Page 5 of My Blind Date is a Vampire

“Can I bring in my own furniture? Maybe do some minor renovations?” I asked, brushing my hand over the top of the sofa and glancing out the glass patio windows that led out to the backyard. The lawn needed mowing and there was a huge tree; I couldn’t tell what it was from where I was standing, but its branches needed pruning and I was thinking of starting a little vegetable patch.

“I’ll have to discuss it with the Robertsons, but I don’t think they’d mind. Shall we head up the stairs?” Shayla noted some things down on her tablet before she led me up to the second floor. “Here we have the master bedroom,” she told me.

The bedroom was bigger than my childhood bedroom at my parents’ house. I smiled in delight when I spotted the walk-in closet that would fit all my clothes and my embarrassingly extensive collection of shoes—mostly knock-offs of name brands. For someone who lived from paycheck to paycheck, I had no self-control whatsoever when it came to a pair of killer heels. Not only did they make my legs and butt look great, but I was greedy for the extra height it gave me. Standing at 5’2’’, it was frustrating, not to mention exhausting, having to look up at everyone, especially the students who towered over me. There was nothing weirder than having to crane my neck up to scold a six-foot-tall, fourteen-year-old ninth-grader.

I examined the closet first and was satisfied that there was enough space for my babies, none of whom would remain crammed up in the storage boxes they were currently in back home. The walls of the bedroom were done up in a pastel pink paint that I didn’t mind, and the wood-paneled floors were polished to within an inch of their lives.

Shayla received a call and walked out into the hallway to answer it while I continued to examine every nook and cranny of the room. I hadn’t realized that the house was on a hill until I walked up to the window and saw the faint sheen of water in the distance. There were a few people milling about the beach, enjoying the last days of summer before the real world intruded. I cracked the window open and breathed in the briny air coming in from the sea and drew it deep into my lungs. I was going to love it here, I just knew it. There was a sense of freedom about Mystic Cove, and there was something ethereal about it as well. I couldn’t wait to discover all the hidden secrets waiting to be uncovered, meet new people, and be myself away from the suffocating, albeit loving, influence of my family.

CHAPTER 5

After agreeing on the lease for the house with Shayla and the Robertsons, things moved pretty quickly. A weekend before Mystic Cove High opened its doors for a new semester, my brothers helped me move into my new home and all it cost me was a couple of beers, pizzas, and burgers. I’d switched out the floral wallpapers for a more solid color, and some of the Robertson’s furniture was now in storage, so the living room—at least—was firmly in the twenty-first century with the leather couches I’d brought in. One of my brothers had mounted my flat-screen TV, and next week the internet guy was coming in to hook me up with Wi-Fi. I’d kept most of the kitchen appliances, and my bedroom was all set up. I just had to unpack my clothes and hang them in the closet, and my home office was almost done as well. That still left the third bedroom—the guest room—but there was no rush on getting that set up. The longer I put off cleaning and organizing it, the longer I could put off certain unwanted houseguests.

“I must admit, Jules, I’m kind of jealous. What I wouldn’t do to live like I’m on vacation 365 days a year and get paid for it,” Bas mused from where he was seated on the plush rug I’d bought secondhand at a flea market for way less than it would have cost me if I’d gotten it new.

“I get paid to teach, Bas. If anyone gets paid to slack off, it’s you,” I shot back, kicking Bennett’s legs off my glass-topped coffee table and plopping down on the couch next to him and passing him the bottle of beer he’d requested.

“You need to get a security system installed. That flimsy chain lock won’t keep anyone out,” Charlie commented without taking his eyes off the football game playing on TV. “I know a guy who could set you up with a state-of-the-art security system who owes me a favor. I can get him to install it dirt cheap.” Charlie was a former Marine turned police detective and always knew a guy for everything. I assumed he was referring to a former army buddy of his who now ran a private security firm.

“What exactly do I have to be afraid of? The old lady from across the street?” I asked with a roll of my eyes and took a huge bite out of my veggie burger. I caught the disgusted looks Bas and Bennett gave me. They’d both threatened to disown me when I told them that I was switching to a vegetarian diet and always made backhanded remarks whenever I ate anything with ‘pseudo meat,’ as they called it. I ignored them and turned my attention back to Charlie, who was now scowling at me.

“Just because Mystic Cove looks like a sleepy little town doesn’t mean you should take your safety for granted. Predators always strike where you feel the safest. You’re getting that security system whether you like it or not.”

“Sir, yes, sir.” I gave him a mock salute, laughing at the bemused scowl on his face. When it looked like they were going to overstay their welcome, I had to forcibly push them out of the house before they drove me crazy.

The house was depressingly quiet after my brothers left. I’d never actually lived alone before. I had roommates in college, then moved in with Toby. With the last vestiges of sunlight flowing in through the windows and patio doors, I stood at the kitchen island feeling like I’d been set adrift at sea.

What are you getting all down in the dumps about, Julia? This is what you’ve always wanted, I murmured to myself. With only me for company, I didn’t know what else to do. I could take a stroll out to the beach, or go out into the town to see what the nightlife had to offer, but I was too exhausted. In the end, I settled on making microwave popcorn and taking a bottle of the red wine Bennett’s wife Sarah had bought as a housewarming gift up to my bedroom and watching Pride and Prejudice on my laptop—but not before checking that all my doors were locked and the windows tightly secured. Charlie had gotten to me after all.

* * *

I must have dozed off at some point because the next time I opened my eyes, it was late Sunday morning and sunlight was spilling in through the gauzy curtains. A dull throb at the base of my spine reminded me that I’d drunk more than half of the bottle of wine. My laptop battery was dead and needed charging and the bowl of popcorn was upended on the bed, covering the blankets in kernels and salt.

I grumbled at the mess. I did not feel like washing my blankets at that moment. How had I managed to fall asleep with this mess?

Dragging myself from bed, even though my eyes were still heavy and my body begged for more sleep, I lugged the duvet down to the washer and then took a steaming hot shower. After breakfast, I spent half the day unpacking my clothes and attempted to start working on a lesson plan for my first class tomorrow. Unfortunately, my brain refused to cooperate. I was struggling to focus on anything that required brainwork and was feeling restless.

I thought that a bit of fresh air might do me good, so I changed out of my sweats and into a knee-length sundress and sandals and grabbed my car keys. I might as well get to know the locals, and visiting a local restaurant was one way to do that. Exploring the stores that lined Main Street was a good idea too. Like I really needed an excuse to go shopping.

CHAPTER 6

I drove around the neighborhood to familiarize myself with the layout before driving into the town proper, passing by the empty high school on my way. I was surprised to find that the main street, which was essentially the business hub of Mystic Cove, was teeming with people. Logically, I knew that Mystic Cove had an estimated population of four thousand—and that was not counting the seasonal tourists—but I didn’t think it would be this busy. I was expecting to see four or five people walking down the sidewalks and maybe another car or two besides mine driving down the streets. Granted, it was still far less than the crush of the city sidewalks and bumper-to-bumper traffic, but I clearly needed to readjust my perception of small towns.

One thing I did like seeing, though, was how everyone seemed to know each other. I drove past a group of teenagers walking out of an ice cream store, laughing and joking with one another. A mother with two toddlers and a baby stroller stopped to let an elderly couple fawn over the baby. No one was keeping to themselves or rushing to get to the next meeting.

It was probably just my imagination, but the sun shined brighter and the sky looked bluer. And despite my nascent headache, the suffocating weight that had been sitting on my chest for the last year was slowly easing off and I could breathe again. I drove to the grocery store to pick up some essentials before I headed over to a family restaurant for a late lunch. I was aware of all the eyes on me as I perused the aisles. Five minutes in, one resident finally gave in to their curiosity and approached me as I was mulling over whether to get the chocolate-flavored Cheerios or be a responsible adult and go with the healthier but less tasty alternative of Bran Flakes.

“You must be the new history teacher Catherine told me about. She wasn’t exaggerating when she said you were a looker. What I wouldn’t give to have a flaming mane of hair like yours,” the woman gushed, curling a loose strand of my hair around her finger.

I couldn’t tell her age just from looking at her. Like Principal Hawthorne, she barely had any wrinkles, but there was a sparkle in her eye that said she’d seen a lot in her life. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that she was anywhere between her forties to mid-fifties. She stood a head taller than me—except this time around I was wearing flip flops and she was in a pair of wedged heels, which meant that she was even taller.

Her platinum blonde hair was pulled into her high ponytail and she was wearing a light sundress and siren-red lipstick that made her pouty lips pop. She kind of reminded me of Scarlett Johansson. She even had the curves to put Scar-Jo to shame.

“Excuse me?” I squeaked, surreptitiously putting some distance between us before I got high off her alluring perfume. It smelled expensive and like she’d doused herself in the entire bottle before stepping out of her home.

Her dark brown eyes sparked with laughter as she looked me up and down in one glance that had me feeling as if I’d just been stripped bare in the middle of the supermarket. Heat crept up my neck and spread across my cheeks all the way to the tips of my ears. I bet I was the same shade as my red hair.

“Oh, how delightful,” the woman chortled.

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