me.
“I drained the cash from four different machines. I hope it’s enough.”
“It’s plenty.” My eyes met his. “I owe you.”
“Forget it.” His gaze narrowed as he eyed me. “You really should lie down.”
“I will just as soon as I find someplace safe.” I glanced at the wall clock. Thirteen minutes and counting. Yikes! I stuffed the envelope into my pocket. “I’ve got to get out of here.”
“You’ll never make it,” Mandy said as she slid one of the drawers closed with a loud clunk.
“I saw a small hotel just a few blocks over.”
“Mandy and I went there,” Jack added, “to, well, you know, and we spent fifteen minutes at the registration desk alone.”
Can you say too much information? “I’ll make it,” I told him. When he shook his head and shrugged, I added, “I have to make it.”
“Not necessarily.” He and Mandy exchanged glances and the meaning hit me like a punch to the stomach.
“I know what you’re thinking and don’t,” I told him, but he said the words anyway.
“You could crash here.”
Ewwwww.
At my horrified expression, he smiled. “Man, but you’re squeamish.”
“Damn straight I’m squeamish. We’re in a room full of dead people. No offense,” I told Mandy.
“Sis, you’re a vampire.” He walked over to one of the drawers and tugged the handle. It slid free, exposing an empty drawer that consisted of a body-length stainless steel table. “Get over it.”
“I’m a born vampire. Meaning I’ve never kicked the bucket.”
“You’re still dead by society’s standards.”
“That is totally beside the point.”
“Being?”
“They’re dead. ”
“And you will be too if you don’t find a place to crash for tonight. Don’t be such a wuss. I’ve done it.” He gazed adoringly at Mandy, who’d turned to retrieve some clean sheets from a large utility shelf on the far side of the room.
I know, right? My brother. Gazing.
“You’re totally freaking me out,” I told him.
“There’s nothing freaky about it. It’s just a sliding coffin. Our kind have slept in them for years. Hell, Dad still does.”
“Dad’s eccentric, and I’m not talking about the drawer. I’m talking about you and Mandy.” I lowered my voice and glanced at Mandy. She didn’t skip a beat as she retrieved the linens and carefully refolded one that had come loose from the top of the stack. “Think about it, Jack. You’ve gone from crashing on fab Egyptian cotton sheets and a pillow-top mattress to crawling into a morgue drawer. For a woman.” A human woman, I added silently.
He smiled. “Mandy’s a resident.”
“And?”
“And she puts in a lot of hours, which doesn’t really facilitate a relationship. So we work around it. If I crash here during her shift, that means she gets to kiss me good night and good morning, and I don’t have to waste time going home.”
“You live ten minutes away.”
“Ten minutes away from Mandy is ten minutes too long.”
Okay, so now he was really freaking me out.
I checked his forehead. Cool as usual. Not that vampires could actually get sick, but I had to make sure. Because if it wasn’t some bizarre virus affecting only macho, condescending, womanizing male vampires, then it could only mean…
I felt my smile spread from ear to ear. “You’re in love.”
My expression was infectious and he beamed. “You bet.”
“Do Mom and Dad know? I mean, I know they know about Mandy, but did you say that you—”
“No,” he cut in. “Not yet. I told them about her and I’ve set up a meeting to introduce them to her parents. We figured we would tell them then.”
“At tea?” At his questioning glance, I added, “I overheard them when I was hiding out in the pool house.”
“They were talking about meeting us for tea?” An anxious light fired his eyes. “What were they saying? Are they coming? They have to come. I mean, I know they don’t have to, but they have to. They’re my parents, right? They
“I drained the cash from four different machines. I hope it’s enough.”
“It’s plenty.” My eyes met his. “I owe you.”
“Forget it.” His gaze narrowed as he eyed me. “You really should lie down.”
“I will just as soon as I find someplace safe.” I glanced at the wall clock. Thirteen minutes and counting. Yikes! I stuffed the envelope into my pocket. “I’ve got to get out of here.”
“You’ll never make it,” Mandy said as she slid one of the drawers closed with a loud clunk.
“I saw a small hotel just a few blocks over.”
“Mandy and I went there,” Jack added, “to, well, you know, and we spent fifteen minutes at the registration desk alone.”
Can you say too much information? “I’ll make it,” I told him. When he shook his head and shrugged, I added, “I have to make it.”
“Not necessarily.” He and Mandy exchanged glances and the meaning hit me like a punch to the stomach.
“I know what you’re thinking and don’t,” I told him, but he said the words anyway.
“You could crash here.”
Ewwwww.
At my horrified expression, he smiled. “Man, but you’re squeamish.”
“Damn straight I’m squeamish. We’re in a room full of dead people. No offense,” I told Mandy.
“Sis, you’re a vampire.” He walked over to one of the drawers and tugged the handle. It slid free, exposing an empty drawer that consisted of a body-length stainless steel table. “Get over it.”
“I’m a born vampire. Meaning I’ve never kicked the bucket.”
“You’re still dead by society’s standards.”
“That is totally beside the point.”
“Being?”
“They’re dead. ”
“And you will be too if you don’t find a place to crash for tonight. Don’t be such a wuss. I’ve done it.” He gazed adoringly at Mandy, who’d turned to retrieve some clean sheets from a large utility shelf on the far side of the room.
I know, right? My brother. Gazing.
“You’re totally freaking me out,” I told him.
“There’s nothing freaky about it. It’s just a sliding coffin. Our kind have slept in them for years. Hell, Dad still does.”
“Dad’s eccentric, and I’m not talking about the drawer. I’m talking about you and Mandy.” I lowered my voice and glanced at Mandy. She didn’t skip a beat as she retrieved the linens and carefully refolded one that had come loose from the top of the stack. “Think about it, Jack. You’ve gone from crashing on fab Egyptian cotton sheets and a pillow-top mattress to crawling into a morgue drawer. For a woman.” A human woman, I added silently.
He smiled. “Mandy’s a resident.”
“And?”
“And she puts in a lot of hours, which doesn’t really facilitate a relationship. So we work around it. If I crash here during her shift, that means she gets to kiss me good night and good morning, and I don’t have to waste time going home.”
“You live ten minutes away.”
“Ten minutes away from Mandy is ten minutes too long.”
Okay, so now he was really freaking me out.
I checked his forehead. Cool as usual. Not that vampires could actually get sick, but I had to make sure. Because if it wasn’t some bizarre virus affecting only macho, condescending, womanizing male vampires, then it could only mean…
I felt my smile spread from ear to ear. “You’re in love.”
My expression was infectious and he beamed. “You bet.”
“Do Mom and Dad know? I mean, I know they know about Mandy, but did you say that you—”
“No,” he cut in. “Not yet. I told them about her and I’ve set up a meeting to introduce them to her parents. We figured we would tell them then.”
“At tea?” At his questioning glance, I added, “I overheard them when I was hiding out in the pool house.”
“They were talking about meeting us for tea?” An anxious light fired his eyes. “What were they saying? Are they coming? They have to come. I mean, I know they don’t have to, but they have to. They’re my parents, right? They
Similar Books
