Page 17 of My Blind Date is a Vampire

His jaw was clenched so tightly, it gave me a headache just to look at him. His eyes darkened with disgust, but whether it was aimed at himself or whatever haunted his memories, I did not know. When it became apparent that he was losing himself to whatever was troubling him, I hooked my arm through his and dragged him back to the present.

“What is this supposed to be anyway?” I injected as much enthusiasm and cheer into my voice as possible, though I really was curious about what Destiny was going for when she made…whatever her pottery piece was supposed to be.

It was a weird blend; the label said that it was a vase, but it was shaped like the love child of a conch shell and a flute and was painted with all the colors of the rainbow. I couldn’t really see how it was supposed to hold a bouquet of flowers.

“It’s…art,” Landon said with a mock air of superiority. And just like that, he was back with me.

CHAPTER 19

From the foyer, the gallery opened into three wide, separate spaces and another exhibit on the mezzanine floor. There was no clear theme being followed for the auction, just great art pieces set up for sale, from sculptures that took up a moderate amount of the open floor space to paintings and photographs on the wall.

“So, how does this work exactly? The artists are getting a cut of the sales profits, so will you really be able to raise enough money for your school?” I asked while he gave me a grand tour of the gallery, walking with me hand in hand.

I’d been surprised when he laced our hands together—a rather sweet gesture that I would never have imagined Landon to initiate on his own, and it made me stupidly happy.

“We’ve sent out invites to some art enthusiasts and collectors with deep pockets. Unless they live in Westview, most of the locals will not be able to afford anything that has not been crafted by the students or the artists trying to break into the scene,” he explained, referring to the affluent part of town where all the moneyed residents stayed in their gated community with their private and sprawling golf estates and even a mini shopping mall. “The artists I managed to bring in have all signed contracts that guarantee them sixty percent of their sales, with the rest going toward the gallery. I’m thinking of hosting another one in a different gallery in a few weeks, depending on how this one goes. So, have you seen anything you’d like to pick out for your home yet? This one, perhaps?” He gestured to a painting I’d been eyeing as we walked around the room.

We came to a stop in front of the abstract painting, Landon wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on the crown of my head. I melted into his broad chest, marveling at how we fit so perfectly with each other. “This is eye-catching, but I haven’t seen anything from the artist who did the painting at The Book Coven. I was interested in their work specifically. Even if I could afford this, I’ve never been a fan of abstract paintings. They don’t evoke any feelings in me. This one reminds me of the time my nephews had one too many candy canes and threw up on my favorite cashmere sweater.” I shuddered, remembering the pungent smell of the puke and the chunks dripping off me and down onto the carpet. That was the last time I ever gave in to the kids’ weakness for sweets when I babysat them, especially after Toby ripped me a new one because Brandon had thrown up all over the agora carpet in our living room. He’d firmly insisted that if my brother and Sarah wanted me to babysit the boys, then I was to do it at their house and not our apartment.

“Ah, but it does evoke an emotion out of you,” Landon began in a teasing tone, dropping a kiss on my forehead when I tipped my chin up to look at him. His eyes were laughing at me, or rather my analogy comparing the painting to toddler vomit. “Disgust,” he laughingly said. I was going to reply when I heard the sound of a door opening somewhere and a male voice coming from above on the mezzanine floor.

“I thought I heard voices.” A golden-haired man—or boy?—appeared. I couldn’t tell whether he was a teenager or in his early to mid-twenties. He reminded me of Ryan Evans from High School Musical. “Boss, you have the best timing. I just got off the phone with Cosmo and he’s threatening to pull his work from the auction. I told him you’d get in touch with him ASAP. I know I’m cutting into your date, but would you mind talking him off the ledge?” The assistant winked at me before giving Landon a puppy-eyed look.

Landon huffed out an irritated sigh, grumbling something that sounded like “bloody witch” under his breath. “I’m sorry, Julia, but could you give me a few minutes to sort this out? Then we can head over to my place. I was planning on making you lunch.”

“No problem. I’ll just keep looking around here,” I told him.

“I’ll keep her company. You’ll need more than a few minutes where Cosmo is concerned,” Ryan’s doppelganger offered, pushing off the mezzanine railing and jogging down the short flight of stairs.

“I don’t know if I want to leave the biggest gossip in Mystic Cove alone with my girlfriend for a prolonged amount of time,” Landon said in a dry tone. My body visibly jerked at the word “girlfriend,” my face heating up. When I looked up at Landon, he arched a brow as if daring me to challenge his assertion. I gave him a shy smile instead.

“Don’t be such a spoiled sport. You haven’t brought a girl around here since forever; I wouldn’t do or say anything to scare her off. Lord knows you need a feminine touch to soften that Grinch heart of yours. Hi, Julia. I’m Dane, Landon’s assistant and sometimes babysitter.” He greeted me with more enthusiasm than a puppy and pulled me into a hug instead of shaking the hand I held out for him. He was stronger than he looked. I had to catch my breath when I crashed into his slim yet muscular body.

I stared at Landon askance over Dane’s shoulder and he shrugged—whatever that meant. “You already knew my name?” I asked him awkwardly.

“Oh, that’s because the boss talks about you all the time. But he sure as heck downplayed how gorg—” Landon interrupted him with a knock to his head and a glare that would have had most men shrinking back in fear. “I’m kidding,” Dane chortled, rubbing the spot Landon hit him. “I heard about you through the town grapevine—all good things, I assure you. As the two most important people in Landon’s life, let’s you and I get to know each other while the big guy deals with a certain diva.”

“Oh please, you don’t even make the top five,” Landon scoffed. “If you scare her off, I’m firing you, and then we’ll see how you fund your Gucci addiction,” Landon threatened before heading up to the office.

* * *

Landon was gone for almost half an hour, and Dane was more than happy to be my chaperone. I wish I could have said the same thing. I was more drained after spending five minutes in his presence than after an entire week of dealing with students. Dane was a chatterbox and a supernova ball of energy. And while I normally don’t mind being around outgoing people, I at least expected to get in a word edgewise that was more than grunting or chuckling in response to whatever he was saying.

I’d never met a person who was so eager to tell a relative stranger every single personal detail about themselves. My brain was on the verge of bursting with the sudden influx of unwanted information and trying to make heads and tails of everything—particularly Dane’s age. He looked like he was in his early twenties, but some of the things he said made it sound as if he’d been alive longer than that, like the fact that he had seven degrees, including three masters and a Ph.D.

Landon returned just as Dane was rambling on and on about his enlightening journey and stay at a Tibetan monastery and the rigorous trek he took up the Himalayan Mountains. It was all I could do not to burst out crying in relief when I saw Landon’s hulking figure coming down the stairs.

Dane trailed off mid-sentence, noticing that I wasn’t paying attention to him anymore, and turned to face Landon, who was walking toward us, his brows furrowed and expression dark.

“You were in there for less time than I thought you’d be. Cosmo loves hearing the sound of his own voice almost as much as he loves looking in the mirror,” Dane chirped, looking at the non-existent watch on his wrist.

I rolled my eyes behind his back at the irony of him ragging on someone for talking too much. “So, did you sort things out with him?”

“Barely, I’m this close to just excluding him from the auction altogether. There are plenty of other artists who’d jump at the chance to be featured in this exhibition. Cosmo is skating on thin ice with his constant hissy fits. At this rate, no one will want to work with him anymore.” He sighed and then swung his gaze to me. “Sorry, that took longer than expected. You must be starving.”

I opened my mouth to tell him that I was okay, but my stupid stomach growled loud enough to wake the dead. Landon and Dane both chuckled, then Landon and I were pushed out of the gallery by Dane, who insisted that he would take care of locking up after us.

CHAPTER 20

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