Page 26

"Now, let me get you all bloody."

Beth Bowen

James’ story went straight to my heart. After getting to know him, I could tell there was another side of him hiding behind the goofy, cocky guy I’ve come to know.

It hurts to find out how right I was. But I am glad he told me.

It helps me understand him better, but it also muddies the water a little.

How can it not? My view of James was already rapidly changing.

Add to the mix a man who’s known loss since such a young age, and it completely shifts the playing field.

All the flirting, the larger-than-life attitude, the show he puts on for the fans, it ’s just a way for him to feel the love. Something to fill his void.

It also explains the connection he maintains with the Golden Age residents and why he’s so stoked for the Halloween costume contest tonight.

We’re going as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf—James’ idea—and I’m currently doing his makeup.

“Stop moving,” I scold, holding the brush high.

“Sorry, but it itches,” he says, scrunching his nose. I scratch his nose with the end of the brush, being careful near his scar. “Thanks.”

“All right, let’s keep going.” I glance at the photo of the model on my phone, trying to duplicate it on James’ face. It’s not bad, but I certainly won’t be pursuing a career in makeup anytime soon.

Finally, I paint the last bit of facial hair on his jaw and nod in satisfaction. “Okay, we’re done.”

“Hallelujah. Can I see?”

I hand him the mirror, and he examines his face from different angles. Then, he howls.

I chuckle, shaking my head. “Much better than your raptor call.”

“ Drat . I’ll have to change teams.”

I tilt my head. “Is there even a Wolves team?”

He looks up, thinking. “I think there’s a rugby team called the Wolves, but I don’t remember where they’re from. I could play rugby. It’s pretty fun.”

I cross my arms. “You like your sports highly dangerous, don’t you?”

He barks out a laugh. “I guess I have a type. All right, your turn, Red.”

“Wait a second. You’re not putting anything on my face,” I say, taking a step back. “The costume alone will be enough. And I’ll throw in some red lipstick for good measure.”

“Unacceptable. In the picture we found online, the girl had bloody claw marks on her cheek. That looked cool. Besides, we already have the fake blood makeup.”

I look at the pic again. He’s right, it does look cool, but I don’t follow a grueling skincare routine every day to just slap anything on my face. “Nah, I’ll pass. Let’s go get dressed.”

He places his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to sit back down. And as usual when we touch, my body ricochets between extremes in temperature. “We’re doing the bloody makeup, Elizabeth. Come on.”

“Fine, but we’re doing a full skincare routine afterwards. And that means you too.”

“Sounds like a plan. Now, let m e get you all bloody,” he says with a menacing grin, and I can’t help but laugh.

“Careful, your serial killer side is showing,” I tease.

He howls again, then gets to work applying the makeup.

I have a hard time sitting still. But after he almost pokes me in the eye twice, I steady myself and wait patiently for him to finish.

It’s not unpleasant. I like the feel of the brush against my skin, and James is gentle in his movements. Finally, he puts the brush down.

“Are you done?” I mumble.

“Wait, I’m going to smudge it a little so it looks more natural,” he says, rubbing my cheek with his thumb.

I look him in the eye, and I instantly regret it, because his face is just inches from mine. His thumb caresses my cheek, and just like that, I’m overheating again. As his gaze falls to my lips, I wonder if he’s thinking about kissing me. I know I am.

As we’re staring into each other’s eyes, my phone rings, effectively ruining the moment. We study each other for a second longer before he takes a step back to let me answer the phone.

After glancing at my screen, I pick it up. “Hi, Mom. How are you?”

“Wait. Why is the screen all black? I can’t see anything—Richard!” she yells.

“Hold on. I didn’t know it wa s a video call,” I say, holding my phone in front of me so I can see my mom’s smiling face. “Hey, Mom.”

“Oh, you look great, honey. Love the makeup.”

“Thanks. It’s all James’ doing.” I point the phone at him, and he waves.

“And who’s this beautiful lady?” he croons, channeling all his charm even with his wolf makeup. “Love the blouse.”

“Oh, you’re too sweet,” Mom says. “It’s just an old rag. But you sure look handsome as a wolf.”

“What’s up, Mom?” I ask, directing the phone camera back to my face before the exchange of compliments continues to ping-pong between them. With these two, it could go on for hours.

She gives me a sympathetic look. “I’m afraid we have to cancel Roast Night on Thursday. We have to work. It’s a regular client, and we can’t turn him down.”

I shrug. “Oh, that’s okay. Don’t worry about it. We’ll do it another time.”

“I’m terribly sorry, James,” she says in a louder voice, so I point the phone at him to let her see that he’s right here.

“It’s absolutely fine, Pam. Roast Night can wait.”

“Great. Well, maybe you can come for Pizza Night on Saturday instead?”

“Mom,” I groan, but she pratt les on about how Pizza Night is just as fun.

“I’d love to, Pam,” he says, taking the phone. “But we have our friends’ wedding on Saturday.”

“Oh, right.” She shakes her head slightly. “Well, in that case, I might have to look at the calendar again and get back to you.”

“Sounds good,” he says with a smile.

“Well, you two have a good night at Golden Age. We just went to visit Grandma today, and she’s very excited.” Her shoulders fall. “It’s a shame we’re working tonight. I would have loved to have seen it.”

“We’re excited too,” James says. “And don’t worry, we’ll send you pics.”

“Thank you.” She beams.

“Do you want me to put Elizabeth back on?” he asks, glancing at me.

“Actually, I have to get going, but it was nice talking to you two.” She waves into the camera. “Bye, bye!”

Returning her wave, he hangs up and hands me my phone back.

“Oh, you’re done,” I say, taking it with a smirk. “You had a nice chat with my mom?”

He laughs, cocking his head. “A w, don’t be like that, Elizabeth. There’s space in my heart for all the Bowen women.”

I shake my head again, but this whole exchange—and his last words—trigger a tsunami in my chest. No matter how hard I try not to fall for James Adler, I’m losing the battle, one flirty remark at a time, and it scares me to death.

Okay. I know we’re supposed to embrace death, with today being Halloween and all.

But if I’m being honest, I don’t know if I can handle this new development.

The staff at the Golden Age Nursing Home weren’t kidding when they said they were throwing the residents a Halloween party.

The entire common area is decorated with fake spider webs, glowing jack-o-lanterns, ghosts hanging from the chandeliers, and paper bats fluttering from the ceiling.

All the chairs have been lined up to form a makeshift runway down the center of the room, and there’s a judging table at the end with three seats.

They also put on spooky ambiance music and prepared some tasty snacks with sugar-free options in the mix.

“Grandma,” I call out when we spot her and her friends in the corner. She’s wearing a witch costume inspired by Wicked, and she looks amazing.

“There you are!” she says, turning around and hugging both of us in turn. “You look great.”

“So do you, Lois!” James says before hugging the other members of her friend group.

Martha is wearing a spooky fortune teller costume, Esther is a vampire, and Bill is a pretty convincing Albert Einstein.

We compliment them on their costumes, then chat for a bit before one of the nurses approaches James to tell him they’re ready to start the contest soon.

“On it,” he says, waggling his eyebrows at us before following after her.

“Oh, I’m excited,” Martha says, shaking her fake crystal ball.

Soon enough, the nurses gather all the contestants while the rest of us sit down to watch. There’s a saved seat with my name on it in the first row, right next to Martha’s daughter and Bill’s son and grandchildren.

As we’re taking our seats, James appears on the runway, howling into a microphone and waving at the residents and their families.

He taps the mic, grinning like he’s about to address an auditorium packed with fans.

“Welcome, ladies and ghouls, to the first annu al Golden Age Halloween Spectacular!” He bows, winking at me, and I join the applause.

“We’re all full of tricks, but we have a very special treat for you. The best Golden Age models have teamed up to offer you the spookiest Halloween fashion show of the season. Are you ready?”

“Yeah!” the crowd shouts back, some a bit weaker than others.

“All right. Before we start, give it up for Maddie, Carlos, and Lea, our wonderful and fair judges.”

The nurses stand up, waving at everyone with a warm smile as the crowd applauds.

“Without further ado, let’s get started!”

Upbeat music blasts on the speakers, taking me by surprise. I assumed it was going to be a little more low-key. Martha takes the stage first, strutting down the runway faster than I expected, delicate scarves fluttering around her as she shakes her crystal ball and holds it aloft.

“Ladies and gentlemen, witness Madame Martha, diviner of fortunes—and the only one here who knows where you misplaced those missing dentures.”

Martha grins, waving a hand theatrically over her crystal ball in front of the judges before leaving the runway at the end. After the contestants walk it o nce, they take their seats next to the judges.

“And here comes Esther, the blood-sucking beauty of Shady Pines!” James announces as Esther shuffles onto the runway at a slower pace, her velvet vampire cloak billowing behind her. “Hide your necks, folks—she’s on the prowl for her next victim.”