They carried the pumpkins into the living room.

“Wow,” her mother said. “These are so impressive. I love yours, Molly. It’s so scary. And Carter, that’s . . . wow. Did you use those stencil sets?”

Molly shook her head. “Carter carved his freehand.”

“That’s amazing, Carter,” her dad said. “I didn’t know you were that creative.”

He laughed. “Thanks. I’ve had a lot of practice over the years. I’m a big fan of Halloween.”

“So am I,” her mom said. “Thank you for taking the time to do this. And Carter, especially you. I know you didn’t come over to carve pumpkins tonight.”

“Trust me, it was my pleasure.”

“How about we light these babies up and see how they look?” Molly asked.

Her mother smiled. “Oh, I’d love to see them.”

Molly went into the kitchen to grab two tea light candles. They set them in the bottom, got them lit, and her dad turned the lights out.

“Oh, my,” her mom said. “They’re gorgeous.”

They were, especially Carter’s. And seeing her mom so happy made Molly’s heart soar.

They set the pumpkins out on the front porch, then took a step back to admire their work.

“They look good,” Molly said.

“Yeah, they do.”

She turned to him. “Thanks again for helping out. I would have hated doing both these pumpkins by myself.”

“There’s no fun in doing it alone.”

“Do you have pumpkins on your porch?”

“Of course.”

“Did you do them by yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry. I would have gladly helped you.”

He laughed and put his arm around her. “Thanks, but I think you’re lying.”

“You’re right. I hated every minute of that mess. And speaking of mess, I need to go clean that up. Would you like some coffee?”

“In other words, you’re inviting me to come in and help you clean up pumpkin guts.”

“Darnit. My nefarious plan is spoiled. But yes, that’s exactly it.”

“You’re a hard sell, Burnett. But I’m game. After that, we can go over the paperwork.”

“Okay.”

They went back inside. Her mom was in her wheelchair, both she and her dad getting ready to head off to bed for the night. Molly offered to help get Mom situated in her bedroom, but Dad declined, saying he had it covered, so she and Carter said their good-nights, then went into the kitchen to clean up the pumpkin mess. Carter bagged all the remnants while Molly washed the knives, the kitchen table and counter. It was done in a matter of minutes, then she made coffee for both of them.

They sat at the table and she opened the envelope containing the project papers so she could scan through them while they sipped their drinks.

She scanned the revised blueprints. “What do you think about the landscaping in the park area?”

He stood and came over to her, leaning over the table to point out a couple of areas. “I’m a little concerned about these. I think we should switch out some of the bushes for trees in this area, and put the bushes over here, plus some perennials in this spot. This is the southern exposure, so it makes more sense, plus it’ll put the trees over on the west side to provide more shade in the hotter part of the summer.”

Molly looked at the plan now, then envisioned Carter’s suggestion. She nodded. “I agree. Your way is better. Plus, if we move one of the benches under the trees, it’s a shady area for people to sit.”

He made some notes. “Good point. Let’s bring that up at the next committee meeting on Tuesday.”

They discussed a few of the other agenda items. Carter had good insights, and great ideas. She liked talking with him about business. She could see why his auto shops were a success. He had an eye for details and was well organized. She wished she had been here to see him grow his business from the ground up.

But she hadn’t, because of circumstances that had directly involved him—circumstances she’d shoved to the back of her mind and refused to rehash. Not now when they were just starting to get along again.

She was enjoying this time with him, probably because she knew it was temporary. As soon as her mother was back on her feet again, she was gone.

Maybe that’s why she was getting along so well with Carter. She could put him in this temporary slot where she didn’t have to think about living in this town, seeing him every day, having a real relationship with him.

They could just have fun, and this was all pretend. She could live with that, knowing that at some point it was all going to go away, because she was going to go away.

“I guess I should head on out of here and let you get some sleep.”

She looked up from the documents she was stuffing back into the envelopes, then picked up her phone. “It’s only ten o’clock, Carter.”

“Oh.”

She cocked a brow. “I had no idea you were the type to go to bed early on a school night.”

He laughed. “I think you of all people know me better than that.”

She closed the envelope and slid it across the table, then rolled the blueprints and slid the rubber band around them. “However, I understand you have to get to work early in the morning, so you’re right. You probably need your beauty rest.”

He pinned her with a look. “Now you’re baiting me.”

“Maybe.”

“Do you want to go out somewhere?”

She shook her head. “Not really.”

She moved around the table and stopped in front of him, palming his chest. “I thought we’d hang out here for a bit.”

“I can do that. Do you want to watch a movie?”

She had zero interest in watching a movie, but if it got him to hang out with her awhile longer, she was game. “Sure.”

They went into the living room and grabbed a seat on the sofa. She turned on the TV, surfing a bit.

“That one.”

She turned to face him. “Still into horror movies, I see.”

“Well, it is Halloween season. You have to get in the spirit.”

She rolled her eyes, but clicked on the movie. At least it was a classic and one she’d seen before, so none of the upcoming carnage would come as a surprise to her.