Protecting What's Mine(93)

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Mack hissed to Linc as the kids hauled ass up the walkway to a yellow bungalow decked out with dancing skeletons and hand-carved pumpkins.

“Trick or treat!” the kids yelled in unison when the door opened.

“Hey, Dr. Mack! Hi, Chief Linc,” a short ninja with plastic nunchucks called as he or she ran by with a bag of loot.

“That ninja knows my name,” Mack said.

“Dreamy, everyone knows your name. You’re the talk of the town. ‘Doctor saves patient in roadside open heart surgery,’” he said, quoting the local newspaper’s headline earlier that week.

“And now I’m dressed as Wonder Woman.”

“Relax. Have some candy,” he said, producing a mini candy bar from behind his back.

“Did this come from where I think it came from?”

“There’s a secret candy holder in my belt, not my well-formed ass.”

She unwrapped the candy and laughed as the kids sprinted back to them.

“Homemade caramel corn,” Samantha squealed.

Sunshine nosed at the bag of treats Joni Aucker had handed them at the last stop. Mack restrained herself from asking Linc if he felt strange running into the mother of the girl he’d once loved. Sure, they’d shared things, but most of their relationship centered around great sex and playful banter. It was best not to push too far.

“You really didn’t have to bring the wagon,” Mack said. “My ankle feels good. And there’s no way in hell I would ever willingly ride in that thing.”

“Oh, it’s not really for you,” Linc told her. “It’s either for all the candy the kids whine about being too tired to carry, a kid who hits his or her sugar limit and has a meltdown—my money is on Kinley this year—or little Miss Sunshine, who gets too sleepy to walk.”

Sunshine, hearing her name, pranced in place.

“I guess trick-or-treat is your favorite night of the year, isn’t it?” Mack asked the dog.

Sunshine gave a happy little bark, and Mack obligingly fed her a treat.

“Dr. Mack, what’s your favorite candy?” Mikey asked, batting his long lashes at her.

“Get your own girl, Charm School,” Linc said, playfully elbowing his nephew out of the way.

“Where to next, Uncle Chief Linc?” Rapunzel Leah wanted to know.

“The Morettas,” he decided.

Their motley crew of costumed children cheered.

“What’s so great about the Morettas’ house on trick-or-treat?” Mack asked as Linc threaded his fingers through hers.

“You’ll see,” he said, squeezing her hand.

Aldo and Gloria were the King and Queen of small-town Halloween. They were dressed as Sonny and Cher, a seemingly adorable inside joke that Mack made a mental note to ask Gloria about later.

Their garage was decked out in not-too scary haunted house fashion. Aldo manned a grill on the street, handing out hot dogs, hamburgers, juice boxes, and cold beers to costumed visitors. Gloria, her mother, and Aldo’s mother ran carnival games from tables in the front yard. There were baked goods and candy and vegetable trays and conversations happening everywhere.

Linc’s nieces and nephews dispersed on the lawn, heading for the games, the garage, and the orange and black inflatable bounce house.

“Wow,” was all Mack could say.

Her handsome sidekick reached into a cooler and produced two beers. “Wonder Woman?”

“Aren’t there open container laws?” she teased.

“We each get one,” he explained. “Then you can help me drive my drunk sisters and brothers-in-law home.”

“Just what kind of a bet was it?” she asked.

“A really stupid one,” he said.

“Dr. Mack! You’re right on time!” Ellen, dressed as a cop with a badge that said Fun Police, hurried over. She gave Mack a hard hug and Linc a wink that he returned.

“Ellen, you look great,” Mack said. It was true. Her patient-slash-friend was glowing. Her face looked brighter, a little leaner. And there was a definite sparkle in her eyes.

“I feel great,” she said. “I had no idea how much I missed swimming, you know? And guess what?”

“What?”

“My husband started coming to the gym with me. He’s been lifting weights while I swim, and then we walk the track together for twenty minutes before he goes to work. I haven’t had to yell at him about his boxers for two weeks! And my father-in-law and I started cooking dinners together. The man had never used a microwave or loaded a dishwasher in his life. Now he’s on Pinterest saving Bolognese recipes.”

Mack laughed. “That’s great.”

“Are we still on for next week?” Ellen asked.

“Yeah. Sure,” Mack said. “Ladies’ Night.”

“Great! Do you mind if I bring a couple of my girlfriends? You know, make it a real Ladies’ Night?”

“Uh. No, I don’t mind.” Maybe she’d invite Gloria and Harper and Sophie, Mack thought. Then wondered who in the hell she was having girlfriends that she could invite places.

“Awesome. I’ll see you next week. I better go get my kids. They’re nearing the Close to Vomiting Candy in the Bounce House phase. Love the tights, Linc!” Ellen jogged off and poked the inflatable wall with her plastic nightstick. “All Kowalskis will now exit the bounce house.”