by Jodi Vaughn
“I figured. We had shrimp salad for dinner. I saved you some in the refrigerator.” I finished loading the dishwasher then added the soap and turned it on.
“Sounds great.” He gave me a tired smile. “I think I’ll have some wine with that. Would you like a glass?” He pulled a bottle out of the wine refrigerator and poked around in the drawer for the corkscrew. I always loved a glass of wine after dinner, but lately, I had lost my taste for it. Or maybe it was because I was still bitter about what Miles had done to me.
I had to make this work. I had to try for my daughters. I wasn’t going to tear their family apart just because their father was a selfish asshole.
“I’d love a glass,” I said as I finished wiping down the counters and setting everything to rights. I loved a clean house. It gave me a sense of peace and comfort.
Arianna said it was because I was a neat freak. Lately, I’d not felt like that. I’d felt like everything was spinning out of control. Maybe that’s why cleaning always made me feel better. It was something I could control.
Miles pulled down two long-stemmed wine glasses. Those were my favorite, and I usually only used them on special occasions. Miles knew that. Maybe he was making an effort. Perhaps he really was sorry for what he had done. Maybe he now realized what he stood to lose. He poured me a liberal amount of the ruby-colored liquid into the glass and handed it to me.
I took it. “Thanks.”
“Long day?” he asked. He used to ask me about my day all the time, but as the years passed, he stopped.
I smiled. “Yes.” The small gesture touched me.
“How about you? Any interesting cases?” I took a sip of the cabernet and sighed as the wine slid down my throat.
“Same old, same old.” He chuckled and took a drink.
I went to the fridge and pulled out the Tupperware container of shrimp salad I had put up for him. I grabbed a plate and poured the meal onto it. It was weird how I fell right back into making him dinner. As if nothing had happened between us. It gave me a sense of comfort and stability.
He eased onto the barstool and set his wine to the side.
I slid the plate in front of him and took another sip of my wine. I really didn’t want it, but Miles was making an effort, so I decided that I could make an effort, as well. I walked around the kitchen counter and eased onto the seat next to him.
“This is really good, Rachel,” he said before forking another bite into his mouth. He reached over and grabbed my hand.
I froze. It had been so long since he’d touched me in such a simple yet profound way. In our early years of marriage, we’d made an effort to touch each other often. Keeping our hands off each other had been hard. But as the years went by, and responsibilities and children and stresses crept in, we hadn’t touched as much. I squeezed his hand. He looked at me over his glass of wine. An expression of something easy and familiar filled his gaze. It was a look I hadn’t seen in a while.
For the first time in ages, I felt hope.
“Are you ready for the party Friday night?” he asked.
“I guess. I’m not sure what to wear. It’s been a while since I went to one.” Miles hadn’t gone the last few years due to his work schedule. He’d always been on call when they held the party. But this year, he was off.
“You’ll probably have to get a new dress since you’ve lost so much weight.” He smiled.
“I’d forgotten about that.” I’d been too busy trying to make sure I was staying out of the sun and getting a supply of blood to worry about clothing choices.
He gave me an odd look. I pulled my hand away from his and took another sip of wine.
“Who will be at the party?”
“The people I work with. All the doctors and their wives.”
My stomach knotted. I usually liked going to parties where I got a chance to dress up. But just thinking about this party made my head hurt.
“I’ll go shopping tomorrow and see what I can find to wear. Black tie, right?”
“Yep. My tux is ready to go.”
“Good, then all I have to worry about is what I’m wearing,” I said.
I got up from my seat. Miles grabbed my wrist. I looked down at him.
“Rachel, I miss you in our bed,” he said softly.
His voice made my chest ache.
“I know.” It was the only thing I could think to say.
He stood and slid his hands up my arms to my face. He gently rubbed his thumb against my cheek and stared down into my eyes. He looked at me the way he always looked at me, with love. I swallowed hard, a little afraid of the kiss that I knew was coming. He bent his head and placed his lips on mine. The embrace was gentle and caressing and warm. It was comforting.
I opened my mouth, and he deepened the kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned toward him. He kissed me long and deep, and it felt like old times, like when we’d first gotten married. His hand slid down my back and rested on my hip. I tensed but didn’t pull away.
When he broke the kiss, he looked into my eyes. “I love you, Rachel.”
“I love you, too.” I did. He was the father of my children. He was my husband. He’d hurt me deeply, but God help me, I still loved him.
“Mom, can you sign this? It’s for a field trip next month.” Gabby ran into the kitchen waving a piece of paper. “Hi, Daddy.”
Miles let go of me and stepped back. “Hey, Pumpkin.”
I signed the paper then watched the interaction between my husband and my child. Something warmed in my chest. Home. This was our home. And we were a family.
I wouldn’t sleep that night. I couldn’t. But I did get into the bed with Miles. We didn’t have sex and after he’d fallen asleep, I slipped out of our room and made my way into the living room.
I opened my computer and pulled up the designer boutiques in town that specialized in black-tie events. I clicked through the dresses until I found one that caught my eye and, fortunately for me, it was in my size. Or what I hoped was my size. The plan was to get there when they opened and get the dress. Hopefully, it wouldn’t need any alterations. But with my weight loss, there was no way to know for sure. I closed my laptop and tucked my feet under me on the couch. Everything would be okay. And this party was going to be the first step back into my old life.
Chapter 24
After I had dropped the girls off at school, I hurried over to Tara’s Boutique to try and find a dress for the party. Tara’s was the best shop in town for little black dresses and gowns.
It was an unusually bright day, and I made sure to wear long sleeves and skinny jeans, despite the temperature being in the seventies. I adjusted my oversized sunglasses and pulled my long hair forward to help shield my face from the sun.
I slid out of the car and hurried to the front door of the boutique. My short boots clacked on the sidewalk with every step.
I stepped inside, and the bell over the door rang. Mrs. Jenkins, the owner of Tara’s, came out from behind a rack of gowns.
“Mrs. Jones.” She smiled broadly. Her salt-and-pepper hair was pulled up into a tight bun, and she had an apron over her black dress that held all her alteration supplies. “I’m so glad to see you. It’s been too long.” She took my hand between hers and squeezed.
“Yes, it has, Mrs. Jenkins.” I gave her a warm smile. “I’m hoping you still have a dress that I saw on your website. I’m kind of in a bind and need it today, and I don’t have time to get it altered.” I bit my lip.
“Of course. Anything for you, dear.” She released my hand and ran her assessing gaze down my body. “My dear, you’ve lost some weight.”
“I have.”
“Well, you look wonderful. Although you have always been beautiful.” She tapped her finger to the corner of her brown eyes. “And do I detect some Botox?”
I swallowed and forced a laugh. “Well, I’ve always had that done.”
“Yes, but you look radiant. And there’s not a line in sight. You must tell me who you are usi
ng.”
“Oh, just getting Miles to shoot my face up.” I shrugged. “I think it’s having a cumulative effect and finally kicking in,” I lied and looked around the store.
“I see. Well, let’s go find that dress, shall we? What color was it?”
“It was a deep blue. Almost sapphire.”
“Ah, yes. I know just the dress.” Her smile widened. “Come with me.”
I followed her over to the section of blue gowns. I loved coming to Tara’s. The dresses were always displayed by color and not size. The entire room looked like a rainbow.
After a quick second or two, Mrs. Jenkins pulled out a stunning blue dress and held it up.
“Is this it, dear?” she asked.
I could feel my eyes lighting up. My chest expanded with excitement.
“Yes.” I reached out. The silky material slid between my fingers like melted butter.
“Let’s get you a dressing room.” Mrs. Jenkins marched over to one of the private cubicles and unlocked the door. “I’ll go pick out some other dresses in case this one doesn’t work.”
“Oh, no need.” My gaze was glued to the dress. “I won’t be trying any others on. This is the dress for me.”
“That confident, are you? I love it.” She clasped her hands together and shut the door behind her, leaving me alone.
I quickly undressed and stood in the middle of the small room in nothing but my panties and bra. I looked at my reflection. Even under the harsh lights, I still looked good. Maybe being a vampire had its perks.
I slid the dress off the hanger and unzipped it. I pulled the material over my hips and up my body. I zipped the dress up as far as I could reach. I opened the door and stepped out.
“Oh my.” Mrs. Jenkins’ face lit up. “You look like a dream come to life.” She pressed her hand to her lips and stared at me with unshed tears.
“Thank you.” I gave her my back. “If you could just zip me up…”
“Of course.”
Once zipped, I walked into the next room where there was a platform in the middle of the room and mirrors on all four walls.
I carefully stepped onto the platform and lifted my gaze to the mirror in front of me.
The dress clung to my curves, accentuating my now-slimmer figure. The color looked great against my skin and brought out the blue of my eyes.
Mrs. Jenkins was right. I looked like a dream.
“Well, well, well.” Veronica’s cackling voice scraped across me like sand blasting across my flesh.
My stomach dropped. Veronica was the last person I wanted to see, and the only one who could ruin my good mood.
“I’m surprised to see you here, Rachel,” Veronica quipped.
I turned to the doorway and kept my expression neutral.
“Hello, Veronica.” I decided to ignore her last comment. Veronica was just trying to bait me. She was probably still pissed that I had almost run her over.
“What are you doing here?” Veronica asked and took a few steps into the room. I glanced around the space for Mrs. Jenkins, only to see her horrified expression when she spotted Veronica. The older woman made a quick escape out of the room.
I didn’t blame her. Veronica had that effect on people.
“Since I’m obviously trying on a dress, it would appear I’m shopping.” I gave her my profile and continued to admire my reflection.
She was always making digs about my appearance, like how I looked tired. Not to be mean, but Veronica had no room to talk. She was overweight, average-looking, and had horrendous breath. I never understood why someone so unattractive could find fault with others.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. Usually, I tried to avoid conversation with Veronica. She was a snake and a gossip with nothing better to do than stick her nose into other people’s private matters.
“I followed you here to talk.” Veronica smirked.
A shiver ran down my spine. “You followed me here?” I knew she was crazy, but I had no idea she was batshit crazy.
“I can’t seem to find you out during the day anymore.” She curled her lips into a smirk. “You left me no choice but to follow you.”
“Stalk much?” I arched my eyebrow.
Her smirk slid off her face. “I needed to talk to you. Besides, I don’t think you want the whole town to find out about this.”
My stomach turned. Shit. Veronica knew what I was. Somehow, she knew that I was a vampire. Or a soon-to-be vampire. I wasn’t sure how long the transition took. Khalan never said.
How the hell had she found out? I bet the old bat had some kind of satellite pointed at my house and had been filming me twenty-four-seven.
“What do you want, Veronica?” I narrowed my eyes.
“I wanted to let you know that Arianna has been sexting a boy at school. Elizabeth Grace saw her phone and can verify.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “When there are problems at home, it always trickles down to the children.”
My mouth dropped open.
Veronica’s cruel lips curled up to a smirk again.
“I think you are mistaken,” I said tightly. It was best to say nothing until I got home. I bit my lip to keep from lashing out at the old bat. I knew that she could make life unbearable for me. It was best to shut up and get out of the store as fast as possible.
“My daughter doesn’t lie,” she snarked.
Anger flared in my gut. I spun around on my heel. “Arianna doesn’t lie either,” I countered. I could feel the blood pulse in my veins, and my head began to swim. If I didn’t get out of that store, I was going to hurt Veronica.
“Mrs. Jones, would you like me to hem that dress for you?” Mrs. Jenkins peeked out from behind a mannequin dressed in a white ball gown. Her eyes flickered over to Veronica, and I knew the older woman didn’t want to be in her crosshairs, but she didn’t want to lose a sale either.
I held my arms out to my sides and glanced down the front of the dress.
“Actually, I think it fits perfectly.” I looked up at her and smiled. “It may drag on the floor a little, but I can hold it when I walk and wear taller heels.” I smiled at her.
“Oh, good.” She let out an audible sigh and headed to the back of the store. “I can put it on your account if you wish,” she called over her shoulder.
“Yes, thank you,” I said. I didn’t blame the seamstress for not hanging around. I turned back and faced Veronica.
“Rachel, don’t worry. I haven’t told anyone else about this. And I made Elizabeth Grace promise not to say anything either.” She tilted her chin upward. “As long as Arianna and Elizabeth Grace remain friends, then I’m sure this will all just go away.”
I was being fucked, and I didn’t like it. I knew that Veronica was a vicious bitch, but to blackmail my child was beyond vile. Veronica was pure evil. But I wasn’t about to question my child’s character over some stupid rumor.
I didn’t say anything as Veronica turned on her heel and walked her chubby ass out the front door. Anger blazed behind my eyes.
I slammed my fist into the wall. Pain raced through my hand, and I cradled it to my chest. Mrs. Jenkins came running around the corner and stopped when she saw me. Her gaze landed on the wall, and her eyes widened.
“What happened here?” she asked.
I followed her gaze to the wall and froze. I’d knocked a hole in it.
I started to blame it on Veronica, I really and truly did, but in the end, I told the truth.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Jenkins. I did that.” I looked at the door and narrowed my gaze. “Veronica just makes me so mad.”
“She scares me,” Mrs. Jenkins admitted and looked at me. “I wish I were as brave as you, but I’m afraid to be in the same room with her.” She shook her head. “She takes my words and twists them into lies. And if you go against her, she spreads vicious rumors that are more lie than truth.”
“I know.” And now I was Veronica’s next victim. “Just put the repairs on my bill, as well. And again, I’
m so sorry.” I headed into the dressing room and slipped out of the beautiful, blue dress. I took my time and hung up the gown before placing it back into its protective bag.
Only Veronica could ruin my perfect day.
Chapter 25
By the time I arrived home, I was exhausted. Between the run-in with Veronica and the exposure to the sun, I was physically and emotionally drained.
I hung up my new dress and slid into bed. I pulled the covers over my head and quickly fell asleep.
“What were you thinking?”
I was jolted awake by a dark, thunderous voice. I forced my leaden eyes open. Khalan stood over me with a glare on his face.
“What time is it?” I could tell it was still light outside from the sunlight trying to creep under and around the closed curtains. “What are you doing here? I thought you were away on business or vacation or something.” I forced myself up into a seated position.
“How could you?” His eyes were dark and angry. I’d never seen him look so dangerous and deadly.
“What are you talking about?” I leaned back.
“You took animal blood.”
I blinked. “I took some blood from a raccoon, yes. He offered it. Plus, it wasn’t like I drained him.”
He was deadly silent.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why didn’t you tell me that I could drink animal blood? I could have been doing that all along.”
“Because it’s wrong. You are taking blood from an animal that hasn’t done anything to you.” His eyes blazed.
I flung the covers back and stood.
“Yet you would rather I take human blood? How wrong is that?”
“You are such a snob to place human life over that of an animal. An animal has never hurt you.”
“And a human has never hurt you,” I countered.
“That’s where you are wrong. The most savage animals of all are humans.” Pain slashed through his dark eyes.
I wrapped my arms around myself and studied the floor. Immense guilt hit me in the gut.
“You’re asking me to choose between animal blood and human blood. It’s not like I’m taking their life.”