Snowbound Halloween (5 page)

Jo did not look happy to become the object of attention of a man with a Grizzly Adams beard.

Thea took the problem in stride. “Everyone is my friend here, Charlie. You know that! Now if you’ll excuse us, Jo’s boyfriend is waiting for her over by the pool tables.”

Charlie bobbed his head agreeably and let them slip past him.

Jo grabbed hold of Thea’s arm. “My boyfriend?”

“If I didn’t say you were attached, Charlie would be hanging on to your shadow all night,” Thea told her. “He’s a nice guy, but I don’t think he’s who you had in mind when you said you wanted to meet someone.”

One look at Jo’s face assured Thea that she was right.

It was a shame. Charlie really was a nice guy, but he didn’t take care of himself. He needed to shave, or at least seriously trim, his beard and hair—not to mention wash more frequently and get some clothes that fit better.

“So who do you have in mind for me to meet?” Jo asked.

She looked nervous to Thea, as if it had just occurred to her that Thea was really going to introduce her to a guy after all of the times she’d nagged her to.

Thea stopped walking beside a trio of costumed patrons: Elvis, the Grim Reaper and toga-boy. “A.J. would you do me a favor?” she asked Elvis.

The muscular college senior immediately turned to face her and Jo and gave her his best Elvis impression. “Of course, I would, little lady.”

It sounded more like John Wayne to Thea, but he got an “A” for trying.

Thea put her arm around Jo’s shoulder and gave her a half hug. “This is my dear friend, Jo. When I invited her tonight, I had no idea that the bar was going to be so crowded and I just can’t hang with her the way I hoped to. Would you mind taking her under your wing and helping her to get to know everyone?”

A.J. smiled as his eyes gave Jo the elevator treatment. In her football outfit, she really did look very cute and
very
sexy. There was no question in Thea’s mind that A.J. liked what he saw.

“That’s not a favor,” A.J. announced in a voice that still attempted to pass for Elvis. “I’m mighty obliged to you for introducing us.”

Jo’s eyes were wide with surprise—but Thea was pretty certain that this was a good surprise, not a scary one.

She let her hand slip off Jo’s shoulder and gave her a tiny push on the small of her back. “Jo, this is-”

“Elvis Presley,” A.J. interrupted, “but since the world thinks I’m dead, why don’t you call me A.J.?”

Jo smiled giddily at A.J.’s little joke, but she didn’t seem to be able to find her voice.

“Thea,” A.J. said. He was still trying to sound like Elvis. “I think our friend here needs a rum and coke. And would you mind bringing me another Rolling Rock?”

“Coming right up,” Thea said.

For a moment, she started to feel good again, but as she turned she caught sight of Nick and started which remind her of the baby she was carrying.

It just wasn’t day to feel good about things.

Nick started toward her suddenly looking happier than he had all day.

Maybe, Thea mused, he really does love me if just looking at me can make him smile like that. The thought made her reconsider her frustration with him. Maybe he wouldn’t run when she told him about their baby. Maybe this was going to turn out all right after all.

Nick strode up beside her but didn’t slow down. “Look there’s Mom and Dad. I can’t believe they really came tonight.”

He darted past Thea toward his parents. Caitie Morrow was dressed like a fairy tale princess with a star-shaped wand—Glinda the Good Witch, Thea presumed, given Tim and Bob’s costumes. Nick’s father, Garrett, was dressed in a tux with a top hat which probably meant he was the Wizard of Oz. Nick caught them both at the door and gave his mother a big hug. The party was quite crowded now but that didn’t seem to bother Nick at all. He wasn’t a mama’s boy, but he was obviously pleased by this show of parental support for his establishment.

“Fifty-one years,” Thea heard Caitie Morrow say. “Fifty-one years I’ve lived in that house and this is the
first time
I haven’t been home to hand out candy at my door.”

She looked agitated while Thea silently fumed.

Then Caitie’s eyes fell on Thea and she pushed her son aside so she could rush over to hug her. “Thea dear, you look wonderful! Let me see the two of you together. The dashing knight and his lady fair. It suits you!”

Thea’s bad mood had already firmly reasserted itself. She wasn’t dressed as a noble lady; she was dressed as a powerful, confidant wizardess.

Caitie Morrow didn’t notice Thea’s bad mood. She just kept right on talking in her rapid fire, very enthusiastic fashion. “Not that these costumes are better than the bride and groom pair I suggested you get.” She leaned back toward Nick and added in a loud stage whisper. “I brought your grandmother’s engagement ring if you should decide you need it tonight.”

Nick actually cringed at the words.

Thea thought it was impossible, but her blood ran even colder.

“Mom, you’re embarrassing everyone,” Nick told her.

Thea wasn’t embarrassed. She was furious! She’d hoped in her heart she was wrong, but now she knew the truth! Nick really didn’t want to marry her!

Almost shaking with anger, Thea accepted a peck on the cheek from Nick’s father, but before they could speak, the door suddenly flew open again and Nick’s sister Patty flew in dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West complete with green makeup and pointy black hat. “You are not going to believe it,” Patty announced in her typically dramatic fashion.

She paused when she realized that no one but her own family and Thea was listening to her. “HEY!” she bellowed.

The word cut through the noise and a good third of the bar turned toward the door.

“You are not going to believe this,” Patty announced again, “but it is Halloween outside and the skies are snowing!”

With a flourish of her black robes, Patty pointed dramatically out the open door where huge flakes of snow could be seen raining down to earth.

“Oh my God!” Jim the bartender shouted and he began fighting his way toward the door.

“Well I guess there’s a first time for everything,” Kara said from behind Thea.

Startled, Thea whirled about to face her cousin. She’s been watching the unprecedented snowfall—huge wet flakes which plummeted more than fell to the suddenly white parking lot beneath their feet.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen snow in October before,” Kara continued. “Ron and I went skiing in August once, but I’ve never seen snow in October.”

Thea didn’t say anything.

She felt so depressed. How was she going to tell Nick she was pregnant now that she knew what he really thought about marriage?

“It’s certainly pretty,” Kara continued. “You have to give it that.”

Thea couldn’t even agree with that much. Nothing seemed pretty to her today. She didn’t want to have a child on her own living with Mom. Why couldn’t Nick have wanted to have this baby with her?

Kara wouldn’t leave her alone. “It’s not like you to be this silent. Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

Thea wanted to tell someone, but how could she do that here? The parking lot was packed with people from the bar standing out watching the snow. They couldn’t have a private conversation—not here at the bar on All Hallows Eve.

Kara continued to press her. “Is it Nick? Ron and I both noticed that you’re avoiding him tonight.”

Thea turned around to lie about that when a crack like a gunshot split the night. Startled, she whirled back around looking for danger. “What the heck was that?”

A second crack, followed by the sound of a branch falling from one of the trees on the side of the parking lot, reverberated through the storm. Even as Thea and Kara watched, a huge snow covered branch crashed to the ground shaking other branches down with it.

More cracks like automatic rifle fire split the night.

“Oh my God, our cars!” Thea shouted.

Without pausing to think about the potential consequences, she sprinted across the parking lot toward her little Ford Escort.

“Thea!” Kara shouted after her.

Other people were looking at the trees and beginning to recognize the danger. The Church Key was blessed with a pretty large parking lot. Thea and Nick always parked in the back to make certain that the prime spaces were open for patrons. But they weren’t the only people who parked back by the tree line.

Crack!

Another branch split away from a tree trunk, weighed down by the heavy wet snow caught in its leaves.

Thea reached her car, fumbled with her key and got inside. She could not afford another vehicle right now. Well maybe she’d have to with a baby coming, but she didn’t want to buy one because some snow-covered branch fell on top of her old one.

She stuck the key in the ignition and coaxed the engine to life. Then she quickly stuck the car in gear and pulled it out of her space deeper into the crowded parking lot.

Other people began to follow her example, hurrying to their cars to move them further away from the trees.

Thea turned off her engine and got out of her car. The wet snow no longer appeared the least bit enticing to her. She almost returned to the bar, but Nick’s truck was sitting in the back of the lot in just as much danger as her car had been in. She had the key on her ring and decided she better move it too. She hurried back to the truck wondering if it would be a good day or a bad day with Nick’s perpetually undependable vehicle.

She turned the key in the ignition and felt a surge of relief as it started easily. She pulled out of the space.

Crack!

A branch came down right behind her filling the spaces just occupied by Nick’s truck and her little Escort. It was a big branch probably weighing a couple of hundred pounds at least, easily big enough to seriously damage both vehicles.

Thea parked Nick’s truck away from the line of trees and rested her head on the wheel for a moment.

What else could happen today?

Chapter Five

When Thea got back inside the building, she found Nick going crazy behind the bar trying to keep up with the discounted drink orders. “I’m going to fire Jim this time!” he promised. “I can’t believe he ran out on me again when the bar is as busy as this!”

Thea had heard it all before. Jim was one of Nick’s big weaknesses. The other was his half-sister, Cass, who came around periodically to steal money for her drug habit and stir up trouble. Nick didn’t seem able to draw the hard line with them that was required of a successful businessman. He’d known Jim since elementary school and worried no one else would hire him if Nick actually cut him loose. And as for Cass, she was family even if she came from a long ago affair his father had had and Nick had trouble turning his back on family no matter how much they deserved it—just like Thea herself did.

Nick wasn’t going to fire Jim and she didn’t want to pretend he was so she decided to ignore his statement. “The storm is pretty bad out there. Branches are coming down. I had to move our cars to keep them from getting crushed.”

A smile lit Nick’s face. “Hey, you’re talking to me. That’s great!”

Thea felt her face harden into stone again as she remembered how he’d responded to his mother’s suggestion they get married.

Nick saw the change in expression through the flashing strobe light and frowned. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Hey, Nick, where are those drinks?” a man dressed as a cheesy vampire asked.

Nick’s hands automatically moved to the tap and began pouring Budweiser. His eyes didn’t leave Thea.

“Thea!” a familiar voice called out.

Thea used the sound as an excuse to turn and see her cousin, Liz, and Liz’s boyfriend, Travis, pushing their way up to the bar. Liz was dressed as a cowgirl in a cute leather skirt, plaid blouse, and hat. Travis, quite naturally, was dressed as a cowboy with tight jeans and a flannel shirt. They were another interracial couple just like Kara and Ron, and Nick and herself, assuming she and Nick were still together come night’s end.

Thea summoned up some fake enthusiasm because she knew that the two had come to support her and Nick. “Liz! You came!”