Page 42 of Bitten By Desire
Zoey shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She stood up. “Come on, the first open house has already started.”
I groaned. “The first one?”
“Mhm. We have several. I’m determined to find you the perfect house so you never leave.”
“I’m not even sure it’s safe to leave your house right now.”
“Of course it is. Everyone is on high alert. No one else is going to be…mauled to death? Is that the right word?”
I nodded. Yeah, that was probably how I’d put it too. Which was why I didn’t want to leave the house.
“Also, I don’t think vampires maul anything. Theybite.” She glanced at my neck.
Even though she claimed vampires didn’t exist, she seemed to be bringing it up just as much as I was. “What else do we know about vampires? Do they have golden eyes?”
“No one knows anything about them. Because they don’t exist. Come on, let’s go.” Zoey walked toward the door.
The only thing worse than venturing out there was staying in here all alone. I grabbed my camera and hurried after her. I expected a ghost town outside, with everyone too scared to walk around. But if anything, it was the opposite. The sidewalks were more crowded than they’d been yesterday for the festival.
“Why aren’t people scared?” I asked. Whether it was a vampire, serial killer, or a normal murderer loose…it was still dangerous.
“I told you, nothing like this ever happens around here. And it won’t happen again. Plus, I’m sure everyone’s curious about what’s going on.”
We walked past a group of women power walking down the street. They all glared at Zoey like she was the scum of the earth.
“Speaking of being curious,” I said. “Is it just me, or does it seem like a lot of the women in this town dislike you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The power walkers back there.” I pointed over my shoulder. “And the women at the coffee shop a few days ago. They all kind of stare evilly at you.”
Zoey laughed. “No way.”
Was she really not aware of this? “I swear, Zoey. Do you think maybe you’re flirting a little too much with their husbands?”
“I don’t think so. I barely flirt at all. And it’s part of the job. I’m a people pleaser.”
I was worried she was pleasing her clients in a different way. “Just be careful. Those women really seem kind of pissed.” Or did they look hungry like Callum had looked last night? I stared at another glaring woman. Nope, she was just normal mad.
“I feel like you’re exaggerating. I’m pretty sure I’d notice if women were glaring at me at every turn.”
“If you say so.”
“We’re at our first house!” she said, and pulled me through the open white picket gate. The house was pretty much an exact replica of hers. She went straight to the kitchen and started talking about how nice the counters were.
It was weird that all the houses here looked so similar. I was starting to lean toward the serial killer option. This town screamed the perfect place for cookie cutter victims.
I picked up the listing and tried to hide my reaction to the price. How on earth had Zoey afforded her place? There was no way that private fitness instructors made this much money. Right?
“Look at the veins in the quartz,” she said and traced one of the golden lines. “I’m starting to think I need to update my kitchen.”
“Isn’t your house only five years old?”
She nodded. “And it’s starting to show, I think.”
No. No it wasn’t. “Zoey, I can’t afford a place anywhere near this price.”
“Really?”
