Page 15 of Vampire's Vixen

“Hey, fuzzbutt, how’s my baby girl?” I snuggled her, burying my face in her fur. She smelled dusty, in a cozy sort of way, and began to purr, a deep, sonorous rumble that helped me relax. I took a few moments to brush my teeth and wash my face, then slid under the covers. With Miss P. curling up next to my head on my pillow, I fell into a deep sleep and didn’t dream once.

Next day I decided what the hell, I’d take the whole day off. I didn’t have any appointments till Zandre, so I stuck a note on my door stating I’d be back the following day, then joined Astra for brunch. We decided to eat at the Pacific Blue, a diner on Forsythia Street. Their food was some of the best diner food I’d ever tasted.

Astra ordered a ham and cheese omelet with a side of pancakes, while I ordered a Belgian waffle, sausage, and fried eggs. As we waited for our food, I looked outside, watching the pedestrians pass by the diner. “Do you have any tips for when I meet with Zandre tonight?”

“If you wear silver, hide it. It’s rude to attend a meeting decked out in silver when you know a vamp is going to be there. Second, I strongly suggest you wear silver to the meeting.”

I laughed. “I’ll always be your little girl, won’t I?”

“You’re the only daughter I’ll ever have,” she said, smiling. “Just tuck a necklace beneath your shirt. Even with silver, they can glamour you, but I doubt if you’ll have much problem with that. I did a little research on Zandre when you first mentioned him, and given he’s Midnight Point’s representative to the Northwest Vampire Collection, he has to be cautious.” She laughed. “I remember when I met my first vampire. Well, the first that I knew of. You can’t always go by looks, although there’s always something that stands out about them.”

“I feel like my horizons are broadening out now that I’m back in Midnight Point,” I said. “First I meet two Fae, then I meet a vampire. I’m becoming worldly!”

Astra laughed. “I suppose you could put it that way—” She stopped as my phone chimed.

I glanced at the lock screen notification. “Oh, speak of the devil, Ginger just texted me.” I opened my phone.

hey, I really enjoyed meeting you. would you like to go out to dinner together on Sunday evening?

I pulled my pocket planner out of my purse and glanced at the week. sure, i’d like that. where do you want to eat, and when?

how about abernathy’s? they have a variety of food and they’re not too pricey. say seven?

sounds good to me, I texted back. putting it on my calendar now.

“What does she want?” Astra asked.

“She just asked me to dinner Sunday night. I said yes. I’d like to get to know her a bit better. The Fae have always intrigued me, and I feel like she’s a connection I’m going to value.”

The waitress brought our food then, and we settled in to eat. We chatted away, about Miss P. and Dahlia, about the kitchen remodel we were planning, about a little bit of everything, until we were nearly finished with our brunch.

“So, where are these magical shops you’ve been talking about?” I asked. Even in the two and a half months I’d been home, I hadn’t managed to reacquaint myself fully with the town.

“The first is down near the docks. Come on, I’ll get the check.”

“Let me get the tip, then?”

She nodded. “Sounds good.”

As she paid the bill, I left a generous tip on the table. Times were tough, and waitressing wasn’t the easiest way to earn a living.

The drive down to the docks was easy enough, and parking was plentiful. Most people were at work, or they didn’t fancy being down at the pier on a blustery day. And blustery it was. February often saw snow in Western Washington, or stormy, rainy days. We’d had the snow in January and the forecast said we were probably through with it for the winter, but the rain and chill just kept coming.

“I’m looking forward to spring,” I said. “My favorite season is autumn, but this has been a long winter, and it started in November for me.”

“How much do you miss your old job?” Astra asked.

“I don’t, not really. In fact, when I think about it, I’m kind of relieved. They were a bunch of assholes, and I hated having to dim my light. But the downside is that I got used to making so many matches there that I feel rather useless here. And now, Aphrodite’s saying I may not be walking fully in the right direction, so I don’t know what to think.”

“Do you believe she’s right?” My aunt put the car in park, and we unfastened our seatbelts.

As I slung my purse over my shoulder, I frowned, wanting to answer honestly. “Yes, and no. I suppose. I don’t know. The part of me that wants to see those successes pile up, well, that side of me feels like I’m failing. I feel like I’ve slacked off. I know, though, that here—in Midnight Point—I can’t just hustle like I used to. Life doesn’t work like that here.”

“True enough, and that’s a valuable lesson to learn. For what it’s worth, Maisy, I’m proud of you. I see you struggling with this, but in the end, what matters is the quality of what you’ve done, not sheer volume. You could make a dozen matches in a week but if over half of them fall apart, then they really don’t count.”

I laughed. “With divorce rates what they are, I guess I’m doing pretty good. I checked in on some of my previous clients from my old job, and they’re all still together. I have like…a 99 percent track record, which is excellent.”

“Excellent? It’s almost perfect. I doubt if most matchmakers can claim that.”

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