Page 36 of Hallow Hill at Halloween: Part One

“What is?”

“The terrace part of the evening. I hired Adam Ant Antics.”

I know I looked more interested. “An Adam Ant cover band?”

“No. That’s the name of his…”

“Band?”

“Yes. His band.”

Adam Ant was shockingly appropriate for Halloween. Who knew that John David was an eighties fan? Or maybe my doorbells had reeled in a convert.

“Well,” I said brightly, “now I’mreallyexcited. So, there’ll be dancing! No, wait. It’s better than that. There’ll be dancing in themoonlight!”

He smiled. “Exactly. Who could resist that?”

“Nobody. And it will keep us warm.” I saw John David’s expression waver. I had to stick with yoga because I couldn’t go for five minutes at a time without putting my foot in my mouth. “I mean… Well…”

“No offense taken, Rita. There are perks to being cold-blooded.”

My smile fell. “John David, I’m not a fan of vampire humor.”

“I was being serious.”

“That’s possibly worse.”

“New topic. I’ve already had Jarvis take a count. I have enough of the Rosenthal Eminence Cobalt Blue china. I don’t have crystal to match, but Waterford made goblets with cobalt-blue stems that would be perfect. They’re vintage, of course, but I think I can round up enough.” He looked up and smiled. “The internet is a marvelous thing.”

With a nod, I said, “Who can argue with that? I’m sure the table will be impeccable.”

“I wonder if there are enough blue flowers to make the stunning arrangements Lily is noted for.”

“She can get delivery on some and dye others as needed. It will be spectacular as always. She’s a miracle worker.”

“Dye flowers?” He sounded skeptical.

“Yeah. Evie and I did it once for a school project. You take white flowers, cut the end of the stems, and leave them in a jar with two inches of dye in water. Or if you want to go the quick route, you can dab paper towels into the dye solution and gently press onto the petals.”

He cleared his throat. “It’s hard to picture you so engaged.”

“Why?”

“You’re the magistrate.”

“Well, everybody was something before they are what they are now.”

He laughed out loud. “Well said.”

I chuckled, slightly embarrassed by my folksy philosophy when I played it back in my head.

“You’re right about Lily. No one is more trustworthy when it comes to flora.”

“I’m sure she’d love it if you’d leave a review.”

His smile dropped. “A review?” He looked perplexed. “Don’t you have to sign your name to those?”

“In a sense. You have to sign the name by which you’re known on the platform you’re using to review.”