Haunted Hamlet (Zoe Donovan Mystery) (20 page)

“
We could do a Spook-vember party next weekend,” Levi suggested.

T
he idea had merit. “I’ll ask Zak what he thinks.”

“Thinks about what?” Zak
asked, coming back with the refreshments.

“
Postponing the party until next weekend and renaming it the first annual Spook-vember Spectacular.”

“
I’m not sure I’d want to do it in November every year, but postponing it this year sounds fine with me. It might be better than trying to do it tomorrow as planned. We really should keep Charlie quiet like Scott recommended. Hopefully, the little guy will be back to his old self by next weekend.”

“I’ll call everyone tomorrow
morning,” Ellie proposed. “I have the guest list we made up last month, unless you’ve added anyone to it since then.”

“I’ll take a look at the list
, but it should be pretty accurate,” I said.

“School is out for the holiday
, so I can help,” Levi offered.

“That would be nice.” Ellie smiled.

“So about Karloff . . .” I looked directly at Levi. “He seems to really like you.”

Levi grinned. “I was wondering how long it was going to take you to
thrust the little guy off on me.”

“Levi doesn’t do babies of any kind,” Ellie reminded me.

“Now, hold on. I never said I didn’t like babies. I might not be quite ready for a real baby, but I have to admit this little guy is working his way into my heart. He’s really pretty cute, plus I bet he’d be the perfect chick magnet.”

“Why do you need a chick magnet when you have Darla?” Elli
e asked.

“Darla and I have decid
ed not to see each other anymore. We’re still friends, but we both wanted to see other people, so it was a mutual agreement.”

“So you
’d consider taking him?” I asked.

“Maybe
,” Levi hedged. “Can I take him for a few days and see how it works out?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’m sorry we had to postpone the party, but this is nice.” I was snuggled on the sofa with Zak. Charlie was lying next to me, sound asleep and dreaming about adventures in doggie land. Bella was lying at our feet, and both Marlow and Spade had decided to curl up on the back of the sofa. The room was dark except for the light from the fire and the Halloween decorations.

“This
apple éclair cake Ellie dropped off is to die for,” I commented as I slowly chewed the last bite.

“It would be good with other
kinds of filling as well,” Zak commented.

“Is there enough left to offer to our little band of trick-or-treaters when they come by?” I asked.

“Yeah, Ellie brought two cakes. I was going to put one in the freezer, but I’ll save it to serve when your parents get here. And speaking of your parents . . .” Zak began, “we need to talk about something before they get here.”

Uh
-oh
. That didn’t sound good at all.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that . . .” Zak paused.

It was a
long
pause. Long pauses were never good news. I felt my stomach muscles tighten.

“Just tell me.”

“Your dad came by today while you were at the vet with Charlie for his follow-up. I guess the guys at the firehouse were really disappointed to hear that the bachelor auction was off. The single guys were actually looking forward to the auction and . . . well, you know they really need a new truck.”

I felt my heart sink
, but I didn’t say anything. I was determined to kill off Jealous Zoe once and for all. Not only did she threaten my relationship with the man I love more than life itself, but she almost got me killed. Again.

“
We
do
need a new truck,” I choked out.

“Your dad asked me if I would be willing to reconsider participating in the auction if we made a few changes.”

“Changes?”

Zak took a deep breath. I could see he was nervous about having this discussion.
“We’d find a new organizer, for one. I insisted that the only way I would even consider the plan was if we did it without Brooke.”

I smiled. “I appreciate that
, but she did have a point. We’re only going to make the kind of money we need for a new fire engine if we can bring in the high-society clientele she promised. The women in this town couldn’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on a date even if they wanted to. Without the women Brooke can bring in, the whole thing will be a bust.”

“That’s true
, but I think your dad has someone in mind to take Brooke’s place. Someone who makes Brooke look like a guppy in a shark pond when it comes to high-society connections.”

I know I must have looked confused because Zak continued without waiting for me to catch up.

“Your mom.”

“My mom. Of course. I keep forgetting who she is. During the past few months
, I’ve gotten so used to her just being my mom that I forget she used to be Madison Montgomery, socialite extraordinaire. So what did you tell Dad?”

“I told him that I’d talk to you about it. They still want me to be the headliner
, so I’ll still need to go on a date. A very platonic date,” Zak assured me.

Zak waited while I considered the situation. The town needed the money the event would bring in
, and it made sense to utilize the fourth most eligible bachelor in the country when we had him at our fingertips. I trusted Zak and wasn’t really all that concerned about another woman bidding on him. And if my mom ran things, you could bet she’d put together a classy affair and would invite women who had altruism rather than boyfriend stealing on their minds.

“Okay,” I agreed as the doorbell rang
, announcing my family’s arrival.

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. Let’s go see how adorable Harper looks in her Halloween costume. Get the camera.”

I jogged over to the door and opened it. The porch was filled with people I loved dressed to celebrate my favorite holiday. The world suddenly felt like a wonderful place.

“Oh my gosh, aren’t you all so adorable,” I cooed as Harper, Morgan, and Ava, all dressed in Halloween costumes, greeted me. Of course, they were only six months old, so they were all held by their respective mothers, and none seemed to care about the candy I slipped into the plastic pumpkins their parents were holding. I took Harper into my arms and cuddled her to my chest.

“Take our picture,”
I instructed Zak. I wanted to remember every detail of Harper’s first Halloween. In spite of the impending bachelor auction, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this happy.

“Come in
, all of you,” I invited. “I need tons of photos to remember this special event. Where are Jessica and Rosalie?”

“Rosalie ha
s a cold, so Morgan and I are going to bring Halloween to them after we finish here,” Jeremy explained. “I knew you’d kill me if I didn’t bring Morgan by first.”

“You were right
, I would have. Don’t leave without taking a goodie bag for Rosalie. I made up something special.”

Unlike the babies, Rosalie
, at five, would love the treats and gifts I’d prepared.

“There’s wine
and some of the delicious cake Ellie made on the table. Help yourselves while I get my photos.”

Luckily
, all three babies were in good moods and were happy to pose while Zak and I took photos and their parents drank Zak’s expensive wine.

“
Did Zak talk to you?” Dad asked after I had taken enough photos to fill twenty albums.

“He did. Why didn’t you?”

Dad blushed.

“You were afraid I’d flip out and bite your head off,” I guessed.

“You do have a bit of a temper.”

“I know.” I kissed
him on the cheek. “I love the idea of Mom organizing a bachelor auction. I bet she has tons of good ideas.”

“You know your mom
; once I suggested it, she went into full party-planner mode. She’d like to have it before Thanksgiving, so that won’t give us much time. If you’re okay with the idea, I’ll give her the go-ahead to start calling the people she wants to handle the flowers, catering, and decorating. She’s already made up a list of women to invite. My guess is that most of the women will go out of their way to attend a Madison Montgomery party. She even has several magazines that have expressed interest in sending photographers if we manage to pull the whole thing together.”

“
You do realize that with Mom in charge, it’s going to cost almost as much to produce this shindig as we’re likely to make. Zak and Mom could easily go in together to buy a new engine and save everyone the work.”

“The guys need to feel like they contributed.”

Dad was right. The volunteer firefighters, as well as the other men in the community, would get the satisfaction of earning the equipment they needed rather than having it handed to them.

“Okay,” I
said, “I’m in.”

Dad hugged me. “I knew you would do the right thing.”

“Don’t I always?”

“Yes
.” Dad smiled. “In the end, you always do.”

After everyone left and it was just Zak and the animals and me, I browsed through the photos I’d taken. Harper was so very cute in her itty-bitty witch outfit, as were the other babies in their little costumes. In my heart, I know that someday I want to have a baby of my own. Zak’s baby.

I could feel Zak’s arm against my own as we thumbed through the photos he’d brought up on his new tablet. There
was no doubt in my mind that he was the only man I would ever want to spend my life with. I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time making a commitment. Time wouldn’t change what I already knew in my heart to be true.

Zak pointed to
the funny face Morgan had made when we tried to get her to hold a tiny pumpkin we’d carved. My baby sister Harper had grinned like the cat who got the cream when we handed it to her, but Morgan was just a tad more suspicious of the strange item. Harper seemed to glow in every photo we managed to snap. There was no doubt about it; Harper was going to be Halloween crazy like her big sister.

I looked at Zak as he made a comment about each photo I’d taken
. I realized that sometimes, when you find the person who you know to be the other half of your heart, you just have to take a blind leap of faith that things will work out the way they’re intended.

Maybe it was the romance, the firelight,
the fun family evening, the upcoming bachelor auction, or the fact that I had almost died (again), but I found myself saying yes.

“Yes?”
Zak asked without looking up from the tablet, where he was manipulating the photos.

“Yes
, I’ll marry you.”

I held my breath, heart pounding
, as I waited for a reply.

Zak looked up.
“Really?”

“Uh
, yeah, really.”

Zak smiled.
“And you’re sure about this?”

“I’m sure.”
I felt myself begin to hyperventilate.

“Breathe,” Zak instructed as he held my shoulders and looked me directly in the eye. “I love you
, and you know I want to marry you, but I want you to know that I’ll wait if you need more time.”

I took a deep breath. “I don’t need more time
. I’m ready. I want to do this.”

Zak pulle
d me into his arms and showed me just how much he loved me.

A long while later, we were snuggled up in bed watching the fire and listening to the rain. All the animals were sleeping in various locations around the room. I knew this was one of the most perfect moments that would ever happen in my life. I wanted to cherish everything about this special night. I wanted to remember every detail.

“
Were you thinking of a long engagement?” Zak asked as he mindlessly traced a figure eight on my shoulder. The fire had burned down, leaving an orange glow that created a feeling of warmth in the room.

I thought about Zak’s question as I
inhaled the scent from the pumpkin candle I’d lit and listened to
All Of Me
by John Legend as it played on the home entertainment system. All of me
did
love all of him, but was I really ready for this? I snuggled my cheek against Zak’s bare chest as I traced our initials with my index finger. I could hear his heart beating, which filled me with a sense of peace and contentment. Of course I was ready for this. I loved Zak and wanted to be his wife.

“I wasn’t
necessarily thinking of a long engagement,” I eventually answered.

“So short?
”