Page 48 of The Ballad of Us
There was a Johnny Cash song about redemption last Tuesday. The Brandi Carlile ballad about forgiveness yesterday. Each one is a message—a piece of his heart wrapped in another musician’s words because his own might be too vulnerable to say directly.
When Halloween costume planning comes up during one of our evening conversations, I probably spend too much time considering my options. Part of me wants to play it safe with something cute and completely non-threatening. But another part of me, the part that's been growing braver each day, wants to take a small risk.
“I think I'm going as a pirate. The sexy kind, not the historically accurate scurvy-ridden kind.” I tell Gray during one of our nightly phone calls.
The pause on the other end of the line was long enough that I start to worry I overshared.
“A sexy pirate,” he repeats, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “That sounds perfect.”
“What about you? Have you decided?”
“I'm working on it. Want to coordinate, or would that be too couple-y?”
The casual way he says 'couple-y' makes my stomach flip, but I manage to keep my voice steady. “Coordination could be fun. What were you thinking?”
“Let me surprise you.”
Halloween arrives with crisp mountain air and the kind of perfect autumn day that makes you believe in magic. The village has been transformed overnight, with orange and black decorations adorning every storefront and fake spider webs stretched between lamp posts. By five o'clock, the usually quiet Main Street is bustling with families in costume, vendors setting up booths, and the kind of festive energy that makes even adults feel like kids again.
I'm arranging Halloween pastries in the display case when Gray appears in the doorway, and I nearly drop my plate.
He's dressed as a pirate, but not just any pirate. This is full-on Captain Jack Sparrow territory. He’s even applied dark liner around his eyes, a bandana is tied around his head, and there’s enough leather and buckles to make any romance novel heroine swoon. The costume transforms him. He becomes both dangerous and playful. The way he's looking at me suggests he knows exactly what effect he's having.
“Permission to come aboard?” he asks, stepping into the shop with an exaggerated swagger that shouldn't be as attractive as it is.
“Oh my God,” I breathe, unable to stop the grin spreading across my face. “You went full pirate.”
“Figured if we're coordinating, we might as well commit.” His eyes travel over me in my fitted black corset, flowing white shirt, and dark pants tucked into knee-high boots. “Though I have to say, you're definitely the prettier pirate.”
Heat rises in my cheeks, and I'm relieved when the rest of the band arrives, saving me from responding. They're all in costume. Andrew is a distinguished vampire, Parker is a cute zombie, Wyatt is a perfect cowboy, Cody is a superhero he's made up, and Zep is a knight in surprisingly realistic armor.
“Where did you even find armor?” I ask as they file into the shop.
“Amazon,” Zep says proudly. The rest of us can't contain our laughter, and he basks in the attention with a grin.
We work together to set up the Mountain Mornings Cafe booth on the sidewalk outside the shop. Gray backs his truck into the closest parking spot, and we unload boxes of candy, thermoses of hot chocolate and coffee, and folding tables that Emma has managed to procure from the community center.
“This is way more elaborate than I expected,” Andrew observes, helping me drape orange tablecloths over the folding tables.
“Emma doesn't do anything halfway,” I reply, watching her direct Parker in the precise placement of the drink dispensers. “She's been planning this for weeks.”
Parker, I notice, is hanging on Emma's every word, adjusting and readjusting the hot chocolate station until it meets her exacting standards. When she finally declares it perfect and touches his arm in thanks, he practically glows.
“Right,” Gray says, checking his watch. “We should probably all take a small break for the restroom and food. Mind if we use your bathroom so Wyatt can finish his costume?”
“Of course,” I say, leading the way across the street while Parker disappears into Mountain Mornings with his zombie makeup.
My small apartment feels even smaller with five men trooping up the stairs behind me. I direct traffic like I'm coordinating a small military operation. Wyatt moves to my bedroom, and Cody goes to the bathroom. Andrew takes a seat in the living room, and Gray sidles up next to me.
“Make yourselves at home,” I call out.
Within fifteen minutes, Zep emerges from my bedroom looking like he stepped out of a medieval romance novel all over again, followed by Wyatt, who somehow makes the cowboy costume look effortlessly cool. Cody bounces out of the bathroom in his superhero getup.
“We'll head back down,” Andrew says, checking his reflection in my hallway mirror. “Gray, don't take forever.”
When they're gone, Gray heads to my bedroom with a duffel bag to add a few more items to his outfit. I touch up my makeup and adjust my corset, trying not to think about Gray changing in my room.
When he emerges, I'm sitting on the couch. The pirate costume suits him perfectly—leather vest, bandana highlighting his blue eyes, and an easy confidence that makes my mouth go dry.
