I hated the risk of running the overhead lights in the barn, especially after Carter had gotten home from work that evening. She’d already been suspicious about the time I’d spent down there lately, and I didn’t want her concern to compel her to come poking around. But she had no reason to believe I wasn’t in my room, abiding by my seven o’clock curfew time, and I prayed that she’d conclude any barn activity was all on my dad.
The night started with a delivery.
Roz had brought a truckload of pumpkins over with her dad, and it only took each of us a few trips to carry them into the barn and out of sight. Jasper set to work carving them, making jack-o-lanterns to line down to the barn.
Roz dusted and cleaned all the tables and chairs from the shed out back, and Mel and I were on her heels with tablecloths and centerpieces to decorate the moment each table was ready for dressing.
By the time we’d locked up for the night, with less than twenty-four hours to go, we were feeling confident with what little we had left ahead of us. Tomorrow night, if everything went to plan, we would be amidst a gorgeous, amazingly executed, kickass birthday party.