*****
Miriam fried the taco shells on each side, making sure they were evenly browned and crispy, then turned them upside down on a paper lined platter to drain. “You boys will have to find something else to do. No vampire hunting for you tonight.” She shot her husband a smile. “It’ll be nice having you home for a change.”
Seth didn’t look up from his computer screen, but grunted. “We can’t afford to get behind in Jael’s training. She’ll be sixteen in less than a month.”
“You don’t need to remind us of our daughter’s birthday, Seth. I’m afraid if you keep pushing her like this she’s going to rebel sooner or later. Let her have a sick day, for heaven’s sake. She’s worked hard enough to deserve one.” Miriam flipped the shells over and began filling them with beef. She knew she sounded annoyed but Seth had been monopolizing Jael ever since he showed up, and she felt as though she was slowly losing her daughter. While he stayed away in China or Vietnam, or wherever he was for the past months, she imagined a life without duty and sacrifice. A life lived quietly in this small town where no one knew them or their past, where vampires were as far-fetched to the locals as a Platypus sighting.
“Are you telling me she’s not really sick?” Seth pushed his chair back from the table abruptly and stood.
Miriam turned around, spoon in hand, and met his gaze, daring him to try her patience. “I’m saying, it doesn’t matter. She needs a break.”
Seth looked at Jesse sitting calmly across the table, munching on peanuts from a bowl she’d placed there earlier. “You don’t agree with that crazy logic, do you?” He raised his hand, thumb and forefinger nearly touching. “She is this close to V-day, and she’s still not fully prepared.”
Jesse tossed a peanut up in the air and caught it in his mouth. “That girl has never been sick a day in her life,” he said, and smiled softly at Miriam. “We’ll give her this one.”
“What?” Seth stared at them both wide-eyed with shock, then shook his head and stormed from the room, letting the front door slam after him. Moments later they heard the sound of his old Toyota spinning out in the gravel drive.
Miriam placed bowls of chopped tomato, lettuce, and cheese on the table and reached for the platter of tacos. “I guess he’s not hungry,” she said, setting it on the table as well. She snuggled onto her husband’s lap and laid her head on his shoulder. His arms automatically encircled her with a solid comfort. “Thank you,” she whispered against his soft cotton t-shirt. “I’m not fully prepared either.”
“I know.”
“Should we tell her we know she’s faking it and invite her to dinner?”
A chuckle vibrated in Jesse’s chest but was no more than a breath against her hair. “I don’t think so. She’ll come out when she’s hungry. Besides, I need some alone time with my beautiful wife.”
She lifted her head and looked into eyes as blue as a Nevada sky. “You’re a pretty sweet talker for an Amish boy,” she said, lowering her head to kiss him.
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