I squirt her with the sauce bottle, the arc landing across her dress and face like the splatter from a sword fight. Sofie looks stunned—some of the liquid has gone into her mouth.
“Sorry,” I say quickly, even though the only thing I’m sorry about is that, even bloodied, she’s still so gorgeous.
***
“Oh good, it looks like it’s working,” Isabella says.
She and I are strolling around the festival compound not really caring about the macabre wares for sale. It’s just fun to see everyone’s costumes.
“What?”
“Keats and Sofie. They look like they like each other, don’t you think?”
Ahead of us, Keats and Isabella’s gorgeous friend are similarly wandering through the field, more engrossed in conversation with each other than paying attention to the simulated carnage around them. I can’t quite hear what they’re talking about even though I’m half-tuning out Isabella.
“You’ve set them up?” My tongue stumbles over my words, my throat constricting at the same time. “Does Sofie know?”
Isabella makes a face. “No way. She’d kill me. Anyway, I was just hoping they’d hit it off. I figured, he might move on if he found his own happy ending. I was just getting such a strong vibe off Keats that maybe he still wanted to get back together with me.”
My saliva goes down the wrong hole and I splutter while I choke.
“I know,” Isabella says, mistaking my uncoordinated swallowing reflex for disagreement. “I feel full of myself for even thinking it, but it’s still safer this way. And besides, I want Keats to be happy. He was a nice boyfriend. He didn’t deserve what I did to him.”
I swallow a few times to give my tongue the chance to form the words. “You’re okay with him dating a friend?”
“Hells, yeah. But I didn’t think he and Penny would get along; Mia’s still off men, and you don’t believe in marriage. Keats is ready for something more serious.”
Disappointment knifes me right in the chest. Would Isabella have really set me up with her ex-boyfriend if only I’d shared with her how I felt about him? “It’s not that I don’t want to get married.”
“Oh, you’ve changed your mind?” She sounds surprised and happy for me.
I look at Keats in his bloody bridesmaid outfit next to a much improved Baby Spice, now sitting on a grassy knoll sharing a pizza.
“No. I guess not.” Keats looks up and catches Isabella and me looking at them. He waves at us, a small flick of his fingers, not missing a beat in his conversation with the glamazon. “Maybe.”
“I guess, it’s just about finding the right person for you, and hopefully they feel the same way. How are things with Neil?”
I’m tempted to lie to her, but instead I find myself saying, “Ever been with a great guy but something’s missing?”
She nods, the plastic butcher’s knife on her head threatening to topple with the action. “It was like that with Keats and me. He ticked all the boxes but he just wasn’t Byron.”
Keats so needs to hear this. It would probably break his heart or hurt his pride, but he could do with this reality check.
Isabella stops walking to face me. “I don’t know when it’ll happen for you, Jess. But don’t settle. Your guy is out there somewhere. And he might not be who you originally thought was perfect for you, but it’ll feel right.”
I look to the grassy knoll dotted by the “un-dead”. Keats stands up and pulls Sofie to her feet before they walk towards the churros stand. They make a beautiful couple. My heart clenches, so I avert my eyes. Whatever this is I feel for Keats, it hurts too much to feel right.
“Oh, Jess,” Isabella says, her eyes concerned. There’s a knot between her brows, and I realise she’d probably seen me tear up. Taking a step towards me, Isabella places her hands on my upper arms. “Are you upset about Neil?”
I nod, not trusting my voice to pull off the lie. I can’t tell her now about Keats. It’s too late. “I’m Byron’s Secret Santa. Any suggestions on what I can get him?” I ask to change the topic.
Isabella tips her head to the side, lips pressed together in a sympathetic smile that tells me she can see I’m not okay. “Jess, I know we were kind of tomboy buddies in high school,” she begins with an awkward smile, “but would it be weird if I gave you a hug now?”
I shake my head, and open my arms to Isabella. It’s our first hug after over fifteen years of friendship. And perhaps the first time I’ve ever really opened my heart to her. Well, part of it anyway.
Chapter 25
“Jess!” Heather McAllister greets me with open arms. She’s got an apron on, but underneath is a beaded black top, and a red and green Bohemian skirt with sequined detailing—gone is the frumpy recluse I met in April. I’m so proud of her. “Good of you to come.”
“Thanks for inviting me.” We hug and I wish my mother was like her. From the little that I remember, Mum wasn’t exactly the warm type.
Heather flashes me an aww-look. “You’re part of the family. Happy HTC.”
“Happy HTC,” I greet back, her enthusiasm contagious.
The McAllisters have a strange yearly celebration called “the HTC dinner”. Because of Dr McAllister’s job, the family celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all on the same day. Apparently, the emergency room is extra busy on Christmas Day, so Dr McAllister usually got requested to come into work, even when he wasn’t on call. And because Halloween was his favourite holiday, they celebrated all three special days as a family on the Sunday on or before 31 October every year. Now that Dr McAllister is gone and forgiven, his family is celebrating it again.
“Here, open up your present.” Heather shoves a soft, wrapped parcel at me.
As
