Page 14 of My Big Fat Vampire Wedding
Rolling the tension out of her shoulders, Pandora moved out from behind the counter and made her way toward Victor’s table.
It took him a long second to snap out of his own mind and notice she was standing there.
When he did, she could have sworn she saw something warm flash in his eyes. Though that was almost certainly her own wishful thinking.
“Victor,” she said, passing him his coffee and then pulling out the chair opposite him to sit down. “I was wondering if I could discuss a potential … arrangement with you.”
6
“An arrangement?” Victor asked, reaching for his macchiato. Their hands brushed on the paper cup, making a shiver course down Pandora’s spine. She tried not to squirm in her seat. Or rub her thumb over the back of his hand like some creep.
“You see, those notes you were reading, they weren’t actually for a play,” she said, feeling like her belly was wobbling, knowing how she was opening herself up to ridicule if Victor thought she was peculiar.
“OK,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.
Pandora absolutely did not watch the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Because that would have been insane.
“What is it, then?” he said when she didn’t immediately tell him.
“They’re notes my friend Lucy and I are making upfor the perfect … OK.” She paused, sucking in a deep breath. She didn’t actually need to breathe, of course, but the more time she spent around humans, the more she picked up on the many ways they used breathing to express themselves.
Sighs, deep exhales, sucking in a deep breath to prepare to do or say something uncomfortable.
Besides, if she was going to be out in public with humans, she needed to act like them. She had long since made herself take occasional breaths in case anyone was watching her too closely.
“I just want to preface this by saying that I’m not, you know, bananas or anything.”
“Always a great opener,” Victor said, deadpan, starting to look like he was regretting agreeing to hear her out.
“It’s going to sound ridiculous,” she told him. “But I’m serious. The situation is serious.”
“OK. What were the notes for, then?”
“We were compiling a list of potential traits for a husband.” Pandora watched as Victor’s brows rose and his eyes widened, clearly thinking she was not only ridiculous, but one of those pathetic, needy women who bordered on stalkers. “Not a real husband,” she added hurriedly. “A fake one.”
“For a book?” he asked, frowning. He clearly wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt here, but she was mucking it up.
“No, for the arrangement I mentioned,” Pandora said. Then, resting her arms on the tabletop, she leaned forward. “I’m looking for someone to act like my fake husband.”
To his credit, he only raised one brow at that.
“What for?”
“Well, see, my birthday is coming up. And, according to my parents, it’s a very important birthday.”
“Which one is it?” he asked.
“My one …” she started automatically, before catching herself. “My twenty-fifth.”
“What’s so special about that one?”
“It’s when I’m supposed to get my inheritance,” she told him, watching as surprise flashed across his gorgeous eyes. It wasn’t every day that you heard someone was from that kind of wealth. Most people were just trying to get by.
“You’re some kind of heiress?” Victor asked, likely trying to figure out why she was working at a coffee shop, then. But also probably assuming that wealthy people could be quirky and expect her to prove she was responsible enough for her wealth by working a normal job for a few years.
Pandora wanted to deny that.
But it was the best way to describe her situation.
