Page 43 of Blood and Buttercups

“Right.”

I spot Max in my regular spot. He’s securing the legs of my canopy with stackable weights. Olivia follows him from corner to corner, talking animatedly.

My stomach knots when I see them. They’re my favorite people in the world, and soon, I’m going to have to tell them I’m sick. It’s not a conversation I’m looking forward to having…nor one I’m sure Icanhave. The pamphlets made it clear that I’m allowed to share the news with my immediate family only. Max counts, I think, but Olivia? Not really.

But she’s as good as a sister, and it’s not like she’s going to spread vampire rumors all around town.

“You okay?” Noah asks, making me realize I’ve come to a stop in the middle of the street.

“Yeah,” I say immediately. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to my brother and best friend.”

Max smiles when he spots me, but that smile falters when he notices Noah by my side. Olivia’s eyes widen comically, and she nudges Max in the ribs.

“Hey,” I greet them. “Thank you for helping me set up.”

“Sure.” Max pulls his eyes from Noah to give me his full attention, lifting his brows.

“Noah, this is my brother, Max, and my best friend, Olivia.” I put on a big, this-isn’t-awkward smile. “Guys, this is Noah.”

Noah steps forward, offering Max his hand.

Because Max looks highly suspicious, I add, “He’s the guy that rescued me at the gas station after I had that awful date.”

Awful dateseems like an understatement, and Max and Olivia don’t even know the whole story. Too embarrassed, I didn’t tell either of them that Ethanbitme.

Max’s expression softens, and his shoulders drop a little. He takes Noah’s hand. “Oh, okay. Nice to meet you.”

“You’re Grocery Store Guy?” Olivia says, sounding a bit twitterpated. “The one who drove Piper to the doctor?”

“Grocery Store Guy?” Noah glances at me.

“Doctor?” Max asks, lifting his eyebrows. “What doctor?”

I give Olivia a sharp look. “I’m fine.”

Max thinks I’ve skipped the farmer’s market for the last four weeks because of the breakup and the media attention that surrounded Kevin’s death. All the vendors knew Kevin since he used to help me with my stand. (You know, before our relationship went rocky, he got involved with Sugar Baby, and he started dealing drugs.)

And that’s partially true. But mostly, it’s because I was sicker than a dog.

“Are you okay?” Max eyes me, maybe noticing I’ve lost a little weight. At least the dark circles under my eyes are gone now that I’ve started eating like a lion.

“Don’t tell Mom and Dad, but it was just a diet thing. I’m supposed to meet with a dietitian next week.”

“Why are you on a diet?” Max scowls. “You look fine.”

“No, notthatkind of diet. I mean…” How can I possibly explain this? And in front of Noah, no less. “Don’t worry about it, okay?”

“Have you gotten the bloodwork results in yet?” Olivia asks.

“Yesterday, actually,” I hedge.

“What did the doctor say?”

I widen my eyes and subtly jerk my head toward Noah. Thankfully, we’ve known each other long enough she gets the point.

“We’ll talk about it later,” she says quickly, waving her hand like it’s no big deal.

“What time is it?” I ask Max, hoping to get rid of him. “Don’t you need to set up?”

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