Page 42 of Trick or Tease

GARRETT

I stood at the entrance gate with a clipboard, directing the steady stream of cars into the makeshift parking area we’d set up in the back field.

The turnout was incredible. Even better than any of us ever imagined when we first started planning this whole thing.

Cars were lined up down the county road, their headlights cutting through the October darkness as families piled out in elaborate costumes.

“Park along the fence line,” I called out to a minivan full of kids in superhero costumes. “Follow the orange cones and someone will direct you from there.”

The father gave me a thumbs-up and drove off, his kids already pressing their faces against the windows to get a better look at the glowing jack-o’-lanterns lining the entrance path. The excitement on the faces of the young and old was pretty cool.

I should have felt proud. Hell, a week ago I would have been over the moon about pulling off an event this successful. The logistics alone were impressive.

We had local food vendors set up in a semicircle near the barn, everything from kettle corn to hot chocolate to Lucy’s family’s famous apple cider donuts.

Granny Mae was selling her candy and racking up future customers.

Kids were getting their faces painted as vampires and witches at a booth run by the high school art club.

There was even a photo station with spooky props where families could take pictures together to post online.

The local band, The Graveyard Shift, was set up outside the barn with a fog machine rolling across their makeshift stage.

They were working their way through every Halloween song ever written, and I could hear them launching into “Thriller” as another group of teenagers headed toward the dance area.

It was exactly what I believe Sabrina envisioned when she started expanding the simple punkin’ chunkin’ into something bigger. A real community event that brought people together and gave local businesses a chance to make some extra money before winter set in.

But instead of satisfaction, all I felt was this hollow ache in my chest that seemed to grow heavier with every passing hour.

“Garrett!”

I turned to see a couple approaching. Their names escaped me, but I remembered them from my youth. They were both dressed as scarecrows, complete with straw poking out of their sleeves and painted-on stitched smiles.

“This is just wonderful,” the woman gushed, grabbing my arm with both hands. “You and Billy have outdone yourselves. The whole town’s talking about how professional everything looks.”

“Thanks but Billy deserves most of the credit?—”

“Oh, nonsense,” she interrupted, waving a straw-stuffed hand. “Everyone knows you’re the one who turned this into a real business. My nephew works for the county, and he said you handled all the permits and insurance like a pro. We’re so lucky to have you back home.”

Her husband nodded enthusiastically. “Your parents are going to be so proud when they hear about this. You boys really know how to honor the family legacy.”

Family legacy.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. If only they knew that their hometown success story was currently sitting on a contract to sell that legacy to developers who’d probably turn it into a bland corporate park.

“We’re just glad people are having fun,” I managed, forcing what I hoped was a convincing smile.

“Oh, we are! You’ve given this whole community something special, Garrett. Something to be proud of.”

They wandered off toward the food vendors, leaving me standing there feeling like the biggest fraud who ever lived. All around me, people were having the time of their lives at an event I helped create while secretly planning to sell it all away.

My phone buzzed for what felt like the hundredth time today. Ron again. I had been ignoring his calls since this morning, but he was nothing if not persistent. I glanced at the screen and saw a string of increasingly impatient voicemails and texts.

I ignored him, just like I had been all day.

I spotted Sabrina across the field, her black witch dress flowing behind her as she helped a family navigate toward the corn maze.

Even in the flickering light of the jack-o’-lanterns, I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way she held herself like she was bracing for impact.

She looked beautiful and fierce and completely untouchable.

I waved over one of the kids helping out with the parking situation. “Can you take over parking duty for a few minutes?”

“Sure thing,” he said, accepting the clipboard. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just need to handle something.”

I made my way across the field, weaving between families and dodging excited kids running between attractions. My heart was hammering against my ribs like I was walking into a courtroom to deliver closing arguments. Which, in a way, I guessed I was.

Sabrina must have sensed me approaching because she stiffened even before I reached her. She finished giving directions to the family, her smile bright and professional, before turning to face me with eyes that could have frozen hell itself.

“Sabrina, I need to talk to you.”

“No.” She started walking away from me, heading toward the hayride staging area.

I followed her, trying to keep my voice low so we wouldn’t make a scene in front of the customers. “Please, just give me five minutes to explain?—”

“Fuck off, Garrett.” The words came out sharp and clear, delivered with enough venom that a couple of teenagers nearby turned to stare.

She kept walking, but I couldn’t let her go. Not like this. I caught up to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the crowd toward the edge of the field where the shadows were deeper.

“Let go of me,” she hissed, trying to yank her arm free.

“Not until you listen to what I have to say.”

She whirled around to face me, her eyes blazing with fury in the moonlight. “If you don’t want to join your ancestors haunting that house, you better leave me alone right now.”

The threat should have been ridiculous coming from someone dressed as a witch, but there was something in her voice that made me believe she was capable of violence. I dropped her arm but didn’t step back.

“Sabrina, please. Just let me explain what really happened. It’s not what you think.”

“It’s exactly what I think,” she spat. “You came here pretending to care about this place, about us, while secretly planning to sell it out from under Billy. You’re a liar and a snake, and I was an idiot for ever trusting you.”

The words hit me like physical blows, but I forced myself to keep talking. “I never meant for it to happen this way. The appraisal, the offer—it all got out of hand before I could figure out how to handle it.”

“Handle it?” She laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “You mean handle us . Touch me again, and we won’t have to pretend there’s a headless horseman.”

She stomped away from me.

I didn’t go after her. She made it pretty clear she was not in the mood to listen to my bullshit.

I took a break and went into the house. Billy was in the kitchen scarfing down a muffin. When he saw me walk in, his jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything. Just kept chewing with deliberate slowness, like he was trying to figure out how to get through this interaction with minimal contact.

I cleared my throat. “Billy, I?—”

He held up the remaining half of his muffin, waving it in my direction with mock politeness. “You want this too? Since you’re apparently taking everything else that matters to me?”

That stung. This was my little brother, the kid who used to follow me around everywhere, who looked up to me like I hung the moon. Now he was looking at me like I was the villain in his story.

“Billy, please. Can we just talk about this like adults?”

He took another bite of his muffin, chewing thoughtfully while staring at me with dead eyes. When he finally swallowed, he set the remaining half down on the counter and stood up.

“I’ve got a festival to run,” he said flatly. Then he flipped me off with both hands, holding the gesture long enough to make sure I got the message. “A festival on my family’s land. For now.”

He walked out of the kitchen, leaving me standing there staring at the abandoned muffin on the counter. The casual dismissal hurt worse than any of Sabrina’s angry words. At least she was engaging with me, even if it was to tell me to go to hell. Billy had just written me off completely.

I should have just left this morning. They didn’t want me here. And I honestly didn’t feel like I deserved to be here. I was a dick. I was the one ruining their lives.

I got another text as I walked back to the parking area to resume my duties. I had a feeling I had been given the parking duty because they wanted to keep me away from them and the festivities. I was being punished.

Not a surprise.

My phone vibrated again.

“Fuck me.”

The dude was relentless.

I pulled my phone out to see what Ron was all up in arms about.

Ron: I’m at the farm to finish this deal. Where are you?

“Shit,” I muttered, scanning the crowd frantically. Ron was here? Now? Tonight?

I spotted a black town car parked at the far end of the road, its sleek lines looking completely out of place among the pickup trucks and minivans.

Even from a distance, I could see a figure in an expensive suit leaning against the hood, checking his phone with the impatient posture of someone who was used to getting his way immediately.

My heart started hammering against my ribs.

This was a disaster waiting to happen. Ron had no concept of subtlety or timing.

If he started talking about development deals and buyout contracts in front of the locals, it would destroy everything.

Not just the sale, but any chance I had of salvaging my relationship with Billy and Sabrina.

Not that there was much left to salvage after last night.

“Hey, Garrett!”

I looked over to see Tyler jogging up to me, his headless horseman costume tucked under one arm. The kid was grinning ear to ear, practically bouncing with excitement.

“You want to come watch me scare the crap out of a bunch of kids?”

Under normal circumstances, I would have loved to see Tyler’s performance. The kid had been practicing his headless horseman act. I knew he was proud of the whole elaborate setup we’d worked out.

But right now, all I could think about was getting to Ron before he started making a scene.

“That sounds great, Tyler, but I need to handle something first. Keep scaring the teens but be nice to the little kids.”

“I will!” He started to jog off, then turned back. “Oh, and Garrett, thanks for helping us set all this up. This is like, the coolest thing that’s ever happened in Greenleaf.”

He ran off before I could respond, leaving me standing there with his words echoing in my head. The coolest thing that’s ever happened in Greenleaf. And I had considered letting Ron sell it off and turn it into a memory.

I made my way through the crowd, nodding and smiling at people who called out greetings, but my mind was racing.

How was I going to handle this? Ron wasn’t the type to be put off with vague excuses, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to understand why I might be having second thoughts about a seven-million-dollar deal.

But before I could get to him, one of the teenagers running the back lot needed me for a stalled car. I hoped Ron would stay put. He’d be too afraid to ruin his Gucci’s. For now, he would stick to the gravel road.