“What?” Mindy asked from where she was putting the cash in the register.
“Those kidnappers got someone else, a teenage boy on his way to school this time. Poor kid.”
A kid in the hands of vampires. Had he been taken because they’d failed in abducting her? Nausea welled up in Olivia and she had to force it down through pure willpower. She couldn’t imagine the horror his parents were going through.
And the reality that the threat hadn’t gone away simply because Campbell had killed those two guys made her even sicker. How many kidnappers were there? How many people were they after?
As the next several minutes progressed as they usually did, Olivia couldn’t get her mind off the boy and what he must be going through. She tried to focus on something else by looking up at the sound of the front door opening again. But instead of a customer, it was a woman carrying a huge vase of roses, pale pink ones with dark pink at the tips of the petals.
“I have a delivery for Olivia DaCosta.”
Olivia stared at them for several seconds in disbelief. He’d sent her flowers? When a few curious stares and even a couple of appreciative sounds came from the customers, she hurried to the front counter to take the roses.
“I’m Olivia,” she said.
“Lucky girl,” the delivery lady said. “These are the prettiest roses we have in the shop.”
“Thank you.” Olivia tried not to be obvious when she grabbed the card and slipped it into her back pocket.
“Looks as if someone’s been holding out on us,” Rusty said as he gave her a wink. “Do tell.”
“Nothing to tell.”
“That’s not what those roses say.”
“Stop embarrassing her, nosy,” Jane said from her spot next to the window.
When Rusty shifted his attention to Jane, Olivia took the opportunity to grab the flowers and retreat to the kitchen. She set them in the corner so she could look at them as she worked. It was remarkably difficult to keep the wide, silly grin tugging at her mouth from fully forming. No need in feeding the curiosity fire.
She flipped the bacon and sausage before slipping the card out of her pocket, then out of its little envelope. “Olivia, thank you for everything. Sorry I couldn’t stay last night. C.”
Mindy brought some dirty dishes into the kitchen and placed them in the sink. “You shouldn’t have accepted them.”
Olivia bit her tongue. She was tired of the constant Campbell bashing. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she had no idea what it felt like to lose family members to vampires. Mindy didn’t hate without good reason.
“I don’t mean to be such a bitch,” Mindy said.
“I understand. And...I’ll break off contact. It’s just...” She stared at the roses until tears pooled in her eyes.
“You have no idea how much I wish this guy was still human,” Mindy said. “I’d be planning your wedding already.”
The thought of a wedding caused a pang in Olivia’s chest.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think,” Mindy said.
“It’s okay.” She’d never thought she’d even want to think about getting married again after losing Jeremy. Now... She shrugged at the situation in which she found herself, falling for a guy who not only posed a very real threat but was also one she’d never be allowed to marry. No church, no human authority would ever recognize it. She glanced at the flowers. “I’m just going to enjoy the flowers because they’re pretty.”
Mindy surprised her by giving her a big hug before returning to the front of the restaurant.
What she’d told Mindy echoed in her head. She wanted so much more than pretty flowers. She wanted to enjoy being with Campbell, not worrying about what couldn’t be or what might happen. She didn’t want to have to choose between her best friend and the man who’d captured her heart.
* * *
By the time they closed the diner and Olivia convinced Mindy to go home and sleep in her own bed, she wasn’t sure if she had enough energy to force herself up the stairs. But a look outside at the deepening darkness sent a shot of fear through her. Sure, her would-be kidnappers were dead, but what if their boss sent more? Clearly there were more human fetchers out there. Was it personal now because she’d eluded capture twice?
With a fear-fueled burst of energy, she grabbed the vase of roses and headed upstairs. After locking the door behind her and shoving a dining chair under the doorknob for good measure, she set the vase in the middle of her table. She lowered her nose to the roses and took a deep breath of their heavenly scent. They reminded her that despite all the pain and suffering and loss in the world, there were still things of remarkable beauty.
She sensed Campbell’s presence before she saw him standing on the balcony. It surprised her that his sudden appearance only feet away hadn’t startled her this time. Maybe a part of her had expected him to return tonight. How was she going to tell him to leave? That he couldn’t come back.
Olivia met his gaze and walked to the door. When she opened it, he took a step away.
“I see you got the flowers,” he said.
“Yes, they’re beautiful. Thank you.”
“They seem so small a gift for all you’ve done.”
“They’re perfect.”
His mouth edged up at one end. “I’m glad you like them.”
“Is that the only reason you came by, to see if the florist did her job?”
“No.”
She stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay. You had a big scare yesterday.”
“More than one. I was afraid you were going to die in my freezer.” She had to bite her bottom lip when the reality of how bad he’d been burned hit her again.
“That would have been difficult to dispose of, huh?” he said.
“Don’t joke about it. It’s not funny.”
“I’m sorry.” He took a step forward but stopped himself.
A mixture of longing and caution showed itself in his eyes. She saw the decision there. It should make what she had to say easier, but it didn’t.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She lowered her gaze to the floor. “I am... I’m faced with an impossible decision.”
“I just came to say goodbye,” he said.
When she looked up at him, she realized what he was doing—trying to make the decision for her so she didn’t have to. This time it didn’t make her angry. It made her sad, desperate. When he tried to step away, she reached out and took his hand. “Don’t go.”
He turned slowly and looked at her with an expression that told her he wanted this every bit as much as she did. But there was pain there, too.
“Olivia. You don’t want to lose Mindy. Good friends are more valuable now than ever. And she’s right about me. It’s too dangerous for us to be together, for so many reasons I can’t count them all.”
She took a step closer to him. “I love Mindy dearly, but I don’t want to be alone anymore.”
“You’re killing me. How much willpower do you think I have?”
“I want this. You want this. We can fight it all we want, list all the reasons it couldn’t possibly work, but it’s not going away.”
His last ounce of resistance evidently fled, because he closed the distance between them.
Olivia felt as if she were the one going up in flames when Campbell wrapped his strong arms around her and kissed her. A desire more potent than anything she’d ever felt consumed her, made her body hum in places that insisted on finding satisfaction. Somewhere amid all the kissing and caressing, she managed to utter a single word.
“Yes.”
He wasted no time in scooping her up into his arms and making short work of the space between the balcony and her bedroom. It seemed only a solitary breath escaped her from the time he stepped across her
