“You’re gorgeous Nicole,” I said. “Are you going to be warm enough?” Both she and Rachel laughed at me. “Hey, it’s a valid question. It’s the end of October for Pete’s sake.”

“I’ll be fine.” She looked at Clay and smiled warmly. “Hi, I’m Nicole.”

Clay nodded and stuck out a hand. She clasped it.

“Uh, this is Clay,” I said for him. “He doesn’t talk much. And this is Rachel, my roommate. Are we ready?” I didn’t want to give Nicole or Rachel a chance to comment on Clay’s quiet presence.

“Sure. I parked on the street.”

“Great. Let me grab my keys.” I turned in time to see Clay already walking into the kitchen.

Because of his head start and longer stride, the storm door was just closing behind him when I reached the kitchen. The car keys I’d wanted to grab no longer rested on the counter. Outside, an engine started. I peeked out the window and saw him sitting behind the wheel of my idling car.

He stunned me with his sudden appearance, distracted me from a vital question—how did he have coveralls with his name on them?—with the first real look at his face, and now sat in my car ready to play chauffeur.

Slowly retracing my steps, I listened to Nicole explain how she’d made the costume herself.

“Nicole, if it’s all right with you, I think Clay wants to come with. The way he’s acting, I don’t think he’s ever been to a Halloween party and is curious.”

“It’s fine with me,” she said with a smile as she moved to follow me to the kitchen. “Are you two dating?”

“Don’t you dare say you are,” Rachel said from behind her. “He’s almost never here and when he is, he doesn’t talk and he leaves early. That’s not dating.”

Since I hadn’t told Rachel Clay appeared most Tuesday nights, I kept quiet. Better to just leave her with the impression she had than to try to explain our odd relationship.

“So, he’s available then?” Nicole said.

“If you’re asking my permission to make a move, go for it. Just don’t be disappointed. I don’t think it will go far,” I said as I walked out the door. Giving her permission to hit on Clay didn’t sit well, yet how could I not give it when I wasn’t interested in making a move...right?

We hurried to the car. I sat up front with Clay, and Nicole shimmied into the back seat alone. I turned in my seat to look at her as Clay put the car in reverse.

“I don’t know where we’re going. Just tell Clay where to turn and be sure to give plenty of warning. This is the only car I have for the winter.” I was nervous about Clay’s driving experience. He had never answered how he’d gotten his license.

Clay expertly backed out of the driveway. Listening to Nicole’s directions, he got us to the party in less than fifteen minutes. We couldn’t park within a block of the address, therefore Nicole shivered as we walked. Within two blocks, I spotted the obvious party house. Music blared, ghosts hung from every tree in the yard, and I thought I saw a keg on the porch. So this was a college party? It looked interesting. People crowded the front lawn in groups that overflowed into the neighbor’s yard.

As we neared, predictably, men turned to stare. Their eyes drifted to me, their expressions turned to confusion, then they looked at Nicole.

I wasn’t the only one to notice.

“I knew you would make this fun,” Nicole said with a laugh. “Oh, I see him on the porch. Do you think I should say hi?” Her teeth chattered though she maintained a brilliant smile.

“Let’s push our way through the crowd and get inside. We can warm up for a minute. It’ll be more attractive if you’re not stuttering with cold.”

Clay didn’t wait, but took my hand and guided me through the crowd. Nicole followed in our wake. People moved for Clay, and it didn’t take us long to reach the door where a man stood selling cups for three dollars. We declined and went to find a place inside.

The bass of the music echoed in my ribcage. Good thing Clay wasn’t a talker. I would never hear him, even though he could probably hear me. I wondered how his sensitive ears handled the volume.

He kept hold of my hand and pulled us through the crowded entry into an equally crowded living room. He forced his way between people to reach the small couch then paused in front of it to glare at the two male occupants. They uneasily stood and left, making room for us to sit. Nicole and I sat while Clay perched on the arm right next to me.

Nicole warmed as I looked around. From the decimated state of the snack table, the party had started a while ago. That also meant the majority of partygoers were drunk. One guy caught me looking around and made his way over.

The man stopped right in front of me and swayed slightly on his feet. I didn’t look at him, but watched Nicole’s face as her eyes darted to the man.

The music decreased in volume as a ballad came on.

“Hey...wash shore name?” he asked, his articulation long gone.

“Go away.” I spoke clearly and rudely, knowing he wouldn’t even remember in the morning. It didn’t seem to faze him in the least.

“Wanna go up shtairs? They have a pool table,” he said drawing out the L’s in pool table just a tad too long.

Nicole coughed discreetly next to me to cover her giggle at the drunk’s poor attempts at a pickup.

“No. Go away.” This time, I added a glare to go with the words.

He looked beyond me with a startled expression, which quickly relaxed into a smile.

“Oh, god it man. Sheesh yours.”

He ambled away, and Nicole and I turned to look at Clay.

“What did you do?” I said. Maybe some secret man-sign for “not interested.” Whatever he’d done had worked well. I hoped I could learn it.

Clay flashed his teeth, showing elongated canines.

I heard Nicole’s whispered “whoa” and glared at him. If he kept flashing his teeth, people would start panicking.

“If you keep those in all night, you’re going to have sore gums tomorrow,” I said thinking fast.

“Those are so real looking. You have to tell me where you got those.” Nicole looked at him in fascination.

“He won’t say,” I said then changed the subject. “Warm enough? Are you going solo or do you want backup?”

She hesitated. She looked uncomfortable and nervous. Honestly, I felt nervous, too.

A group of guys across the room had started watching us once the drunk walked away. Their gazes pivoted between Nicole and me. Most of them just looked confused. One focused on me with a frown. Maybe, this was a bad idea after all. Rachel’s prediction of a butt whooping appeared likely. Since Clay had already flashed his teeth once with minor provocation, I didn’t want to think what he’d do if the frowny man approached me.

Nicole’s bright gaze flitted around the room oblivious to the tension I created. Normally an introvert, she seemed to bask in the attention we received, and I understood why she wanted me to come with. Without me, she would have been a wallflower. With me, she shared some of the notice I pulled in. I didn’t feel used but did feel a little sorry for her. I wished I could help her get the man she so obviously wanted.

Deciding to speed things up, I reached out to pat Nicole’s shoulder. She needed confidence.

When my hand touched her shoulder, a shock ran from my hand to her skin, the sting of it strong enough that we both yelped. I saw an actual spark.

“I’m so sorry, Nicole. I was just going to tell you that we should say hi now, and I go and scare you, instead.” That’s what I got for getting all touchy-feely.

“No, I know what that was. It was a jump start.” She smiled at me, and I noticed the group of guys across the room completely shift their focus to her. The face of the man who’d frowned at me cleared as he watched Nicole.

“I’m going to go out there, now. If I can’t get his attention, we can go.” She got up and made her way to the door.

The group started to follow her while others in the room viewed her appreciatively as she passed. Girls who had previously smiled a greeting now frowned or outright glared at Nicole.