Chapter 15
It was my weekend—thankfully. I was more than grateful for the time to work through my thoughts and my possibly irrational emotions.
I knew I was being a bit of a coward by avoiding Dani and James, but until I knew exactly what I was going to do, I welcomed the space.
I replayed every conversation I’d had with them.
How had I missed it? There had to have been signs, right?
All I could think about was how James looked at me when we were alone, or how Dani encouraged me to act on my crush.
Maybe she hadn’t exactly said those words, but she hadn’t told me to stay away from him either.
An open relationship, maybe? Fuck, that sounded messy.
Thursday evening rolled around before I trudged out of bed and stopped feeling sorry for myself. Instead, I picked up my phone and called Erin. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Hannah since Tuesday night when I’d caught her and Kian.
“Ryder? To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Hey Erin. Is… um… do you or Ben have plans with Hannah tonight?”
She didn’t immediately answer. “Not that I can think of. Why?”
“Would it be okay if I surprised her and took her out for dinner?” I paced around in the kitchen, unsure what her reaction would be.
She’d been warming up to the idea of me being in Hannah’s life, but I still treaded lightly.
“Being around” and “unsupervised time together” were two very different things.
Her response was everything I feared to hope for. “I don’t see why it would be a problem.” A pause. “Is everything okay?"
“Of course,” I answered out of reflex. “I just… miss her. Is that weird?”
Erin laughed. “No, that’s not weird. In fact, I think it’s really sweet. She thinks the world of you. Though I can’t for the life of me figure out why.”
I rolled my eyes. Her tone was light, indicating she was joking—mostly. “Is it that hard for you to believe someone actually likes me, Erin?”
“From what Hannah says, a couple of someones like you. What’s the deal with you and James?”
Oh, God. I groaned. “I’ll be there at six to pick Hannah up. Is that okay?”
“Oh, deflecting—typical Ryder.”
“Goodbye Erin!”
I ended the call before she could interrogate me further. I did not miss living in a small town, not one bit.
When I arrived, I dodged more questions and knowing glances from Erin.
It was only dinner, but Hannah seemed excited all the same.
Upon dashing down the stairs to see me, she threw her arms around my waist, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t ease my nerves.
She was already dressed to go out, so thankfully I didn’t have to wait with Erin any longer than necessary.
Hannah and I walked the streets of downtown Salem, trying to decide what to eat.
“So what’s the occasion?” she asked. I had my hands in my jacket pockets, and she looped her arm through mine. “Why’d you decide to surprise me tonight?”
“Can’t a guy take his daughter out to dinner? Does there have to be an ulterior motive?”
“So you’re not avoiding him, then?”
“Who?” When Hannah didn’t respond, I looked over to see her raising a brow at me. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what? Like I know exactly what’s going on despite your best efforts to brush me off?”
“Speaking of changing the subject,” I said as we walked past the doors of a New York-style pizza restaurant. A couple walked out hand in hand, the smell of tomato sauce and garlic wafting behind them. “Pizza. How about pizza?”
Hannah laughed. “Pizza’s great. Don’t think you’re getting out of this conversation, though.”
She was right. I only got out of it for as long as it took us to sit down and order our food. She at least let me get a couple of bites in before she started interrogating me again.
“Are you ready to talk now?” she garbled through a bite of cheese stick.
“About my dating life? To my daughter?” I pretended to think it over. “Not really. What’s going on with you? Hunt any more vampires lately?”
Hannah rolled her eyes, but the blush on her face was evident. “That was Kian’s idea.”
“You seemed pretty convinced.” I had to admit I was intrigued. “So tell me: what’s your theory? Well, Kian’s theory—or is it Luke’s?”
Now that I’d shown interest in the ludicrous idea, Hannah perked up and started spitting everything out.
Apparently, Luke was secretive about his “profession.” Her word, not mine. Kian even said Luke collected evidence that James was a vampire.
According to Luke’s research, nothing could be found on James before he moved to Salem ten years ago. It was like he’d appeared out of thin air.
He also—allegedly—never slept. I couldn’t confirm or deny that, of course; I’d never seen him outside of the bar.
He didn’t eat. I knew that one was a lie. I’d seen him eat, hadn’t I? Well, wait. I hadn’t actually seen him put any of it in his mouth, though, had I?
You’re losing your mind, Ryder.
“Lastly, he’s never out in the sunlight,” Hannah finished.
“We work in a bar, Hannah,” I said with a smile. “I don’t think any of us see sunlight.”
“Okay, okay,” she relented. “Maybe it is a little ridiculous. But didn’t you do anything ridiculous as a teenager?”
“Like what?” I scoffed. “Getting drunk on water towers? Don’t get any ideas!” She laughed at that. “But I can’t say I ever hunted vampires.”
“At least I was doing it sober.”
I focused on eating, hoping she’d move away from the subject of my nonexistent dating life.
It didn’t work. “You can’t avoid him forever.”
I closed my eyes and sighed. “I know. But I can avoid him until I know what I’m going to say.”
“About what?”
I eyed her across the table. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Stubborn as hell. You really are my kid,” I muttered, earning a giggle. Realizing she wouldn’t move on from the conversation, I gave in. “I caught him with someone else.”
Her brow furrowed. “Were you exclusive?”
“Well, no, but… I don’t know. It just didn’t sit right. Literally minutes after we had a moment, I find him attached to my friend’s neck like a leech.” Hannah’s jaw went slack, her eyes wide. I pointed a finger at her. “My boss is not a vampire!”
She held her hands up in defense. “What did he say when you confronted him?”
I looked away. “Um.”
“You haven’t yet.” It wasn’t a question, but it sounded like an accusation.
“No,” I said dejectedly. I was embarrassed about my behavior.
“It’s not going to get any better if you don’t say anything at all.”
I paused, looking at the girl—young woman—across from me. It set in then exactly how much I’d missed out on. “You’re too smart for your own good, you know that?”
“So I’ve been told.”
“Finish your food so I can take you home,” I said. “I guess I have another uncomfortable conversation to plan. Promise me you’ll drop this vampire nonsense, though. I don’t need your mom thinking I’m out of my mind.”
Hannah made an X over the left side of her chest. “Cross my heart.”
I went in for my shift the next night, hoping it would be crowded so I’d have more time to think about how to talk to James. I’d hardly slept because it was all I could think about. I walked into the bar, every nerve standing on edge.
The place was deserted.
On a freezing Friday evening, I’d have expected the place to be packed. I didn’t even see Dani anywhere.
I cautiously advanced into the room. I made it to the bar before I felt that familiar chill down my spine. Did I forget to shut the door completely?
I turned around to see James sitting at one of the tables, feet kicked out and crossed at the ankles, arms folded over his chest. Despite the chill outside, he wore a dark V-neck tee and jeans—as he always did.
My mouth went dry. I swallowed, but it didn’t do much good. My heart rate spiked. “Where is everyone?”
“I closed for tonight,” he said.
“On a Friday? In this weather?” I was only met with a nod. “Why?”
He broke eye contact then, turning his attention to the table. Was he nervous? Upset with me? Of course he was upset with me: I’d almost kissed him then dodged him for three days.
“I think we need to talk,” he finally said.
I let out the breath I’d been holding. “I do too. But before we do, I have to ask.” I cleared my throat. “Should I be looking for another job?”
“Why would you do that?”
“I know it’s difficult when things get messy. And right now they feel…” I shrugged.
James smirked, then went to the door and locked it. “Things are only messy if we don’t talk this through like adults. Can we do that?”
“I make no promises,” I quipped. Then I nodded. “I’d like to.”
He crossed the floor to where I stood. “You want to start? Or should I?”
I sat on one of the barstools before my legs stopped functioning. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought there was something between us. That night in the kitchen, and again in your office. I swore I felt something.”
James stiffened. “You did.”
“But you and Dani.”
“What about me and Dani?”
“You’re sleeping together, aren’t you?”
“What?” James scoffed, a nervous grin kicking the corners of his mouth upward. “Where’d you get that idea?”
“I saw you two.” I wiped my clammy palms on my jeans.
“The other night after we caught Hannah and Kian sneaking around. I came back in to finish our conversation, to finally make a fucking move before we were interrupted again, and I saw her sitting on your desk.” I met his eyes.
“Why else were you sucking on her neck? Did she get bitten by a venomous snake?”
Realization flooded James’s face, then he softened. “You weren’t supposed to see that, Ryder.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“I didn’t hear you come back in.”
“Well. You were preoccupied.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He let out an exasperated sigh and collapsed onto a barstool, scrubbing a hand over his face. “You didn’t see what you thought you saw.”
“I saw you sucking on my coworker’s neck. Unless you’re a vampire, I don’t know what else that could have been.”
“We weren’t having sex.” He shifted uncomfortably, lowering his voice. “I haven’t had sex in a long time.”
Silence fell between us, each pondering what to say next.
I wanted to comfort him, but first I wanted to hear his explanation.
I hadn’t been able to banish the mental image since I’d witnessed it—and that just pissed me off.
Beside me, James had his leg extended, foot resting on the rung of my seat.
He nervously shook his leg, making my chair bounce.
Where the vibrations should have been annoying, I found them strangely comforting.
He was clearly anxious to tell me something. Based on his reticence, whatever it was, it was big. If he wasn’t having sex with Dani, then something odd must be happening. I couldn’t think of any other reason his mouth would be on any part of her body, much less her neck.
Unless…
No. That was absolutely, positively impossible.
Right?
It was only then that I realized he hadn’t acknowledged what I’d said.
I glanced at James. He watched me with that inscrutable intensity I’d seen before. I took the chance to drink him in. God he was beautiful—even if he was as white as a sheet.
And ice cold to the touch.
And could move so fast—and silently—I often wondered if he could teleport.
Fuck it.
I had nothing to lose.
“James.” My voice was soft, but he hung on my every word. “I’m going to ask you a ridiculous question. You have every right to laugh at me until I walk out of here with my tail between my legs, but I want an honest answer.”
“That’s fair,” he said.
Feeling like an utter fool, I asked, “A-are you…” I couldn’t do it. I swallowed hard, the words stuck in my throat. I groaned, hiding my face in my hands. Between my fingers, I blurted, “Are you a vampire?”
Silence—and it was probably much shorter than it felt. Then—
“Yes.”