Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
“Iknew it. I knew you’d go as a cowboy,” Bekka said, poking Cam in the hip with one sharp finger.
“Well, you were right, Miss Thing. I haven’t had time to come up with anything else, you know that, and I wanted to be sure we got to go to that trunk or treat thing together.
” Cam had really had to work to get home in time for Halloween because one of his sponsors had wanted him to go to an invitational event and do some roping; he could use the paycheck, so he’d gone, but he had needed to make it back in time for this shindig.
The Girl Scout parties had gone well, and apparently Bekka’s birthday present she’d taken to one party had been a hit.
But this was the Trunk or Treat. This was something they all got together in the town to do.
All the people parking around the big parking lot at the fairgrounds and setting up the back of their cars or their pickup trucks with decorations and big buckets of candy to hand out so the kids could tromp around and collect it.
He figured this was going to be the first test of the girls being able to cope with his whole family, not just the cleaning crew who came over and invaded Mitch’s house every couple of weeks.
It seemed like half the damn town was related to him somehow, and they would all want to meet and greet with the girls, compliment them on their costumes, and give them candy.
Not to mention the fact all his nieces and nephews and a couple of cousins who were still young enough to trick-or-treat would be stopping by their vehicle to beg tons of candy and possibly play a few tricks.
“You girls about ready to go?” Mitch came out, and his costume had to be something from some video game. But Cam had to admit he had no idea which one it was. He knew things like Mario or Donkey Kong, but whatever this was, he had no clue.
“Daddy, do you like my candy container? We made them in Girl Scouts.” Rachel held up a plastic pumpkin that had been decoupaged with God knew what. Cam was impressed that he knew the word decoupage, thanks to his sisters.
Mitch never missed a beat, though he smiled and nodded.
“I think it’s real pretty, honey. Rachel, where is your pack so I can change your batteries?
” The light-up costumes for the smaller kids had come with battery packs they could refill, and Rachel had been alight all day.
“Sarah, come let me fix your wig. Bekka, where’s your horn? ”
“I think it’s in the truck, Daddy, from the last time I went out in the costume.”
“Well, you need to go get it because we’re taking the big Suburban.”
“Okay.” She pelted off outside. It was still plenty of daylight. Trunk or Treat started well before dark and went until a little before nine.
Mitch did all the adjusting and getting the kids moving. “Yes, we have to put the coats in the car. No, you don’t have to wear them if you don’t want to. But I want you to have them for when you decide you’re going to freeze to death.”
Little Rachel was the only one who had sleeves to speak of built into her costume.
Mitch had spent a good long time figuring out how to keep them from getting frostbite.
Rebekka had this amazing sparkly pink sweater they’d found at a thrift store, Rachel had a black hoodie with bat wings hot-glued on, and then, of course, their Wednesday Addams had a long-sleeved black runner’s turtleneck so she could be warm and all dressed in black.
He grinned, noting he was surprisingly excited for a small-town trunk or treat in the dirt. “I’ve got the thermoses and the candy.”
“Candy. Candy. Candy!” Rachel sang at the top of her lungs, and Mitch rolled his eyes.
“Good deal. Your mom is bringing fried chicken strips and tater tots, and we were supposed to bring dipping stuff. So I got ranch, honey mustard, and ketchup. Does that work?”
“Lord yes.” Every family would bring something—rolls, a vegetable tray, what have you. “That way, we can all have a bite to eat and not have to worry about having only candy-fueled children on the way home.”
“At least tomorrow’s not school. Tomorrow’s Saturday.”
“Right, and Teresa’s coming over here to spend the night?”
Mitch nodded, grabbing a handful of stuff they needed. “And Bekka is gonna spend the night at Lizzie and Ramsey’s with the twins-es.”
Yeah, Bekka did fall right in between both sets of twins, didn’t she?
“And I’m gonna come and be with you, Daddy.” Little Rachel wasn’t quite old enough to spend the night, and neither were any of the nieces and nephews who were of an age with her. It worked out because she’d be asleep in the car before nine anyway.
It took forever, it felt like, but they did manage to get everybody loaded up into the car.
And all the food in there too.
With drinks, candy, flashlights, extra batteries. Blankets. All the coats. Makeup to fix any accidents that happened in the first aid kit that had to be the size of a cooler.
This whole hauling kids around thing was super-involved. He couldn’t imagine trying to travel with them. Lord, that would require a U-Haul.
Once they reached the trunk or treat, Cam pulled into the spot the family had saved for him, popping the back of the Suburban once they were in place.
“About time, son,” his mom murmured when she came to help the kids out.
“Let it go, Momma.” He shook his head. This is his first year doing this, and she just needed to watch it.
“Miz Halley?” Bekka nodded to her, and Momma smiled.
“You can call me Miss Pam if you want.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Bekka gave her a tentative smile and then went right to Mitch.
Rachel, on the other hand, was unbuckling herself and squealing, “Granny Halley! I’m here! Did you see my dress?”
Cam snorted again.
The girls had only worn the same costumes over and over for every goddamn party in this entire town.
Momma popped him on the butt and hugged her tight.
“I did. You’ll have to let me put more batteries in for you so you can be all nice and lit up.
Grandpa Halley’s right there. Tell him I said to battery you.
” Then she glanced in at Sarah, who was in the farthest back.
“You look amazing,” she said. “You really do pull Wednesday off better than anybody I’ve ever seen. ”
“Thanks,” Sarah grinned at her, so obviously pleased. “Is Teresa, here yet, Granny?”
“Everybody’s here, sweetheart. She is over there with her momma, so three cars down. Make sure you ask if it’s okay if you can go.”
Sarah looked to Cam. “Is it okay if I go over and be with Teresa?”
Well, fuck, what was he supposed to do? He froze. Did he have the right to say she could go over there?
Mitch nudged him on the way by with a bag of food, but said nothing, so Cam guessed he could. “Sure, honey. Just don’t wander too far without us.”
“No, I’m going to just be with Teresa. It’ll be okay.” She smiled at him, waved, ran off, and Cam felt a little as if he’d been popped in the gut.
Momma gave him this arched eyebrow knowing look. “Problem, son?”
“No, Momma, I’m fine.”
“You know—”
“Don’t, Momma.” He didn’t want to listen to Momma telling him about how to handle his responsibilities and all this stuff between him and Mitch.
They’d figure it out; they were doing fine. Interfering old woman.
She rolled her eyes and headed over to Mitch. “What did you bring, son?”
“Ranch, honey mustard, and ketchup. Oh, and I got some barbecue sauce and some sweet chili sauce. Bekka’s been on a sweet chili sauce kick, so I thought I’d bring it.”
“Perfect. You know, everybody has different tastes. I might have to try this sweet chili sauce.”
Cam decided to get to work putting out candy into bowls and getting the blankets all arranged on the open gate of the Suburban. He’d end up in less trouble that way.
It was really a nice setup they had. There was the candy, there was the food. All the Halley clan had brought something for their people, but they weren’t the only ones.
The McMahons had a whole big setup with barbecue on one side, and there was a big portable hot pot with chili in it and cornbread and cheese over there with the Jaramillos. And he wasn’t sure what smelled so good with the Petersons, but he was going to go see soon.
It was a good way for them all to get together, share food and community, and let the kids trick-or-treat without so much worry.
Even the older kids seemed to be happy to be there, not acting as though it was some kind of big ordeal.
He loved that because it kept them out of trouble.
In a small town like they lived in, sometimes it was easy to end up in somebody’s back pasture drinking a keg of beer and then trying to drive.
Talk about a recipe for disaster. The trunk or treat gave a kid something to do, including a little weird table set up with a Mad Scientist Lab that was making mocktails, at least the community were one-up on bad experiences.
Not that Cam hadn’t had his share of teenage weird shit he’d done. So he grinned over at Mitch because he was thinking of the weird shit they had done together and how it had turned out now they were back to that point in their lives, kind of.
They were a lot more aware of how things were now, and they were also a lot more grateful for it, he reckoned.
“Mr. Cam, I like your chaps.” One of the teenage girls who belonged to, he thought, the MacMahons, winked at him as she went by, the gesture surprisingly adult. His cheeks heated, and he felt like he wasn’t sure what to do—whether he should thank her, ignore it, or tell her to watch her mouth.
He settled for shrugging and letting it go.
Mitch walked over and bumped hips with him. “See? Now you’re getting admired by the younger set. You’re like a distinguished older cowboy.”
“Oh, you shut up. That’s not funny. She could be my daughter.”
“Only if you had her when you were fourteen.” Mitch winked at him. “I like your chaps though too.”
“So, what the heck are you supposed to be anyway? I’m assuming it’s a video game thing.”