He Found Her by Emily R Bellas

Author:Emily R Bellas [Bellas, Emily R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2022-05-02T05:00:00+00:00

24

June

“Trick or treat!”

She’s said it at least one thousand times, and yet I still find it impossibly adorable. This is the first time I’ve felt comfortable letting Olivia participate in Halloween festivities. Something about knocking on strangers’ doors in foreign towns just didn’t feel like the smart thing to do, especially when I was trying to stay out of sight. But now, I think that getting to know the neighbors is important since we’re here to stay. Besides, I’ve already been getting to know one neighbor. Sigh. Dream boat. I wanted to invite him to trick or treat with us, but I figured I should probably leave him alone. I don’t want him to feel overwhelmed by our presence. No, I’d rather he crave it when it’s gone.

“What costume should I wear, Mommy?” Olivia had asked me one day after picking her up from school.

“What are you thinking?”

“Hmm…”

I glanced at her in my rearview mirror, and she was deep in thought, brows pinched in. “Some of the girls in my class are going as princesses, but, eh. I don’t think I want to do that.”

“You don’t have to do what they’re doing, Livy.” I turned left into our driveway, waving quickly at Miles, who was pulling his garbage cans out onto the curb. I was met with a brilliant smile and a wave in return.

“Oh, I know that,” she replied matter-of-factly. After parking, the two of us shuffled out of the car, two backpacks now on my one back.

“Neighbor man! Hi!” I heard my daughter shout across the street. My cheeks turned beet red, and I ran around the car to grab her. Little kids have absolutely no chill at all.

“Livy, he has a name. And just let Miles go inside his house in peace.”

But it was too late. My handsome neighbor had looked both ways and was making the short journey over to us.

“Hi, neighbor girl.” He smiled down at her. “And neighbor mom.” I smiled at the cute little name.

“What are you going to be for Halloween this year?” Olivia commanded his attention yet again. The two adults in the group laughed, and Olivia looked back and forth between us, confused and a little offended.

“I wasn’t planning on dressing up.” He looked in my eye again as if to say, “This kid is a riot.” Don’t I know it. I shrugged in reply and placed both hands on her shoulders. She looked up at me.

“Are you dressing up, Mommy?”

“Probably not, squirt,” I replied, squeezing her shoulders.

Olivia put her head in her hand dramatically. “Grown-ups are so lame.”

“Hey!” Miles and I exclaimed simultaneously.

“Well, I’m dressing up, and I just decided what I’m going to be. It’s the scariest thing I can think of!” And with that announcement, she was off, shouting a faint “Bye!” to Miles on her way through the door.

“What do you think that costume will be, then?” he asked.

“I guess we’ll have to stop by for you to see,” I replied with a wink.

And now here we are, last unknocked-on door on the block.

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