Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Van
I adjusted my red hat. Next, I flipped the white collar of my blue jacket straight and tugged on the white sleeves. The last thing to put on with my Ash costume was the green, fingerless gloves.
A night that had passed with little notice over the years had turned into a big family event. And I was invited along again.
The Halloween night festivities blossomed from the initial idea of roaming Coal Haven as one large group.
Poppy and Jensen were supplying pizza at the Perez house for everyone, and then we would walk the neighborhood from there.
If we needed to warm up, we could dip back into the house and gorge on more pizza and cocoa.
“I love it,” Clover called from the bedroom. She came waddling out in her plush yellow Pikachu costume. She’d found a full-length pajama suit with a hood that had the ears. With this, she could wear normal shoes and stay warm.
Mostly, I was looking forward to having an adorable Pikachu at my side. “I’m never going to look at Ash and Pikachu the same again.”
She turned from side to side like she was at the end of a catwalk. “In a good way or a bad way?”
“All good.” When she beamed, I just wanted to herd her to the bedroom and strip her yellow pajamas off.
“The Ash look fits you, honestly.” Appreciation shone in her eyes. “You’re a chameleon.”
“How so?”
Pink dusted across her cheeks. “Well, there’s computer-nerd Van, who’s quiet and introspective but alluring.
” Her flush deepened. “And then there’s boardroom Van, who acts like he makes everyone at a meeting beg for it.
” I ticked up a brow, loving how her blush stole over her whole face.
“And this makes you kind of an avant-garde Van, with maybe a little tough-guy edge.”
“With my red hat?”
“It’s what cinches the deal,” she said solemnly, but she failed at biting back a smile.
I chuckled. “I’ve been called worse. Come on, Pikachu, let’s go catch ’em all.”
Less than fifteen minutes later, I parked in front of the Perez house. Alder and Daisy were just pulling up.
Clover nearly skipped all the way to the door, waving at Alder’s family. “Look at you, Laila!”
The young girl had petals around her head like she was some sort of flower. “I’m a monkey orchid.”
Daisy smirked. “In case I thought I’d be able to just buy a simple costume.”
Alder carried the car seat. “There was a run on monkey orchids as soon as we showed up.”
Evander appeared at the door, lines bisecting his green face. The monster of Frankenstein. Violet was next to him with her hair standing straight up, a white line sprayed into either side. The bride of Frankenstein. And little Willa wore a white lab coat. Dr. Frankenstein.
Evander pushed the door open, studying our costumes. “You’re going to have to explain it to me.”
“Ash and Pikachu from Pokémon,” Clover said as she stepped in.
I tensed as I followed her. I hadn’t met many adults outside the gaming realm who understood my hobby, and thanks to my family’s behavior, I usually kept quiet. Why did I suggest this couple costume idea?
“Cool.” His gaze danced back and forth, only approval in his gaze. “Perfect for a chilly night.”
“No way.” Auggie came from somewhere behind the crowd milling close to the door. “Dad! Aunt Clover is Pikachu.” The kids moved over. He was dressed in a Liverpool soccer uniform, and his hair was slicked smartly to the side. “Whoa. You’re Ash.”
My night was already a success. If I could make a kid like him excited about what we were wearing, should I really hold on to what my family had thought?
Clover grinned and turned from side to side. “We thought of doing Pikachu and Eevee, but we couldn’t find jammies in Van’s size.”
I snorted. “They had a pair for Eevee in your size, but you wanted to be Pikachu.”
She snickered. “True.”
Evander’s eyes gleamed, and he met his wife’s gaze. She smiled, and when she saw that I noticed, her grin grew larger.
Alder and Daisy came in behind us.
Lily poked her head out from the entrance that led to the kitchen. “Pizza’s ready. There’s no schedule. Just eat and take off.”
“You aren’t dressed,” Clover said.
Eliot appeared behind Lily. “Her costume would take out five people and a window.”
Lily rubbed her hands together. “His isn’t as bad.”
Clover stuck her hand in mine and led me toward them. “Are you going to keep me waiting, or can you tell me?”
“I’m a banana,” Eliot said drily. “And so are all the kids.”
“A bunch of bananas?” Clover stopped next to the stack of pizza boxes on the counter. I rubbernecked around us while listening to their conversation. The kitchen had been recently refurbished with polished cabinets and gleaming woodwork. “Hmmm, what would Lily be?”
“A gorilla.” Lily grinned. “You should see the costume. Its hands are the size of dinner plates.”
Eliot draped his arm around his wife. “I was supposed to be the gorilla, but the costume was too short.” He opened the top of a pizza box and spun it around to face us. “Help yourself. Jasper didn’t make the trip. He wanted to finish working cattle, then it’s time to sell off our herd.”
Alder moved around Clover and grabbed a slice of pizza. “Then he’s moving here. All the Dukes in one spot.” He leaned against the counter before he took a bite. “Unless you’re going to move to Williston.”
A chill slipped and slid through my veins. Clover was moving out of town?
Wasn’t I doing the same? I hadn’t thought about my living situation beyond arranging all my meetings. I hadn’t even looked at the rental information.
Clover shook her head. “I need to stay where you all are. After the baby’s born, maybe it’ll be easier to work remotely from there so I don’t have to juggle the times I have to travel with finding childcare.”
Fuck that. She shouldn’t have to move away from her family. Not when I was around.
Only I wouldn’t be. Would I? And why was I so bothered by where she chose to live? I could go anywhere.
My stomach cramped. I must need food in it. I took two paper plates and handed one to her.
Alder pushed off the island. “You don’t need to move. Jasper will be here then. Who knows, maybe Uncle Jasper will open a day care just for all of our kids.”
Clover laughed, and while I loved the sound and appreciated Alder putting her at ease, a part of me stayed disgruntled. What the hell for? Why wouldn’t I want Clover’s family to rally around her so she could continue living near them? Why wouldn’t I want her family to help her out?
Because it would mean Uncle Jasper was a big part of Bean’s life and Uncle Van wasn’t.
Clover wandered next to me as we followed Auggie, Poppy, and Jensen around the block adjacent to the Perez house.
The wind gusted between the two houses as we walked by. She shivered and put her hood up. “I’ve been meaning to tell you thank you.”
“For what?”
“For messaging Poppy.”
“Oh. That. You missed her.”
“But it was that simple for you. You could’ve been irritated at me for complaining about something I could very much do myself, but you reached out instead.”
Auggie jogged up a walkway to a front door glowing under the porch light and hit the doorbell.
“Would you really think about moving to Williston?” The pizza had sat in my stomach so heavily I’d been tempted to ask Clover what type of mineral weighed more than a brick of lead.
“If I have to.” She stretched her sleeves out to cover her fingertips. Poppy and Jensen were a few feet ahead of us. “It’d be harder in a way. I have so many people around here to help, but sometimes I might have to be gone Monday through Friday.”
“You can call me.”
She blinked up at me. Auggie had gotten his candy and was sprinting back down the sidewalk. “What?”
“Call me. About Bean. I can help.”
“Oh.” We walked a few more steps. “Do you have experience with kids?”
“Uh, none.”
She giggled. “Okay. You get points for honesty though.” She paused for a moment. “Does that mean you’re going to move somewhere in the state?”
Would I move to Williston too? Good damn question. “I feel like I should stay close,” I said honestly. “Bean’s the only member of my family I can stand.”
She laughed loud enough that Poppy turned around. She beamed at us and faced ahead, murmuring something to Jensen.
“Fair.” Clover stopped again while Auggie darted up to another front door. “I would like you to stay a part of Bean’s life, but not just because you’re the only member of the other side of Bean’s family.”
I could’ve soared off the sidewalk. She wanted Uncle Van around her—around the baby.
I really did want to be there for Bean. Jasper wouldn’t be the only fun, single uncle.
I also didn’t like the thought of Clover scouring her siblings for help.
She might be too afraid to ask for what she needs because they all have busy lives.
“I don’t want you to put your career on the line,” she continued, “and a fussy baby could interfere with that.”
“Bean wouldn’t do such a thing.”
She smiled and tucked her arm through mine. “I’m going to tell you a secret.” I tipped my head closer to her even though I heard her just fine. “I love my nieces and nephews, but sometimes I’m really glad I can leave them with their parents.”
Grinning, I patted her hand, and we started our route again as Auggie excitedly showed his parents the toy car he got to pick out with his treat. “Your secret is safe with me, but if a kid can derail all the work I’ve done to start consulting, then I haven’t done a very good job.”
She looked up at me, her hood shadowing her eyes. “So does that mean you’ll be close by?”
“Yes.” I would move into an apartment right here in Coal Haven. I would be closer to Bean. And her. There was no reason to be anywhere else. The thought of staying in town didn’t make my stomach acid go wild like it did when I pondered other places to live.
“Good.” She kept her arm in mine as we walked.