“Do you still feel married?”
“I feel…” He paused. “More like a parent with a prodigal child. Hmm. That’s the first time I’ve put that thought into words, but it’s true. It also sums up why it would be easier to have her back. So I can protect her. That is, more easily than I do now.”
She understood the desire to protect and assist those who needed it. That was another trait of being valkyrie. Although for a valkyrie, it was more about those who were worthy of protection, not a sense of responsibility. That was probably a big part of why she’d agreed to help him. It was in her makeup. Finding the right book for a person was the same thing, just on a much smaller scale. “And if she doesn’t want you back? Not saying that’s going to be the case, just curious what you’ll do then.”
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “I don’t know. I’ve spent my years waiting for her to return. I always knew she would. I never wanted to think about if she didn’t. But she has, and she claims to want us to be together again. All I need from dinner is for her to realize she’s going to have to make me want that too.”
Tessa nodded. “You want her to work for it. To make up for all the time you’ve spent waiting.” She smiled. “You want to make her pay a little too, don’t you?”
A glimmer of something lit his eyes. “Does that make me an awful person?”
“I think it makes you shockingly normal.”
He smiled and laughed a little, giving her a glimpse of his fangs. “I can’t say I’ve been called that very often in my life. Thank you for doing this. I confess I judged you harshly at first but I see now that you are an intelligent woman and very capable of carrying out this charade. You’ll make an excellent addition to Harmswood.”
“Thank you. I certainly hope I get the job.”
“Unless this thing goes horribly wrong, I rather think you’ve earned the job just by being a part of this. You’re certainly qualified. And I think we’ll work very well together.”
“Well, that’s good to know. And appreciated. I hope this all works out for you the way you’d like.” She drained the last of her chocolate. The sugar rush was almost instantaneous, but so were the images of her and Sebastian working well together. Images she was sure he hadn’t intended to create. Images that had nothing to do with work.
She cleared her throat, desperate for a new topic. “With that in mind, we’d better dig a little deeper.”
Sebastian nodded, slightly distracted by the flush of color in Tessa’s cheeks. “We should dig deeper, I agree, but are you feeling all right?”
“Yes, why?”
“You look flushed.”
She laughed nervously. “Probably just the sugar rush. It tends to do that to me.”
“I see. Well, looks good on you.” A new thought hit him. “Say, would you like to get a drink?”
“I just had one.”
“I mean an actual drink. An adult beverage.” The desire for a glass of whiskey had hit him hard and with a kind of rare pull he almost never gave into. Perhaps he was changing as a person after all, because this new impulsive side of him was certainly not something he’d experienced before.
“Oh. All right, I suppose I could have one.”
“Not much of a drinker?”
She bobbed her head back and forth. “I prefer to remain in control of my faculties.”
Which confirmed his earlier thought about her. “I can understand that, but one won’t hurt, will it?”
She made a face that was a cross between a smile and a grimace. “I haven’t had dinner yet.”
“And yet, you just had cake.” He smirked. “Isn’t having dessert before your meal breaking some sort of rule?”
“Yes, but, well, I was hungry and there wasn’t much else to choose from but sweets.”
He put a hand to his chest. “Barely engaged an hour and already I’ve failed you. How about some dinner, then? To go with our drinks.”
“Okay. That would be great. You have a place in mind?”
“I do.”
And ten minutes later, they were walking into the Poisoned Apple, the local pub. Or the nearest thing to one. It wasn’t a place he frequented often, but neither was any other place in town. He’d heard Delaney mention it and her taste was decent enough.
He slipped the hostess some cash to get them a good table quickly. Unlike his brothers, he wasn’t as well known and couldn’t trade on his name as easily to curry favor, but he was fine with that. Privacy was more important to him.
They were seated at a booth in the back corner. It was quiet, unlike the bar, and secluded enough to feel like a safe space to carry on a personal conversation. He looked at Tessa as the server greeted them. “What would you like to drink? A nice red?”
Her mouth curved up on one side. “Beer.” She glanced up at the server. “Whatever lager you have on tap will do.”
The waitress nodded. “And for you, sir?”
“The best whiskey you have. Neat.”
“I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
As the girl left, he leaned toward Tessa. “I hadn’t expected you to drink beer.”
“What did you think I’d order?”
“White wine? Or maybe a wine spritzer. But definitely not beer.”
She laughed. “It’s a valkyrie thing. We have fairly simple, rustic tastes.”
“Simple and rustic now seem the least two likely adjectives I’d use to describe you.”
She smiled and went a little shy at the compliment, which was oddly endearing. Then he realized she probably didn’t get many compliments. The thought that she was being underappreciated by those around her bothered him.
She smoothed the edge of her placemat. “We should work on our stories.”
“Our stories?”
She nodded. “How we met, how you proposed, those stories. They seem like things your ex will ask about.”
“Ah, yes, very good. I’m sure she will. We ought to figure out what we want to eat first. I’m having the steak, I know that much.”
“The sirloin?”
He scoffed. “Not hardly. The aged porterhouse. It’s the only choice if you like steak, which most vampires do. It’s one of their specialties.” At least that’s what he’d heard from Hugh.
Her gaze slid down the menu until she found it. No doubt she was looking at the price. It was the most expensive choice. “That’s a lot of meat.”
“You can take the leftovers home to your sister. Proof that I fed you, in case she asks.”
Tessa smiled. “Okay. Oh, that reminds me. I should text her that I’m eating out.” She closed her menu, pulled out her phone and sent the message. After she tucked her phone away, she gazed at him, her line of sight going right through him. “Where on earth would we have met? You said you don’t like to leave the house.”
“Easy. We’ll say we met at one of my grandmother’s social functions. She hosts them all the time. Balls for all sorts of things. Charity events. Whatever the town needs. I think it’s one of her best ways of gleaning gossip. We’ll say you were there as a guest of your sister.”
Tessa nodded. “That works, but we should be specific. Which event?”
“How about the Black and Orange Ball? While it’s not actually a charity event, it is one of the most popular things that happens around here. It’s the Halloween party my grandmother’s been throwing for years. It’s a huge deal. People come from all over to attend. It’s a perfectly legitimate way for us to have met as I am forced into attending every year.”
“Okay. Where is it held?”
“My grandmother’s estate.”
“Any chance I could see that tomorrow? Just to have a sense of what it looks like?”
He hesitated. “That would mean bringing my grandmother into this and I’d prefer not to do that. I have pictures from past events I can show you though. As for Elenora, well, she has an intense dislike for Evangeline—”
“I’d be surprised if you said otherwise.
Most grandmothers are pretty protective.”
“Mine is no exception.” He grimaced, thinking about what Elenora would do if given the opportunity to confront Evangeline in person. “What else do we need to work out?”
Tessa bit her lip. “Well, we’ve only been seeing each other since the end of October and we’re already engaged? You don’t seem like you’d act that quickly.”
“I wouldn’t.” Although he wasn’t entirely sure. His and Evangeline’s marriage had been arranged, so no proposal necessary. “We’ll say we met at the ball the year before. Good enough?”
“Yes. Now, how and where did you propose?”
He smiled. “At this year’s ball, since that’s where we met.”
“I like that. It’s romantic.”
“Evangeline won’t buy me being romantic.”
Tessa made a face. “Then she doesn’t know you very well. I think anyone can be romantic under the right set of circumstances.”
He smiled. He very much liked the way she thought.
The server returned with their drinks and took their order. When she’d left, Sebastian raised his glass. “To success.”
Tessa lifted her beer. “To success.”
They clinked glasses and drank.
He swallowed and tipped his head to one side. “What if she Googles you?”
Tessa shrugged. “What if she does?”
“Is she going to find anything about you online that says you live elsewhere? I apologize, I don’t recall where you moved from.”
“Ohio, and no, I doubt she’ll find anything. I used to run the Northeast Ohio Library’s Facebook page, but my name wasn’t on it, just the head librarian’s.”
“You’re not listed on the library’s main website, then?”
“Hah. Like Mrs. Unger would approve that.” Tessa rolled her eyes. “Nope, not listed on the website either.”
“Very good. I take it Mrs. Unger is your former boss?”
“Yes.” She wrinkled her nose.
“And not someone you’re fond of.”
“No.” Tessa sipped her beer. “I think she felt challenged by me. She’d been the head librarian for years and then I get hired right out of school with all these new ideas and…” Tessa’s brows lifted. “You know how it is.”
“Hmm. I guess I do, but I believe I might be Mrs. Unger in that scenario.”
Tessa grinned. “Why? Do you hate change?”
He nodded, reluctantly. “It’s not my favorite thing, no.”
“Why’s that?”
He leaned back, slowly turning his glass of whiskey. “If things are working the way they are, why change them?”
“What if there’s a better way to do something?”
“I don’t know if I believe that’s enough reason. And better by whose definition?”
“So if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”
“Exactly.”
She stared at him over the rim of her glass. “Is that why you’ve never gotten officially divorced from Evangeline? That seems like a broken situation that would have been fixed by changing it, don’t you think? Plus, you’re not a bad-looking guy. You could have found someone else to be with.”
He took a small amount of pleasure in her compliment, but didn’t dwell on it. Vanity was a weakness. “No.” The word came out sharper than he’d intended, but bloody hell, she was asking questions she had no right to.
Her brows went higher. “Forget I asked.”
He sighed. And lowered his voice. “I never pursued any sort of official separation from her because I couldn’t.” For several reasons, not the least of which was the promise he’d made. He’d always hoped she’d come back. It would have made his life easier, that was for certain.
“Why couldn’t you?”
“For a sire to divorce the spouse they’ve turned, it requires either the signature of the spouse, something Evangeline wouldn’t have given me, or proof of infidelity.”
“That sounds like something you could have managed.”
He stared at the table. “Yes, I can. I choose not to.”
“Because?”
The tablecloth blurred in front of his eyes. “Because I am an old-fashioned fool. I don’t want to ruin her. Or be the one to end things so distinctly.”
She peered at him. “So you ended up paying the price for her sins. I can’t imagine in all those years of being alone you never once thought about being with someone else.”
He kept his gaze on the table. “What I thought about and what I wanted were two different things. Evangeline was always foremost on my mind.” Then he picked his head up. “Some might think my loyalty a respectable quality. Especially in this day and age.”
“I’m not judging you. Just curious. You must have had some kind of amazing marriage to hold out like that. To still be holding out.”
Except that wasn’t really how he was feeling these days. He frowned. “Our marriage was arranged. Most marriages back then were, especially for those of wealth and position.”
“Then I get the loyalty, which is definitely admirable, but letting her go at this point would be completely understandable. No one expects you to keep the vows you made three hundred years ago.”
“Almost four, actually.”
“Maybe you could talk to this council. Explain things. They might make an exception.”
He thought about it. No one had ever really questioned him about this before. His brothers had tried, but he’d always shut them down as soon as they started. Eventually they knew the topic of Evangeline was off-limits and stopped bringing her up. “And yes, maybe they would make an exception, but that’s not who I am. I am a man of my word. And I value the bond we had.”
Tessa swallowed a mouthful of beer. “Does she? I’m guessing not if she left you like that.”
“She was young and impetus. Becoming…” He lowered his voice. “Becoming a vampire was an enormous change. She had wild oats to sow. And she did. Now she’s done. Ready to be my wife again.”
Or so she claimed. Was he reading too much into Evangeline’s return? Perhaps. But he knew her better than anyone. She had been a good wife. Adept at the social aspects anyway. She had never been particularly warm or affectionate toward him, but he’d always chalked that up to them getting to know each other as husband and wife.
Tessa looked unconvinced. “I just don’t get it. What on earth is holding you to her?”
The truth was on the tip of his tongue, but before he could speak, a body shoved into the seat beside him.
Julian threw his arm around Sebastian’s shoulders. “Well, look at you, out on the town. I must remember to put a big red circle around today’s date on the calendar when I get home. This has to be some kind of lunar eclipse or unknown holiday, or did some alien force invade your body and take control of your faculties?”
“Julian, this is not the time—”
“Nope, you definitely sound like Sebastian.” Julian unhooked his arm and leaned forward, planting his elbows on the table and propping his chin on his hands as he grinned at Tessa. “And you must be my dear brother’s fiancée. How wonderful.”
“I…” She looked at Sebastian as if unsure how to answer.
Julian plowed on. “Nice ring. I hope you get to keep that in the deal. You’re certainly going to earn it.”
“No, she does not get to keep the ring.” Sebastian glared at Julian. “I thought you were in Las Vegas. Again.”
“I was. And now I’m home. Miss me?”
“Not particularly. We’re trying to have dinner.”
“Please tell me you got the porterhouse.” Julian looked at Tessa. “It’s the best thing you’ll ever put in your mouth.” He wiggled his brows and laughed. “Well…”
“Julian. Enough.” Sebastian had never hit his brother, but the idea suddenly had merit. “Did you have a reason for interrupting us or was it merely for sport?”
With an enormous sigh and a huge eye roll, Julian slouched in the seat. “I wanted to see
where you were on the wedding chapel budget.”
“Nowhere. It’s ludicrous. The entire thing will have to be reworked.”
Tessa perked up a little. “What’s this about?”
Julian let out another sigh. “I’ve just opened a wedding chapel in town.”
“Like the ones in Las Vegas?” Tessa asked.
“Exactly. That’s where I got the idea. It’s all kinds of fun, something Sebastian hates, but the tourists will go nuts for it. We already had several weddings a month going on in town so adding this chapel seemed like a no-brainer. There are themed rooms and packages and all kinds of great stuff.” He glared at Sebastian. “I just need the working budget approved so I can do my grand opening.”
Sebastian scowled. “You asked for half a million dollars. It’s not happening.”
Tessa almost choked on her beer. “Wow, is that what it takes to run a wedding chapel?”
“No,” Sebastian said at the same time that Julian said, “Yes.”
Sebastian shook his head. “Nothing’s happening until this dinner with Evangeline is over with.”
Julian sat up. “Dinner? What dinner? When? Where? Are we going black tie or business casual? Hmm, what does one wear to a meal with one’s brother’s estranged wife?”
Sebastian snorted. “You are not invited.”
Tessa’s mouth curved into a little half-smile. “Why not? He would be great at distracting Evangeline.” She tipped her glass at him. “You’re very good at keeping the conversation going.”
Julian pointed at her as he spoke to Sebastian. “I like this one. She’s a keeper.”
Irritation simmered through Sebastian like escaping steam. He looked at Tessa. “You think he should come only because you don’t know him like I do.”
“Maybe. But it would be nice to have him there to help corroborate our story.”
Julian grinned, showing off his fangs. “I can corroborate like nobody’s business.”
Sebastian hung on to his sanity with his fingertips. “Fine. You can come on one condition.”
“Which is?” Julian asked.
The Vampire's Fake Fiancée (Nocturne Falls Book 5) Page 6