Chapter 21 #2
She’d asked Erin to order strawberry liquorice for the spider legs and she was planning a test run this evening, and couldn’t wait to see Cameron’s reaction.
She knew he’d love them; there wasn’t a sweet treat that he hadn’t adored so far.
He was so easy to please and a pure joy to cook for.
She wondered if everything tasted a little bit better now he was in her life.
As if all the warmth and love she’d received from the community was somehow making its way into the food?
‘I’ll also bake cupcakes and decorate them with ghosts and pumpkins. ’
Flora clapped her hands looking excited. ‘Ach it’s going to be wonderful. The bonfire will be built on the day so Maud won’t see it and suspect anything. How’s the haunted castle coming along?’
Izzi thought about Cameron’s latest update.
‘The electrical work is done, we’ve hung the skeletons, zombies and spiders and I added cobwebs because there weren’t as many as I wanted.
Scott has a friend who owns some suits of armour he’s willing to lend out and they’re being delivered this afternoon.
We’ve positioned furniture around the ground floor covered it with dust sheets, and Lachlan is hiding devices around the ghostly trail.
Apparently, they’ll play scary sounds when people walk past. It’s going to be terrifying. ’ She grinned.
Flora clapped her hands and hopped on the spot. ‘Maud will love it. It’s going to even better than New Orleans!’ she declared.
‘I can’t wait to see what she thinks,’ Erin added.
‘I’m visiting the castle after work to check on everything.
I’ll carve some pumpkins later and maybe turnips too,’ Izzi explained.
‘I’m going to put them around the grounds of the castle and create a gorgeous glowing pumpkin pathway on the driveway leading from the gate to the front door.
We’re almost there!’ She couldn’t wait. It would be her first Halloween festival and it was going to be incredible.
‘If this works out, we’ll be able to make the festival a yearly thing,’ Flora said, nodding.
Erin grinned. ‘It all sounds perfect. I can’t wait to see it on the night. All we need to do now is make sure Maud doesn’t find out about it before Halloween.’
Cat shook her head. ‘She hasn’t got a clue. We’re so close and everything’s working so well. Nothing can possibly go wrong.’
It was dusk by the time Izzi parked outside of the castle.
It had been a long day in the café and she hadn’t had time to take a break.
She’d shopped for ingredients for tonight’s meal, popped home so she could put the food in the fridge and headed out again – she’d wanted to check on things at the castle before she started cooking.
She hadn’t heard from Cameron all day and suspected he wouldn’t be home until late.
She missed him – which gave her an unexpected ache in the pit of her stomach.
Since her mother had died, Izzi wasn’t sure she’d missed anyone quite this much.
The door of the castle was open and she bumped into Lachlan as he was heading out, bag in hand. ‘Izz, thank goodness you’re here. Did you bring any snacks? I’m starving,’ he said dramatically.
She reached into her bag and offered him some lemon shortbread.
Lachlan’s face brightened as he took a bite.
‘These are amazing. If you ever get bored of my friend, you know where I am!’ He winked.
‘Do you want me to stay while you do whatever you need to?’ He glanced back at the castle.
‘It’s a bit spooky in there now it’s dark.
’ He looked tired and Izzi shook her head.
‘I’m fine, I’m just here to check we don’t need to make any last-minute changes or additions. Thanks for asking, but you go home.’
He frowned. ‘Okay, but so you know, the suits of armour were delivered earlier and they’re in the sitting room. Don’t let them scare you because they’ve made me jump a few times. I’ll leave the lights on, but can you switch them off when you go?’
‘Sure,’ she said.
‘Do you have a key?’ he checked as he was about to leave.
She nodded. ‘Yes, I’m all sorted, honestly.’ Cameron had got an extra couple cut – with Josh Dunbar’s permission – so she had one ready in her bag.
‘Aye well, I do have a date to get ready for. Not that I need a lot of time. I’m bonnie enough.’ He chuckled when Izzi snorted. ‘Have a good evening, don’t stay too late!’ Lachlan said before tracking towards the car.
It was dim inside the castle and Izzi got her first glimpse of how it was going to be on Halloween night.
Bulbs which had been suspended from various sections of the castle roof dangled in half-moon shapes, throwing warm light on the ground and walls.
She walked through the hallway, following the trail of lights into the main sitting room where she’d hung ghosts, spiders and zombies from the walls and ceilings.
On the night, she’d scatter pumpkins and carved turnips on the furniture covered in dust sheets.
Three shiny suits of armour sat in the corners of the main room casting looming shadows over the walls, creating the perfect atmosphere. Maud was going to love everything about this place. She couldn’t wait to show her, couldn’t wait to see Cameron’s face too.
A breeze suddenly caught the edge of a sheet, making it billow and Izzi sucked in a breath as tingles rippled down her spine. This was exactly the effect they’d been looking for.
‘This is going to be amazing,’ a voice suddenly rang out echoing around the room and Izzi almost jumped out of skin.
When she spun around, she saw a blonde woman wearing a dark blue coat standing at the entrance of the sitting room.
‘I’m sorry if I startled you!’ the woman said, holding up a palm.
‘That wasn’t my intention. I saw your car parked outside and—’ She pulled a face.
‘I’ve been wanting to speak with you for a while. ’
‘Why?’ Izzi asked. The light was dim and she couldn’t make out the woman’s face in the shadows so took a step closer.
‘Did you want to order a cake, because you’d be better off coming into the café?
I’ve got pictures of things I’ve made already that I can show you and we can talk about what you’re looking for. ’
‘I don’t want a cake, Izzi,’ the woman said, her voice amused.
‘Okay.’ Izzi folded her arms because now this felt odd. ‘What do you want?’
‘To talk. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while,’ the woman said, smiling. ‘I’m Lorraine Holmes.’ She held out a hand. ‘I think we might be related.’