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“There are some cloths under the bathroom sink that you don’t have to worry about staining.”
It takes some scrubbing, but the colors used were light and that makes it easier. Even on the patches of vitiligo, it comes off. Calli hands me a plate when I return to the living room to sit between her and Lacey.
“Silver, I have bad news and good news,” I announce, scooping a bite of cake into my mouth. It’s fucking delicious. Calli is looking for new hobbies, but she mastered baking in my opinion. Pies, cobbler, muffins, cake, bread. I’ve had them all from her and all have been phenomenal. “The bad news is the dark paint doesn’t come completely off no matter how hard you scrub.”
Silver looks up at me, alarmed. Poor shark. “What’s the good news?”
Shrugging, I take another bite before answering. “Only the tip of my nose was dark.”
Laughter runs around the room, and Silver narrows her eyes at me. “I went to jail for kicking a man in the balls, smartass. You might want to keep that in mind.”
“Threatened by a shark. That’s a new one.”
Calli tries to help her clean the paint off after we finish eating, but nothing removes all that blue. “You look like you’re running out of oxygen,” Calli teases.
“My makeup remover at home will take care of it,” Silver says, shrugging it off.
I lean down, dropping my voice to ask Calli, “Bonfire?”
A brilliant smile leaps to her face. “Sure.”
Everyone is happy to move our party to my firepit but when we reach the entrance of the graveyard, Silver hesitates. “This feels like one of those horror movie moments where I’d be screaming at the women onscreen for being stupid.”
“Just don’t twist your ankle when you run,” Lee says, and she glares at him.
“I’ll push you down first.”
“You should see it on a cloudy night when it’s also full of fog. Can’t see your hand in front of your face,” Calli tells her, moving to walk with her through the gravestones. “I was thinking we could host a big game of hide and seek, maybe on Halloween.”
“You need psychological help.”
Despite her reservations, Silver can’t take her eyes off the sky full of stars once we crest the hill. Lee and I carried up the cooler of drinks and Calli brought a wireless speaker. She connects it to her phone and turns on some music while I get the fire going.
The second half of the gummy hits her much harder but not in a bad way. Her cheeks are going to be sore from the constant smile on her face.
Lee has walked with Lacey down to my place to use the bathroom when Calli moves from sitting on the log to lying on the grass. Okay, it’s probably time to intervene.
“You’re going to be bug food,” I warn. Not to mention the ground is cold and damp this late in October.
“Look at the stars though,” she breathes, remaining on her back. Her gaze moves from the sky to me when I walk over to her. “You are so tall. Like a big gorgeous tree.”
She’s high as hell.
Silver chokes back a laugh. “Girl, you have to shut up.”
“A tree? I thought I was a sexy beekeeper.”
She grabs my ankle, staring up at me. “You are. A big sexy treekeeper bee. Beekeepering tree.”
“Okay, come on.” She doesn’t resist when I pull her to her feet as Lee and Lacey return. “Log or chair, pick a seat.”
She glances toward the dark forest. “Let’s go to the creek!” She looks over at Silver, who shakes her head adamantly. “It’ll be fun!” she adds, undeterred, excitement ruling her voice. She gets about two steps in that direction before I grab her from behind and hold her a few inches in the air. Going into the woods fucked up at night is not a bright idea. I’m not trashed but I have a great buzz and Lacey is the only sober one.
“Put me down!” Calli giggles, kicking her feet.
“Did you just put her in air jail?” Lacey snorts.
The laughter from everyone has her laughing too until I murmur in her ear. “Are you going to sit down, or do I have to carry you back to your cabin?” The fire in her eyes when she turns her head to look at me isn’t anger. It’s far more dangerous. Her gaze stays on mine as I gently set her on her feet. “The edible is at its peak. Let me keep you safe.”
