I don’t know if I was saved by the bell or if this is a sign I need to tread carefully. What if I’m going about this the wrong way? What if Ensley doesn’t want to know who the masked stranger is?
I have so much to lose by telling her. Yet, I’m hopeful I have even more to gain by blurting it out. If I could just say, “Ensley, I’m the guy you slept with at the ball,” I’d be able to breathe without feeling like I’m gasping for air.
Ensley is next to me, picking at the snacks. “We have a few more minutes until it’s done. Do you want to eat in here or outside?”
“Outside would be nice. Can I help you set the table?”
She smiles, nods, and starts pulling our necessities out of drawers and cupboards. Together, we work side by side until the timer dings again. When she disappears inside the house, I realize if I don’t play my cards right, if I don’t come clean soon, I may lose my heart in this mess we’ve created.
7
Ensley
There’s this feeling of déjà vu I can’t seem to shake. Every time I’m around Owen, I feel it. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just strange. I’m comfortable around him, maybe even more so than I should be.
By the time the chicken is done in the oven, it’s already started to get dark outside. I have twinkling lights around my back deck, giving it a romantic glow; it’s the perfect night. Especially with the crisp October air. I pile the chicken and rice onto our plates and Owen takes his. He follows me outside to the table and sits down. The houses all around the lake are lit up, some with Halloween inspired lights. Mine kind of looks like Christmas right now. There’s even a house with a giant blow up of the Stay Puft marshmallow man standing on their dock. Ghostbusters is one of my favorite movies. I watch it every year around Halloween.
“What are you smiling at?” Owen asks, chuckling.
I nod toward the house across the lake. “Look at the Stay Puft marshmallow man. He’s cute.” The chicken smells amazing so I dig in.
He turns his head and looks, bursting out with laughter. “That’s pretty damn epic. I always watch Ghostbusters on Halloween.”
I gasp. “Really?” I wipe my mouth with a napkin. “I was just thinking about that movie. I watch it too. Maybe not exactly on Halloween night, but always around there. Usually the last week of October.”
Owen smiles and it makes me tremble. There’s something about his face that draws me to him. “After the charity dinner, we should watch it together. My theater room doesn’t get used very often.”
“That would be great. I’ve always wanted my own in-home theater.” I spoon another bite of chicken and rice into my mouth and swallow before speaking again. “What are your favorite Halloween type movies?”
His eyes twinkle. “That’s easy. The Monster Squad and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
“Oh, my God,” I laugh. “I haven’t watched The Monster Squad in forever. The werewolf used to creep me out. Especially the part where he gets blown up and all his body parts connect back together.”
He nods. “Yep. And what gets me every time is when Horace kicks the werewolf in the balls and says the ‘Wolfman’s got nards’.”
We both laugh so hard it hurts my chest. “We need to add that to our list of movies to watch.”
Owen picks up his wine glass and takes a sip. “As you wish.”
Hearing him say that makes my heart jump. All the breath rushes from my lungs and I freeze. It’s as if time stands still but only for me. I heard those words, just the other night at the party from my Gatsby. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of people say those words, but after hearing Owen, he sounds exactly like my mystery man. Could it seriously be him? I don’t see how. Owen’s eyes are green, not unless he wears colored contacts. I’d have to get closer to him to see if he is, but I can’t do that right now. I’m so confused I don’t know what to do.
Owen stares over at me and pauses with his fork at his mouth. “Are you okay?” When his lips pull back in that smile of his, I know I’ve seen it before…and not just at the radio station or our meetings. If he is my Gatsby, does he know I’m his Daisy? Owen sets his fork down, his eyes searching mine. “Ensley?”
Shaking my head, I snap out of it. “Yes, sorry. I’m fine. I was just thinking of other movies we can watch,” I say, lying. I need to figure out a way to see if it was him. Obviously, if he knew the mystery woman was me, he would’ve said something by now, right? I drink my glass of wine and pour another. I’m going to need a lot more before the night’s up. “Okay,” I begin, opening my notebook with the charity dinner details in it. Once we’re done with work, I’ll grill him about the masquerade. “I worked all morning on the charity event, getting everything squared away. The venue is set. I’ve booked the caterer and the guest list has been sent out. I received confirmation from most of the attendees.” I skim through all the pages and hand the notebook to him so he can see. “You know a lot of high-profile people. Guess it’s your charismatic personality.”
He flips through the notebook and smiles. Now that I’m really looking at him, his hair is exactly like my mystery man’s as well. He’s wearing it the same way he did that first night at the masquerade over a month ago. Owen shuts the notebook and slides it over to me. What are the odds of it being him? Talk about coincidence.
“Why thank you,” he replies with a smirk. “My parents always
