Paul scowled. “Get the snacks? Of course. I’m mortal. Good only for women’s work, right?”
His host paused and turned back, eyebrows raised. “Do I look like a woman to you?”
Sighing, Paul relaxed and grimaced. “No. Of course not.”
“Good. So come help me.” Julius turned and continued up the hall and Paul reluctantly followed the older immortal into the kitchen. He was still irritated that they wouldn’t let him up on the roof. He was mortal, not handicapped.
“We know that,” Julius said mildly, retrieving bowls from the cupboard, and then turning to the pantry to fetch a couple varieties of chips. “But we aren’t going to take chances with you. You are Jeanne Louise’s life mate.”
“Yeah,” Paul muttered, and then heaved a sigh. “So where’s the beer? I’ll fetch it.”
“I’ll get it. You put the chips in bowls, and grab the dips from the refrigerator,” Julius said, tossing him the chips and then moving out into the garage.
Mouth tightening, Paul opened one of the bags and dumped its contents into one of the bowls, then did the same with the others. It seemed even fetching beer was too taxing for a mortal to these men.
Rolling his eyes, he moved to the fridge in search of dips. Paul had never been much into sports, but there was nothing better to do, and he supposed it was a way to bond with Jeanne Louise’s uncle and cousin.
“And I know how to dog-paddle too. I’ll show you,” Livy announced to a seemingly enthralled Caro, who had turned sideways in the front passenger seat to listen to Livy’s happy chatter. Now the girl turned to Jeanne Louise, who sat in the backseat beside her and asked, “When can we go to the beach again, Jeanie?”
“Not for a bit, pet,” Jeanne Louise said apologetically. “You have some more training to do before we can do stuff like that. And when we do go, it will have to be at night. You have to stay out of the sun from now on, remember?”
“Oh, right, cause I’m a vampire like in that movie with the flying cows,” Livy announced with a grin.
Jeanne Louise glanced quickly to Marguerite in the driver’s seat, catching her wince at the “V” word.
“Flying cows?” Caro asked with confusion.
“Yeah, ’cause they were vampires too from the vampire boy and his family feeding on them,” Livy explained. The explanation didn’t clear the confusion on Caro’s face. Jeanne Louise didn’t understand any better but supposed it was a movie the girl had seen.
“Here we are,” Marguerite announced, bringing an end to the discussion of flying cows and vampires.
Jeanne Louise glanced around to see that they were pulling into the driveway. Marguerite hit the button to open the garage door, and then pulled straight inside and out of the sun.
“Wait for the garage door to close, sweetie,” Jeanne Louise said when Livy reached for the door handle on her side.
“Oh, right, ’cause I can’t go out in the sun anymore. I’m agergic to it,” the girl said, sitting back impatiently.
“Allergic,” Jeanne Louise corrected, turning to watch the garage door’s progress. She wasn’t allergic, of course, any more than the rest of them were, but it was the easiest explanation and one Livy could give to mortals if the subject ever came up around them.
“Okay,” Marguerite announced as the door finished closing. She then hit the button to open the trunk as they all got out.
“You’re back.”
Jeanne Louise looked toward the door to the kitchen as Paul stepped out to join them.
“Daddy, we went shopping and Jeanne Louise let me get ice cream and chocolate for dessert,” she announced gleefully, throwing herself at his legs and hugging him tightly.
Jeanne Louise walked around the car, biting her lip guiltily under Paul’s arched eyebrow. “She was so good a treat seemed to be in order.”
“Uh-huh,” Paul said dryly, hugging and kissing her quickly as she reached his side. Then letting the matter drop, he said, “You two were up early.”
“I heard Livy up and about in her room and got up to check on her,” Jeanne Louise said with a shrug as she slipped out of his arms to move back to the trunk, where Caro and Marguerite were lifting out groceries. Joining them, she glanced over what was left. The two women had gathered all the bags, leaving a large package of toilet paper, a large bottle of water for the water cooler, and four cases of pop.
“Livy, can you manage this?” Jeanne Louise asked, lifting out the twenty-gallon water bottle.
“Yep,” the girl said cheerfully taking it from her.
“Livy honey, let Daddy get that,” Paul said with a frown, moving quickly forward.