Page 57 of Love Me Not

“Which character is he?” Megan asked.

“The Scarecrow.”

I booped Noah’s nose. “We won’t let the witch get you, buddy.”

“Where are Donna and Calvin?” Becca asked.

“They hit traffic,” Josie said, “but they’re on their way. The only person we’re missing it Trey.”

As opposed to the wedding, this time I knew Trey was coming. Nothing had changed during rehearsals except that instead of him sitting in the back, out of the way, he was now a full part of the production. On Tuesday, he’d brought Ethan in to discuss how they would build the set, which made Leo’s day.

A great deal of chatter went into the mechanism part, which I was happy to let them handle. So long as it worked come show time, that’s all I cared about.

Wednesday went well, with Kandace making a noticeable effort, and since we’d already made so much progress, we cut out early today so everyone could get to whatever Halloween festivities they had planned. Which was good because getting my hair in a bun took far longer than it should have.

“He’ll be here in a minute,” Jacob said, shedding straw as he walked our way. “I just saw him parking around the corner.”

Jacob Kim was not a small man. Somewhere over six feet tall, one of his side jobs back when he and Becca met had been working as a bouncer. To see him in plaid and overalls with hay coming out of every possible opening was hilarious.

“Isn’t that itchy?” Ryan asked.

“Like crazy,” he said. “Why aren’t you guys in costumes?”

“Thank you,” Josie said, happy to finally have someone on her side.

As if on comical cue, Trey walked up in a ball cap, polo shirt, and khakis with a whistle around his neck. “Sorry I’m late. Traffic is crazy out there.”

Josie stared in disbelief. “Are you supposed to be a…coach?”

He looked down as if checking to make sure. “Yeah, I thought the whistle would give it away?”

Hiding my laughter was not easy. I, of course, knew what he’d be wearing, just as he knew that I was showing up as a teacher. But no way was I going to ruin the surprise for Josie. To be fair, when planning this, I had no idea she’d care so much.

“Next year I’m assigning the costumes,” she said. “Donna and Calvin better?—”

Right on cue, the pair came walking up in matching overalls, tool belts, and work boots. As a photographer, this was technically a costume for Donna, but we’d all seen her wear those overalls half a dozen times so they qualified as her normal clothing at this point. As a construction foreman for his own company, this was definitely everyday wear for Calvin.

“You’re fired!” Josie yelled. “You’re all fired!”

A broken woman, she stomped off toward the building, wings flapping wildly as she went.

Acting as if his girlfriend hadn’t just stormed off in a tantrum, Miles said, “Thanks again to all of you for doing this. Here are your game assignments.” He distributed one sheet to each couple, then handed a sheet to me and skipped Trey.

“Trey didn’t get one,” I pointed out. One could argue that I was a professional paper passer-outer and for someone to be skipped was unacceptable.

“He’s with you,” Miles said. “Instructions for each game are there. This is meant to be fun so bend the rules as you see fit. Just make sure everyone is safe and the kids have a good time. Head out and find your stations.”

Not at all surprised about being assigned together, I handed over the paper. “We’re at the bobbing for apples game.”

When Jacob gossiped to Becca that Trey was helping with the play full time, the call demanding information was almost immediate. Yes, he was helping. Yes, we were spending more time together. No, I didn’t dislike him on sight anymore.

She’d acted as if I had announced our impending engagement.

“That doesn’t sound sanitary,” Trey said, reviewing the rules. “Ah, they aren’t really bobbing.”

“No, thank goodness.” According to the paper, the kids would technically be fishing for apples. “Where is this thing?”

Squinting, he scanned the area. “I’m guessing we’re the cauldron down on the end.”

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