Page 17 of Road Trip with a Vampire
As much as I didn’t want to get mixed up in whatever Peter’s deal was, I was curious about who he had been. Maybe I could even help him. His journal entries might not ring any bells for him, but I’d been all over the world multiple times. Maybe seeing dates and places might give me ideas on who past-him had been.
No. This was none of my business, and it needed to stay that way. I picked up the journal from the coffee table, then placed it on the rickety table by my front door so I wouldn’t be tempted.
To my surprise, the table didn’t wobble at all.
Peter walked out of my bedroom a few minutes later, fully dressed except for his shoes. Seeing him with damp hair and in his socks first thing in the morning was so unexpectedly intimate I had to look away.
“Thanks for the shower,” he said. “And for letting me stay last night.”
“Of course.” I pointed to the table by the door. “So, I know this is a weird question, but did you do something to that table? Igot that thing used for five dollars, and it’s always wobbled. Except now it doesn’t.”
“Yes,” he said. “I fixed it.”
I blinked at him. “Seriously?”
He shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
“What did you fix it with?” I did not and never had owned a single tool. If I needed something fixed, I either used magic or paid someone to take care of it for me.
He waggled his fingers. “These. It just needed a nut tightened. All you need for that is your hands if you know what you’re doing.”
Each of his large fingers was easily twice the width of mine. How had he managed to manipulate something as small as a nut with nothing but his bare hands?
“Well,” I said, trying to cover my surprise. “Now I know, I guess. Thanks for doing that.” I smiled at him. “That wobble was pretty annoying.”
“It was nothing.” He walked towards the front door, where he’d set his shoes and his duffel bag. “Guess I’ll be going.”
“Going where?” The question was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. What did I care where he was going? I didn’t.
He paused, his hand on the doorknob. “It’s overcast today, so I’d like to explore the area.” He turned, his brown eyes finding mine. “It’s nice. The, uh…the area, I mean.”
“It is,” I agreed. “Though I wouldn’t have thought a place that’s sunny most of the year would appeal to you.”
“Feels like I’ve been running for a long time,” he said. I related to that more than I was comfortable expressing to this person I’d just met. “I’d like to stop running for a while. See if it helps.”
“With your memories?”
“That, too.” He paused. “I also think it might help, being near someone who knows my full story.” Another pause. “Meaning you.”
A warning flare went off in my mind. “Look,” I said. “I’m glad I could help you in your time of need and all that, but I’m not looking for a vampire friend.” After all, I’d run away in large part to shake old supernatural habits loose.
Peter stiffened, making me realize that my words—while true—had come out more harshly than I’d intended. In a softer tone, I added, “But if knowing that I’m nearby helps you…I suppose that’s okay.”
His shoulders relaxed minutely. “Thank you.”
“I have to go teach now,” I said. “You can stay a little longer if you want. Just until you figure out where you’re heading next.”
Peter’s eyes widened. “I—thank you,” he said again.
Neither of us moved from where we stood by the front door. I held his gaze for longer than necessary, watching how the light from the window cast shadows across his handsome features.
Heat flushed the back of my neck, stained my cheeks.
And then, before I could stop myself from saying it: “You’re welcome to take classes at the studio.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I am?”
I hesitated. Was Isureabout this? “Yes,” I said.
