Page 58

NINETEEN
It was difficult for Oliver to look Adelia in the eye last night and agree to be just friends. Because deep down, it’s not what he really wanted. And hearing what she’d done for him, even if she shouldn’t have, had only made him fall harder than he already was. What he had wanted to do was turn around and take her in his arms and show her how much he felt for her. But it was indulgent and immature to think that way. He had a feeling she wasn’t looking for the kind of serious commitment he was, so he needed to keep his head on straight and not let his judgment be clouded or they could both end up hurt in the end.
The flight back to Grand Rapids was quiet, mostly spent sleeping. He’d barely slept last night when he heard Adelia get up and walk out of her room. He had followed her to the kitchen, where she stood at the refrigerator, not opening it, just standing there. This time, she had walked herself back to her room without needing assistance, but he’d sat in the chair by her bed for a long time to make sure she stayed asleep, drifting in and out of sleep a few times before returning to his room around dawn.
“Your neighbors go all out for Halloween,” Adelia commented as they drove into Oliver’s subdivision. “Why don’t you decorate?”
“I only decorate for Christmas.”
They pulled into the driveway then, and Oliver ushered her quickly into the house.
“Do you have candy?” she asked when they were safely inside.
He glanced over at her as he set their bags down by the stairs. “Candy?”
“For the kids.”
Kids?He hadn’t thought about the fact that a bunch of trick-or-treaters would be coming to his door later that night.
“I’ll turn the porch light off so they don’t come here.”
Her mouth fell open. “You don’t have to do that. We can wear costumes.”
“They’ll get plenty of candy from the other houses.”
“Please, Olly. I’ve never passed candy out to kids before. We don’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters up on the bluff.”
She stuck out that full bottom lip of hers, and he forced himself to look away before he acted on the sudden desire to take it between his own.
“Okay,” he mumbled as he took the bags upstairs just to give himself a moment of escape.
Adelia clapped her hands. “Yay!”
When he returned, she was on her phone.
“Skylar and Franky are coming over and bringing candy and costumes. What do you want to dress as?”
“I’ll just put on my uniform.”
She smirked. “That’s not very original.”
“It’s as dressed up as I’m gonna get.”
“What should I dress as? A prisoner? You could put me in handcuffs.”
He cleared his throat. “That’s not an image I need in my head right now.”
Her cheeks blushed. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know, but talk about something else. Skeletons or zombies or something.”
A coy smile spread across her face. “I could dress as a skeleton and put white makeup on my face. That would keep me from being recognized.” She raised a finger in the air. “Or a clown.”
“Not a clown. Those things creep me out.”
She laughed as she typed on her phone. “I told her to find me a skeleton costume. Are you sure you don’t want something else to wear?”
“I’m sure.”