Page 44 of Better Together

She smiled. “Probably. Are you going to tell me?”

“I don’t want to jinx it.”

Pete climbed into his truck and Alexis did the same. She didn’t want to pry into his social life, so she let it go. He honked as he pulled out, and she waved. He’d piqued her curiosity. Maybe Maggie and Owen knew.

* * *

Alexis hadn’t carved a pumpkin since she was a teenager, and she wondered why she didn’t buy one every Halloween. She arrived at Maggie’s with her big, fat, round pumpkin, her favorite shape to carve, looking forward to the evening with Maggie and her nieces. Owen answered her knock. “Hey, Alexis. Let me take that from you.”

She handed Owen her pumpkin. “Thanks.” She knelt to pet Athena, Owen’s Belgian Malinois. “How’s my good girl?” Athena awarded her with kisses. Alexis stepped into the kitchen to a display of various-sized pumpkins set on the large granite island, and two excited girls who had already eaten their share of candy.

Nikki and Nora jumped up and down. “Hi, Alexis! Aren’t these pumpkins dope?”

The sugar-induced energy radiating from the twins was intoxicating, and she giggled along with them. “They are pretty awesome. I can’t wait to have my fingers oozing with pumpkin guts.”

Nora grimaced. “Good. You can gut my pumpkin. That’s cringy.”

Maggie glanced Alexis’s way when Nora used the slang term for gross. Alexis smiled at her friend. When they were young, they’d latched onto slang and used as many words as possible. They’d even made up words with hopes they’d catch on with their friends. Last week when Sloane had used the word “dope,” Alexis had texted Maggie to find out what it meant. It definitely didn’t have the same meaning it did in their day.

Each pumpkin sat on sheets of newspaper along with a carving knife and marker. Maggie went over the safety protocols while Alexis mimed mock rebellion, fighting pumpkins with a butter knife in hand. The girls laughed at her actions.

Owen stood and quieted everyone down. “I’d like to make this a contest.”

A collaborative groan filled the kitchen, and Alexis exaggerated her eye roll for Owen’s benefit.

“You too, Alexis. Whoever comes up with the most creative pumpkin wins.”

She didn’t want to take part in another contest, no matter how mundane a pumpkin carving contest might be.

“That’s not fair, Uncle Owen,” Nora said.

“Yeah, we all know who will win,” Nikki countered with her hands on her hips, staring Owen down.

Alexis loved these girls and joined in on their razzing. “Yeah, Uncle Owen!”

Owen held up his hands in defeat. “Okay . . . not a contest. But there are prizes for everyone.”

Nora cheered and Nikki asked, “What kind of prizes are we talking about?”

“That’s a surprise. Now let’s get to work.” Owen pulled four colorful cans from a kitchen drawer and hid them behind his back. “I almost forgot. This is for after we are done carving.”

Owen placed a can each next to Alexis, Nikki, Nora, and Maggie.

“Yay—silly string!” The girls jumped up and down.

Maggie smiled and announced, “Get Ready. Get Set. Go!”

When they picked up their markers, the laughing subsided and everyone became serious, concentrating on creating a prizewinning pumpkin.

Maggie bumped Alexis’s shoulder and whispered, “Do you know when you concentrate, the tip of your tongue comes out.”

Alexis stopped. “Yes. I’m highly aware of it, since you remind me every time it happens. Hey, do you know who Pete’s seeing? He mentioned he might have a date tonight.”

“No! He hasn’t said anything to me.” Maggie placed a finger to her lips in concentration. “He stops at the Eagle’s Nest for dinner if he’s not eating with us. I wonder if it’s the new girl, Hannah. Maybe some recon is in order.”

Alexis laughed. “Maybe.”

When the girls finished, they wiped down the counters. Owen had separated the pumpkin seeds from the guts and already had three cookie sheets filled and ready to bake. Alexis loved salted pumpkin seeds and couldn’t wait to snack.