‘Uh, Dallas has a lot of new construction going on,’ Mr Vega said. ‘Anyway, I won’t be gone more than a couple of days and I will be back before school starts. Now, let’s talk about something more interesting.’
‘Like the presents you’re going to bring back for us?’ Ivy said.
‘Like what that Lipsmacker tastes like,’ Mr Vega said to Ivy, making a grab for her cup. ‘Let’s switch.’
They swapped around their smoothies and slurped. Olivia had a hundred questions she wanted to ask her bio-dad about his family and where she and Ivy came from – but for now she was just happy that they were together without any more secrets.
They traded smoothies again so that Ivy could try the Twist and Shout but then got confused about which smoothie was which.
‘At least I’d never get the two of you mixed up,’ Mr Vega said.
Olivia kept a straight face and didn’t look at her sister. So maybe there’s one tiny secret he doesn’t know, Olivia thought. She and Ivy had switched lots of times to fool Mr Vega and everyone else, too. She felt Ivy squeeze her hand under the table.
Olivia noticed the mini-jukebox sitting on the table next to the box of napkins. ‘Ooh, let’s pick a song!’
Mr Vega paled. ‘As long as there is no audience participation.’
She giggled. ‘We’ll be careful.’ She turned the old-fashioned knob to flip through the list of songs that came up on a screen. ‘How about “The Right One”?’ Olivia stopped on the theme tune from the new rom com she’d dragged Ivy to see two days ago.
‘Ugh, I’m so sick of that song,’ Ivy said. ‘And it’s only your favourite movie because you have a crush on Jackson Caulfield.’
‘I do not!’ Olivia tried to stop herself blushing. ‘OK, maybe I do – but we don’t have to talk about that now.’ She didn’t want her bio-dad to think she was boy-crazy. She flicked through the song list in an attempt to change the subject.
‘Wait!’ Mr Vega cried out, making her jump. ‘You passed the perfect song.’ He took over the knob and twisted until it came back to ‘Double Trouble'.
‘I love that one!’ Olivia hummed the tune and tapped her feet.
As the catchy song played out over the speakers, he pulled his straw in and out of the smoothie cup, making a little squeaking noise. ‘Now that I know your favourite movie,’ he said thoughtfully, ‘how about your favourite book?’
Olivia felt silly admitting it in front of her vampire family. ‘I really love the Count Vira vampire books.’
Mr Vega gave a dashing smile. ‘You might be surprised to learn that I have a first-edition signed copy of Love in the Black of Night in my library.’
Ivy’s jaw dropped and Olivia squealed.
‘Oh my goodness, you have to show it to me!’ That was the first Count Vira book she had ever read.
‘I promise I will.’ Mr Vega kept squeaking his straw in between sips. ‘How about your favourite subject in school?’
‘I love art class,’ Olivia said.
‘Art? Is that so?’ he replied. ‘You know I –’
Ivy’s phone blasted out the first riffs of the Phantom of the Opera musical, interrupting them.
‘Sorry,’ Ivy mouthed as she answered the call. ‘Hey . . . Yeah . . . OK . . .’ From her smile, Olivia could tell Ivy was talking to her boyfriend, Brendan. Whenever she was around him, Ivy’s usual goth grouch turned into adorable goth glee.
While Ivy chatted, Olivia took a moment to study Mr Vega’s face. With his strong jaw and dark eyebrows, he looked like he belonged on the cover of Count Vira’s books.
‘You know, Olivia, I’m an art enthusiast,’ Mr Vega said. ‘I would dearly love to see some of your work.’
Olivia beamed. ‘OK!’
Even though her bio-dad’s style was on the opposite end of the colour spectrum, he had excellent taste. He was even setting up a new exhibit at the Franklin Grove museum.
‘Brendan wants to have lunch at the Meat & Greet later,’ Ivy explained, putting her phone in her bag.
‘Just you two?’ Olivia asked.