it's not evil? What am I saying, it's Sinclair. Evil doesn't scare him. He probably gets off on it, in his heart of hearts."
"Trust me. It's not evil."
Elizabeth
, oh my
Elizabeth… you are sweet, you are like wine, you are… everything. I love you, there's no one. No one
.
Probably never hear that again, so get used to the mental playback, babe. "It's the total opposite of evil. I thought… I thought it was kind of wonderful. But he—he—"
I cried some more. It was lame, but I couldn't stop. Just when I thought that the
one
thing I could count on was Sinclair by my side no matter what happened…
"He's still here, though, right?" I asked, groping for a tissue, again out of habit. I was snot-free. "At the house? He didn't move out?"
"Not that I know of, honey. Probably just back to his old room while he sorts things out." I stared down at the table, and Jess smoothed my crumpled bangs out of my eyes. "Poor Bets. If it's not one thing it's another. You want me to stay in tonight?"
"Yeah, we could—no!"
"Oh, that's flattering," she grumbled.
"No, I mean… tonight's the big night. Your date with Nick. You can't miss it."
"I can reschedule," she said gently.
"My ass!"
"And that's one thing not on the date agenda," she said cheerfully. "He might have asked me out because he knows you're taken—"
"Am I?" I sulked.
"But one thing we're not going to do is talk about your ass. Nor your tits, nor your scintillating personality—which, I gotta tell you, ain't so great right now."
She was teasing and I smiled, a little. "No rescheduling. You're going. I'll—I'll find something to do."
On cue, the swinging doors on the east end of the kitchen whooshed open and Jon walked in like the world's youngest gunslinger. "Anybody up to telling me the story of their life?" he chirped, waving his Sidekick.
"Well," Jess told me, getting up from her seat, "if whatever you did was evil, and I'm not saying it was, because your word's good enough for me, but if it was, you're gonna be punished for it right about now."
Chapter 19
"Have you, uh, seen Sinclair around tonight?"
Jon snorted. "Not hardly. We sort of stay out of each other's way. I get the feeling he's not too crazy about me staying here."
"Well, it's not his house, now is it?" I asked sharply. Oh, great. Yell at the kid because your fiancé's not talking to you. "Sorry. I'm grumpy tonight."
"Because you haven't fed?" he asked eagerly, Sidekick poised. I saw he had flipped it around so he could tap on the tiny keyboard.
"No. But I'll worry about that some other night. Listen, Jon, if I do this for you, you've got to do something for me."
"I understand Betsy." He looked around; yes, we were alone in the cavernous parlor. We'd moved there after the housekeeper got back from Rainbow and shooed us out. "I don't—uh—approve of that sort of—um—thing, but you're so—I mean, I'll make an exception for you." He bravely pulled off his T-shirt and inched closer to me. "Besides, it'll be good for the book."
" Ick ! No!" I shoved him away, and he went flying over the end of the couch and crashed into the carpet. Dust flew. He coughed. I freaked. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" I hurried around the couch and helped him up. "I didn't mean to shove you so hard."
" S'okay ," he gasped, in the middle of a major coughing spasm. " M'sorry , too."
"It's my fault. I guess I was vague. No, I'm afraid the favor I've got in mind is a lot worse than sucking your blood."
"Whatever it is," he choked, "I'll do it. But first… you gotta get someone in here with a vacuum, I mean, right now."
"Who do you think you're talking to? Jon, I couldn't find the vacuum if you stuck a gun in my ear. Which if memory serves, you have."
He reddened and settled himself on a chair across from me. "That stuff's all over with, now."
"And we of the vampire community are grateful,
"Trust me. It's not evil."
Elizabeth
, oh my
Elizabeth… you are sweet, you are like wine, you are… everything. I love you, there's no one. No one
.
Probably never hear that again, so get used to the mental playback, babe. "It's the total opposite of evil. I thought… I thought it was kind of wonderful. But he—he—"
I cried some more. It was lame, but I couldn't stop. Just when I thought that the
one
thing I could count on was Sinclair by my side no matter what happened…
"He's still here, though, right?" I asked, groping for a tissue, again out of habit. I was snot-free. "At the house? He didn't move out?"
"Not that I know of, honey. Probably just back to his old room while he sorts things out." I stared down at the table, and Jess smoothed my crumpled bangs out of my eyes. "Poor Bets. If it's not one thing it's another. You want me to stay in tonight?"
"Yeah, we could—no!"
"Oh, that's flattering," she grumbled.
"No, I mean… tonight's the big night. Your date with Nick. You can't miss it."
"I can reschedule," she said gently.
"My ass!"
"And that's one thing not on the date agenda," she said cheerfully. "He might have asked me out because he knows you're taken—"
"Am I?" I sulked.
"But one thing we're not going to do is talk about your ass. Nor your tits, nor your scintillating personality—which, I gotta tell you, ain't so great right now."
She was teasing and I smiled, a little. "No rescheduling. You're going. I'll—I'll find something to do."
On cue, the swinging doors on the east end of the kitchen whooshed open and Jon walked in like the world's youngest gunslinger. "Anybody up to telling me the story of their life?" he chirped, waving his Sidekick.
"Well," Jess told me, getting up from her seat, "if whatever you did was evil, and I'm not saying it was, because your word's good enough for me, but if it was, you're gonna be punished for it right about now."
Chapter 19
"Have you, uh, seen Sinclair around tonight?"
Jon snorted. "Not hardly. We sort of stay out of each other's way. I get the feeling he's not too crazy about me staying here."
"Well, it's not his house, now is it?" I asked sharply. Oh, great. Yell at the kid because your fiancé's not talking to you. "Sorry. I'm grumpy tonight."
"Because you haven't fed?" he asked eagerly, Sidekick poised. I saw he had flipped it around so he could tap on the tiny keyboard.
"No. But I'll worry about that some other night. Listen, Jon, if I do this for you, you've got to do something for me."
"I understand Betsy." He looked around; yes, we were alone in the cavernous parlor. We'd moved there after the housekeeper got back from Rainbow and shooed us out. "I don't—uh—approve of that sort of—um—thing, but you're so—I mean, I'll make an exception for you." He bravely pulled off his T-shirt and inched closer to me. "Besides, it'll be good for the book."
" Ick ! No!" I shoved him away, and he went flying over the end of the couch and crashed into the carpet. Dust flew. He coughed. I freaked. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" I hurried around the couch and helped him up. "I didn't mean to shove you so hard."
" S'okay ," he gasped, in the middle of a major coughing spasm. " M'sorry , too."
"It's my fault. I guess I was vague. No, I'm afraid the favor I've got in mind is a lot worse than sucking your blood."
"Whatever it is," he choked, "I'll do it. But first… you gotta get someone in here with a vacuum, I mean, right now."
"Who do you think you're talking to? Jon, I couldn't find the vacuum if you stuck a gun in my ear. Which if memory serves, you have."
He reddened and settled himself on a chair across from me. "That stuff's all over with, now."
"And we of the vampire community are grateful,
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