“I don’t, silly.” She patted his arm affectionately. “At least I didn’t until today. I guess this explains your odd behavior and sour mood since you got here.”
“Sour mood?”
“You two lovebirds must have had a fight, and he came all the way out here to apologize. I think it’s terribly romantic. We found him lurking around outside the church. You didn’t even tell me you had a new boyfriend.”
Lovebirds, huh ? “Mom, you’ve always been so perceptive.”
“It’s a gift, dear. Don’t worry, your father and I will find a place for him at our table.”
She moved on to chat with Susan, who stood uncomfortably next to me.
I glared at George. “Well?”
“Well, what?” He smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to be standing in front of me at my cousin’s wedding. “May I say that you look fabulous! That dress is simply to die for.”
“You might just die for it if you don’t tell me what you’re doing here.”
He glanced around. “Just here to apologize to my love muffin for our nasty argument earlier. That’s all. Darling, please forgive me for what I said.”
I took his hand and dug my fingernails into it until he flinched. “We’ll talk more later, honey. And you’d better come up with something a little better than that.”
He bared his fangs in a half smile, half grimace, and moved on.
Oh, we’d talk all right. Thierry was behind this. I just knew it. He’d sent George to spy on me. There was no other explanation.
I couldn’t take it. Both of my lives, my normal one and my vampire one, were falling apart. Neither made sense anymore. I couldn’t live like this, on edge and worried all the time that something horrible was going to happen. When dinner was served, the smell of my untouched chicken Cordon Bleu was making me feel physically ill. I pushed the plate as far away from me as possible and scanned the room for George. There was an empty chair at my parents’ table, where he should have been. I needed some fresh air. Some time to myself where I wasn’t surrounded by normal people who, just by their presence, reminded me that I was horribly different now. Outside, I leaned against the wall of the reception hall and tried to breathe. I sniffed the air, frowned, and turned to my left. The maid of honor, Susan, had sparked up a cigarette nearby, next to the kitchen entrance.
“You want?” She indicated the pack of smokes.
“You do realize those things are bad for you, right?”
“No way.” She inhaled deeply and then blew a few smoke rings into the chilly night air.
“I’ve never heard that before. Well, nobody lives forever, right?”
I bit my bottom lip. “I used to think that.”
“Your boyfriend’s hot.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but then closed it. “Thanks. He thinks so.”
“Can you believe these dresses?” Susan shook her head. “Immortalized forever in those damn pictures. I’m going to have to get really drunk to get over this.”
“The night is young. And the bar is open.”
“Amen to that.”
“Don’t say amen. You might lure Reverend Micholby out here with us. What’s his deal, anyhow?”
She took another long drag off her cigarette. “He’s been away for a while. There’s a rumor he had a nervous breakdown, or something. This is the first wedding he’s done since he got back. I wouldn’t worry about it, though. Maybe he’s acting weird because of the dresses. He’s morally offended by them.”
I nodded. “That’s probably it. I mean, if I’m morally offended by them, why shouldn’t he be?”
We laughed for a moment, and I started to feel a bit better. At least until she started choking on her last inhale. I patted her on her back just as a van screeched to a halt next to us. A harried-looking guy jumped out of the driver’s seat and scurried around to the back, opened the doors, and wrestled out a medium-size silver keg. He began rolling it toward the kitchen door.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said to us. “I didn’t realize this town was so far outside the city. I should have been here hours ago.”
“Hey, I don’t mind,” I said. “What is that, anyhow? Beer?”
“Yeah.” He laughed a little. “It’s beer. Cute. Can you do me a favor and sign for this? I’m in a major hurry.”
I shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
He finished rolling the keg toward the door, then came back to me and pushed a clipboard into my hands. There was a cheap pen attached to it by a piece of black string. He pointed at the last line for me to sign, and I put pen to paper.
Then I froze.
Why was I having the weirdest d?j? vu? I looked up at the guy. He did look awfully familiar to me. I glanced down at the logo at the top of the delivery form.
THE BLOOD DELIVERY GUYS. YOU NEED BLOOD? WE DELIVER.
“Something wrong?” Susan asked. “You don’t look so good.”
I scratched my signature onto the form and pushed it back at him. He smiled at me, the moonlight reflecting off his fangs. He said thanks, then got into his van and drove away.
I felt weak. “I think I’m going back inside now.”
“Yeah, me too.” She flicked her cigarette butt against a nearby tree. “Now I feel like a beer.”
I took my place again at the head table, feeling major stress, and downed a glass of red wine, but it didn’t make me feel any better. What was going on? Why were the Blood Delivery Guys out here? Was it George? Did he send them? Was it somebody’s idea of a joke? If it was, I wasn’t finding it very funny. Not even slightly. I eyed my parents’ table. Still no sign of George. Where the hell was he? Dinner was over and dessert was served, a nice-looking chocolate torte—I loved chocolate, but I didn’t want a repeat of last night, so I didn’t bother touching it.
I had another glass of wine instead. By the amount I’d had, I should be feeling no pain. Instead, I felt like I hadn’t been drinking anything more than tap water the entire evening. After the speeches were given, the deejay started up the music and Missy and Richard had their first dance. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw George enter the reception hall and go to my parents’ table to sit down. I beelined toward him and he raised his hands as if he expected me to hit him. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of his seat. Reverend Micholby was also seated at my parents’ table, and he gave me a cool stare.
“Sarah!” My mother frowned at me. “Perhaps that kind of aggressive behavior is what drove him off in the first place.”
I ignored her and directed George out to the lounge area and as far away from the loud music as I could get. After the first song they’d launched into “The Chicken Dance.”
Normally not something I’d miss, but I’d have to make an exception this one time.
“Where have you been all night?” I poked him in his chest.
“Ow. I’ve been around. Just checking out the town. Looking for something interesting to do.” He shrugged. “Came up empty.”
“Okay, George. Talk.”
He smiled. “Have I mentioned that you look fabulous?”