Time After Time (Sweetbriar Cove #14) - Melody Grace Page 0,46
sexy?” Stella held up a short black mini-dress that in some alternate universe – or perhaps just on October 31st – could qualify as a costume. She was at the local vintage clothing shop with Mackenzie, trying to find a last-minute outfit for the ball that night. Usually, she went for laughs on Halloween – a fuzzy bumblebee, a rotting mummy – but tonight, ‘adorable’ wasn’t going to cut it.
At least, not for the kind of night she was planning on having with Aidan.
“It’s Halloween,” Mac replied, grinning. “You could dress up in thigh-high boots and a bustier, and it still wouldn’t be too sexy.”
“Still, I’m not sure…” Stella put it back on the rail.
“What are you talking about?” Mackenzie plucked it back off again. “You have to try it on. You’re not trick-or-treating with the kids,” she reminded her. “This is an adults-only event. Don’t you want to wow Aidan? It your big night…”
“It’s not!” Stella protested, laughing. “It’s a night.”
“A night with the hot guy you’ve just started dating, while your kid is safely out of town?” Mac countered, with a knowing grin. “Sure, just a regular, everyday Saturday night in Sweetbriar Cove. You won’t be getting lucky at all.”
Stella laughed, swatting her with a prop broom. “I haven’t decided anything about how lucky anyone’s getting,” she said archly, but Mackenzie just snorted.
“Is that why you’ve been to Aphrodite already today?” She nodded to Stella’s shopping bag, fresh from the most seductive lingerie store on the Cape.
“Just in case,” Stella said, but who was she kidding? She’d already paid a visit to her aesthetician and picked out a new bra, now she just needed the perfect costume to make Aidan stop in his tracks – and then fall at her feet.
And then do all kinds of other things, too…
“How is Matty, anyway?” Mac asked, browsing the racks beside her.
“In geek heaven,” Stella replied. “He called this morning, talking a mile a minute. He went to the movies last night with his friends, and today, they’re making costumes to trick-or-treat. They’re going to be superheroes.”
“Cute!”
“I know, I’ve made him promise to send photos.” Stella felt a wistful pang. “It’s the first Halloween we won’t be celebrating together, but… I’m just happy he’s having fun with his friends.”
“And leaving you to have fun with yours,” Mackenzie added with a smirk.
Stella smiled, flipping through outfits, but none of them seemed quite right for the kind of fun she had in mind. Sexy nurse, sexy ghost… There was even a sexy Loch Ness monster! “Am I getting old, or are these kind of slutty?” she asked, holding up a parking attendant costume that would barely cover her hips.
“Oh, they are, but that’s the point.” Mac grinned. “Ooh, this is cute!” she exclaimed, holding up a plunging, sequined dress. “Trust me,” she said, seeing Stella’s expression. “Go try it on.”
“OK.” Stella grabbed a couple of other things, and went to the changing area. “What’s your costume going to be?” she asked over the curtain, as she wriggled into the first outfit.
“I’m not sure yet,” Mac’s voice answered. “I was thinking Miss Havisham or the late, great Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Something with plenty of fabric in the waist, to let me eat a dozen of Summer’s special gingersnap cookies.”
They pulled back their curtains, and both laughed. Stella’s dress was way too short, and Mac was swimming in a fabric tent. “Ta da!” Mac struck a pose. “Jake wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off me in this!”
“I don’t know,” Stella smiled. “He seems crazy about you in anything.”
“He does, doesn’t he?” Mackenzie beamed. “You know, we first hooked up for the first time on Halloween. Of course, he didn’t know it was me in my costume, but that made it even sexier. It’s the one night of the year, you can be anyone you want.”
Stella would settle for herself – with a dose of extra confidence. She tried the next outfit, the black sequined gown that Mac had picked out. It was plunging at the neckline, with a slit up to her thigh, and looked impossibly glamorous for a night out in Sweetbriar Cove. But when she stepped out of her changing cubicle, Mackenzie gasped. “That’s it! That’s the one.”
“Are you sure?” Stella checked her reflection. She’d never worn something so sexy in her life. She tugged at the neckline, eyeing the cleavage it revealed. “It’s not really a costume…”
“Sure it is!” Mac declared. “You could do Morticia Adams makeup, or a tasteful