Page 13 of Trick or Tease

SAbrINA

I grabbed Garrett’s arm before he could change his mind about helping. “Perfect. Come on.”

“Where are we going?” he asked, looking slightly alarmed as I started pulling him toward the driveway.

“We’ll see you guys later.” I waved at Billy and the others, who were grinning.

“Granny’s house. We’ve got candy to make.”

“Candy?” He dug his heels in a little. “I don’t know anything about making candy.”

“That’s okay. I do.” I kept tugging him along, ignoring his protests. “Besides, you said you wanted to help, and this is how you can help. We’re making sour apple hard candy to sell at the farmer’s market tomorrow. It’s going to help fund some of the Halloween decorations for the corn maze.”

Garrett looked like he was reconsidering his offer to help, but he followed me anyway. “Sour apple candy?”

“Think Jolly Ranchers, but better. Granny’s got this recipe that’ll make your mouth pucker and beg for more at the same time.”

“And you think that’s going to make you money?” he asked.

“Yep. It does every year. Look, just help make the candy. I’ll worry about selling it.”

We walked the short distance to Granny Mae’s house. I could already smell something sweet wafting from her kitchen windows. She’d probably started the sugar syrup already.

“Granny!” I called as we stepped through her back door. “I hope you’re wearing pants because I brought reinforcements!”

She looked up from where she was stirring a pot on the stove, her eyes immediately zeroing in on Garrett with obvious delight. “Well, well, well. Garrett Hogan in my kitchen. When’s the last time that happened?”

“Too long, Mrs. Mae,” Garrett said. I was surprised by how genuine his smile looked. “Something smells incredible in here.”

“That’s the sugar syrup for our candy,” she said, beaming at him. “Sabrina roped you into helping with our little venture, did she?”

“Something like that,” he said, shooting me a look that was half amused, half resigned.

“Don’t look so worried, honey. It’s not rocket science.” Granny Mae wiped her hands on her apron. “Though I suppose after all those years in the city, you might be rusty at working with your hands.”

I bit back a laugh at the slight challenge in her voice. Granny Mae had always been good at poking people just enough to get them motivated.

“I think I can manage,” Garrett said dryly. “I’m a fast learner.”

“We’ll see about that.” She gestured toward the counter where she’d already laid out candy molds, bottles of flavoring, and food coloring. “Sabrina, get him an apron. Can’t have him ruining those fancy pants.”

I pulled one of Granny’s flowered aprons from the drawer and held it out to him. Garrett stared at it like I was offering him a live snake. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. Hot sugar syrup stains, and I’m betting that shirt cost a lot.”

He sighed and took the apron. It barely covered his front and fell right at his crotch instead of mid-thigh.

But it was the most endearing and hilarious sight I had seen in a long time.

I watched Garrett try to tie the apron strings behind his back.

The sight of this powerful man defeated by a simple kitchen apron was almost too much to handle.

“Here, let me,” I said, stepping behind him to tie the strings properly. I tried not to notice how broad his shoulders were or how good he smelled even in Granny’s kitchen full of sugar and spice scents.

“Alright, you two,” Granny Mae called from the stove. “Time to get to work. Garrett, I need you to measure out the apple flavoring while Sabrina gets the molds ready.”

I handed him a small bottle of green liquid and pointed to the measuring spoons. “Just one teaspoon for now.”

“Got it,” he said, unscrewing the cap.

What happened next was like watching a slow-motion disaster. He tipped the bottle, but instead of a careful teaspoon, a glug of bright green flavoring poured out, splashing onto the counter and dripping down to the floor.

“Shit,” he muttered, then immediately looked mortified.

“Language, dear,” Granny said mildly, though I could see her trying not to smile. “And that’s about three teaspoons too much.”

“Sorry, Mrs. Mae.”

I grabbed a dish towel and started mopping up the mess. “It’s okay. Rookie mistake. We’ve got plenty.”

“I can do it,” Garrett protested, reaching for the towel at the same time I did. Our hands collided, and somehow he managed to knock over the bottle of red food coloring in the process.

“Oh, come on,” I groaned as crimson drops splattered across the white counter. It looked like a candy crime scene.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said, grabbing another towel and making the mess worse by spreading the red dye around instead of blotting it up.

Granny Mae clucked her tongue. “Honey, maybe you should just stand back and let Sabrina handle the measuring.”

But Garrett was determined to prove himself. “No, I’ve got this. Just tell me what to do.”

Twenty minutes later, I was seriously reconsidering my decision to bring him along.

He’d managed to spill sugar across the floor which made the linoleum floor feel like we were on an ice rink.

When Granny asked him to stir the syrup, he’d somehow dripped it onto the hot burner, filling the kitchen with the acrid smell of burning sugar.

“Is it supposed to smell like that?” he asked, waving the wooden spoon around and flinging more drops of syrup.

“No,” I said, rushing to turn on the exhaust fan and open a window. “Definitely not.”

The poor man was so far out of his element. I hoped it humbled him a bit.

While we waited for the kitchen to air out, I leaned my hip against the counter. “I’m really excited about all the events at the farm this year. It’s all coming together so well. Billy did a good job.”

I wanted Garrett to acknowledge his brother’s hard work. And mine.

Garrett looked up, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, I have to admit, it’s impressive. I didn’t expect it to be this big of a deal. But I can see why people would want to come. Good wholesome Halloween fun.”

Granny Mae stirred the syrup on the stove. “It’s more than just Halloween, though, isn’t it? It’s a whole fall celebration. Spooky, yes, but also warm and welcoming. The crisp air, the pumpkin patches, the cider are all part of it. You need a name for this.”

I nodded, catching her drift. “You’re right. ‘Halloween stuff’ doesn’t quite capture it. It’s bigger than that. It’s about the season.”

“What about something like ‘Fall Fest’?” Garrett suggested. “Simple, to the point.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Too generic. Everyone calls their fall events ‘Fall Fest.’ We need something unique to us.”

Granny Mae looked thoughtful. “What about ‘Harvest Haunt’?”

“We’re trying to stay away from scary,” I said. “I’ve been vetoed.”

“I think you should include the old haunted house as part of the festivities,” Granny said. “That’ll bring more people in. Nothing like a haunted house to drum up curiosity.”

“We all know that house isn’t haunted,” Garrett said with a shake of his head like he’s tired of defending the place. “It’s just closed up. Sabrina made all those stories up.”

Granny scoffed. “She made up that one story, but there are plenty of real stories about that old farmhouse. The House on Hogan’s Hill is the place where love died.”

“What?” Garrett asked. “I’ve never heard that before. My parents always said my great grandparents had lived there, and when my great grandpa died, my great grandma couldn’t bear to be in their home anymore. She had the new house built and boarded up the old one.”

Granny nodded. “You’re just missing the part about your great grandfather’s restless spirit roaming those halls eternally, looking for the love he lost.”

Garrett laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“Maybe we should do a haunted tour of the place,” I said.

“I doubt it’s safe for the public to walk around in,” Garrett said. “We would have to check everything out and fix it up. I don’t think it’s worth the cost or the effort.”

“How about a haunted hayride?” Granny suggested. “It can just drive past the house and no one has to go in. You could hang sheets in the window or something. Add some music and vibes.”

I looked at Garrett to see what he thought about it. He wasn’t outright saying no.

I grabbed a notepad from Granny’s junk drawer and started jotting down ideas as they came to me.

“We could attach a flatbed trailer to the tractor and haul people up the dirt road to the old house. String up some spooky lights along the way, maybe add some creepy scenery for the ride up. Scarecrows with glowing eyes, that kind of thing.” My excitement grew as the vision took shape in my mind.

“This could really tie the whole event together. The haunted hayride would be the perfect centerpiece.”

Granny clapped her hands together. “Now you’re talking!

I can already picture it. Folks bundled up in blankets, sipping hot cider while they take in the sights.

Maybe we could even have someone jump out from behind a tree with a chainsaw.

Nothing too scary, just enough to give people a little thrill. ”

I grinned at her enthusiasm. “Exactly! And we could?—”

“It’s not my thing,” Garrett interrupted. The apron still hung ridiculously around his waist, but his expression was all business now. “If you want to do a haunted hayride, that’s up to Billy. I’m just here to help with…” He gestured vaguely at the candy-making supplies.

I tried not to let my disappointment show. For a moment there, I’d thought he was actually getting into the spirit of things. But of course Garrett Hogan wouldn’t be caught dead planning something as frivolous as a haunted hayride. Too small town. Too beneath him.

“Right,” I said, forcing a smile. “Well, I’ll run it by Billy later. I’m sure he’ll love the idea.” I turned back to Granny, determined to keep the momentum going. “In the meantime, we should probably focus on not burning this batch of candy.”

Despite his initial clumsiness, Garrett eventually got the hang of candy-making.

More like he stopped making catastrophic messes.

He was no Willy Wonka. By the time we poured the last of the molten green syrup into the molds, I was beat and so ready for a cold beer and some time on the porch looking up at the stars.

“I think you should come with me tomorrow,” I said.

“Where?” he asked.

“The farmer’s market. Our booth. We’re going to sell the candy and Granny’s apple jelly. And her infamous apple butter.”

I thought he was going to tell me to get lost.

“Okay.”

I grinned. “Awesome. I’ll pick you up at eight. We have to be early to set things up.”