Ivy Lane: Autumn: by Cathy Bramley Page B

the sinister demeanour of a vampire too and kept sliding me sidelong glances and baring her fangs. I was glad to get out of the car by the time we got there.
    ‘Thanks for today,’ said Hayley, flinging her arms round my neck. ‘And don’t forget to come and get your juices. Especially you, Mia, you’re looking very pale.’ She winked and dashed off to help Helen set up the juice bar.
    Mia sighed adoringly as she watched Hayley totter off across the car park in her patent leather thigh boots. ‘She’s so cool.’
    ‘Hmm.’ Gemma loaded a large pumpkin into her daughter’s arms and placed a hand on the small of her back. ‘That’s very true, as well as unemployed, with a criminal record and precious few qualifications to her name.’
    ‘She’s a good kid,’ I said defensively, although I could understand why Hayley might not be Gemma’s idea of a role model for her teenager. I collected the bag containing the toffee apples and dead men’s fingers from the boot and tucked my pumpkin under my arm. ‘She’ll turn out all right, I think, she just hasn’t found her niche yet.’
    ‘You’re a good person, Tilly,’ Gemma said, slamming the boot of the car. ‘You see the best in everyone.’
    I smiled, remembering a very similar conversation I’d had with Alf no more than a month ago.
    I’d learned to trust again, that was all.
    Mia dashed on ahead and Gemma and I schlepped across the car park weighed down with Hallowe’en goodies.
    ‘So what do you reckon then,’ said Gemma, ‘ghost, skeleton, zombie?’
    ‘You’ve lost me,’ I said with a frown.
    She rolled her eyes. ‘Aidan, of course. What do you think he’ll dress up as?’
    My stomach lurched just thinking about him. After seven long days, the wait was finally over. ‘I don’t care as long as he’s still recognizable,’ I giggled. ‘Gosh, I don’t even know what car he drives. How am I going to pick the right windscreen to leave the note?’
    We’d reached the pavilion steps and a sudden bout of cold feet took hold and stopped me in my tracks.
    ‘Gemma,’ I groaned, ‘what if this plan goes spectacularly wrong? What if I make a mistake?’
    She rested her pumpkin on the top step and stood up to catch her breath. ‘Relax, Tills. You look gorgeous, you know he likes you, so, you know, just go with your heart.’
    I took a deep breath, put on a bright smile and walked up the steps and into the pavilion.

Chapter 10
    I arranged our party food contributions at the buffet table, lit a candle in my pumpkin lantern and left it to be judged while I chatted to everyone there, comparing outfits and listening to them moan about Trick or Treaters, but all the while only giving ninety per cent of my attention. The other ten per cent was scanning the room nervously looking for Aidan. But unless his fancy dress costume was exceptionally shape-altering, he hadn’t arrived.
    My spirits drooped a little and I accepted a glass of witch’s brew from Rosemary to cheer myself up.
    ‘No Colin tonight?’ I asked, smiling at Rosemary’s Catwoman outfit.
    She shook her head. ‘He’s away on a photo-shoot,’ she said proudly. ‘For men’s underwear,’ she added, lowering her voice.
    ‘Wow, how exciting!’ I said, taking a sip. It tasted sweet and fruity and if there was any alcohol in it, I was sure it was fairly innocuous.
    ‘Although I hope he doesn’t bring any of it home with him, there was nothing in the catalogue he showed me that I should be able to hang on the washing line!’
    I smiled at her. So Colin had finally trusted his mother with the truth about his job. ‘Any idea what Peter is dressed as?’ I said, searching in vain amongst the bats, ghosts and skeletons. ‘I need a word.’ He would know what had happened to Aidan.
    ‘A gorilla,’ she laughed, shaking her head.
    I found Peter glass in hand talking to Nigel, who was dressed as Frankenstein, and Christine, who was in a black polo neck jumper and jogging bottoms, her black