“No no no!” Addy’s cheeks heated. The Kieran question was complicated enough without this layer. “My new friend, he’s sort of…”
Liv arched one perfectly painted eyebrow. “In recovery?”
“Let’s just say he has good reasons not to drink. And I figure this week’s mission is better tackled with a clear head, so I’m abstaining too. But you go ahead.”
“I will.” They clinked glasses, and Liv took a healthy gulp. “So, where’s this Halloween bash?”
“Salty Dog Saloon. Have you been there?”
“Not for years. You?”
Addy fiddled with the buckle on her 1980s slouchy suede boot. “I’ve been busy with other things.”
“Like making new friends?” Liv’s conspiratorial grin lit up her sparkly green face. “Can’t wait to meet him. When’s he picking you up?”
“We’re meeting at the party, actually. Said he had a last-minute errand to take care of.”
“Very mysterious.” Liv tweaked a glitter-sprayed curl behind Addy’s ear, then tugged her boho blouse lower over one shoulder. “Good to see you letting your adventurous side come out to play.”
If you only knew.Thrilled as she was to have Liv here, her presence put a damper on plans to spend the night with Kieran, and she’d spent the afternoon imagining the gleam in his hazel eyes as he peeled her boots off her legs and buried his head beneath her satin skirt.
But she couldn’t ask Liv to get a room elsewhere, not when she’d driven all this way.
After tonight, that left only two more nights with Kieran before her leave ended. Not enough time, damn it. There were so many questions she needed to ask him, so many possibilities to discuss.
But tonight was not for spinning her mental wheels. Tonight was to be enjoyed. And if it brought together two people she loved, so much the better.
Love?Addy’s stomach swooped.
Last night, Kieran asked if she could ever love a man like him, and tonight she’d tell him she already did—because nothing else explained the keen ache that stabbed between her ribs every time she contemplated her departure, or the way his steady presence instantly relaxed her, even while confessing the worst experiences of her life. She meant what she promised last night. She had no intention of leaving him behind.
“You okay, hon?” Liv tilted her head and regarded Addy with that cool, analytical gaze that saw right through her defensive bullshit.
“I will be.” She flashed a tight, determined smile. “Come on, let’s go shake up this little town.”
“Woo-ee, these coastal folks know how to party,” Liv crowed as they reached Salty Dog Saloon’s street-facing deck. A large fire-pit table blazed brightly, surrounded by ghouls, witches, a sexy she-devil, and a pair of trolls in neon-colored shock wigs, all of them rowdy and loud. On the far side of the deck, costumed patrons bowled plastic skulls toward pins painted like ghosts. Servers dressed as zombies wove through the crowd, fully loaded trays held high, while Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” blared from speakers on posts decked with blinking orange and purple lights.
Liv grabbed Addy’s hand and plunged into the melee, exclaiming at costumes as they made their way to the bar. “Check out the aliens!” She pointed to a cute couple in silver face paint and metallic spacesuits. “And what even is that?” She indicated a guy bopping past, covered from neck to knees in Post-its, with tissue-paper streamers in his hair.
“I’m a piñata, love,” he sang out and raised his margarita glass. “Salud!”
While they waited their turn at the bustling bar, manned by a handsome blond mummy in a shredded tux and a dark-haired lady vampire in a figure-hugging red dress, someone tugged on Addy’s sleeve. It was Zora, the psychic from the crystal shop, in a green tunic trimmed with fake leaves and crooked coat-hanger wings, beside a taller woman wearing aRead Banned BooksT-shirt, a tutu made of rolled book pages, and wings made from the cover of an old dictionary.
“Happy Halloween, Doctor Addy!” Zora shouted above the din. “How’s that malachite working for you?”
“Oh, uh—”
Beside her, Liv giggled. “Fabulous costumes, ladies. Let me guess—you’re a forest fairy, and you’re a…”
“Book fairy.” The taller woman gripped Liv’s hand, then Addy’s. “I’m Marquetta, Zora’s wife and Trappers Cove’s librarian.” She tapped her chest and grinned. “Obviously, right? Are you two new in town, or just visiting?”
“Alas, Doctor Addy’s just passing through.” Zora heaved a dramatic sigh.
“We both work in the hospital on Joint Base Lewis-McChord,” Liv explained.
“Military doctors, huh?” Marquetta gave them an appraising glance. “Sounds stressful. Keep us in mind when you retire, eh? TC Hospital has a hard time holding onto doctors.”
Liv draped her arm over Addy’s shoulders. “Sorry, I’ve got six more years to serve, but my friend here might be persuaded if the offer’s tempting enough.”
