Chapter 13 #2
From behind her, Cash approaches, a broad smile on his face. “Hey, guys. Good to see you.” He holds out a hand to us. “Give me your coats. I’ll put them in the coatroom. Just down the hall, past the solarium, in case you forgot.”
Once we hand over our coats, Ari glances at Kane with her eyebrows raised. “No more blindfold? You don’t mind if she sees right away?”
Kane hugs me closer. “Jess isn’t a huge fan of surprises. Which I didn’t realize before. So I think it’s better this way.”
My stomach squinches in a knot. “I’m sorry,” I mutter. “I didn’t mean to ruin?—”
“Jess. You’re not.” Ari pats my arm reassuringly. “Now come on. We’re heading to the ballroom.”
The ballroom? I’ve been in Cash and Ari’s house—well, it’s more like a mansion, actually—a handful of times, but we’ve only ever hung out in the expansive entertainment room for our reality TV watching sessions. But the ballroom? That sounds significantly fancier than anything I’m dressed for.
“It’s going to be fine,” Kane assures me as we follow Ari down the hallway, past sleek sculptures and photos with elaborately carved frames and gorgeous paintings. “It’s not dressy. I promise.”
“Okay,” I whisper. “I trust you.”
But I can’t help the niggling worries from slinking back in. The worry that someone might be here who doesn’t like me. That people will stare. That Kane will feel embarrassed, despite his reassurances to the contrary, to have someone less than perfect standing by his side.
Rationally, I know it’s silly. But decades of insecurity are a hard thing to wipe away.
When we get to a set of carved wooden doors, Ari stops. She raps three times on them, then turns back to me and Kane. A mischievous smile plays at her lips. “Are you ready?”
I nod, unable to speak with my heart in my throat.
Kane’s hand slips around mine, squeezing gently. “You’ll like it,” he murmurs. “Don’t worry. ”
Then he lifts his chin at Ari, and she pushes open the doors.
I hold my breath.
At first, there’s just darkness. The quiet whisper of movement.
Then the lights come on, and all the air leaves me in a rush.
A crowd of at least twenty people, if not more, are standing in a semicircle in the middle of the room, all of them with warm smiles and welcoming expressions. The second they see me, they start clapping and call out in unison, “Happy Birthday, Jess!”
My heart trips.
“Kane,” I whisper. “What is this?”
“It’s a party,” he says unnecessarily. “For you. You said you haven’t had one since you were little. And I just thought…” Worried eyes meet mine. “I thought you would like it. And when I talked to my friends—our friends—about it, they all wanted to be a part of it.”
Tears spring to my eyes. “Kane.” It’s wobbly. Close to breaking. “You did this?”
Casting my gaze around the room, I take in all the decorations.
Twinkle lights are strung across every available surface, a sparkling blend of cool white and bright blue.
At least a dozen tables are covered with deep blue tablecloths and set with enormous bouquets of matching flowers.
In one corner of the room, there’s an assortment of carnival-type games like Skee-Ball and air hockey and a giant claw game filled with stuffed animals.
In the opposite, a dance floor is surrounded with even more lights, and a DJ is standing nearby with his soundboard ready to go .
Against one wall might be the largest buffet I’ve ever seen, with at least thirty covered dishes and a towering chocolate fondue fountain. And to the right, a large table is mounded with gifts, all wrapped in a variety of blue and white patterns.
As I’m looking around, the music kicks off, and all the guests start to advance in our direction. My hand tightens around Kane’s instinctively.
“They all care about you,” Kane says, his breath a whisper against my ear. “And they’re all so excited to celebrate with you. To make this day special.”
“Everyone?” I glance at the crowd of guests again.
There’s Thea and Ben, both of them smiling widely.
Then Grant and his wife, Scarlett, followed by Ian and his wife, Rose.
Oliver and Shea are here, along with several more of Kane’s coworkers.
Nora and Jackson are in attendance, along with Leo, and his wife, Georgia, who I’ve gotten to know pretty well thanks to our shared interest in knitting.
Just behind the first wave are more people I know—Marie from work, Penny and Eloise, who sometimes join us for reality-TV-Monday, Dave from the fire station and his very sweet girlfriend, Hollis, and Kane’s fellow officer, Mike, with his high school sweetheart turned fiancée, Darcy.
“Yes, everyone,” Kane replies. His lips brush my cheek. “There are a lot of people in Sleepy Hollow who really like you, Jess.” He pauses, his voice dipping as he adds, “And then there’s one person who really, really likes you. Me.”
My heart melts again.
“Kane.” Even though there’s now a small group of people waiting to greet me, I throw my arms around him and hug him tight. “This is just… I wasn’t expecting it. All these people?—”
“Is it okay?” Concern creases his brow. “I thought if you realized how many?—”
“It’s more than okay.” Sniffling against the burgeoning tears, I kiss him hard. “It’s wonderful.”
“We have all your favorite foods,” he explains. “On the buffet. And I remember you telling me about going to the arcade with your mom when you were young. So I thought the games would be fun. Plus we have a DJ, and presents, and fireworks later…”
“Fireworks?”
“Fireworks,” Nora affirms as she reaches my side. She pulls me in for a quick hug, which I know from hearing her story is no small thing. “Kane asked Finn to help, so they should be pretty good. Finn’s just outside doing a final check, and then he’ll be back in with Hanna.”
I know Finn is Blade and Arrow’s resident explosives expert, and Hanna is his very sweet and talented wife.
She takes incredible photos that get featured in magazines and on websites all over the world.
We’re not close friends, but I’ve always liked them, which makes it even more meaningful that they came to help make my party special.
“Jess.” Thea appears in front of me with a small gift bag in hand. She hugs me and says with a smile, “Happy birthday, old lady.”
Some of the tension in my chest releases. “I’m only two months older than you.”
“Still older,” she retorts. Then she laughs. “I was so jealous of you back when you finally turned eighteen. I wished I could be older so we could sneak off to Canada to buy beer like we always talked about. ”
“I brought you some back. That really strong stuff. Remember?”
Kane coughs and gives me a mock-stern glare. “Are you telling me you smuggled beer across the border? And you both drank while you were underage?”
Thea’s cheeks go pink. “It was only a six-pack. And we barely drank one each because it tasted so terrible.”
“I’m just kidding,” he replies with a chuckle. “You don’t think you’re the only one who made some trips across the border before turning twenty-one?”
“Did I hear something about illegal smuggling?” Oliver asks as he joins our little group. To Kane, he asks, “Should I be worried about my partner’s bootlegging history?”
Shea punches Oliver’s arm. “Stop. This is Jess’s party. Don’t make it weird.”
“I was joking.” He smiles at me before lifting his chin at Kane. “I’m guilty of the same thing. I had some friends at school up in Potsdam, and every time I’d visit, we’d take a trip into Canada. Just for the sights, of course.”
“Of course.”
As the banter surrounds me, more of my nerves dissolve. This isn’t scary, talking to a group of people like this. No one is eyeballing my scars or giving me judging glares. They just all look happy to be here. Happy to be talking to me.
“I was thinking we could check out the games first,” Kane suggests. “Maybe win some prizes. Then check out the buffet, have some drinks, do some dancing…”
“And the fireworks,” Nora adds. “Don’t forget those.”
I turn to Kane, my heart full to bursting. “It all sounds amazing. Whatever you want to do?— ”
“No.” His gaze turns solemn. “This is about you, Jess. And whatever you want to do goes.”
“Games it is,” I reply. “I’d like to see about winning a little stuffed animal.”
And not one with a razor embedded in it, hopefully.
No . I slam a steel door shut in my mind. No thinking about crappy stuff tonight. Just the wonderful surprise Kane arranged for me.
Just as we’re about to head across the ballroom to the game area, Thea tugs on my hand. Quietly, she says, “I know there’s a gift table. But… I wanted to give this to you personally. If that’s okay?”
Kane looks between us, an introspective look in his eyes. Then he steps back and says, “I’ll wait for you over there, sweetheart.”
Once he’s gone, Thea tugs me over to the side, so no one else is around us. Then she hands me the gift bag. “It’s not anything big. But… I’ve had this at my house. And I thought… I just hope you like it.”
As I reach my hand into the bag and rummage through the tissue paper, I say, “You didn’t have to get me anything. Really.”
Her brows jump up. “Of course I did. That’s what friends do.”
A lump lodges in my throat.
Then I pull out the gift, and tears spring to my eyes.
It’s a photo. Of me and Thea, back in junior year of high school.
We were having a sleepover slash makeover session, and we look absolutely ridiculous.
I have a bright green mask on my face and my hair is curled up in fabric rollers all over my head.
Thea has a white mask that makes her look like a ghost, and her hair is shiny with the oil she swore would make her curls lay flat.
We’re both laughing and making silly faces at the camera, so carefree and unknowing of the hardships we’d yet to encounter.
“I know things have been hard for you,” Thea adds quietly. “I didn’t realize how bad. And I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault.”