Page 2 of Halloween with a Daddy
“See, I knew there was a catch.” I shake my head and stand up. “No, absolutely not. I will not dress like a slut just so guys can hit on me all night. How is this any different from all those frat parties at college?”
“God damn it, Bethany!” Amelia gets an annoyed look on her face. “Are you planning to just grow old in this house with your grandparents? Don’t you want to live a little, make a few mistakes, and have some real fun? You might even meet someone!”
“Stop yelling.” I shush her. “Seriously, my grandparents are going to think we’re fighting.”
“Aren’t we!?” Amelia asks loudly, but finally does lower her voice. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled. But come on, Bethany. What happened to the girl who got a crush on our history teacher and started wearing skirts so short they changed the dress code?”
“She realized how stupid she was back then?” I shrug, but my expression darkens because I’m annoyed she even brought that up.
“So what if guys hit on you? Doesn’t it make you feel good to know that someone finds you attractive?” She exhales sharply. “You tell them you aren’t interested and they go bother someone else.”
“Which I’m sure they’ll remember when they interview me.” I roll my eyes. “This just doesn’t sound like a good idea.”
“Fine. I didn’t want to have to use this to sway your opinion because I wanted it to be an enormous surprise, but you’re not leaving me with any options here.” She sighs and takes a few steps closer. “The party is at Grimwillow Manor.”
“Are you fucking serious?” I immediately put my hand over my mouth as a rare curse word slips out. “Grimwillow Manor? How?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “Apparently, the guy throwing the party knows the owner or something? You’ve been dying to see the inside of that place since you were a kid.”
“You’re downright evil, Amelia.” I let out a long sigh.
“So you’re going, right?” She grins. “If you get bored with the party, then you can just go exploring.”
“I’m choosing my costume and you can’t say a word about it.” I lift my finger and shake it at her, much like my grandmother used to do when she was scolding me. “Nothing. If it isn’t up to your standards, then you just have to live with it.”
“Okay, agreed.” She holds her hands up in surrender. “As long as you’re going!”
“Oh, and I’m driving too!” I blurt out louder than I intended. “I will not get stuck there all night because you’re not ready to leave.”
“Fine.” She says and then her voice takes on a sarcastic tone. “Are there any other conditions I have to agree to in order to lure you to the one place in this town you’ve always wanted to go?”
“Hmm.” I pretend to think about it for a moment. “Nah, I think that’s about it.”
“Thank goodness.” She smiles. “Okay, I should probably get home. My roommate is out tonight and I might actually get some schoolwork done.”
“Bye, Amelia.” I sit back down on my bed, but I can’t help but smile as she leaves my room.
Grimwillow Manor.
Amelia’s right. I’ve been obsessed with that place since I was a kid. It’s not surprising, considering how much I like history, which is the whole reason I had a crush on my history teacher to begin with. Grimwillow Manor sits on the edge of Willow Grove like a gothic reminder that this small town has a rather colorful history you can only learn about through stories passed down through the generations. My grandmother knows all the best ones, because like me, she spent her childhood obsessed with Grimwillow Manor. Some people claim it’s haunted. I’m too old to believe in ghost stories, I can still appreciate the history.
When I was a kid, my grandfather tracked down the owner’s information and we wrote them a letter, asking if we could take my grandmother there as a surprise for her birthday. I honestly think it was as much for me as it was for her. I waited by the mailbox every single day that summer until the mailman came. My grandfather told me not to get my hopes up, but I did. I didn’t give up on the idea until the day before my grandmother’s birthday, and there was still no sign of a response.
The owner of Grimwillow Manor completely ignored our heartfelt plea, but agreed to let Amelia’s co-worker hold a Halloween party there? I’d be a little resentful and hold a grudge if I wasn’t so curious about the place. I’ve seen some pictures, but there aren’t many, and my grandmother told me stories that made it seem larger than life. That isn’t something you can truly appreciate with a few old pictures from the town archives.
No, I need to see it in person. It’s the only thing on my freaking bucket list, and I’m way too young to have one of those.
My costume won’t be up to Amelia’s standards, but I bet my grandmother can help me come up with one that’s so amazing my best friend will have no choice but to appreciate it.
Edgar
GrimwillowManor.
My family’s generational albatross, passed down to me, so I have to deal with all the headaches that come with it. Just like my father and my grandfather before him, I had to sign an agreement that I would never sell the old gothic manor in order to inherit my piece of my family’s rapidly diminishing trust. If I had my way, I’d sell the place to the highest bidder and be done with it. That’s what my father tried to do. He spent his entire life periodically looking for loopholes in the trust agreement put in place generations ago, but he could never find a way out.
My sister is the lucky one. Since I’m the eldest son, and that’s what was important to the family in those days, I got chosen for the task simply by being born. My older sister got her slice of the family pie without ever having to concern herself with Grimwillow Manor. Imagine my confusion when my brother-in-law made an appointment with my secretary to sit down and talk with me about the one place she was so happy to never to have to deal with. It must be important if he booked an appointment rather than waiting to talk to me about it over a glass of whiskey when I visit my sister for Thanksgiving.
“Mr. Grim?” My secretary pokes her head into my office. “Your brother-in-law is here. Should I send him in?”
