“She didn’t leave anything to Harrison?” Laney’s brown eyes widen.
“Everything went to me.” I slowly shake my head. “It’s really weird, Laney. So fucking weird.”
“It is. And don’t be scared to travel alone,” she goes on, knowing me all too well. “I spent a semester in Italy and knew no one when I first got there. I survived that first week and then made some amazing friends.”
“I know.” I swirl my wine around in the glass, not wanting to drink since I drank quite a bit at the bar yesterday and because I don’t want to struggle any more than I do to keep the shields up. “Being alone in that house for two nights kind of freaks me out. If I could take Hunter, I’d feel a lot better.”
“Can you? I’ve never traveled by plane with a large dog, but can’t you buy him a seat? Tell people he’s your emotional support dog. He’s well-behaved enough for people to believe you.”
“They would, but he’d hate traveling. I’ll suck it up and will do my best not to get kidnapped or murdered in my century-old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.”
“You were right. That is so fucking weird. You own a house.”
“Everything checked out, but it still seems too good to be true.”
“You’re not going to leave me, are you? Don’t move to whatever-hill Indiana.”
“Thorne Hill, and no, of course not! You’re here, my family is here, and my job is here.” I set the glass of wine on the table. “If I was going to move away from Syracuse, I’d go somewhere warm at least.”
Laney laughs. “Too bad you didn’t inherit a house on the coast in California.”
“Right? A beach house in Southern California would have been amazing come winter. Or sooner. The temps are supposed to drop the next few days.”
“I love fall, but it goes by way too fast.”
“It really does. Let’s actually go to Green Lake this year to see the fall leaves. We say we’re going to but haven’t in, what, three years?”
“Maybe even four. Being an adult sucks sometimes. But yes, let’s go. I’m on a better schedule this year than last, and you are too. I wish the hospital would go to twelve hour shifts like your clinic does. Most do. They’re behind.” Laney rolls her eyes and takes another drink of wine.
Hunter, who’s been busy tossing a dog toy up in the air, suddenly drops it and races over, whizzing past us and pawing at the door.
“What is it?” I ask him, scooting my chair out to get up and let him inside. No sooner am I up does the doorbell ring. “Oh, the pizza is here.” Laney and I grab our drinks and go inside.
“You know I gotta ask,” Laney starts, picking up a slice of pizza. “What exactly happened last night?”
I grab napkins from the cabinet I call my pantry, trade my wine for water, and join her at the little kitchen table. “To make a long story short, Travis Morrison from high school was all flirty with me, I got it in my head it would be fun and rewarding to prove that I’m not the loser I was in high school, and it turns out that’s exactly what I am to him and he thought I’d be begging for his dick in order to feel cool.”
“You’re not a loser, Anora. Not back then and not now.”
“I don’t think I’m a loser now, but thanks for the reassurance.” I grab a slice of pizza. “I felt stupid and just wanted to leave. And then I ran into this hot guy named Ethan.”
“What?”
“He was walking down the sidewalk too. I thought he was a vampire, so I let him take me to a cafe to see if he’d eat food.”
“You thought he was a vampire and you went somewhere with him?” she echoes. “Was he a vampire?”
“No, he’s human but…”
“But what?”
“Something felt…different about him. I can’t explain it.” I take a bite of pizza. “I randomly ran into him today though, and he asked for my number.”
“Shut up!”
“We’ll see if he calls.”
Laney shakes her head. “I still can’t believe you thought that guy was a vampire and you went somewhere with him. He could have killed you.”
“People kill people too,” I remind her. “And as far as we know, humans have killed a lot more people than vampires have. Though they could be better at hiding the bodies,” I add with a shrug.
“I kind of want to be a vampire,” Laney admits.
“Really? I’d miss pizza. Though according to my mother, a cure might be found in the near future.” I can’t roll my eyes hard enough. “I don’t understand how she can be so smart and be such a good doctor and think vampires are the result of some sort of rare medical condition.”
“It’s easier to comprehend,” Laney says. “Though I’ll say it again, I’ll gladly catch whatever they’ve got. Have you seen the new Vampire Council rep for New York? It’s a good thing they can’t procreate because I’d get pregnant looking at him.”
I laugh, but my mind flits back to Ethan and his deep brown eyes.
“He is very mysterious, though I expected most VC reps to be old, like really old,” I admit.
“Me too, like that one vampire that’s rumored to live in the Midwest and is over a thousand years old. Can you even imagine being alive for that long? Sorry, undead for that long, I mean.”
“It would be so weird to see the world change over the years.”
My phone buzzes with a text from Harrison. “How much you want to bet he meant to text Anne again?”
“Did he sext you again?”
“Ew, thankfully no, but I am terrified I might get a photo I’ll never be able to unsee. Next time we go to our parents’ for dinner, I’m changing my name in his phone.”
“Hah, good idea.”
I wipe my hands and unlock my phone. “Okay, that’s weird.”
“It’s not a dick pic then?”
“Gross, no. He’s asking when I’m free to have dinner this week.”
“How is that weird?” Laney asks.
“Because he wants me to meet a girl he’s dating.”
Laney almost drops her pizza. “He has a girlfriend?”
“Not that I knew of,” I say as I text Harrison back, saying I’m free Thursday night. “I don’t want to make assumptions…”
“…but you’re totally thinking one of his one-night stands got knocked up.”
“Yeah,” I admit. I love my brother and don’t judge him for living the playboy lifestyle. It makes him happy and doesn’t hurt anyone. That’s all that matters, right? Shaking my head, I put the phone down. “Whatever. I’ll find out soon enough.”
We complain about work the rest of dinner, and I walk Laney to her car an hour later. I do a half-assed job picking up around the house, and then shower and get ready for bed. I turn on a movie and cuddle under the covers with Hunter by my side and Romeo curled up on my chest. I’m still exhausted from the eventful weekend, and fall asleep quickly, slipping right back into that familiar dream.
I’m back in the woods, and brilliant blue light glows before me. The door that appeared between two trees swings open, and I look inside the courtyard.