she was tipsy, and flirt with people knowing no one would know it was her. Knowing she didn’t have to check every person’s credentials in case they didn’t meet her rules. Because she’d never have to actually see them.
Okay she’d do this. She stood up taller, and pushed the satin red cloak that she had wrapped round her body so that it fell from her shoulders, the blue gingham dress underneath suddenly revealed.
‘Yeah, I can do that but I prefer to be called Red,’ she said and she let loose the strings on her life, and winked at Lewis. She felt weird, untethered. But it would only, could only, be for the night.
‘Well, with that dress you could also be called Dorothy,’ He winked, and she giggled. ‘Come on, Red. I think we have a few big bad wolves for you.’ His hand slipped down and grasped hers. Laughing, she let him lead her to the bar.
***
How many of those sugar snakes had she had? She pushed back her hood, making sure her wig stayed put as she tried to count. There was the one when she came in. Then the second of the wolf boys that Lew had introduced her to had got her another one. But when he’d made some disgusting comment about her finding out how big his dick was, she’d downed it fast, grabbed Lew and got lost in the crowd.
But now she’d misplaced Lewis. It was after wolf boy number three. She’d turned back to find him gone, and once that happened she’d lost interest in the man she was talking to and drifted away
Was that Harry, she thought as a tall lanky skeleton danced past twirling a mermaid.
Could be.
She saw a vampire leaning moodily against a pillar. Was that Gee? Her heart stuttered for a moment, until it sank when she saw the way he moved. That wasn’t him. Dracula didn’t have his fluidity.
‘All alone, Red?’ the voice growled into her ear.
She shivered. And from the corner of her eye she could see the wolf-faced mask peering over her shoulder. It was beautifully constructed, like some crazy Venetian mask. It gleamed black and silver in the light. She turned to face him. The wolf’s hair was hidden beneath a powdered white wig, and he was dressed in a gorgeous black and silver Georgian frock coat. He was a man out of time.
‘Not anymore,’ she said without thinking. She blinked in surprise. Why had she said that? He made her feel safe. He moved closer, and she was enveloped in a familiar smell, the breadth of his shoulders obvious even under the coat. She wanted to lean into this wolf’s embrace.
Obviously, Gee had changed things up this year, she thought, as she swallowed more of her drink. Moving on from Edward Cullen to Team Jacob. Or it was probably his recent obsession with Teen Wolf.
Did he know it was her? She quickly drank to try and distract herself from the thought that this was what he did with random hook ups. No, he had to know it was her, if she had guessed it was him. Were they going to pretend they didn’t know each other?
She opened her mouth to say it was her, to acknowledge that she knew it was him. But then she remembered her promise to Lew. That she would be Emma Right Now not Emma Ever After. And Emma with the plan would let Gee know, but Emma living in the right now, what would she do?