Page 27 of Bad Luck Vampire

“Oh yeah, right. You went out last night with Tybo, and today get flowers from someone named Alasdair... who is no one?” Megan snorted. “Come on, fess up. Who is he? Someone you’ve been having secret trysts with?”

“Trysts? What are you, eighty?” Bobby teased his sister. When she punched him in the arm in response, he just laughed and turned to Sophie to raise his eyebrows. “So, who is Alasdair? You know Megan won’t leave it alone until you explain this.”

“What I know is that none of you will leave it alone until I explain,” Sophie countered a bit irritably as she headed back to the break room. She needed a minute to absorb the situation. Alasdair had sent her flowers. Alasdair. Whom she had lusted after last night like a bitch in heat, but had hardly exchanged more than a handful of words with. What did it mean?

“So?” Megan prompted as they entered the break room. “Who is Alasdair?”

Sophie rolled her eyes, but picked up her coffee cup and gave an uncaring shrug before saying, “He’s the groom’s cousin and one of the people who kept me company while Tybo was busy with his duties as best man.”

“Right.” Megan nodded, and then asked, “So, just how did he keep you company? A little footsie under the table? Sneaking away for a little make out session?”

“Yeah, and then we went behind the tent and had a quicky,” Sophie said dryly.

“Really?” Lise squealed with excitement.

Sophie scowled at her with irritation. “No, not really. Jeez. I would never have a quicky behind a wedding tent with a virtual stranger, especially while on a date with someone else.”

“You didn’t have sex and still got flowers like that?” Lise’s expression was dubious.

Sophie scowled at her coworker. “It’s the truth. Alasdair and I didn’t even dance, and hardly said more than a handful of words to each other. He literally just sat beside me during the ceremony and then during the dinner.”

“Really? That’s it?” Megan asked, not bothering to hide her own doubt.

“If you only exchanged a handful of words, how did he know where you work to send the flowers here?” Bobby asked before she could respond.

Sophie stared at him blankly. She had no idea. She did recall mentioning that she was an IT manager for the family business, but she hadn’t said the name of the insurance company or anything. He must have learned where she worked from Tybo, she decided, though she didn’t recall telling him where she worked either. Shrugging that aside, she said, “Tybo must have told him.”

All three said “Humph,” one after the other, and Sophie shook her head at the trio. “You guys are too much. A man sent me flowers. It’s not a big deal.”

“Right, you just keep telling yourself that,” Bobby said with amusement.

Shaking her head again, Sophie grabbed her coffee and headed for the door. “I should get back to work. I came in early this morning and planned to skip my breaks and lunch to make up for leaving early yesterday.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Mr. Tomlinson said from behind his paper.

“I know,” Sophie said, smiling at the man despite the fact that his paper was up and he wouldn’t see it. “But I don’t want to take advantage.”

Mr. Tomlinson grunted. “Good girl.”

Sophie grinned, and without waiting for further comment, left the room to return to her office.

The sight of the flowers on her desk made her smile as she entered. They were beautiful, and such a cheery addition. But on top of that, they were from Alasdair. She hadn’t really believed Tybo when he’d said Alasdair was obviously attracted to her. Well, she kind of had. She’d noticed that every time she’d looked his way he was looking back. And there had been those two brief moments when she’d been sure he was about to kiss her, which would have been a terrible awful thing since she was on a date with Tybo, she reminded herself. But she hadn’t been sure that would mean Alasdair might call her, let alone imagined that he would send such a beautiful floral arrangement.

Thinking of You the balloon and card both said. She didn’t know if that was true and he was thinking of her, but the flowers and card were certainly making her think of him. In fact, she suddenly wondered if he’d already tried to call her.

Sitting at her desk, she bent to the side to open the large bottom right-hand drawer to reveal her purse. She then dug through that for her phone and checked to see if there were any missed calls. There weren’t. Alasdair hadn’t called.

Sophie set the phone on her desk rather than return it to her purse, and then found herself staring at it, hoping it would ring. But after a couple of moments, she realized what she was doing and gave herself a mental slap.

“Back to work,” she muttered firmly, and managed, with some difficulty, to force her attention back to work.

“Arghh!” That shocked roar exploded from Alasdair’s mouth as he shot upright in bed. He then blinked in confusion and anger at his four uncles who stood around his bed, watching him blink water from his eyes.

“There ye are, lad. Are ye awake now?” his uncle Connor asked with amusement.

“Am I awake?” he bellowed with disbelief. “I’m soakin’ wet! What the devil did ye throw on me?”

“Just water, boy,” Connor said. “We were tryin’ to wake ye up.”

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