Chapter 17
Ivy balanced a tray of freshly baked pumpkin shortbread and chocolate chip cookies as she nudged the kitchen door open with her foot. “Does everyone have their costumes ready?”
Sweet aromas followed her into the grand foyer where Bennett was untangling string lights.
Her husband looked up, stole a shortbread bar, and winked at her. “I’m still not convinced a mayor should dress up as a pirate.”
“It’s Halloween. Even mayors get to dress up.” She set the tray on the entryway table and straightened the orange and black runner. “Besides, you look dangerously handsome with an eye patch.” She kissed him for emphasis.
“Hmm, maybe I will change,” Bennett said playfully. “I love your pirate wife outfit.”
She wore a flouncy skirt with a blousy top and large hoop earrings. She’d blacked out a couple of teeth and applied red lipstick.
The doorbell chimed, echoing through the foyer.
“Our first trick-or-treaters already?” Bennett checked his watch. “It’s barely twilight.”
“The little ones start early.”
Ivy picked up the bowl of individually wrapped cookies, each nestled in a cellophane bag tied with a Seabreeze Inn ribbon so parents would know where they came from. “Sunny spent all afternoon on these, and we need to finish packaging the rest.”
She opened the door to find three small wide-eyed children dressed as a purple dinosaur, a butterfly with colorful wings, and a tiny firefighter with a red hat. They giggled at Shelly’s makeshift ghosts, but they were uncertain what to do with their trick-or-treat bags.
Their mother stood behind them, showing them how to hold out their bags and whispering the words they’d forgotten in their excitement.
“Trick or treat,” they finally yelled.
“What wonderful costumes you have.” Ivy dropped a cookie package into each bag. “These are homemade cookies from the Seabreeze Inn.”
The mother thanked them. Emboldened, the kids turned toward the neighboring house, where Darla was dressed as a witch with a black pointed hat. She waited on her front porch, seated beside a steaming cauldron and flickering pumpkins.
Halloween was one of Darla’s favorite holidays because she loved dressing up. Every year, she spent the entire day in costume, going to Java Beach with her friends and buying candy.
As the children scampered away, Shelly appeared at her side, dressed as an apple tree, complete with leaves and apples hanging from her costume bark. She placed a thermos of hot cider on the table next to a stack of paper cups.
“Mitch and I finished setting up the ballroom. We made a spot for the DJ and his equipment.”
“Perfect.” Ivy saw Vanz walking through the hall toward them, dressed in ghoulish black. The transformation in him over the past weeks was remarkable. His posture showed more confidence, and his eyes met hers without immediately darting away.
“You look great, Vanz,” she said. “Want to help with the trick-or-treaters?”
“Sure.” He seemed happy to have an important job to do.
The doorbell chimed again. “You’re on. Here are the cookies. Offer the adults a cup of hot cider from that thermos. Help yourself to the cookies we haven’t wrapped yet.”
The doorbell rang again. And again. Within half an hour, a steady stream of costumed children flowed onto the porch. Ivy spied princesses and superheroes, ghosts and witches, and an elaborate octopus that required parental assistance to navigate the front steps.
From the kitchen doorway, Sunny called out, “A fresh batch is ready. Sounds like we need more at this rate.”
“Told you so,” Shelly replied, packaging the cooled cookies.
Inside the ballroom, guests were arriving for the private party. A couple had booked every room for a Halloween party when their travel plans fell through.
Dr. Caleb had met them at breakfast, where they’d talked about their horses and Maltese puppies, so they’d invited him to the party.
Caleb arrived downstairs dressed in his real scrubs with a stethoscope around his neck and a plastic snake draped over his shoulder.
“Some might call your costume cheating,” Ivy teased as she passed through with empty platters.
His eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Maybe a little, but I prefer to think of it as authentic.”
Caleb stopped to help Mitch hang fake cobwebs before going to the party.
“He looks pretty good in scrubs,” Shelly whispered. “Who do we know for him?”
“If you’re thinking of Sunny, she already told me he’s not her type. And Poppy has been talking to Andrew, Viola’s nephew and attorney.”
“No kidding?” Shelly brightened at the gossip.
“Don’t mention it to her. You know how she wants to keep her dating life private after those guys from L.A. that she and Sunny dated.”
“What jerks they were. Caleb seems like one of the good ones, though. Seems a shame to let him go to waste.”
Ivy laughed. “I doubt that he is. But he’s also focused on establishing a practice here and finding a place to live.”
Shelly inclined her head. “Why here, I wonder?”
“He told me his parents used to come here on holidays, and he loved it. He said he’s tired of big cities and the L.A. scene. Evidently, a woman broke his heart.”
“An age-old story. Her loss, someone else’s gain.”
They were all having a good time, and the doorbell’s chime became nearly continuous as dusk settled. The trickle of trick-or-treaters quickly became a flood. Families were making a visit to the historic inn part of their Halloween tradition.
Vanz held up a nearly empty bowl. “We’re almost out of cookies.”
“We have more.” Ivy ducked into the kitchen where Poppy and Sunny were laughing as they took out another batch from the oven.
Gilda burst through the back door, her pink hair tipped with green and styled in wild spikes. She held Pixie in her arms and wore a lab coat splattered with what looked distressingly like blood but was probably food coloring.
“Mad scientist?” Ivy asked.
“Mad veterinary technician. Inspired by our handsome new vet. Pixie’s costume matches his.” Pixie wore tiny scrubs that she wasn’t terribly happy about.
“The DJ is setting up,” Bennett announced, poking his head into the kitchen. He’d changed into his pirate costume. The eye patch and jaunty tricorn hat were spot on. “Mitch has the popcorn machine going now.”
As darkness fell, the trick-or-treating reached its zenith before gradually subsiding.
Shelly appeared with a tray of glasses shimmering with pink liquid. “I thought some of you might like a Sea Breeze cocktail. Fully loaded on the right, and virgin versions to the left.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” Ivy said, taking an icy glass. Tart cranberry and grapefruit combined with vodka hit the spot.
Meanwhile, the ballroom party was in full swing. The DJ had brought an impressive collection of vinyl. He was spinning “Monster Mash,” “Ghostbusters,” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” as costumed guests danced.
After a while, Ivy retreated to the patio for a few moments of calm. She admired the fairy lights twinkling overhead. She saw Bennett walking toward her.
As the music shifted to a slower beat, he held out his hand. “Do you dare to dance with this old pirate?”
“Not so old, I think,” she replied, stepping into his embrace.
They swayed beneath the soft lights to the sound of the music and the ocean beyond. Over Bennett’s shoulder, Ivy saw Mitch teaching Vanz a new card trick. Shelly held Daisy’s hands as the little girl toddled around in a bumblebee costume.
“What are you thinking?” Bennett asked, following her gaze.
“That the inn feels so wonderfully full of life.” She rested her head against his firm shoulder. “And that I need Diya’s help in menu planning. The guest list keeps growing.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he said, his breath warm against her neck. “We always do.”