and I can tell her I’m waiting at her condo.”
“I’m not comfortable with that idea, Caleb,” she insisted sternly.
There was no misunderstanding the tone of concern and displeasure in her voice, and he slumped dejectedly against the back of the bench. “Just give her an hour or so, and then I’ll leave another detailed message,” he negotiated. “How’s that?”
She made a growling sound at the other end.
She just growled at me, he thought with wide eyes.
“One hour,” Katrina stipulated. “Then call her again, and call me.”
He paused for dramatic effect. “Okay, agreed.”
“Okay,” she concurred in a friendlier tone. “And please be careful.”
“Will do,” he promised and added: “Love you.”
She made a purring sound. “I love you too.”
The call ended, and he shook his head putting his phone away. He sighed and settled back to get comfortable. It really seems like a peaceful neighborhood.
He watched an occasional car pass by and tried reading the vampire novel again. After twenty minutes, he sat it aside and closed his eyes to rest. As he relaxed, he failed to notice himself drifting off to sleep.
* * * *
Katrina heated up a glass of blood in her hotel room microwave as she considered her conversation with Caleb. It annoyed her that Paige was acting so strange, and it frustrated her that she was disregarding Caleb’s calls and text messages. That’s no way for a guardian to act, much less a close friend. The more she thought about it, the more it upset her. She expected Paige to act more responsibly towards her and especially towards Caleb.
“Dammit!” she cursed and picked up her cell phone to speed dial Paige’s number. The phone rang until going to voicemail, so she redialed again.
Failing that, Katrina sent a rapid text message to her: CALL ME NOW! Red.
Less than thirty seconds later, the phone rang. It was Paige.
“’Bout time!” Katrina barked into the receiver.
She heard the sound of loud rock music and voices trying to talk over it in the background as Paige answered, “What? I’m busy.”
Out clubbing, I see, Katrina considered irritably.
“Sorry to bother you, but my mate is trying to get hold of you,” she complained. “Maybe you could spare him the time of day?”
“Why? What’s he done now?” Paige asked flatly.
Katrina’s eyes flashed with anger, and she spat, “Wasting his time trying to see you, it seems. I should’ve told him no.”
There was a pause at the other end, and Katrina thought she heard a slight intake of breath mixed with the sound of the rock music.
“What do you mean by ’trying to see you’?” Paige demanded in a quieter voice.
Katrina adopted a smug expression and replied, “As in, he’s sitting on your front porch right now, and I’m half tempted to send a cab to get his butt to the airport. You’re obviously too wrapped up in yourself for him to bother you.”
“Crap,” was all Paige muttered in a withering tone of voice. “Why did you let him do that?” she asked weakly.
Katrina inhaled a deep breath, let it out slowly, and answered patiently, “Because he flew all the way to where I’m at just to ask my permission. He misses you and doesn’t understand why you’ve been avoiding him. As a matter of fact, neither do I.”
“He flew to see you?” Paige asked blankly. “I thought you two just got back from England together. Where are you, anyway?”
“Oh, now you’re curious?!” Katrina demanded.
“Okay, okay,” Paige retorted defensively, “Geez, I made a mistake, all right? He’s fine on my front porch; it’s a nice neighborhood.”
“Not all right and not the point,” Katrina objected coldly. Given all that had happened recently, she didn’t like the idea of Caleb’s being left alone in a strange place.
Paige emitted a heavy sigh, conceding, “Yes, I know, not the point. I’m on my way.”
“Thank you,” Katrina replied. “Bye, Paige.”
She ended the call and casually tossed the cell phone onto the nearby bed. She removed the warm blood from the microwave and took a sip with a degree of satisfaction. She sat on the edge of the bed, slipped her feet from her high-heeled shoes, and stretched her toes out before her. Paige is acting like a spoiled teenager.
* * * *
Paige whipped her red BMW sports coupe into the driveway and immediately noticed Caleb sitting on the bench on her front porch. Is he asleep? she wondered as she pulled her car into the garage and sped around the corner to where he sat.
Her frown turned into a smirk as she