Page 31 of The Vampire and the Case of the Baleful Banshee

He sighed. ‘I’ll get a witch to do it on top of whoever else they planned to help today. No one will be bumped. Okay?’

I considered that as I looked at the red paint drying on my walls. ‘Okay,’ I agreed. Only an idiot would say no; I was lots of things but I tried hard not to embrace idiocy. ‘Thanks.’

Connor stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me. The delicious zing shuddered through me. ‘I’m sorry someone came into your home.’

I leaned into his warmth and let his solid presence settle me. He got it, of course he did. ‘Thanks. I’ll be okay.’

He pulled back, studying me in that way that he had. A small smile teased the edge of his mouth. ‘Of course you will. Do you want to postpone our date?’

I pushed back from him and put my hands on my hips. ‘Absolutely not! I’m not missing that for anything. I’ve been looking forward to it.’

Connor’s voice lowered an octave. ‘Me too,’ he admitted huskily. He pulled me flush against his hard, muscular body; clearly he wasn’t done cuddling. I could get behind that plan – I would take all the hugs I could get.

‘That’s the doors all done,’ Ernie said as he strode in. ‘Oh sorry. Didn’t know y’all were… Well, now.’ His ruddy cheeks reddened and I could see him rethinking his earlier remark about Connor.

I flushed. ‘Thanks Ernie.’ I stepped back. ‘Can you sort the metal shutters for me?’

‘You bet. I’ll get on that now. Right now.’ He walked out quickly.

‘We embarrassed Ernie.’ I rubbed my forehead.

Connor looked amused. ‘Ernie’s been around a long time. He’ll get over it.’

‘Thanks for my flowers. I’ll put them in water. You’d better go. I need time to beautify myself for later.’

‘You’re beautiful the way you are.’

‘Smooth,’ I teased.

‘Maybe, but it’s completely true. You’re beautiful, Bunny Barrington, inside and out.’

That made me blush again. Plenty of people had complimented me on my looks, but this was the first time I could recall someone complimenting me on who I was. That felt far more real. Beauty was only skin deep but who I was … that was everything. And I’d been trying so hard to be a new Bunny, a better Bunny. I was on the road to self-improvement and it was rocky, but I was still moving forward and that was a win.

‘Thanks,’ I said again, but it came out as a whisper.

Connor’s eyes softened. He held me again, gently this time, and brushed his lips against my forehead before releasing me and walking away. ‘Until later,’ he called. He climbed into his truck and roared off, leaving me with Ernie, the flowers and a singing heart.

Chapter 18

Ernie repaired the shutters’ mechanism in no time at all. The guy was a fixture in the town: he owned and ran the hardware store/ radio station/ coffee shop and apparently was good at everything, including changing locks and fixing broken shutters. He also refused to accept payment.

‘I owe you one,’ I said finally.

He gave me a horrified look. ‘Don’t you be throwing loose favours like that around! There be folks here that’d take advantage of such a thing.’

‘Not you,’ I said confidently.

Ernie wiped his dirty hands on his overalls. ‘Well no. Not me,’ he agreed gruffly. ‘I’ll be seeing you, Officer Barrington. You keep safe now.’

‘Thanks, Ernie. I will,’ I promised. I hoped I wasn’t lying.

With my doors secured and my shutters firmly back down, I went to get ready for my date with Connor. When I checked the time, I shrieked – Connor was due to pick me up in an hour! I wanted everything showered, shaved and smelling sweetly by then; I also wanted my hair, nails and make-up to be perfect but I’d left that a little late. Chatting to Ernie while he worked had distracted me. Never mind: Connor had seen me looking worse. Way worse. I rushed into the shower and scrubbed quickly.

Forty-five minutes later, I’d done my hair and makeup. I looked at my nails and sighed; I didn’t have time left for them. My wardrobe was woefully slim since my house fire, but I had a little black dress that I’d found online. I shimmied into it. It clung to my curves – the few that I had – and flared at mid-thigh. It had three-quarter sleeves that started tight and ended in a fluttery ruffle.

I pulled on some black knee-high boots with a chunky, retro heel and admired the effect. I leaned into the black vibes with some eyeliner but then softened it with a smoky eyeshadow. It wasn’t my usual style but I liked it.

I wore my blonde hair loose and teased some waves into it with my curling tongs. As always, I wore my necklace with my two charms: one that stopped me combusting in the sun, and one which my nana had given me. I held both of them in my hand for a moment and wondered what Nana would think of my new life. Had she even known that vampires were real?

---