Page 1 of Sweet Treat for the Mountain Man

CHAPTER ONE

Amora

“Oh no, are you serious?” I pinched the bridge of my nose. Please tell me this isn't happening…

“Yes unfortunately.”

“But what do I do now? I need the skeleton exhibit!”

“I'm sorry ma’am, but there's nothing I can do. Good luck with the party.”

My phone beeped, signaling the end of the call.

Wow. He hung up on me. So much for customer service.

I tossed my cell phone down on my desk and got to my feet. Shaking my hands, I paced back and forth, thoughts coming in every direction.

With only two days left until the party, I'd never find a replacement in time.

Every year I ran the towns Halloween costume party. It was a big bash with a costume contest, bobbing for apples, lots of Halloween treats, and a DJ the town paid for to keep the party rocking.

Last year I upped my game and hired a guy to come in and set up a huge skeleton display walk thru when entering the dance.

It was massive and exactly what I hoped for.

This year, I hired the same guy, and offered him more money, as he agreed to add more decorations.

But now he canceled.

What was I going to do?

Maybe I should just cancel the whole thing. Give the responsibility to someone else. But what would my parents think? They begged me to take care over. I couldn't just leave it. It was our family tradition.

I opened the internet browser on my desktop and frantically search in Google for Halloween decorators. There wasn't much.

“Hey, Amora, how's it going?” My co-worker at the local paper, Colleen, asked as she returned to her desk beside me.

“Oh just dandy. The guy I hired last year bailed on me for the party. Two days before! What am I supposed to do now?” I ran my hand through my short curls and sighed before taking a sip of my iced coffee.

“Damn, that's not cool. Did he at least have a good reason?”

“He didn't specify and I was too in shock to ask. Sometimes I wonder why I agreed to take over the party planning.”

“Didn't your parents do it for like twenty years?” Colleen raised an eyebrow. “That's a long time.”

“They did. And I couldn't let the tradition stop. It was a big thing every year and I remember as a child getting ready for it. I looked forward to it.”

“You shouldn't stop if it's important to you, but I know it must be stressful. But actually I think I know someone who might be able to help you out.”

“Really? You do?”

“Yes, my husband’s best friend, Coast. He always puts up these elaborate displays on Halloween, and he does it all himself. Says it's his favorite holiday.”

“And why haven't I met this man before?” I teased.

Colleen laughed. “You know that's a good question. Both of you are crazy for Halloween. Want me to ask him if he's down to help out?”

“Yes, that would be amazing. Thank you.”