Page 66 of Devoured By the Forbidden Mountain Man

Meredith nodded. “Working sounds better than waiting.”

For the first time since she arrived, I smiled. “Much better.”

At five, the Lantern House opened the Halloween bash.

Within twenty minutes, every quiet surface in the restaurant had disappeared beneath people, food, glasses, or motion. Costumes moved through the warm amber light: witches and cowboys, ghosts, superheroes, a pair dressed as salt and pepper shakers, and one man wearing enough fake fur to make me grateful the kitchen had control of its ventilation.

The jack-o’-lanterns flickered against windows that had gone nearly black beneath the heavy clouds outside. Wind tossed leaves along the sidewalk in bright, ragged bursts each time the front door opened. Music layered beneath conversation and laughter while the kitchen sent hot platters through the swinging doors and servers carried smaller dishes toward the appetizer station.

Cinnamon and apple rose from the cider behind the bar. Bar citrus cut through the richer kitchen smells. Somewhere near the front, a child laughed loudly at one of the carved pumpkins before being steered back toward the family dining section.

The room felt alive, and more importantly, it still worked.

The wristband line stayed out of the host stand. Food moved without clogging the service lane. The kitchen staggered replenishment instead of trying to send everything at once, and the bar kept up because Case had refused to resurrect the smoked garnish that had nearly doomed him two days earlier.

The owner caught me near the service station and pointed toward the front.

“Do we need the second wristband person yet?”

I watched the door through two arrivals. “Give it ten minutes. The dinner reservations are slowing down. If the party line reaches the window, add them.”

He nodded and went to do exactly that.

Rex moved through the room nearby, useful without attaching himself to me. The cape had returned once the party opened, and Case had apparently convinced him to try the fangs again, but he carried a glass of water rather than anything from the cocktail list.

Every so often I felt his hand at my back when we passed close enough. Once, when I stopped beside him to check the front door, his fingers settled briefly at my hip, and the contact sent a small pulse of heat through me before I kept moving.

Case eventually intercepted me near the bar and put a mug into my hand. Steam curled up with apple and spice.

I looked at him. “Is this regular?”

“It’s spiked—your one fun Halloween drink, because the room is working and I watched you eat an actual meal.”

I took a careful sip. The cider was warm, lightly sweet, and stronger than the version I’d been drinking during setup the previous two days, though nowhere near strong enough to justify drinking it quickly.

Case went back to a waiting customer before the exchange could turn into a production.

I carried the mug with me while I checked the dining room again, sipping occasionally and leaving it on safe counters whenever I needed both hands.

Meredith remained at her table near the back. She had removed her coat but kept it folded beside her. The water glass was half empty now, and she had accepted a small plate of food. She wasn’t relaxed, but she no longer looked as though the front door might send her running every time it opened.

My phone vibrated inside the small pocket Case had been delighted to discover the costume possessed.

I pulled it out.

GAVIN: About forty minutes away. I’m good. I’ll see you soon, Sis.

My fingers tightened around the phone. This time there was no distance measured in years or states. Forty minutes was close enough to imagine the front door opening.

I answered.

GEORGIA: We’re at the Lantern House. Meredith is here. Drive safe.

When I put the phone away, Meredith was watching me from across the room.

I walked over.

“He’s close?” she asked.