to help you shop for a wedding gown than moi ?”
“That’s because you bought five of them.”
“I meant because I shop for finicky Chicago women all the time. And, FYI, I returned four of those gowns. But just think, Abs. We can make an entire day of it in Chicago. No, a week! Fire up your charge card, cuz. Magnificent Mile, here we come!”
Which was exactly why I’d been keeping our engagement a secret. In fact, an elopement was starting to look pretty darn attractive. “Grace?” I called. “The potion? Hurry!”
“There’s a new rumor spreading about Vlad,” Lottie reported upon her return from lunch. “The gossip is that he set up a secret rendezvous with the Willis woman so he could drink her blood, and in his bloodlust craze, he left her car and belongings behind.”
“That’s absurd,” I said.
“Maybe so, but people are eating this stuff up, sweetie, and that doesn’t bode well for Vlad. You might want to call Marco and alert him.”
“I’ll tell him in person. I’m heading down there for lunch now anyway.”
I exchanged the wheelchair for my crutches and waited while Lottie opened the door for me. Outside, people were once again huddled on the courthouse lawn, but many more than before, with cops in patrol cars watching from both ends of the block.
I felt hundreds of eyes on me as I laboriously made my way up the sidewalk— step-hop-step-hop . I managed to wave to a group of women from the clerk’s office, regulars at our coffee-and-tea parlor, but they pretended not to see me. At Down the Hatch, I tapped on the big window and waited until Gert let me in. Marco was working with Rafe behind the bar, and as soon as he saw me, he came around to help. There were a few customers sitting in booths and two at the counter; otherwise the place was empty.
“Hey, Buttercup,” Marco said with a smile. “You’re just the tonic we need.”
“I need to talk to you privately,” I said in a whisper.
“Sure. Let me finish up with Rafe. Then I’ll meet you in my office.”
“Hey, Rafe,” I said, passing by the bar. “How’s it going?”
“Ask my brother,” he answered with a grimace.
“Rafe’s doing well,” Marco said.
“That’s not what you said earlier,” Rafe countered. “You said I couldn’t even—”
“That was an hour ago,” Marco cut in. “You’re improving.”
“Improving?” Rafe asked. “How can I improve when you’re always criticizing me?”
“It’s not criticism,” Marco said. “It’s instruction.”
I left them arguing and crutched down the hallway to Marco’s office, sinking gratefully into one of the sling-back chairs that faced his desk.
Minutes later, Marco came in and closed the door. “What’s up?”
“Two things. First, you need to know there’s a nasty new rumor going around.”
“About why Vlad abducted the Willis woman?” Marco sat down in the chair next to mine. “I’ve already heard it.”
“Lottie says everyone is talking about it, and after seeing all the people across the street, I believe her. It was unnerving walking down here, like I was on the set of The Birds .”
“Sorry, babe,” he said, taking my hand. “Until the cops clear Vlad, we’re stuck with it.”
“It’s not us I’m worried about. If people work themselves into a frenzy, they’ll turn against Vlad. I’ll be very surprised if he wants to stay in New Chapel after he hears the latest.”
“Vlad is free to go whenever he chooses. I’d be disappointed, though. I think he’ll do a great job running the place—if I have to leave.”
“ If you have to leave. Let’s not jump the gun. And that brings me to the second thing. Today is Friday.”
Marco gave me a blank look.
“ Friday , Marco. Dinner with the family. The night we make our announcements.”
“Ah,” he said.
I threaded my fingers through his. “I want us to announce our engagement together, and then have you explain about your letter, because I know there will be lots of
“That’s because you bought five of them.”
“I meant because I shop for finicky Chicago women all the time. And, FYI, I returned four of those gowns. But just think, Abs. We can make an entire day of it in Chicago. No, a week! Fire up your charge card, cuz. Magnificent Mile, here we come!”
Which was exactly why I’d been keeping our engagement a secret. In fact, an elopement was starting to look pretty darn attractive. “Grace?” I called. “The potion? Hurry!”
“There’s a new rumor spreading about Vlad,” Lottie reported upon her return from lunch. “The gossip is that he set up a secret rendezvous with the Willis woman so he could drink her blood, and in his bloodlust craze, he left her car and belongings behind.”
“That’s absurd,” I said.
“Maybe so, but people are eating this stuff up, sweetie, and that doesn’t bode well for Vlad. You might want to call Marco and alert him.”
“I’ll tell him in person. I’m heading down there for lunch now anyway.”
I exchanged the wheelchair for my crutches and waited while Lottie opened the door for me. Outside, people were once again huddled on the courthouse lawn, but many more than before, with cops in patrol cars watching from both ends of the block.
I felt hundreds of eyes on me as I laboriously made my way up the sidewalk— step-hop-step-hop . I managed to wave to a group of women from the clerk’s office, regulars at our coffee-and-tea parlor, but they pretended not to see me. At Down the Hatch, I tapped on the big window and waited until Gert let me in. Marco was working with Rafe behind the bar, and as soon as he saw me, he came around to help. There were a few customers sitting in booths and two at the counter; otherwise the place was empty.
“Hey, Buttercup,” Marco said with a smile. “You’re just the tonic we need.”
“I need to talk to you privately,” I said in a whisper.
“Sure. Let me finish up with Rafe. Then I’ll meet you in my office.”
“Hey, Rafe,” I said, passing by the bar. “How’s it going?”
“Ask my brother,” he answered with a grimace.
“Rafe’s doing well,” Marco said.
“That’s not what you said earlier,” Rafe countered. “You said I couldn’t even—”
“That was an hour ago,” Marco cut in. “You’re improving.”
“Improving?” Rafe asked. “How can I improve when you’re always criticizing me?”
“It’s not criticism,” Marco said. “It’s instruction.”
I left them arguing and crutched down the hallway to Marco’s office, sinking gratefully into one of the sling-back chairs that faced his desk.
Minutes later, Marco came in and closed the door. “What’s up?”
“Two things. First, you need to know there’s a nasty new rumor going around.”
“About why Vlad abducted the Willis woman?” Marco sat down in the chair next to mine. “I’ve already heard it.”
“Lottie says everyone is talking about it, and after seeing all the people across the street, I believe her. It was unnerving walking down here, like I was on the set of The Birds .”
“Sorry, babe,” he said, taking my hand. “Until the cops clear Vlad, we’re stuck with it.”
“It’s not us I’m worried about. If people work themselves into a frenzy, they’ll turn against Vlad. I’ll be very surprised if he wants to stay in New Chapel after he hears the latest.”
“Vlad is free to go whenever he chooses. I’d be disappointed, though. I think he’ll do a great job running the place—if I have to leave.”
“ If you have to leave. Let’s not jump the gun. And that brings me to the second thing. Today is Friday.”
Marco gave me a blank look.
“ Friday , Marco. Dinner with the family. The night we make our announcements.”
“Ah,” he said.
I threaded my fingers through his. “I want us to announce our engagement together, and then have you explain about your letter, because I know there will be lots of
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