There were so many people I hadn't seen in years. I had a feeling my newfound semi-fame played a role in their attendance. People like the Pollards, who I hadn't seen since my wedding, were there and hugging me like we were the best of friends. Or the Brownings, who made mention how much they loved my blog and wondered if I would mention their tire store in exchange for a free rotation. Not sure what to say, so I moved on. And there were a lot of people to move on to. Eventually I got to Delanie, who was indeed Wilma Flintstone and wow, was I envious of her twenty-something body. No wonder Peter was holding on tight.
She kissed my cheek. "You look gorgeous tonight."
"Not as gorgeous as you."
She waved me off. "This was Peter's idea."
"Guilty," Peter admitted while he ogled his wife.
Delanie leaned in toward me. "Did you and Reed coordinate costumes?"
"No," I immediately shot that idea down. "It's a weird coincidence."
"Yeah." She nodded.
"He said he was a German Shepherd," Peter interjected.
"Oh. I can see that." No, I didn't. Who dressed up like a German Shepherd?
"Uh-huh." Delanie wasn't buying it.
"I'm going to get a drink," I interrupted. "Does anyone want one?"
"It's your party, sis, let me get you something," Peter offered.
"You married a keeper, Delanie."
"I know." She pecked Peter's lips.
"I'll take anything from the non-alcoholic table. Thank you." I couldn't stand the thought of Ma scolding me for drinking dressed as I was, plus I had to drive myself home. No more designated Neil.
I wanted to talk to Delanie more, but Avery and James's neighbor, Gary, the one Avery had been trying to set me up with, decided to engage me in conversation.
"I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm Gary Wright. I live next door." The distinguished man with traces of gray in his chestnut hair, a spark in his emerald eyes, held out his hand.
I took a closer look and had to admit he was handsome, but I couldn't place him. Maybe it was the This is my Halloween Costume shirt that was throwing me for a loop. It reminded me of Neil. He was the last person I wanted to be reminded of tonight. He'd found adult Halloween parties juvenile. Maybe they were, but they were fun.
I took his hand. "I'm sorry, I don't remember you, but it's nice to meet you again. I'm Samantha."
"The birthday girl." He let go of my hand after his firm shake.
"Girl is stretching it, but yes, in a couple of days." I had kind of been dreading it. And now look, I got to celebrate it early.
His baritone laugh filled the crowded room. "Well, you look good to me." His ears turned bright red.
Delanie's eyebrows raised.
Yes, that was awkward. "Thanks." My voice was hitting some high notes.
Might as well add a dash more of awkward. Reed joined us in his "dog" costume.
"Sounds like this is where the party is." He held out his hand to Gary. "I'm Reed, longtime friend of the guest of honor."
Gary studied the fur face atop Reed's head. "Gary, new acquaintance of the birthday girl."
Both men turned to me and smiled as if they expected me to say something.
I said the dumbest thing I could. "I heard it might snow tonight." Wow. Sam for the win. The really ridiculous part was that I hadn't heard that; it was fifty degrees outside. It had been a warmer than usual fall day.
"Really?" Gary seemed intrigued and pulled out his phone to check his weather app. Exactly what Neil would have done.
Reed, on the other hand, knew I had no idea what I was talking about. The biggest smirk filled his face. "I hope you don't catch a cold, Little Red Riding Hood."
"Thank you for your concern. Excuse me, I'm going to see if I can help Avery in the kitchen."
"Me too." Delanie followed.
Peter noticed and walked into the kitchen with us. He handed me some punch and Delanie a glass of white wine. I almost begged her to swap. But who knew what would come out of my mouth if I added alcohol into the mix?
"Thank you," I said as I took the punch.
"You okay?" Peter asked.
"Looks like Sam has a few admirers tonight," Delanie answered for me.
"Ooh, is Gary one?" Avery jumped in with her hands full of wrapped wieners on a tray.
"Yes, and Reed is the other."
I choked on my punch.
"No way." Avery laughed. "She babysat him."
"From the looks of it, I don't think he would mind if she took care of him again," Delanie commented.
Peter didn't look surprised at all.
Avery was still shaking her head. "That's crazy talk. I heard he was going to ask out Penelope, the model girl from church."
Jealousy pricked my nerves again.
"Hmm." Delanie stared at me. "What do you think?"
"I'm sure they would make a lovely couple." I set my drink down on the kitchen counter before reaching for the tray Avery was holding. "Let me help you."
"It's your party, I got it," Avery tried to protest.
"Please, let me help." I wasn't taking no for an answer. I took the tray and headed for their dining room where there was a huge spread, including a large sheet cake with, Happy Birthday, Samantha, written out in red icing.
Avery laughed at my side. "What a riot, you and Reed. Funny, though, how your costumes match."
"Peter said he was a German Shepherd."
"That makes sense."
No, it didn't. None of this was making a lot of sense to me.
"Thanks, by the way." I set the tray down near the condiments on the table. "You didn't have to do this."
"It was my pleasure. You needed to ring in forty with a bang." She shimmied up close to me. "So what do you think of Gary? Handsome, huh?"
"Yeah." I nodded.
"He's a loan officer for a local bank. He's been divorced and has two younger girls that he gets every other weekend and a couple of times during the week. Cutest things ever."
I hadn't thought about dating someone with children. Blending a family. I supposed I should have. There were a lot of things I should have thought about. Not that I was against it; I wasn't. But what would Cody think? And I would have to think about someone else's ex. Maybe I wasn't ready for all this. Then there was Reed. From the sounds of it, our fun could be coming to an end.
"Sounds nice." I grabbed a cheese cube from off the table and popped it in my mouth.
She waved her hand in front of my face. "Are you okay? You seem lost in thought."
"I think I just need some fresh air. This is kind of overwhelming for me." She had no idea how true that was.
"You deserve it." She gave me a tight Avery hug.
I slipped out the back door, well, sort of. At least five people wished me happy birthday before I could make my escape. I took a deep, cleansing breath once I hit the night air and closed the sliding glass door behind me. It was a little chilly in my getup, but no snow was in the air. I retreated down the deck steps and headed for the koi pond they had in their beautifully landscaped backyard. In the summer it was more glorious, with a variety of blooming flowers. Even now it was beautiful, but most importantly, peaceful.
I took a seat on the small stone bench near the edge of the pond. The cape was hardly any source of warmth, but I pulled it around me. I thought back to last year when I found my solace out here during the Halloween party. Same place, different reason. Or was it different? Maybe it was a new set of issues, but it all stemmed from my marriage falling apart. Last year I was in denial. This year there was no denying it.
I think part of me wished I could be like the koi fish that had retreated to the bottom of the pond, invisible. I had done my best for months to make myself as scarce as possible, even from myself. Now that I was emerging, there were growing pains. More lessons to be learned. Pain that had to be dealt with.
"Hey, there."
My time alone had come to an end. My focus stayed on the dark pool of water. "What are you doing out here?"
"This is where you are."
"You shouldn't have come out here. My family is already suspicious."
"Would it be so bad if they knew?"
I swiveled on the bench to face him. He looked ridiculous. "Nice costume, by the way."
His lip twitched, forming a half smile. "I couldn't resist once you told me what you were coming as. You're stunning, by the way, but you're avoiding the question."
It was a good question, and one he deserved an answer to.
He stepped closer. "I'm not asking you for a commitment."