Page 114 of Trick or Tease

“I’ve got a festival to run,” he said flatly. Then he flipped me off with both hands, holding the gesture long enough to make sure I got the message. “A festival on my family’s land. For now.”

He walked out of the kitchen, leaving me standing there staring at the abandoned muffin on the counter. The casual dismissal hurt worse than any of Sabrina’s angry words. At least she was engaging with me, even if it was to tell me to go to hell. Billy had just written me off completely.

I should have just left this morning. They didn’t want me here. And I honestly didn’t feel like I deserved to be here. I was a dick. I was the one ruining their lives.

I got another text as I walked back to the parking area to resume my duties. I had a feeling I had been given the parking duty because they wanted to keep me away from them and the festivities. I was being punished.

Not a surprise.

My phone vibrated again.

“Fuck me.”

The dude was relentless.

I pulled my phone out to see what Ron was all up in arms about.

Ron: I’m at the farm to finish this deal. Where are you?

“Shit,” I muttered, scanning the crowd frantically. Ron was here? Now? Tonight?

I spotted a black town car parked at the far end of the road, its sleek lines looking completely out of place among the pickup trucks and minivans. Even from a distance, I could see a figure in an expensive suit leaning against the hood, checking his phone with the impatient posture of someone who was used to getting his way immediately.

My heart started hammering against my ribs. This was a disaster waiting to happen. Ron had no concept of subtlety or timing. If he started talking about development deals and buyout contracts in front of the locals, it would destroy everything. Not just the sale, but any chance I had of salvaging my relationship with Billy and Sabrina.

Not that there was much left to salvage after last night.

“Hey, Garrett!”

I looked over to see Tyler jogging up to me, his headless horseman costume tucked under one arm. The kid was grinning ear to ear, practically bouncing with excitement.

“You want to come watch me scare the crap out of a bunch of kids?”

Under normal circumstances, I would have loved to see Tyler’s performance. The kid had been practicing his headless horseman act. I knew he was proud of the whole elaborate setup we’d worked out.

But right now, all I could think about was getting to Ron before he started making a scene.

“That sounds great, Tyler, but I need to handle something first. Keep scaring the teens but be nice to the little kids.”

“I will!” He started to jog off, then turned back. “Oh, and Garrett, thanks for helping us set all this up. This is like, the coolest thing that’s ever happened in Greenleaf.”

He ran off before I could respond, leaving me standing there with his words echoing in my head. The coolest thing that’s ever happened in Greenleaf. And I had considered letting Ron sell it off and turn it into a memory.

I made my way through the crowd, nodding and smiling at people who called out greetings, but my mind was racing. How was I going to handle this? Ron wasn’t the type to be put off with vague excuses, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to understand why I might be having second thoughts about a seven-million-dollar deal.

But before I could get to him, one of the teenagers running the back lot needed me for a stalled car. I hoped Ron would stay put. He’d be too afraid to ruin his Gucci’s. For now, he would stick to the gravel road.

43

SABRINA

Iclimbed onto the tractor and started the engine, the familiar rumble vibrating through my bones as another group settled onto the hay bales behind me. There were about fifteen people on this ride—a mix of teenagers looking for thrills and a few families with older kids ready to be scared.

“Welcome to the spooky hayride!” I called out over the engine noise, forcing enthusiasm into my voice. “Keep your arms and legs inside the trailer at all times and prepare yourselves for some genuine Greenleaf ghost stories.”

A chorus of excited whoops and nervous laughter rose from the trailer as I put the tractor in gear and started up the winding path toward the old house on the hill. The jack-o’-lanterns we had positioned along the route cast flickering shadows that danced across the cornstalks, creating an appropriately spooky atmosphere.

The decorations we placed on the path glowed. The tombstones and spooky hands that appeared to be climbing out of fresh graves made me smile.