your Uncle Marcus made a stop at a nice candy shop before we left Venice. You’ll have to go see him about it though. I would be quick. Your Uncle Marcus has quite the sweet tooth himself, and he might eat them all up before you have a chance to get any.”
Lee’s eyes got big at the thought of missing out, but Sean Quinn shook his head. He greatly resembled his superarrogant father in that moment. “Uncle Marcus is a vampire, Kelsey. He doesn’t eat candy.”
Hugo laughed behind me. “Oh, I assure you he can now. Your Uncle Daniel might be a king, but Marcus is an academic, like me.”
“One of Uncle Marcus’s superpowers is that he can taste the food I eat,” I explained. “He can only do this with very close female friends, but once the bond is formed, he can taste food through me.”
I heard Liv react to that. Of course, she was probably shocked a man like Marcus would form a bond with someone like me. I hadn’t been a hot commodity while we were friends. I ignored her, preferring to explain to the boys. “It’s been a really long time since Marcus had a girlfriend like me. He hadn’t even tasted Reese’s.”
“No way,” Lee said, dumbfounded. He tried to live off them. Peanut butter cups and Dr. Pepper were Lee’s dietary staples before his mother had outlawed sugar.
“It’s true. I bought a whole bunch of them because they’re the best stuff in the world and he didn’t believe me. He told me,”—I went into my best Marcus impersonation, complete with a bad Italian accent—“I have tasted chocolate and I have tasted peanut butter. I do not see how putting the two together makes them better, bella .”
“Did he like them?” Rhys asked, an expectant smile on his face.
“He made me eat the whole bag,” I assured them. “There’s an awful lot he hasn’t tried yet. I think we should make an afternoon of it.”
“He should try root beer,” Rhys said.
“And Skittles,” Sean offered.
I stood up and smiled at Hugo. “I’m so glad I have a werewolf metabolism.”
Liv was still there. “Kelsey, I need to talk to you.”
The boys were busy planning a menu that would kill a diabetic. As I looked down on them affectionately, I realized I was in perfect control. Hugo patted me on the back, and I knew he could feel my satisfaction in my own progress. I kept my voice down, and there was little anger in it as I spoke to the woman I used to love dearly. “I don’t have anything to say to you, Olivia.”
“Fine,” she replied dully. “You don’t have any interest in hearing me out. I get that. I make one mistake in ten years of friendship and the great Kelsey Atwood has no more use for me. Fine. I’m not here as your friend. You obviously don’t need me now that you’re in good with the vamps. But I am here as a client and you can’t turn me away. I’m still a member of this community and I need your services.”
I sighed, seeing straight through her. “Liv, I don’t have time to waste on some wild-goose chase you and Nathan cooked up to manipulate your way back into my life.”
Liv’s voice was low so the boys couldn’t hear her. “You bitch,” she breathed righteously. “I loved you like a sister for years. I did what I did to protect you and you don’t even ask me for an explanation. You’re just judge, jury, and executioner. I might have been wrong, but I also loved you. You know what, Kelsey? Maybe I was wrong. Trust me, sister. I don’t particularly want to waste my time getting back into your life when I know I’m not perfect enough for you. I would spend the rest of the time waiting for you to turn on me. I need your professional services.”
Hugo’s hand slid over my shoulder. It was a good thing, too, because Liv was getting to me. I didn’t like seeing myself through her eyes. All the years of friendship played through my head, including the fact that once she’d saved my life. I’d spent months stewing in happy, comfortable anger. Was there
Lee’s eyes got big at the thought of missing out, but Sean Quinn shook his head. He greatly resembled his superarrogant father in that moment. “Uncle Marcus is a vampire, Kelsey. He doesn’t eat candy.”
Hugo laughed behind me. “Oh, I assure you he can now. Your Uncle Daniel might be a king, but Marcus is an academic, like me.”
“One of Uncle Marcus’s superpowers is that he can taste the food I eat,” I explained. “He can only do this with very close female friends, but once the bond is formed, he can taste food through me.”
I heard Liv react to that. Of course, she was probably shocked a man like Marcus would form a bond with someone like me. I hadn’t been a hot commodity while we were friends. I ignored her, preferring to explain to the boys. “It’s been a really long time since Marcus had a girlfriend like me. He hadn’t even tasted Reese’s.”
“No way,” Lee said, dumbfounded. He tried to live off them. Peanut butter cups and Dr. Pepper were Lee’s dietary staples before his mother had outlawed sugar.
“It’s true. I bought a whole bunch of them because they’re the best stuff in the world and he didn’t believe me. He told me,”—I went into my best Marcus impersonation, complete with a bad Italian accent—“I have tasted chocolate and I have tasted peanut butter. I do not see how putting the two together makes them better, bella .”
“Did he like them?” Rhys asked, an expectant smile on his face.
“He made me eat the whole bag,” I assured them. “There’s an awful lot he hasn’t tried yet. I think we should make an afternoon of it.”
“He should try root beer,” Rhys said.
“And Skittles,” Sean offered.
I stood up and smiled at Hugo. “I’m so glad I have a werewolf metabolism.”
Liv was still there. “Kelsey, I need to talk to you.”
The boys were busy planning a menu that would kill a diabetic. As I looked down on them affectionately, I realized I was in perfect control. Hugo patted me on the back, and I knew he could feel my satisfaction in my own progress. I kept my voice down, and there was little anger in it as I spoke to the woman I used to love dearly. “I don’t have anything to say to you, Olivia.”
“Fine,” she replied dully. “You don’t have any interest in hearing me out. I get that. I make one mistake in ten years of friendship and the great Kelsey Atwood has no more use for me. Fine. I’m not here as your friend. You obviously don’t need me now that you’re in good with the vamps. But I am here as a client and you can’t turn me away. I’m still a member of this community and I need your services.”
I sighed, seeing straight through her. “Liv, I don’t have time to waste on some wild-goose chase you and Nathan cooked up to manipulate your way back into my life.”
Liv’s voice was low so the boys couldn’t hear her. “You bitch,” she breathed righteously. “I loved you like a sister for years. I did what I did to protect you and you don’t even ask me for an explanation. You’re just judge, jury, and executioner. I might have been wrong, but I also loved you. You know what, Kelsey? Maybe I was wrong. Trust me, sister. I don’t particularly want to waste my time getting back into your life when I know I’m not perfect enough for you. I would spend the rest of the time waiting for you to turn on me. I need your professional services.”
Hugo’s hand slid over my shoulder. It was a good thing, too, because Liv was getting to me. I didn’t like seeing myself through her eyes. All the years of friendship played through my head, including the fact that once she’d saved my life. I’d spent months stewing in happy, comfortable anger. Was there
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