Page 52 of Brides and Brothers
“Oh, that’s right.” Her mother mused for a bit. “I’ll call her tonight, then. Best of luck with your gig. Talk to you later.”
“Okay, bye.” Camille turned off her phone and rested her head on the table. Talking to her mother was exhausting. She pushed aside her laptop and moped all the way to her room. She hit the lights and crashed in her bed. Even after sleeping in this morning, she could barely keep her eyes open. At least when she was asleep, she didn’t miss Aiden and she didn’t remember how little her mother cared for her.
The night of the Halloween party came, and the preparations passed without much incident. The boys did a tremendous job with the decorating. Cobwebs hung on all the doors, and eerie lights and tombstones out front gave the barn the appearance of a haunted house. Inside was a friendlier picture. Orange and black twinkling lights hung around the gym’s perimeter, and in the corners, stacks of hay held carved pumpkins and stuffed scarecrows. Draped over long tables set up in the back were orange tablecloths, black candelabras, and fake autumn leaves scattered sporadically. It was simple and charming.
Seeing her new brothers all dressed up made the night worthwhile. Each one was dressed as a cowboy with an impressive ten-gallon hat, a button-down calico-print shirt—the color varied from brother to brother—boots, and a belt buckle roughly the size of a dessert plate. Camille wondered if there was a matching shirt and belt buckle somewhere in Aiden’s closet. She wished she could see him dressed up with his brothers. It was a shame he was missing out on all the fun after working so hard all month.
Camille had kept her costume simple, dressing in her favorite black pencil skirt and striped tights. She wore a sparkly purple-sequined top borrowed from Amy and a black hat with a matching purple ribbon. Her only purchase had been the hat. Aiden would have been proud of her budgeting skills. Or would he? She wanted to turn and ask him, but of course, he wasn’t there.
The bulk of the crowd arrived about fifteen minutes into the party. Flynn’s band played Halloween music, muted from how Camille assumed they played at the club. Surprisingly, Flynn had no intention of playing with the band all night. He was up and down from the stage every other song, socializing or getting snacks.
A half hour into the party, Camille felt a sweet reprieve from social awkwardness when her roommates finally arrived. She had already talked to the only two girls she knew, as well as a handful of strangers, and it was hard feeling like the outsider instead of the host.
She laughed when her friends took off their coats and revealed their pioneer costumes. They matched perfectly with her cowboy brothers-in-law. Even Sage, whom she’d expected would have died before wearing calico, had dressed her part. Camille’s eyes were drawn to Daisha and her boyfriend. Derek clashed with the group in his vampire costume, and the way he pulled on Daisha’s hand made her appear to be his victim, not his date. He was in no way happy to be at the party.
Camille crossed the wood floor to say hi.
“Hey, Sis!” Amy said. She was the first to see Camille, and after a hug, she steered Camille toward the others.
“You make a cute witch!” Raina called to her. The others nodded.
Camille cackled for them, and they laughed. “Glad you guys could make it. Come eat some food and get your dancing on.”
Derek possessively grabbed Daisha’s hand again when a few shadows came up behind Camille. She turned to see what had bothered Derek. It was her cowboy crew.
Amy whistled. “What mighty fine cowboys! Hope you saved us poor lassies a dance!”
Camille rolled her eyes, but her brothers-in-law seemed to enjoy it. They each puffed up their chests. Flynn even flexed his muscles.
Benson asked Amy to dance on the spot, without even a sideways glance toward Daisha. Camille blinked in surprise. Daisha turned the other way, and Camille had to guess whether she was affected.
Flynn sauntered up to Sage and bumped her with his shoulder. She pushed him back and giggled. It seemed things were going well there. Daegan whisked off Macey, and Cade pulled Raina to the side. Camille would have thought the younger twin would go for the younger sister, but then again, it was a miracle the four had hit it off so well. She wondered if she was going to have anyone to talk to the whole night.
She turned to find Emma beside her. Alone. She did a quick scan for Easton. He stood a few feet away talking to another woman. “Emma, you all look so cute tonight in your pioneer garb,” Camille said.
“Thanks. Daisha would kill us if she knew we plotted against her.”
“You mean with your dresses?”
Emma glanced at Daisha to check whether she was out of earshot. “Flynn told Sage the men were dressing up as cowboys, and she thought it would be hilarious if we dressed up as pioneers so it would seem like we were all together. All she had to do was tell Macey and Raina, who called around the local theaters and rented several costumes. Amy, of course, was into anything that had to do with the Peterson brothers. We told Daisha she had to wear it because we were, but we may have left out our reasons for it.”
Camille pinched her lips together, but a laugh still managed to burst out. “No wonder Derek looked so murderous when he walked in. He probably saw the group of cowboys and put it together himself. He must recognize my brothers-in-law from my wedding luncheon. I don’t think this will encourage a friendly relationship between the two parties.”
Emma’s gaze wandered over to Easton again.
Camille chewed on her lip for a moment. “Want me to set you two up for a dance?”
Emma shook her head. “I don’t want to force the issue. If he isn’t interested, then he isn’t interested. Is there someone else here you could introduce me to?”
Camille scanned the room. Nope, she knew no one. Maybe Flynn could pull one of his friends from the band over to help.
“How about we catch the others after this dance and grab a drink and then I’ll snag a guy for you?”
Emma perked up. “Thanks. I don’t expect a winner. I’m just crossing my fingers to dance at least once tonight.”
If nothing else, Benson would do Camille the favor. “You’re way too gorgeous to be a wallflower. Any guy who passes you up is blind.” Emma truly was a beautiful woman; she only needed a boost of self-confidence.
Camille pulled her toward the food. Nothing looked good, even though she’d planned the menu herself. She caught a whiff of the potato salad someone had brought, and gagged. She slapped her hand over her mouth and bent forward.
