That sounded like the best idea ever. I smiled. “That sounds great, but I have to ask my dad. Can you wait here one second?”
He nodded.
I opened the door, peering inside to find Dad, Nick, and Mason leaning against the wall by the door. I rolled my eyes. “Dad, can I go out with him tomorrow? You could send one of the wolves to hide in the forest to watch us.”
He smiled. “That sounds fine, and I’ll be happy to do it myself. Nick needs a day off anyways.”
“No, I don’t,” Nick grumbled.
“Thanks, Dad,” I said with a smile. I shut the door and turned to Joseph. “Okay, he said I could as long as we’re back before four.” I wanted to be sure I wasn’t out after sunset.
Joseph stared at me for a moment, like he was surprised I had said yes, and then smiled. “Great. Uh, I’ll pick you up tomorrow at ten.”
“Sounds good.”
He looked at the house and then walked to his truck. I watched as he drove away and then sighed. “What the hell is going on?” I grumbled to myself.
“You’re finally at a dateable age and the boys finally have drivers’ licenses and money to take you out,” Dad said from behind me. “Are you so surprised that boys want to date you?”
I turned and looked up at him. “It’s just all so new. I mean, they’re all asking me out the same week. I don’t understand. It’d make more sense if it was spread out, but I’ve been asked out by four guys now this week.”
Dad’s eyebrows rose. “Four? Who are the four?”
“Thornton,” Coach Tanner, yelled. “We need to talk.”
He held up his finger to Tanner and looked at me. “Order a pizza for you, Nick, and Mason and then go stay in Mason’s room until I come get you.”
“Yes, sir,” I said and took the money he handed me before walking inside. Nick and Mason were already arguing over what toppings to get, so I grabbed the phone and hit the auto-dial for the pizza place.
Forty minutes later we were sitting on Mason’s bed, eating pizza, drinking soda, and watching Army of Darkness on Mason’s television. Despite the fear that lingered in my head about the vampire who had marked me, and Alfred, I felt happy. Boys were showing an interest in me, and I was actually getting to go out on dates. I had expected Dad to be reluctant to let me go out with guys, but I guessed that since I was always going to be supervised by someone from the pack, he wasn’t too worried.
I laughed along with the guys at the funny parts of the video, loving the B-movie more than any of the A-list movies that were so popular. The movie ended, and Nick put in another movie for us to watch. The bed was somewhat crowded with the three of us, but we made do by all lying on our stomachs to watch the movies. Unfortunately, I ended up falling asleep halfway through the second movie.
I was rudely woken to growling and angry male voices. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “What’s going on?”
Gary smiled at me from the doorway. “I asked them to wake you up so you could get ready for our date tonight. Thornton gave me permission to wake you and to tell you that you could leave the room now.”
I stretched my arms and smacked Mason in the back of the head. “Okay. I’ll be ready in about ten minutes.” I walked by Nick who was standing between the bed and the door, then past Gary, and into my room. What was I going to wear? I shuffled through my clothes and finally pulled out a pair of my favorite jeans and a silky blouse. I brushed my hair and tied it up into a ponytail. After checking my reflection, I slipped on my cleanest pair of tennis shoes and walked down the stairs. “Ready,” I called.
Gary walked out of the kitchen and smiled. “You look nice.”
I smiled back. “Thank you.”
He opened the front door for me, and we headed outside to his car. He opened and closed the door for me and then drove us to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. At first, I felt awkward, but the longer I spent time with Gary, the more relaxed I was. He really was a nice guy and easy on the eyes. I remembered what Mason told me and was sure to keep things just friendly, even during the movies; I kept my hands in my lap and leaned forward when he tried to put his arm around me. We drove home, and I chatted with him about the upcoming cheerleading competition. We stopped in front of the house and he turned to me with a frown. “I had fun tonight, but…” he stopped and looked down at his hands. “I just wish you would give me more of a chance. I know you’re into Nick, but I’m not a jerk like he thinks I am. I would never be like that with you.”
“Gary, I—”
He raised his hand. “I’m fine with being friends for now. I just want you to give me a shot. Just give me a chance. We still have time left before you make your choice for your mate.” He got out and walked to my door, opening it. “I did have fun though and wish we could do it more often, even if it is just as friends.”
I smiled and hugged him. “I’d like that.”
He hugged me back, and then we walked into the house to find it empty. “What the hell?” he asked in shock. He walked to the back door and pulled it open, but no one was out there and no lights were on in the forest.
“Where is everyone?” I asked softly, feeling like I needed to whisper.
Gary picked a note up from the ground and frowned. “It says they had to take care of a trespasser, so you and I should just stay in the house until they get back.”
“A trespasser?” My voice cracked as my core shook. “What does that mean?”
Gary shrugged and let the note fall to the ground. “It happens from time to time. Hey, you want a root beer float?”
I followed him into the kitchen and sat on one of the barstools. “Why are you acting so nonchalantly about this?”
“Because it’s not a big deal. Don’t worry about it. They’ll be back in a little while.” He took out the ice cream and root beer and set them on the counter. I watched as he made the floats, sticking bendy straws in the drinks and then set one in front of me.
I had never seen this side of Gary before and I really liked it. I took a sip and sighed. “This is delicious. Thank you, Gary.”
He smiled. “That’s what friends are for.” He sat down beside me, and we slurped on our treats in silence. Once we’d finished our dessert, Gary took the cups to the sink and rinsed them out. I stretched my arms and yawned. “Man, I am tired already. What time is it?”
“Ten,” Gary answered. “If you’re tired, you can sleep on the couch while I watch television. I don’t think Dad or Nick would appreciate me being in your room while you slept.”
I grabbed one of the quilts from the hall closet and lay down on the couch with it. “Shouldn’t they be back by now?” I asked around another yawn.
“Hello, Sarah. Why have you been hiding from me?” asked a male voice in my head.
I screamed and jumped up from the couch. “Stay out of my head, you creepy vampire!”
“Sarah? What is it?” Gary asked, walking to me with the remote in his hand.
“Come to me, Sarah. Come to me.”
My legs started to move, and I threw myself to the floor. “No!”
Gary dropped to the ground next to me. “Sarah!”