To her amazement, she felt an ever so subtle shift in the air around the door.
With a shake of her head, she returned to the kitchen to clear the table and load the dishwasher, hoping that doing something so normal would make the night seem less bizarre.
Vampires in America. And in this day and age. Who would believe it?
It was hard to concentrate at work on Monday afternoon. Sara sat at her desk in the small office in the back of the store, filling out order forms, but she kept hearing Travis’ voice in her mind, assuring her that he would never hurt her at the same time he admitted he had taken her blood. Why didn’t she remember that? It didn’t seem like something one would just forget. She recalled the stricken look on his face when he told her what he was. How could she blame him for choosing to live? Wouldn’t anyone do the same? Would she?
She stared out the front window, trying to imagine what it had been like to be under Ronan’s control, to have to make such a life-changing decision on the spur of the moment. Travis must have been half out of his mind with fear. She certainly would have been.
Overstreet had asked if she was falling love with Travis and she’d said she didn’t know. But she wasn’t sure that was the truth. What was love, anyway? It was caring for someone, thinking about them when you were apart, wanting to be with them as much as possible, and that was how she felt about Travis. She had enjoyed being with him. It hurt, knowing she might never see him again. She had never felt this way about any of the other men she had met. Certainly not the man her father expected her to marry.
Dilworth Young was a nice-enough guy. She had known him most of her life. He was tall and blond. He came from a wealthy family. They got along well enough. But there were no sparks between them, at least not where she was concerned. She rarely thought about him when they were apart. The few kisses they had shared hadn’t made her toes curl the way Travis’ did. She had never spent hours daydreaming about Dil. Never got butterflies in her stomach at the sound of his voice.
She looked up as the bell over the door announced a customer. Going out into the shop, she saw Debbie and Luke, the two kids she had met on the street the day before. “Hello. How are you guys today?”
Debbie smiled at her. “We want to buy a present for our Mom,” she said, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. “It’s her birthday tomorrow.” Then, lowering her voice, she whispered, “She’s going to be thirty-five, but don’t tell anyone.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Sara whispered, biting back a grin. “What were you looking for?”
“She likes bubble bath,” the boy, Luke said. “Something that smells like gardenias.”
Sara nodded. “I think I have just what you’re looking for right over here.”
She led the way to a long, low counter that held an assortment of bubble bath in pretty decanters, as well as bath bombs, imported soaps, perfume, and cologne. “How much money do you have?”
“Daddy gave us twenty-five dollars,” Debbie exclaimed, hopping from one foot to the other in her excitement.
Reaching into his pocket, Luke said, “And I saved up ten more.”
“I’m sure we can find something she’ll like. How about this?” Sara held up a tall, cut-glass decanter filled with her best gardenia-scented foaming bubble bath.
“Oh, that’s so pretty,” Debbie said.
“How much is it?” Luke asked.
“For you? Fifteen dollars. Did you want to spend more than that?”
Debbie nodded.
“Well, then, how about adding some pretty scented soap and maybe a box of premium chocolates?”
“She likes candy,” Debbie said, smiling enthusiastically.
“How much is all that gonna cost?” Luke asked.
“Because you’re a first-time buyer, I’m going to give you my special discount. I’ll let you have it all for thirty dollars.” She wouldn’t be making much of a profit, but she was charmed by Debbie. She wondered if their father worked nights, or if he was a vampire, and if he was, did his children know? If so, it must be a hard secret for them to keep.
“Okay,” Luke agreed. He carefully counted out the right amount and handed it to her.
“Would you like me to gift wrap these for you?” Sara asked as she rang it up.
Debbie nodded, then wandered over to the children’s section while Sara wrapped their purchases.
Luke stood at the counter, watching Sara intently.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Almost twelve.”
“Have you lived here very long?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I was just making polite conversation.” She put everything in a flowered bag, added some colorful tissue paper, and tied it with a bright pink bow. “I hope you’ll come back again.”
Luke nodded. “Debbie, let’s go.”
The girl sent Sara a toothy grin as she followed her brother outside.
Sara stared after them. She couldn’t decide if Luke didn’t like her or if he was just suspicious of anyone he didn’t know. If his father was a vampire, she guessed she couldn’t blame him.
Several other customers came in as the afternoon wore on, including Deanne, the woman Sara had seen pulling weeds.
Smiling, Sara asked, “Can I help you find anything?”
“No, I was just …” Deanne sighed. “I just felt like I needed to get out of the house. Is it okay if I just look around?”
“Of course.”
The woman looked troubled, Sara thought, as if she had something on her mind. Eventually, Deanne
