"Wow," she breathed as Jess flipped another pancake onto an already overflowing plate.
"What happened?" Ethan demanded.
Isabelle closed her mouth as she turned to look at him. He was the only one who wasn't highly amused; everyone else grinned as they watched the endless pancake assembly line.
"I uh... well... I, oh I'll explain later," she finished lamely.
The front door banged open, and Stefan came striding in. Although she still felt flustered from their encounter, he looked poised and anything but ruffled by it. Isabelle scowled as she turned her gaze forcefully away from his. His arm brushed against her back as he passed her, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin.
"What did you do to her?" Jack asked with a smile.
"I told her to make breakfast."
Jack started to laugh. "For an army?"
Stefan cast him a grin as he moved around the counter toward where Jess was pouring more batter into a pan. "She probably thinks you're growing boys."
"She'd have us be exploding boys," Ian replied.
Everyone but Isabelle and Ethan found this hilarious. Stefan grabbed Jess's arms and turned her toward him. Jealousy exploded through Isabelle, causing bright lights to burst before her eyes. She turned away so she couldn't see anymore. Heading out the door, she hurried to her parents’ house.
Chapter Ten
Isabelle somehow managed to avoid him for the next two days. She spent all her time at her parents’ house, helping her mother plan Aiden's going away party. She was irritable, snippy, tired, and achy from sleeping on the couch. Her mother questioned her bad mood and why she was crashing there. Isabelle told her she was too tired to go back at night. She knew her mother didn't believe her for a second, but she let it slide and didn't push Isabelle.
There were a few times Isabelle almost poured her heart out about her frustrations with the infuriating man. But, she bit her tongue and somehow managed not to. She was too frightened her mother would confirm her worst nightmare, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. So, she stayed mute and despondent.
It didn't help; she found herself constantly thinking about him throughout the day. Found her mind wandering to him, and what he was doing, and with whom. Although, she knew what he was doing and who he was doing it with.
He did this to her. If he’d stayed away she wouldn't be unhappy, she wouldn't be sleeping on a couch, and she sure wouldn't be having the awful dreams every night. Well, the dreams weren't horrible, they were actually pleasant, but they caused her to wake up feeling edgy, out of sorts, unfulfilled, and even madder at him and the world for upsetting her life this way.
She didn't know what to do anymore. She longed for the day he left. At the same time, the idea of him leaving caused her to feel even more depressed and irritable. It opened a pit of loss in her chest —a loss she was sure would go away as soon as he got out of her home and life. It was simple attraction; that was all. She would feel it with other men if she spent more time around them. There were probably a few humans she would feel attracted to if she gave them a chance.
She hadn't liked anyone in high school because they were all immature idiots. If she went out and spent time with men, she would find a few she liked. Her brothers and The Stooges were attracted to human women all the time, and it never meant anything. Vicky and Abby had an endless parade of admirers they were always dating.
Her attraction to Stefan meant nothing; she could find someone else who would make her feel the same way. At least that's what she told herself during the day, over and over, but at night her mind and her body betrayed her. She hated both of them for it.
"Isabelle, will you bring out the lemonade?"
She glanced up as her mother tore her from the morose thoughts. She glanced down at the spoon in her hand and the big jug of lemonade she had been stirring for...
Ah hell, she didn't know how long she’d been mixing it. She tossed the spoon angrily aside.
"Yeah," she muttered.
Her mother’s violet-blue eyes studied her. "Are you ready to tell me what's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong."
Her mother gave her a questioning look but refrained from saying anything more. Her eyes took on the distant look they got whenever she was communicating with her father. What Isabelle used to find wonderful, and reassuring, now made her feel even edgier and out of sorts.
"Well, come on," her mom said as she lifted a plate of hamburger patties.
Isabelle grabbed the lemonade and followed her mother into the sunlight. She blinked rapidly against its rays, waiting until her eyes adjusted before moving down the stairs and out to the large back yard. A volleyball net was set up, horseshoes were already clanking loudly, and the smell of human food hung heavy in the air.
Aiden had invited some of his friends from school who brought their girlfriends. There were now eleven humans in their midst, including Kathleen, Jess, and Delia. There were more here now than ever before, but Stefan assured her mother he could handle them all.
That only aggravated Isabelle more. Her mother and father truly liked him, Aiden was ecstatic, and everyone else was happy they wouldn’t need to go out to feed. They made him into the hero of the day.
Isabelle scowled as she slid the pitcher of lemonade onto one of the long tables set up for the day. Potato chips, Doritos, cheesy puffs, hamburgers,
