George squeezed Nina’s hand before turning to go back inside and leaving the vampire to sort out her thoughts, but she wouldn’t ever forget the fact that she’d been trusted with someone’s deepest, darkest moments and somehow, without saying much at all, she’d helped.
Just by understanding. Just by listening.
She wasn’t going to forget this moment either.
Not ever.
George grabbed Nina’s arm and looked up at her. She was flawless, even in the gloom of the early morning skies, heavy with the prospect of snow.
“Are you sure about this, Nina?” George asked, trying to keep the worry from her voice.
These people, the people who lived here at Mom and Dad’s Senior Living, meant something to her. She’d come to care about them. They’d helped her through things they didn’t even know they’d helped her through simply by being a part of the events she coordinated.
She didn’t want them to end up hurt or frightened, and Nina wasn’t exactly going to win any contests for Best Vampire Cuddle Muffin.
This felt like a lose-lose for not only her, but for her seniors. The Nina from last night was all but gone and in her place was cranky Vampirella, surly and annoyed at the early morning hour. Some of the seniors could be difficult at the best of times. Cranky plus cranky equaled explosive.
Nina made a face at her and lifted her dark sunglasses. “Of course I’m fucking sure, Wings. We have to look out for you. Or do you want someone showing up and trying to hurt you for those damn wings?”
George tucked her chin into her jacket as they stood in the parking lot of Mom and Dad’s. “We don’t know that’s going to happen. Besides, how would he even get them from me? I’m still having trouble producing them.”
Dex had tried last night to teach her how to summon her wings, to no avail. It was ridiculous how bad she was at an act he claimed was simple.
What was even more ridiculous? How attractive he’d suddenly become. Maybe that was the reason she couldn’t focus on learning how to summon her wings. Because he was so dang smokin’ hot.
She’d left their lesson feeling like a complete buffoon, not only because she couldn’t get her wings to appear, but because it felt like everything she said or did with him was now clouded by the fact that he was an attractive male who technically wasn’t off limits to her the way she’d thought he was.
That alone had left her awkward and stilted.
Nina gazed down at her and glowered. “You know how he’ll get those wings from you? He’ll torture the fuck out of you until he gets them. You want that, Wings? Or do you want my ass here to wipe his ass all up and down the parking lot?”
She blanched and swallowed hard. That was fair. Violence certainly could be an issue. If this alleged demon was willing to break into someone’s house to steal her wings, who’s to say he wasn’t violent.
He was a demon, for the love of cake.
Still… “Fine, Tower of Terror. I get it. But undercover, Nina?”
She flicked George’s scarf. “What better damn way to watch you than be up your ass twenty-four-seven? How else can I do that if I don’t have a job here? I mean, what vampire—you know, a creature of the night—doesn’t want to get up at the crack of bloody dawn and hang out with little old people who smell like mothballs and microwaved Salisbury steak?”
George slammed her finger against her lips. “Shhh! You can’t swear like that, Nina.”
Marty rolled her eyes and pinched Nina’s arm hard. “Stop being an ass. You love seniors and they always love you. Do it in honor of Lou.”
Lou was Nina’s grandmother, who the ladies had assured her was a perfect testament to Nina’s skill with the elderly.
Still, George had her doubts. If there was ever a time to speak up, now was the time, when the people she’d come to love were in danger of having to shit out of their mouths if they upset the vampire.
And her misgivings wouldn’t let her be. “But what do you know about caregiving and how on earth are you going to get them to hire you with no experience? I don’t want to be a naysayer, but let’s be honest. You’re not exactly warm cuddles and puppies.”
“The fuck I’m not,” Nina growled, shoving her sunglasses back up her nose. “I can be very fucking warm. And don’t worry about our jobs. Dex fixed that the same way he fixed it when he got his job. They’re expecting us. Now shut the fuck up and let’s go find him. His text says he’s in the atrium. I don’t want to be late for my first round of sit baths and enemas.”
The vampire pointed to the large circular entryway leading to the doors, where there was a beautiful stone fountain that gushed with tinkling water in the spring and summer. George often ate her lunch there, basking in the sun and watching the seniors come and go from their busy lives.
Beyond that were the glass doors that led to the atrium and the coffee shop where Dex worked. Bright and sunny, it was the hub to all the offices of Mom and Dad’s Place employees, and the pool and activity rooms where the seniors could gather.
As they stepped into the atrium, Dex, in his uniform consisting of green vest and white shirt with khaki pants, waved to them from the coffee counter.
For a moment, everything looked different—or maybe it was simply that she was seeing things with new eyes. George stopped for a moment and absorbed the vibe of the enormous entryway.
No, she wasn’t wrong. The people in the atrium were definitely giving off all manner of emotions she found overwhelming at first, until Wanda put her hand at George’s elbow.
“It’s a busy place here, huh?” she said in George’s ear. “I know I’m never going
