She drove toward the city limits for what seemed like hours, and just when freedom was less than a mile away, her Miata turned into a Matchbox car, leaving her on the side of the road with her big check tucked under one arm. Delaney looked at the tiny car by the toe of her right purple platform and shrugged as if that sort of thing happened all the time. She stuck the car into her pocket so it wouldnt get stolen and continued toward the city limits. But no matter how long or how fast she walked, the Leaving Truly sign remained barely visible in the distance. She began to run, leaning to one side to counterbalance the weight of her three-million-dollar check. The check grew increasingly burdensome, but she refused to leave it behind. She ran until her sides ached and she could move no further. The city limits remained in the distance, and Delaney knew without a doubt, she was stuck in Truly forever.

She sat straight up in bed. A silent scream on her lips. She was sweaty and her breathing choppy.

Shed just had the worst nightmare of her life.

Chapter Twelve

“The Monster Mash blared from five-foot speakers in the back of Mayor Tanasees Dodge pickup. Fake spiderwebs wrapped the truck in a gossamer tangle and two gravestones stood in the bed. The Dodge crawled up Main Street with witches and vampires, clowns and princesses, trailing behind. The excited chatter of ghosts and goblins mixed with the music and kicked off the annual Halloween parade.

Delaney stood in the sparse crowd in front of her salon. She shivered and snuggled deep into her green wool coat with the big glittery buttons. She was freezing, unlike Lisa who stood next to her in a B.U.M sweatshirt and a pair of cotton gloves. The newspaper predicted unseasonable warmth for the last day in October. The temperature was supposed to shoot up to a whopping forty degrees.

As a child, Delaney had loved the Halloween parade. Shed loved dressing up and marching through town to the high school gymnasium where the costume contest would begin. Shed never won, but loved it any way. It had given her a chance to play dress-up and cake on the cosmetics. She wondered if they still served cider and glazed doughnuts and if the new mayor handed out little bags of candy like Henry had done.

“Remember when we were in the sixth grade and shaved our eyebrows and dressed as psychotic killers and had blood squirting out of our necks? Lisa asked from beside Delaney. “And your mother lost it big time?

She remembered all right. Her mother had made her a stupid bride costume that year. Delaney had pretended to love the dress, only to turn up at the parade as a blood-soaked killer with no eyebrows. Thinking back, she didnt know how shed gathered the nerve to do something shed known would anger her mother.

The next year Delaney had been forced to dress as a Smurf.

“Look at that kid and his dog, Delaney said, pointing to a boy dressed as a box of McDonalds french fries and his little dachshund decked out as a package of ketchup. It had been a long time since Delaney had driven through McDonalds. “Im craving a Quarter Pounder with cheese right now. She sighed, visions of a greasy beef patty making her mouth water.

“Maybe one will walk down the street next.

Delaney looked at her friend out of the corner of her eye. “Ill fight you for it.

“Youre no match for me, city girl. Look at you shivering to death in your big ol coat.

“I just need to acclimate, Delaney grumbled, watching a woman and her baby dinosaur step from the sidewalk and join the parade. A door opened and closed somewhere behind her, and she turned, but no one had entered her salon.

“Wheres Louie?

“Hes in the parade with Sophie.

“As what?

“Youll see. Its a surprise.

Delaney smiled. She had a surprise of her own coming up. Shed had to get up real early this morning, but if everything went according to her plan, her business would take off.

A second truck slowly moved past with a big smoking cauldron and cackling witch on its flatbed. Despite the crazy black hair and green face, the crone looked slightly familiar.

“Whos that witch? Delaney asked.

“Hmm. Oh its Neva. You remember Neva Miller, dont you?

“Of course. Neva had been wild and outrageous. Shed regaled Delaney with stories of stealing booze, smoking pot, and having sex with the football team. And Delaney had hung on every word. She leaned toward Lisa and whispered, “Remember when she told us about blowing Roger Bonner while he pulled his little brother water skiing? And you didnt know what a blow job was so she told us in graphic detail?

“Yeah, and you started to gag. Lisa pointed to the man driving the truck. “Thats her husband, Pastor Jim.

“Pastor? Holy hell!

“Yep, she got saved or born again or whatever. Pastor Jim preaches over at that little church on Seventh Street.

“Its Pastor Tim, corrected a painfully familiar voice directly behind Delaney.

Delaney did a mental groan. It was so typical of Nick to sneak up on her when she least expected him.

“How do you know its Tim? Lisa wanted to know.

“We built his house a few years ago. Nicks voice was low, like he hadnt used it much that morning.

“Oh, I thought maybe he prays for your soul.

“No. My mother prays for my soul.

Delaney cast a quick glance over her shoulder. “Maybe she should make a pilgrimage to Lourdes, or to that tortilla shrine in New Mexico.

An easy smile curved Nicks mouth. Hed pulled a thick hooded sweatshirt over his head; the white strings hung down his chest. His hair was pulled back from his face. “Maybe, was all he said.

Delaney turned to the parade again. She raised her shoulders and buried her cold nose in the collar of her coat. There was only one thing worse than being baited by Nick, and that was wondering why he wasnt baiting her at all. Shed seen very little of him since the day shed knocked on the back door of his business. By tacit agreement, they were avoiding each other.

“Where did you come from? Lisa asked him.

“I was making a few calls from the office. Has Sophie come by yet?

“Not yet.

Four boys dressed as bloody hockey players wheeled past on Roller Blades and were followed closely by Tommy Markham pulling his wife in a rickshaw. Helen was dressed as Lady Godiva, and on the back of the rickshaw hung a sign that read Helens Hair Hut. Quality cuts for ten dollars. Helen waved and threw kisses to the crowd, and on her head sat a rhinestone crown Delaney recognized all too well.

Delaney dropped her shoulders and uncovered the lower half of her face. “Thats pathetic! Shes still wearing her homecoming crown.

“She wears it every year like shes the queen of England or something.

“Remember how she campaigned for homecoming queen, and I didnt because campaigning was against the rules? Then after she won the school wouldnt disqualify her? That crown should have been mine.

“Are you still mad about that?

Delaney folded her arms over her chest. “No. But she was. She was annoyed with herself for giving Helen the power to irritate her after so many years. Delaney was cold, possibly neurotic, and very aware of the man standing behind her. Too aware. She didnt have too see him to know how close he stood. She could feel him like a big human wall.

Except for the time Nick had ridden his bike in the parade like some crazed stunt rider and ended up with stitches in the top of his head, hed always been a pirate—always. And every year shed taken one look at his eye patch and fake sword, and her hands would get all clammy. A weird reaction considering that he usually told her she looked stupid.

She turned her head and glanced up at him again with his dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and small gold hoop in his ear. He still looked like a pirate, and she was getting a warm little tingle in her stomach.