Instead, he thought about the previous night.
After the fireworks show, he had completed his tasks and stowed away his traffic wand before setting off in a futile search for Vanessa. He’d known it would be almost impossible to track her down if she stayed upstairs in the park, but that didn’t stop him from walking through Legacy, Fantasy, Galaxy, and Discovery just in case, before giving up outside the Coffee Garden and heading home much later than usual.
He made a mental note to get a large coffee from the cafe on his next break.
In a way, he was glad he hadn’t found her. He wanted to offer comfort, but he would have died rather than have her feel pressured. He firmly believed that she should do whatever was best for her, and could only hope it would coincide with his fervent wish that she would stay.
Would she miss the Halloween party? Thomas hoped not. He’d agonized over his costume until—at last—it had finally come together in a way that made him anticipate the party even more.
Chapter 15
Vanessa
On the day of the party, Vanessa locked her office and slung a heavier-than-usual bag over her shoulder. “I’m going to get ready,” she told Charlotte, whose manner had been cool since they clashed over Vanessa’s plan to resign.
Charlotte didn’t look up. “Suit yourself,” she said.
At the costume department, Vanessa retrieved an armful of clothing from the pickup window and carried it into the women’s locker room.
Piece by piece, she traded her clothing for a crew member costume: slacks, shirt, jacket, and finally a wide-brimmed felt hat.
A red neckerchief remained on the bench.
She dug in her bag for the pair of scissors she’d packed. Careful not to cut the knot itself, she sliced through the fabric next to the knot, cutting all the way through to the other side. She reached into her bag again, this time for a portable sewing kit and a bit of Velcro.
Vanessa stitched one piece of Velcro to the back of the knot, and the other to the cut end, adding a few extra stitches to keep the fabric from unraveling and the knot from untying.
Without removing her hat, she swung the knotted end around her shoulder to meet the other end and pressed the Velcro tabs together.
Voila.
At the mirror, she examined her handiwork and smiled. A touch of blush and a swipe of lipstick made her feel fully armored.
On the walk back to the Legacy office, she carried her head higher. Her spine straightened and her steps rang down the corridor. She reached up to tilt the hat just so before opening the office door.
This time, Charlotte looked up, disbelief written across her face. “You’re wearing … that?”
“Yup,” said Vanessa, breezing past Charlotte into her own office, where she pulled open a drawer and retrieved her letter of resignation.
She turned on the office shredder behind Charlotte’s desk and fed the letter through with a sigh of satisfaction.
“Did you just … ?” said Charlotte.
“Yes ma’am, I did.”
“You’re going to fight the good fight!” said Charlotte. She punched Vanessa playfully on the shoulder.
“Ow,” said Vanessa, wincing and laughing at the same time. “I’m sure going to try.”
Thomas
In the men’s locker room, Thomas pulled out the items he’d carefully hung up in his locker earlier that day. Tonight, he would forego a traditional Halloween costume in favor of something more refined.
He discarded his Ghost Factory shirt for a lightly patterned silver-gray long-sleeved dress shirt. He shook out a pair of finely woven black slacks before slipping them on, neatly tucking the shirt into the pants. He added a supple leather belt, soft dress socks, and leather dress shoes, followed by a handsome waistcoat to match the slacks.
For the final sartorial touch, he carefully tied a black silk necktie with an elegant knot.
His costume remained incomplete without one crucial, signifying accessory. He reached into his locker, pulled out the radio he’d borrowed from Ghost Factory, and clipped it to his belt.
Thomas checked his appearance in the full-length mirror. Nice.
The spring in his step propelled him up and out into the park. The setting sun gilded the nearby buildings with light. In such a glorious setting it was difficult not to be optimistic for the future.
He followed the Legacy Halloween party signs through Discovery to Aquaverse, then bounded up the stairs to the double doors of the Aquarium Room.
Thomas pushed open the doors and walked through a row of giant sea fans studded with tiny blue bulbs. Their undulating light reflected on a transparent acrylic piano in the center of the room, its keys depressed by an unseen hand as it automatically played a delicate melody.
A table stood nearby, piled high with seafood of every kind: lobster tails, stone crab claws, and oysters on ice; towering displays of crab legs; peel-and-eat shrimp; and bowls of crab ceviche. A separate table displayed tiers of key lime pie, cheesecake, and petit fours.
Thomas spotted Charlotte at the bar. She noticed him and raised her glass of champagne in greeting.
“This is something else,” said Thomas as he signaled the bartender.
Charlotte sipped from her glass. “Enough to make you vote no on the union?”
Thomas laughed. “Hardly. But I’ll happily enjoy the attempt at bribery.”
He collected his own glass of champagne and they moved to the buffet.
Thomas had picked up a plate and was piling it high with every available crustacean when he noticed Charlotte staring over his shoulder.
“I’ll catch you later,” Charlotte said. She glided away.
Thomas turned around to see what Charlotte had been looking at.
It was Vanessa, dressed head to toe in the Gold Rush costume. She smiled at him from across the room.
She walked toward him.
Suddenly, he wished he wasn’t carrying several pounds of seafood. He hastily set down the plate and tried to be subtle about brushing off his hands.
“Thomas,” she said, almost solemn, but with a hint of mischief in her eye.
“Vanessa,” he replied. “I like your choice of costume. You look like one of us.”
“Thank you,” said Vanessa. “And is that a radio I spy on your hip?” She took one step back and looked him up and down.
He awaited her verdict.
“You’re dressed as a manager!” she said.
“Happy Halloween,” said Thomas, and raised his glass to her.