“I’ll go with Mary to make sure we get the best kind!” Harper said.
Mary blew a kiss to her dad and ended the call.
“Let’s make a list of what we want,” Dot said.
“Why do you always need a list?” Mary was more of a wing-it kind of shopper.
“You’ll thank me one day for the habit.” She opened her notes app and asked, “What’s your favorite candy? I think we should go old-school and get Snickers for sure.”
“What about Milky Way?” Harper asked.
“I hate Milky Way,” Mary said.
“Three Musketeers?”
“Oh wait, that’s the one I hate.” Mary couldn’t stand the nougat.
“Anything Reese’s is good,” Dot said.
“Can’t argue with that.” Mary agreed.
“Twix?” Harper suggested.
“Definitely.” Dot liked those. “Candy corn?”
“The worst!” Harper said.
“Raisins?” Dot tried one more.
“You want our house to get egged?” Harper said.
“Okay, okay. Just make sure to get some Starbursts for me. I may need them on election night.”
“You got it.” Mary and Harper headed to the Jeep.
“I’ll keep Pippi here,” Dot said, following them out. “I could use the company.”
“Need anything else?” Mary asked.
“Don’t forget your broom and cauldron,” Dot said to Mary.
“That’s what my brother Frankie always tells his mother-in-law,” she said. “She laughs, but I’m not sure he’s joking. Okay, put it on the list.”
“Oh, now you need a list?” Dot teased.
“Ha! Just text it to us. We’re going to run before Target closes.” Mary got up behind the wheel.
“Don’t buy any extras,” Dot warned. They already had so much to pack after the election.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Harper hopped in the Jeep and closed the door.
DARKNESS CAME EARLYthe last day of October. The temperatures plummeted when the sun went down, and parents braced themselves for fights about coats covering costumes. Those were battles they’d likely lose, with the kids fueled on adrenaline and their moms and dads bracing themselves for the sugar highs and lows to come over the next week.
The entire town of Cedar Falls had caught Halloween fever. Every house and business had joined in, with the streets filled with a carnival of pumpkins, witches, ghosts, and twinkling orange lights. Some ambitious families transformed their homes into mini haunted houses with tombstones poking out of their tidy lawns, and jack-o’-lanterns lit with candles on the steps of their front porches. On Main Street, the chamber of commerce led a contest to see who could make the best display, turning the tiny downtown into an enchanting Halloween village. There was a charming chaos to the decorations, which put even the most cantankerous and grumpy residents in a good mood as they prepared for the town’s children to run from house to house to load up on their loot.
That day, Dot knocked on doors with campaign volunteers up until the last possible second before it got dark and the last thing voters wanted was a political canvasser rather than trick-or-treaters. She was going to take a couple of hours to pass out candy with Mary and Harper and then go back to the office and keep the team going on early voting with just days to go till the election.
The Crew was going to dress up and then hand out their full-size candy bars, courtesy of Mr. Russo. After tonight, there would be no time at home until election night the following week. Just seven more days to go. She touched her bracelet to remember to breathe.