Costume Catastrophe (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 21) (16 page)

“It’ll get easier once you get used to the idea.”

Zak didn’t look convinced, but he let the subject drop.

“It looks like Levi and Ellie worked things out,” Zak commented.

I glanced across the room where Levi and Ellie were chatting with Jeremy and Jessica. They looked as relaxed and happy as the newlywed couple they were chatting with.

“Yeah. I haven’t had a chance to talk to either of them in depth, but Ellie did say they’d talked and Levi very much wants to be part of the baby’s life.”

“Are they going to get back together?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure they know yet. Ellie indicated that they were taking things slowly and focusing on the baby for the time being.”

“That’s probably a good idea. Ellie and Levi have a lot of history, both good and bad, to work through. Has Ellie decided how to handle letting everyone else know about the baby?”

“I think she’s going to make an announcement tonight. It’ll be hard, but almost everyone she’s close to is here in one place, so maybe it’ll be easier on her. It looks like my parents are here with Harper. I should go over to say hi.”

“I need to ask Brady if he’s had a chance to speak to Will.”

“They were going to talk on the phone?”

Zak nodded. “I wanted the two of them to have a chance to chat before I brought Will here. I could see Brady was a little intimidated by the idea of Will returning when I approached him on Friday, but after I assured him that his job was secure he seemed excited about exploring the options having Will on the staff would create, so I suggested they chat on the phone to get acquainted prior to his arranging a visit.”

Zak and I made our separate ways around the room, stopping to chat with our guests. I hadn’t really been keeping track, but it looked as if there were more than a hundred people attending this year’s party.

“Good turnout and the food is fantastic,” I said, greeting Ellie and Levi.

“It really is a good turnout,” Ellie agreed. “I’m getting nervous about making my announcement. Do you think I should wait?”

“No, I think you’ve waited long enough. If you’re happy everyone will be happy for you.”

Levi laced his fingers through Ellie’s. “We’ll do it together.”

Ellie took a deep breath. “Should we do it now?”

“Now seems as good a time as any.”

Ellie nodded.

“Can I have your attention?” I said as loudly as I could to be heard over the noise in the room. Zak hurried over and turned off the stereo, which helped quite a bit. “I want to welcome you all and thank you for coming. I think this might be the best Halloween spooktacular of all.”

Everyone clapped.

“The pool is open if anyone is interested, and there’s plenty of food and beverages, both of the adult and kid variety. We’ll begin the costume contest shortly, but first Ellie and Levi have an announcement to make.”

The room became eerily quiet as I turned and looked at Ellie. The poor thing was white as a sheet. Levi put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. He smiled at the crowd and announced: “We’re having a baby.”

Now the room was completely silent. I could see the look of surprise on the faces of most if not all the partygoers. I was about to say something to break the tension when my grandpa stepped forward and congratulated the expectant parents with warm hugs. Once he broke the ice everyone else followed suit, and before long there was a line of well-wishers waiting to congratulate the expectant parents.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am not to have to keep Ellie’s secret anymore,” I whispered to Zak.

“Secrets can weigh you down, that’s for sure.”

I glanced back at Ellie and Levi. They really did look happy. They had a long road ahead of them, but my instinct was that they’d work things out and create a warm, loving home in which their baby could grow and prosper.

My favorite part of any day, no matter how it starts out or the path it takes, is the final moments when Zak wraps me in his strong arms and pulls me close to his body. There’s something comforting about being enveloped in a nurturing cocoon as his breath caresses my cheek while we drift together into a world where dreams become reality. On this particular night, however, I found my mind grasping at thoughts that refused to let go.

“Zak,” I said softly as I felt his body begin to relax into slumber.

“Hmm?”

“Are you worried that we aren’t pregnant yet?”

Zak stiffened somewhat as he struggled toward wakefulness. He turned slightly so that he was looking at me in the dark. “No, I’m not worried. We’ve only been trying a couple of months. Are you worried?”

“No. Not really. I guess I’ve just been worried that I’m not more worried.”

Zak leaned up on one elbow and looked me in the eye. Although it was dark, the moon outside the window provided enough light for me to see the outline of his face. He ran his finger along my cheek, tucking my hair behind my ear in the process.

“I know that doesn’t make any sense. I just wanted you to know how I felt,” I added.

“Actually…” Zak rolled onto his back and pulled me to him so that my head was resting on his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and kissed the top of my head. “It does make sense. Having a baby is a big step, and while we both want children very much, we’ve only been married for a year and things have been pretty crazy lately. I think it’s perfectly normal for you to be having doubts.”

“Are you having doubts?”

“Sometimes,” Zak admitted. “Don’t get me wrong; I want to have a baby with you more than anything, but I want us both to be ready.”

I used my forefinger to draw figure eights on his chest as we talked. “How will we know when we’re ready? And what if we never are?”

I listened to his heartbeat against my ear as he paused before answering. “I wish I had answers for you; for us. I guess we just need to take things as they come. If you told me at this very moment we were expecting I’d be the happiest man in the world, but the fact that we haven’t conceived yet doesn’t make me sad or concerned. I trust nature to know when the timing is right, and in the meantime I say we just live our lives. We have Scooter and Alex to raise and we have a school to build and friends to support. We have very full lives.”

“So you think that when the time is right it’ll just happen?”

“I do. For now, maybe we shouldn’t look at ourselves as
trying
. I think it’s creating unnecessary pressure. Let’s just focus on building a life together and let the baby make an appearance when he or she is ready.”

I pulled myself on top of Zak and used my free hand to brush the hair from his forehead. “I love you so much and I would never want to do anything to let you down, but I guess I have been worried about all that stuff even though I’ve tried not to be.”

Zak put his hands on either side of my face and looked me in the eye. “I love you; all of you; every molecule, every thought, every fear, every insecurity. You could never let me down.”

Zak pulled my face down so our lips met, chasing thoughts of babies, doubts, and uncertainties from my mind.

Up Next From Kathi Daley Books

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Recipes

Recipes by Kathi Daley

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Chicken Casserole

Mexican Lasagna

Recipes by Readers

Aunt Pearlie’s Fresh Apple Cake—submitted by Jeanie Daniel

Pumpkin Rolls—submitted by Nancy Farris

Pumpkin Custard Crunch—submitted by Robin Coxon

Aunt Lena’s Apple Crunch—submitted by Connie Correll

Pumpkin Muffins

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 16-oz. can pumpkin (2 cups)

½ cup water

3½ cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 tbs. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. ground cloves

½ tsp. allspice

4 cups walnuts, chopped

Combine sugar, oil, and eggs. Add pumpkin and water and mix well.

Combine dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Add nuts.

Spoon into greased cupcake pans (or use papers). Bake at 350 degrees for 28–30 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting (optional):

¾ cup butter, softened

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

Whip all ingredients together and spread onto cooled muffins.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter (at room temperature)

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

¾ cup canned pumpkin

1 large egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3¾ cups flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

For the coating:

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

Dash of allspice

Whip together butter and sugars until creamy. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. 

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and spices for the coating. Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in coating.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees until lightly brown (around 12 minutes).

Chicken Casserole

1 box (16-oz.) penne pasta

4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 can Campbell’s cream of cheddar soup

1 can Campbell’s nacho cheese soup

     (you can use two cans of either if you like your casserole more or less spicy)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 jar (16-oz.) Alfredo sauce (any brand)

¾ cup milk

1 cup cashews (or more if you like)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cheddar cheese crackers

Boil pasta according to directions on box (10–12 minutes).

Meanwhile, mix cooked and cubed chicken, soups, cheeses, Alfredo sauce, milk, cashews, and salt and pepper together in a large bowl.

Drain pasta when tender and add to chicken mixture. Stir until well mixed.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Top with crumbled cheddar cheese crackers.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Mexican Lasagna

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray.

Mix in a bowl:

4 large chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 cup sour cream

1 cup ricotta cheese

8 oz. diced green chiles (Ortega)

1 package lasagna noodles prepared as directed on box

Sauce:

In a medium saucepan combine:

1 stick butter, melted over medium heat

4 oz. cream cheese, added to melted butter and stirred until smooth

1 cup heavy whipping cream, stirred until blended

1½ cups grated Parmesan, stirred in slowly to avoid lumps

Mix sauce and chicken mixture together.

Grated cheese mixture:

2 cups grated pepper jack cheese

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Layer ⅓ noodles onto bottom of baking dish.

Place ½ chicken mixture on top of noodles.

Layer ⅓ cheese on top of chicken mixture.

Repeat

Layer final third of noodles.

Top with final third of grated cheeses.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20–25 minutes. Broil for a few minutes to brown.

Aunt Pearlie's Fresh Apple Cake

Submitted by Jeanie Daniel

1½ cups Crisco oil

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups apples, peeled, chopped, or shredded

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cups nuts (any kind you like; I use pecans)

1 cup raisins

Mix together oil, sugar, and eggs. Sift together flour, baking soda, and cinnamon and stir into the oil mixture. Add the remaining ingredients and pour into greased, floured 9 x 13–inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Glaze:

½ stick butter

⅛ cup milk

½ cup plus 1 tbs. powdered sugar