Кэти Дэйли - The Magic Of Halloween Night

“I did,” Gracie informed me. “It’s too early to know if she will be able to return home or not after rehab, but she did say that the medical personnel at the hospital had been hinting around to her that she might want to look into assisted living.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

“Ethel is worried about Paisley, as she should be. She told me that she has a niece who might be able to take her if necessary, but it isn’t an ideal situation. The niece is a nice woman, but she already has five children of her own and really would prefer not to raise a sixth. Ethel did, however, assure me that if she needed to guilt her niece into taking custody of Paisley to keep her out of foster care, she would.”

“I’d hate to see Paisley end up in a home that’s already so overcrowded,” I said. “I’d also hate to see her end up in a temporary situation where she wouldn’t be able to really settle in.”

“I agree. Ethel and I discussed the possibility of transferring legal custody of Paisley to me if she can no longer fulfill the role of her guardian. While I would be willing to fill in if need be, we did agree it would be better to find someone a bit younger.”

“You’re talking about me,” I said.

Gracie opened the oven and slipped in a casserole dish. “Have you considered it? You love Paisley, and you wouldn’t have to do it alone. Tom and I would pitch in, same as we always have.”

I poured myself a glass of juice and sat down at the table. “I guess the idea has crossed my mind. With the family curse and all, I figured I’d never have a child, and I was actually fine with that, but I do love Paisley, and I know you and Tom do as well. Between the three of us, I know we can provide her with a safe and happy place to grow up.” I paused and then continued. “Having said that, it is a huge commitment. What if something happened to you, and I was left to raise Paisley on my own?”

“Nothing is going to happen to me,” Gracie assured me. “But even if something did, you’d be fine.” She must have noticed the doubt on my face since she suggested I take some time to really think it over. Nothing was going to happen today or even this month. We had time to look at all the options before coming to any decisions. For all we knew, Ethel might do better than the doctor predicted, and she might very well be able to continue her role as guardian.

“I guess I should go up and check on Paisley, but before I do, I wanted to talk to you about my new assignment at work.”

“Oh, and what is that?” Gracie asked.

I told her about the movie being filmed locally and explained that I was going to be tied up for more than a week beginning Monday. Gracie assured me that between her and Tom, they would make sure Paisley was well taken care of. Once I was certain that Gracie didn’t have a problem with me taking on such a demanding assignment, I headed upstairs to check on Paisley, and then I went across the hall to my bedroom to call Hope and Naomi. If I was going to be tied up, I needed to let them know my ability to volunteer might not be what it normally was. I still needed to tell Cass about my assignment, but I figured I’d do that after dinner.

Hope assured me that while she valued my efforts as a volunteer, she was sure they could get by without me. She agreed the assignment covering the filming was too good an opportunity to pass up. I assured her that since the assignment didn’t start until Monday, I would be able to help out tomorrow with the barn decorating party and over the weekend at the Harvest Festival as planned. After I hung up with Hope, I called Naomi, who was equally thrilled for me.

“Of course, we can cover for you,” she assured me. “I read an article about that movie just this past week. It sounds like it’s going to be a good one and, to be honest, I’ve always wanted to watch a movie being filmed. Maybe I’ll show up one day, and see if they are allowing spectators.”

“I can get a feel for that sort of thing on Monday and call you. If they do allow spectators, you should totally come up for the day.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually going to have the opportunity to meet Logan Underwood. What a babe.”

“He is rather easy on the eyes,” I agreed.

“You know who else is going to be in that movie? Harrison Roberts.”

“Who’s Harrison Roberts?” I asked.

“He’s a supporting actor who hasn’t done anything really big, so you may not have heard of him, but you have met him.”

“I have?”

“Harrison Roberts is his stage name. His real name is Robert Harrison, and we went to high school with him.”

“Robert from chem lab?” I asked.

“One and the same,” Naomi confirmed. “He was a total nerd back when we knew him, but he’s changed. A lot. He’s gotten taller since high school, and it appears he works out quite a bit since he’s filled out rather nicely. I guess he’s considered to be quite the catch these days.”

“I’ll have to look him up before Monday. I can’t wait to meet everyone. Dex gave me a partial list of the cast members, and it seems as if there are some pretty big names playing the supporting roles.”

“I have to admit that I’m a tiny bit jealous.”

“It is a fabulous opportunity,” I agreed. “I’m hoping to be able to interview the major stars individually, and I’d like to delve into the behind-the-scenes undertakings involved in making a movie. I just hope I don’t end up being star-struck and tongue-tied.”

I chatted with Naomi a while longer and then went back in to check on Paisley. She’d finished her homework, and wanted to go over the lines she needed to learn by Monday, so we spent the rest of the evening doing that. By the time I made it back to my bedroom, it was late. Still, I decided to log onto my computer and look up Harrison Roberts. Naomi was right. The guy was a babe, and he didn’t look at all like the boy I remembered from high school. Well, except for the eyes. He’d always had really intense blue eyes that made you feel like he could look directly into your soul.

I wondered how he’d ended up with a career as an actor. I seemed to remember he was a serious sort when I knew him. Smart. Quiet. Sort of awkward. I was sure he’d go into a field like physics or medicine. If you’d asked me back then where Robert would end up, never in a million years would I have guessed that he’d turn out to be America’s next heartthrob.

Chapter 4

Friday

By the time I arrived at the barn decorating party on Friday, the barn was already packed with men and women who’d given up a day of their lives to ensure that Foxtail Lake’s haunted barn would be the best one ever. Of course, the group set out every year to ensure that the current year’s event was the best one ever , making it harder and harder to outdo what had previously been done. As it had been last year, the barn was located out near Logan Pond, a watery setting that held a lot of memories for Cass and me. I wondered if he’d be here today. I hadn’t seen his car in the dirt lot where everyone was told to park, but he usually tried to help out with these sorts of events. Of course, Aunt Gracie normally helped out as well, but she’d been unable to attend this year due to a prior commitment.

“So, what can I do?” I asked Hope, who was standing in the middle of the room with a clipboard. Normally, the barn would have been decorated well ahead of the event’s opening, but this year there had been a huge storm, which resulted in a damaged roof and various repairs to deal with before we could get started. As it stood, we had one day to convert the old barn into a spooky venue, which would be sure to terrorize the throngs of people who’d already purchased tickets.