Chapter 11 Monroe #2
“He really loved thumping his foot when I gave him head scratches, okay?” I’m so defensive, but as I say the words I hear how bizarre they sound.
Cherri has the decency to wrangle her laughter into a small huff.
“I’d just taken him to a final checkup with the vet when he ran off.
I was worried he would reopen his stitches, so I chased after him, and… well…now I’m here.”
As I finish the sentence, my mouth is dry, the last few words scoring my throat. “Why didn’t he say anything? He must have known I’d recognize him.”
Her eyes go wide. “That’s wild.”
“Hey, dolls,” Roxy cuts in, a notepad cradled in her palm and a pen poised and ready in the other. She’s dressed in a pleated A-line skirt that falls below her knees, a cup of coffee embroidered at the hem with its steam wafting up toward her hip. She looks like she’s dressed for a sock hop.
“Hey, Roxy,” we say in unison.
“Everything okay?” Her smile falls when she spots the clock ticking away on the wall. “Shouldn’t you two be at the Conserva—” She glances from me to Cherri and clears her throat. “What can I get you two?”
I reach for one of the menus, but Cherri lifts a hand and stops me. “Can we do the tea and treat sampler?”
“Of course.” Roxy gives us a gentle smile.
I smile back. “Thanks, Roxy.”
“No problem.” The pity in her voice isn’t hidden, but I take it. If you can’t accept pity in death, when else can you?
As soon as she walks off toward the kitchen, my mind rewinds to class and everything that got us here.
“I’m such an idiot.” The memories reel back farther to watching reality TV with an all too interested Sir Thumps-A-Lot.
No wonder Jessica hated him. She sensed an impostor in our midst and was trying to warn me.
Obviously, there’s no way I could have known, but it doesn’t change how clueless I feel.
“I chased him down and he was immortal. He didn’t need me looking out for him. Now I’m dead.”
“Immortal,” Cherri clarifies.
I glower. “Potato, potato.”
“Have to make sure you two keep up your strength. Training will take a lot out of you, but I promise, it does get easier.” Roxy drops a few white teacups and a trivet on our table, coming back a minute later with a teapot and box of teas.
How will I show my face again tomorrow and sit through the rest of his classes?
I can’t believe I was swooning over how attractive he was, apparently too distracted to wonder how he could be so astute about me.
It had been weird he’d called me Dr. Tanner, but I’d assumed the professors received files with information on their students.
Someone with your intellect, who understands people as well as you do, my ass.
As much as I’m tempted to slap him the next time he glances in my general direction, I need to finish the course. The sooner I can get back to check on Beth, Richard, and everyone else, the better.
“Why do we need food?” I ask as Cherri shuffles through the satchels until she pulls out one and rips the paper off. “We aren’t alive.”
“You still have to fuel your magic,” Roxy says, voice stern. “Food, water, sunlight, soil…sex.”
“Shhh…” Cherri dunks her satchel into her teacup and slides the box of teas to me. “You’re going to scare her. Monroe’s been through enough today.”
I keep my head lowered and begin sifting through the blends, heat dappling my cheeks. Maybe they’d feel differently if they heard some of the audiobooks I listen to.
“We’ll table that for the next heart-to-heart. In the meantime…” Roxy grabs a chair and plops down, waving a lilac hand at one of her fellow servers to take her other tables. “What happened?”
“Turns out, Professor Briar is actually Monroe’s Thumps-A-Lot.” Cherri clamps her mouth shut, still entertained by the name. Roxy’s brows lift.
“Sir Thumps-A-Lot, thank you very much. And he was never mine. I took care of him…as a bunny. Obviously, I didn’t know he was…”
“An immortal harbinger in his earthside form?” Roxy supplies, twirling a lock of her dark-green hair.
“Exactly.” I take a long sip of tea. The lavender and chamomile soothes my throat.
Roxy gets up the minute they deliver the treat tray. It’s stacked with little sandwiches, macarons of every hue, mini tarts, and ganache-filled truffles. My mouth waters. Hunger may be a mortal sensation, but I eagerly dig in.
When we’re done eating, I grab my teacup and Cherri’s, slipping them into the pockets of my jacket.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I reassure her, but she’s clearly mortified. “I’ll bring them back.”
“Fine,” she whisper-hisses, ushering me toward the front of the café. “But if Roxy asks, I didn’t see you do anything.”
“Deal.” I give her a nod of promise, and we wave at our roommate, slipping out the jingling door. “Ready to head back home?”
A few steps into our trek, the bell jingles again behind us.
Shit.
I lift my bare hands out of my pockets, holding them out in front of me. What kind of punishment do immortals get when they’re caught for theft?
“Meet me after my shift?” Roxy asks, blinking at my stance. “We’ll go out for a girls’ night. Kendrick has S.T.E.M. night at the Sprouts School. It’ll be fun.”
I inhale and shove my hands back into my pockets, acting as nonchalant as I can. “Maybe—”
“Come on. You want to get out of your head for a night?” Cherri asks, cutting me off. “We’re in.”
She flashes me a big, bright smile. Guess that wasn’t a question, then.
With a final wave to our roommate, she loops her arm in mine, hurrying us back toward our cottage.
Each knock of the teacups against my ribs punctuates my desire to stay in and paint in my jammies.
But Cherri’s right, it would be good to get out of my head for a night.
It’s got to be a better use of my time than staying in and dreading class tomorrow.