Part 9 (1/2)

”He's been working on the design since the beginning of October,” I verified. ”I especially love the life-size Frankenstein and Mrs. Frankenstein at the front door. They can be set to speak to you when you come in, but I have that part turned off for now. It was making the dogs crazy, plus it's a little creepy if you come in alone after dark.”

”With all those orange globes you have, I'm not sure how you can see the dark for all the light.”

”Tell me about it. I had to make him put them on a timer so they weren't s.h.i.+ning in our faces when we went to bed.”

”So far the only decoration we have is a pumpkin for the front porch. I think that in this case less is more, and up until today, I was pretty sure your dad felt the same way. But after seeing all Zak's electronics, I'm half-expecting to wake up to a decorating nightmare.”

I laughed. ”What is it about boys and their toys?”

”Every time I point out to your dad that perhaps he doesn't need to get every electronic device his future son-in-law has, he reminds me that I have an entire closet dedicated to shoes.”

It occurred to me that this was the first time Mom had referred to Zak as her future son-in-law. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, since we weren't even officially engaged. On the other hand, I guess everyone realized it was only a matter of time.

”Your dad and I were going to head over to the snack shack and get a couple of burgers. Do you want to join us? You too, Ellie.”

”Thanks, but we're going to wait to eat with our dates.” Ellie actually blushed, which was weird because she'd been dating like crazy and everyone knew it.

”Well, you girls have a nice time,” Dad said as he kissed me on the cheek before leading Mom and Harper away.

”Oh, there's Peter coming from the parking lot,” Ellie informed me. ”Save our place in line and I'll go to meet him.”

I grinned as Ellie jogged away. She really was in to this guy. I just hoped he was as super as he seemed. I wasn't sure that a relations.h.i.+p would work out for them in the long run since he lived in the valley and she owned a business at the lake, but it would be nice if she found someone nice to hang out with in the short term.

”I spy with my little eye the fairest maiden in all the land.” Zak jogged up behind me and scooped me into his arms.

”Zak, you nut, put me down.”

”Not unless you know the magic phrase,” he teased.

I whispered something in his ear.

He smiled. ”That's not what I had in mind, but it will do.” He set me on my feet.

”I thought you had another half hour at the snack bar.”

”A couple of the guys scheduled for the second s.h.i.+ft showed up early, so I decided to see if my princess was in need of rescue. Are you? In need of rescue?”

”Not at the moment, but you might be if you keep calling me princess.”

”Oh, I do love them sa.s.sy.”

”You are such a jerk.”

”Maybe, but I'm an excellent kisser.” And he kissed me to prove his point.

I couldn't help but smile at his playful mood. Zak was almost never in a bad mood, but he did tend to be more serious than silly. Maybe the Halloween spirit had gotten him in touch with his inner child. Whatever the reason for his playful mood, I liked it.

”Dad said he came by the house earlier. I guess you've given him the decorating bug. Mom said he's itching to keep up now that he saw all your electronics.”

”He can try to catch up, but I am the decorator.” Zak said that last word in the same way someone might say terminator.

I laughed. ”I think you have Halloween on the brain.”

”I thought it was your favorite holiday.”

”It is.”

”So why aren't you going a little Halloween crazy?”

”I'm crazy, just not as crazy as you. How about we check out the maze after the hayride? Just you and me,” I suggested. ”We can hide in the shadows and make out.”

”Why don't we go home to make out and save the maze for tomorrow?”

”An even better idea.”

”By the way, Levi stopped by the snack bar. He and Darla aren't going to join us. He thought things might be a little weird between Darla and Ellie.”

I was sorry Levi wasn't meeting us, but it was probably just as well. Ellie was on a date of sorts-a first date-and the added tension of the Ellie/Levi dynamic might give Peter the wrong impression. Or I guess it would actually be the right impression, but perhaps not the one she'd want to make right out of the gate.

”Zak, this is Peter; Peter, Zak,” Ellie introduced the guys when she returned with Peter on her arm.

”So how is Shep doing?” Peter asked Ellie once the introductions had been made.

”He's settling in nicely. He loves having the lake in his backyard to romp around.”

”I'll bet.”

”If you'd like to see him, you can come by the boathouse after the hayride,” Ellie offered.

”I'd like that.”

I looked at Zak and winked. We both recognized the smooth way she'd gotten him to come back to her place. Or maybe he was the one with the smooth moves? Either way, I was certain I was witnessing a romance in the making.

By the time we got to the front of the line, it was completely dark, which added a whole other level to the event. Riding through the dense forest at night, with all the nocturnal animals rustling about in the shrubs, was spooky even without the actors dressed as ghosts who floated around in the woods as the wagons traversed the narrow dirt trail. I was impressed by how many automated props Joel had managed to set up in the short amount of time he'd had to prepare.

I snuggled close to Zak for both warmth and security. It seemed that Peter and Ellie had had a similar idea. I was glad to see that Ellie had finally hooked up with a guy with genuine potential.

I suppressed a scream when a headless horseman came riding up wielding a sword. The live actors really added a sense of the terrifying to the event. I was pretty sure the man in the horseman costume was my dentist, but even with that knowledge, I found my heart pounding as he threatened to take the head of anyone who pa.s.sed through the woods.

”That was really fun,” I said when the wagon had returned us safely to the staging area. ”Anyone up for a drink?”

”I think Peter and I are going to head back to the boathouse,” Ellie informed me. ”I hate to leave Shep alone for too long. Catch up with you tomorrow?”

”Have fun.” I grinned.