Just A Small Town Girl (7 page)

“You know what I’m thinking?” Fisher settled Riley into the high chair and pulled it close, so he could feed himself and Riley at the same time.

“What are you thinking?” I passed him a napkin before relaxing into my chair.

“You know Halloween is only a week away.”

“What!? No! Is that why the leaves have been falling out of the trees?”

“Very funny,” Fisher returned my smile, “really I’m thinking Riley should get to enjoy it, with a costume and everything.”

“I think that’s a great idea Fisher,” I smiled encouragingly.

“You’ll go trick or treating with us right?” he looked so vulnerable in that moment. I have no idea how I would have done anything other than nod my agreement.

“Good,” he smiled devilishly, “You’re going to look so cute in your costume.”

I was pleasantly surprised with my costume. Fisher refused to tell me what the three of us were dressing up as to go trick or treating, but he finally came over the night before Halloween to give me my costume, insisting I wear it to work the next day.

“You’re just a twelve year old boy at heart aren’t you?” I asked, fighting off laughter.

“Just go put it on,” he dismissed me, turning to fuss over his son.

I pulled on the little black dress before buckling the yellow utility belt around my waist. The cape was secured to my back with snaps on each shoulder and I looked at myself in the mirror while I attached it. The batgirl emblem was bright against my chest, just below the barely appropriate neckline. I took a step back so I could see the hemline of the skirt. It was also just appropriate. I looked like a twelve year old comic book geek’s fantasy, but Fisher was right, I looked cute. I gave myself a goofy look in the mirror before pulling the mask, complete with pointy bat ears, over my face and returning to the kitchen.

I stepped into the room just as Fisher was zipping the back of his black batman costume. I watched him buckle his own yellow utility belt and fasten his cape. I couldn’t deny the boy looked every ounce a fangirl’s dream. He pulled his pointy eared mask on before turning to face me.

“Oh hey,” I couldn’t see half of his face behind the mask, but I imagined a flicker of desire flashed in his eyes as his vision raked across me, from my pointy ears down to my shiny boots then back up to my face, “I knew you would look cute,” he murmured, taking a step toward me, “You make one hell of a batgirl.”

“You’re not so bad yourself batman,” maybe it was the mask, but something was making me bold, I took a step toward him, closing the gap of space between us, “Do I really look okay?” I spun around, only noticing the way my skirt flared after I’d completed a full circle.

“Better than okay,” his voice was low, gravelly, his eyes pinned to the spot of costume covered thigh my spin had exposed.

“Hey Batman, eyes up here,” I teased him, placing a hand on his chest.

“I know, I know, you just look,” he let out a low whistle and wrapped his hand around the arm attached to my hand resting on his chest, his thumb stroking the tender skin on the inside of my wrist and leaving a trail of tingles behind.

Our masked eyes locked, sharing more words than I could have spoken. More words than I was brave enough to say. My eyes willed him to kiss me and his eyes seemed to listen. He leaned closer, the air between us crackled to life as his free hand slipped around the back of my head, simultaneously cradling it and tilting it in the opposite direction of his. My fingers fisted the front of his costume while my free hand wrapped around his waist, inside of his cape, pulling our bodies into closer contact. Our noses touched as he pulled our faces together. My eyes fluttered closed, anticipating the surge of electricity that passed through us when we kissed before.

Riley began to squawk, making his presence known. My eyes opened and I stepped around Fisher, reaching into the playpen to pull out Riley in a tiny Robin costume.

“Aren’t you the cutest little sidekick ever?” I tickled his belly and carried him across the room to take pictures of him with my phone. I saw Fisher rip off his mask and throw it to the side, heaving out a frustrated sigh, but I chose to ignore it. I snapped pictures of Riley while Fisher paced, pulling at his hair.

“Would you get one of us together?” I asked Fisher, growing annoyed with his brooding.

“Sure,” he cleared his throat before stepping toward me and pulling the phone from my hand, being careful not to let his fingers brush mine.

I held Riley close to my chest and posed; when Fisher handed the phone back to me I set the picture as my background. 

“I think we’re going to call it an early night,” Fisher announced, pulling Riley from my arms and into his.

“That’s probably a good idea since you’re being so surly,” I folded my arms over my chest, finished with his playing hot and cold.

“I know, sorry, I know,” he dragged his free hand through his hair, “Can we just start over? Just pretend you just got back from trying on the costume?”

“Sure, I guess,” I grumbled.

“You look great. I’m excited for tomorrow now. Is it okay if we come by your office and walk you home? Maybe do a little trick or treating on the way? That way we can get done pretty early. I have a show and you could come with me. Get to know the guys a little?” his eyes were hopeful.

“Maybe,” I stifled a yawn, “for now getting to bed might be the best plan.

He nodded, leaning in to kiss my cheek, “Sorry Piper,” he whispered before closing the door.

As I closed my eyes that night I couldn’t help wondering if Fisher was going to apologize every time he tried to kiss me.

Dr. Schultz thought my costume was good for business, so good he had me stand outside for the better part of the afternoon waving at cars next to a sign that read ‘Schultz may not be a hero, but he does save lives!’

I was still standing there when Fisher wandered down the street, pushing Riley in a stroller I’d never seen.

“The bat mobile has arrived,” Fisher tossed me a crooked grin from below his mask.

I pushed the stroller while Fisher walked beside me, commenting on each house’s decorations and the other children’s costumes. Each time we approached a house to trick or treat with Riley he insisted that the three of us approach the door. Most of the time I received a questioning look until Fisher distracted the inhabitants, who he usually knew, with conversation about Riley’s crawling or his band or some other facet of small town life.

“You know everyone don’t you?” I asked after one particularly long conversation between him and an elderly lady who lived a few doors away from our building.

“Ms. Ellie?” he asked, gesturing back at her door, “She was my kindergarten teacher.” He flashed me a big smile and I made a face in response. “Really, I’ve lived here for my whole life, so yeah I know everyone. Try to imagine living in the same place since forever. Everyone sees you grow, sees you screw stuff up,” I tried not to notice the way he glanced at Riley briefly, “they all know me and I know them. It’s not so weird if you look at it that way.”

“I know. I actually understand perfectly,” I smiled at him, watching as he plucked a red leaf from a branch and twirled it between his fingers.

“Yeah?” he turned to me.

“Yeah, used to live in a town even smaller than Dunesville before I moved here,” I looked down at the pavement, willing the memories not to sweep in, “I know what it’s like to live under a microscope that’s all.”

Fisher tucked the leaf between my hair and mask like a flag on the top of my head.

“It’s not all bad, sometimes it’s good to know you have people you can trust around, but sometimes it can kill you,” Fisher stopped in front of the next house, “Thanks for listening Piper,” he smiled before pulling Riley from the stroller.

Rose opened her door before we could knock. I couldn’t tell whether or not she was wearing a costume. She wore a purple pointed hat and a flowing black calf length dress. Her witch’s look was completed with purple and black striped socks and black puritan style ankle boots.

“Oh don’t you look adorable!” she exclaimed, gesturing for us to stand closer together so she could snap a picture with the camera in her hand, “Now give me Riley, so you two can get going. I know you’re going to Travis’ show tonight!” she began to shut the door, but stopped just before it closed to pull the stroller, complete with a bag full of candy, into her apartment and shout “Have fun!”

“Well I guess that’s our cue,” Riley held the building door open for me and I reluctantly followed.

“I never told you I was going with you Fisher and I don’t appreciate you telling Rose that,” I grumbled, following him to his black SUV.

“I didn’t tell her you were coming with me or that I even had a show,” he held the door open for me and I climbed in, “You know Rose, she just guessed.”

Fisher sang along to an instrumental CD of his band’s songs while he drove to the bar. I busied myself with watching the trees race by my window and letting his voice wash over me. When the vehicle came to a stop in front of a large wooden barn I was surprised not to find us at Conductor’s.

“Where are we?”

“At The Barn,” he pulled the key from the ignition and gave me a funny look, “I do play at places other than Conductor’s you know.”

“Well, I figured, but why here tonight?”

“Two things,” he hopped out of the SUV and walked around to open my door for me, “First, it’s a bigger crowd here, so they offered us more money and second, it’s a different crowd and it seemed like a good opportunity to have you to myself without a bunch of people we both know chiming in.”

“Seph and Bailey?” I took the hand he offered to help me jump from the car and enjoyed the few seconds his hands rested on my waist before he let go and opened the door to the back seat.

I watched him unzip the back of his costume and shrug it down to his waist, exposing his chest and back. His muscles weren’t over defined. Rather, they were apparent beneath his skin. I watched their movement as he dug around in his back seat, retrieving a balled up black t-shirt.

“See something you like?” Fisher asked, pulling the shirt over his head without turning around.

“Just wondering why you get to change and I don’t,” I tried to hide my blush even though he wasn’t looking.

“I have to perform and I can’t do that in a cape. I’m still dressed to theme,” he turned around to show me the bat symbol on the front of his shirt, “and you look hotter in that costume than I did in mine.”

“Fair enough,” I smiled, trying not to squirm beneath his assessing gaze, “are you nervous?” I asked, noting the way he shifted from one foot to the other before grabbing his guitar case and slamming the car door.

“Nah,” he huffed out before wrapping his free hand around mine and tugging me after him.

“You’re late,” Kyle announced as we approached the table where he sat next to Dustin, both of them nursing brown bottles, “and I can see why,” he added when I came to a stop by Fisher’s side.

“How are you Piper?” Dustin said, rising from his seat to step around the table and land a very gentlemanly kiss on my cheek. I noted his superman t-shirt, printed in the same vintage style as Fisher’s.

“I’m fine, how are you superman?”

“I’m just super,” he wiggled his eyebrows and beamed at being called a superhero. Seriously, all of them were middle school boys at heart.

Kyle stepped around the table and angled himself between Dustin and I, leaning in to give me a hug. I felt Fisher’s hand tighten around mine while his friend, dressed in a Flash t-shirt to match the rest of the band, gave me a vigorous squeeze.

“You should come to more shows Piper,” Kyle looked into my eyes and gave me a seductive smile, “I play better when I know a beautiful woman is watching.”

He leaned in to kiss my cheek, but Fisher propped his guitar case against the table and placed his hand over the Flash emblem in the center of Kyle’s chest before he could.

“Calm down there cowboy,” Kyle laughed as he stumbled backward from Fisher’s shove.

Fisher ignored his friend, turning to me instead, “Want to dance?” he whispered in my ear.

“Sure,” I nodded, smiling apologetically at Kyle and Dustin who shared their own smug grins.

“These guys only have two songs left in their set Fish,” Kyle called after us, “After that we go on.”

Fisher ignored him, using our entwined fingers to pull me after him onto the dance floor. He stopped when we had enough space to dance and pulled me close to him, placing his hands on my hips so he could sway both our bodies to the poppy beat of the cover band on stage.

“Sorry about that,” he whispered, his head ducked so his mouth was next to my ear, his hair hanging down to tickle my cheek, “Kyle just wants to make me jealous.”

“Was it working?” I asked, raising my chin so my mouth was closer to his ear.

“What do you think?” his hands ran up my sides, making me shiver, stopping just below my breasts and drifting back to my hips, “he’s just trying to distract me from our set. He’s got the crazy idea I’m nervous.”

I pulled my head back to catch the self-depreciating smile on his face. I slid my hand around the back of his neck, pulling his ear down to my mouth.