Chapter 7 - Maren #2
“Uncle Adrian…” Will tilted his head as he studied the garland. Even from way over here, I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes.
“What’s up, big guy?” Adrian asked, coming closer to his level by one step. The ladder rocked ominously, but steadied out fast enough.
“If we fold the leaves over each other, like winding them, then it’ll kinda look like a whole bunch of bats.” Will pointed at the sections he meant, and when I tilted my head, I could see his vision taking form out of thin air.
Adrian blinked at him. “That’s… actually really clever, Will.”
“I just thought—” The kid looked shy all of a sudden, dropping his gaze to the polished tile. “I saw the reflection on the floor while I was walking, and if it was bats instead of leaves then people would get a piece of Halloween even if they don’t look up.”
“Holy shit, he’s right,” Ethan murmured.
Adrian’s grin was instantaneous, the kind that made his dark hair fall into his eyes. “Brilliant. You just made my display even better. Nice work.”
He came down and gave Will a high five, which he accepted stiffly but with the tiniest flash of pride.
“Wanna see something cool?” Adrian called to me, with a slight nod of his head.
I followed him to an area cordoned off near the back, the noise of the store receding into the background as I watched him tweak and adjust moving parts on an impressive haunted house display.
“Hand me that candlestick, would you?”
I caught the brief sweep of his hand over mine as he took it. The touch was fleeting, nearly accidental, yet it drew my attention sharply.
“You’ve got an eye for this.” I stepped closer, willing my heart rate to settle down. “I mean, the way you… see it all together.”
Adrian’s dark hair fell a fraction over his eyes as he looked up at me, and for a heartbeat, his gaze felt like it pressed in on the edges of my chest. Not heavy or invasive, just… insistently present. His intense focus made the angular lines of his face even more distracting.
“I like it when people notice the little things,” he said, voice carrying the same casual ease as always, but the words settled differently on me.
I nodded, trying to focus on the house instead of the faint tremor running through my fingertips from where we’d touched.
He stepped around me to straighten a loop, and I realized, through the warmth washing over me, that more than ten minutes had passed.
I’d promised the kids ice cream. I’d promised them we’d leave soon.
And yet, I found myself not really wanting to. I may have been fresh out of a break up, but there was nothing wrong with a little flirting. Or liking the attention.
“See that loop over there on the other side?” Adrian nodded at the corresponding wall. “I can’t reach it, so I’ll need you to pull it at the same time that I pull this one.”
“Uh, okay.” I stepped gingerly onto the display with him. “You should know that my decor ability—technical or otherwise—begins and ends with alphabet animals and giant numbers for classroom walls.”
He chuckled, hazel eyes glinting with amusement. “I believe in you, Maren.”
It turned out the adjustment wasn’t that hard, and I got dragged into a series of rearrangements with Adrian to perfect the display.
He cracked stupid jokes, plied me with loaded looks that lingered longer than necessary, and the rest of the store felt suspended around us.
The kids’ laughter and talking were still there, but he was front and center of it.
His presence folded into mine in a way that made the ordinary act of stacking pumpkins feel unusually private. Sensual, even.
“You see it, right?” He finally stepped back, happy to quit picking at the imperfections. “The magic. The thing that’ll make people stop and stare.”
My fingers curled around the fake lamppost, just beneath his. We weren’t touching, but it was like sparks of tension coiled in the miniscule space, begging for it.
“Yeah, I see it,” I said, trying not to sound too flustered.
He ran a hand through his unruly hair and smiled. “Good.”
“I was wondering where you got to, Maren.” Miles sauntered over, eyes narrowed but with a smile on his face. “You two look cozy.”
“Just helping him perfect the haunted house.” I couldn’t look right at him, which made his knowing laugh all the more cutting.
“Sure, sure. Just helping.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway. There was something infectious about them that made me less prone to my usual rigid thinking. Made me consider another option: This may not have been part of my plan, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t have fun while I was here.
“Okay,” Adrian called, clapping his hands to gather everyone. “I want your honest opinions. Is this the most jaw-dropping display we’ve done or what?”
The assistants exchanged hesitant glances, but one by one, they nodded. The manager finally conceded, shaking her head with a reluctant laugh. “Alright, fine. It’s… incredible. You were right.”
“Couldn’t have done it without you, big guy.” Adrian put his arm around Will’s shoulders. The kid’s smile was subtle, but couldn’t hide the glow of pride he wore.
Ethan brushed a speck of glitter from my cheek, and I stilled, unveiling celebration forgotten. “Thanks for bringing the kids around today. It was good for all of us.”
His gaze disarmed me. “I think their favorite part was getting to boss you guys around for a change.”
“I think you’re right,” he laughed.
The store felt like it was alive, buzzing with lights, color, and movement. And I allowed myself to enjoy it. Not because I had anything figured out, but because it was plain old fun. Because the kids were laughing, and because right now, that was all I needed.
And the thrill of the men’s attention wasn’t exactly unwelcome, either.
By the time we got home, the excitement from the mall had worn into a comfortable buzz.
Dinner was a casual affair of pizza boxes on the counter, Sadie chatting a mile a minute about the little details she’d noticed in the displays, Emma silently picking at her slice while occasionally glancing at the clock, and Will…
well, Will had managed a few slices of conversation, which was progress.
Ethan cleared the last plate. “All right, man,” he said, turning to Will. “You can have your Nintendo back.”
I expected him to dart out of the kitchen and run upstairs to get it, but he shuffled in the doorway for a pause, then said, “Actually… I know it’s a school night and all, but could we maybe watch a movie together? All of us, I mean.”
Everyone went quiet and I have to admit, I nearly choked on my last bite of pizza. But Ethan played it like a pro.
His face softened, and he ruffled Will’s hair. “Sure, man. Sounds good to me.”