Page 47 of Something New

"Wow."

"It's supposed to be fun, and honestly, I know I'll be able to get some great photos, but…" I trailed off with a sigh, and he pulled me closer. I leaned into him, sitting next to him and letting my head rest on his shoulder.

"But what?" he asked.

"I don't know—just I think maybe I should go, just since it's such a cool opportunity. But I dread it, too. I'd rather be here, partying with E and trick-or-treating."

"Aw, I love that," he said.

"I mean it. I love you guys."

"You love us that much, that you would not make plans?" he said, smiling at me since he knew I had accidentally said it.

"I actually do," I said, snuggling up with him.

Chapter 16

Two weeks later

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

I signed a contract to work for Nick Butler on Halloween weekend. Halloween was on a Saturday night this year. We flew to Florida today, Friday, and we would fly back home to Raleigh on Monday morning.

Jonathan and I would have accommodations at Deadpan's mansion, and food and drinks would be provided there. I didn't plan on spending any money in Miami. We had already agreed that Jonathan would get two thousand for helping me out, and I told him I would make it twenty-five hundred, giving him a tip. He got emotional and cried when I told him that.

The contract stated that I would work dinner Friday night and from 9pm to 2am on Saturday. Afterward, I would provide Nick with the best photos and videos.

Jonathan was going to use one of my backup cameras to get video footage. We would combine video clips and photos into one package and present them to Nick within a week from the day we got home. It would be on me to edit everything and Jonathan's job would be done once we left Miami. Any printing and framing would happen at Nick's discretion.

The agreement was all very formal and official, and I had never been paid so much to attend a party. I tried not to give myself too much pressure about it.

It would all go down tomorrow night. He was having a costume party and expecting over three hundred guests. People knew about this party and often tried to get in uninvited. There was a strict policy regarding dress code and invitations.

I had only been at the house for a few hours today, and already I heard a buzz about it. Nick had people setting up tables and decorating all over. There was a DJ station outside by the pool with speakers all over the house. I knew there were plenty of speakers because for the first two hours after I arrived, there was music playing through them in an extended sound check.

I had brought a cute jumpsuit outfit at a costume shop in Raleigh that made me look similar to a court jester. It was black and silver as the dress code stated, and it went with the theme which was festival.

There was a second outfit in my closet when I arrived—a costume. It was mostly black with some greys and deep blues. It was a glorious mini dress with a fitted corset and short, flared bottom. It was a custom piece that was covered in gorgeous black feathers. They were iridescent and picked up greens, blues and purples in the light. There was a piece of paper nearby that had a handwritten note from Deadpan. It said,

Thank you for being here!

Enjoy being "The Raven"

I assumed the costume was supposed to be a raven, which was an apt name for what I saw.

Jonathan's room was next to mine and he had no such costume. He was wearing something he brought from home. The gesture made me feel weird, but the costume was one of the most wonderful things I had ever seen—like something from a movie. I tried it on, and there was no question that I wanted to wear it. There were no shoes but the black flats I brought for the jester looked like they went with it.

There were two masks. One of them was a black cloth that covered my eyes. It was the mask that would stay in place while I was taking photos, which would be most of the night. The other mask was much bigger. It had a long, sharp black beak. I felt amazing in it, and I played with ways to fix my hair that would go with the whole costume.

But my heart wouldn't let me fully enjoy it. It was weird to me that Nick was willing to pay me so much, and now this? I wasn't scared of him, but I wished John-Michael was there with me instead of Jonathan.

My phone dinged right when I thought about John-Michael, and I took it off of the bed and read the text.

John-Michael:

Hey! Sorry I'm just seeing your last text. I’m glad you had a good flight! We'll be at Mom's for the rest of the night, so call me anytime. Miss you.

I was grinning from ear to ear as I read it. I pressed the buttons to call him right away. It rang only once before he picked up.

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