“I have to put up my hair,” she said.
“Leave it down tonight,” Mabel suggested.
“But—”
“It looks better down.”
Sighing, Elvi ran her fingers through her hair, wishing she could look in a mirror and be sure it wasn’t all wild. But everyone knew vampires didn’t have a reflection, although she still had directly after her death. Thinking it must be something that happened gradually and not wishing to see this last proof of the loss of her humanity, Elvi had removed the mirrors from her bedroom and bathroom. Understanding, as always, Mabel had then removed the mirrors in the rest of the house, leaving only the one in her own, and in the guest bathrooms and bedrooms. Elvi had to depend entirely on others to be assured she looked all right.
“Do I need makeup?” she asked.
“You never need makeup,” Mabel said dryly. “But put on some of that wine-colored lipstick. It looks good on you.”
Elvi moved into the bathroom to do so, sliding the tube along her lips from practice in the absence of a mirror.
“Perfect,” Mabel pronounced when she returned to the bedroom. “Come on.”
Elvi was silent on the way to the restaurant, her gaze taking in Mabel’s pale face and shadowed eyes with concern. The woman had claimed she’d let Elvi sleep in because she’d seemed weary, but Mabel had been looking pale and weary as well lately. The woman was sixty-two years old and should have been easing her workload. Instead, between the restaurant, the bed-and-breakfast, and the daytime chores she did that Elvi couldn’t do, she had more to do now than ever before. It worried her.
Mabel wasn’t just her friend she was a lifeline. Without her, Elvi was sure she wouldn’t have survived what happened to her and constantly fretted over what she’d do when age finally claimed the other woman, an issue that was constantly on her mind lately. They’d already lost both their husbands and several friends to death’s grasp. How many more years could Mabel evade the reaper? Elvi was hoping for at least twenty, but that was if they were lucky. If they weren’t, she may have much less. The thought depressed her.
“Here we are,” Mabel said cheerfully as she parked.
Elvi unbuckled her seat belt and slid out of the car to follow her to the back door of the restaurant, her gaze moving briefly upward. The sky overhead was star studded and clear, without a cloud in sight, and she thought that it must have been just as clear a day, with the sun baking down and warming everything.
The sun was something else Elvi missed terribly. She’d always been a summer person, enjoying the sun and the flowers, trees and grass it encouraged to grow. Now she could only enjoy those flowers and trees by the solar lights that lined her garden. If asked, she couldn’t have honestly answered which she missed more, food or sunlight.
Her gaze shot forward as Mabel opened the door and a wave of noise poured over them. It sounded like the diners were right there in the kitchen rather than off in the front of the restaurant. Elvi had never heard it so loud.
Frowning, she slipped past Mabel and crossed the kitchen to step into the small hall between the front and back of the restaurant. She peered with amazement through the beads, stunned at the number of people crammed into the dining room beyond.
“Dear God, this must be some kind of fire hazard,” she muttered.
“That’s what the fire chief said when I showed his family to their table,” Mabel said with amusement. “He warned me the next time we think we’ll have such a large turnout, we have to put tables on the sidewalk or something.
Elvi nodded absently, not surprised Mike Knight hadn’t insisted they shut down now. The party was in honor of his son. Mike was the head of the small fire department for the town and the sort of man always happy to lend a hand to friends and neighbors. He was a popular fellow, as was his charming wife, Karen. Their son, Owen, took after them. The number of teenagers present along with the adults attested to that. It looked to Elvi as if nearly half the town was there.
“I know the upper floor isn’t done, but maybe we should open it up to make it a little less crowded,” Elvi murmured, ignoring the hunger that was rising inside her as her gaze slid over the mass of humanity. Crowded as the dining area and bar was, the air conditioner couldn’t keep up with the heat generated. It was hot, people were sweating, and their scent was a wave rolling over her and making her teeth ache. That half-glass of blood hadn’t been enough. She should have finished it off, she realized with worry.
“I already did.” Mabel leaned closer to gesture up to the balcony running around the upper floor where nearly as many people were milling about.
Elvi stared at them, but her senses were completely attuned to Mabel and she found herself inhaling slowly and savoring the scent. Mabel was a type-II diabetic, her blood always just that tad sweeter than others despite the medication she took, and sweeter blood was yummy blood as Elvi had learned the few times she’d fed from her friend when she’d first turned and had no other recourse. She allowed herself to enjoy the aroma until she felt her teeth shift, then moved quickly away from Mabel with a moan.
“You’re hungry.” Mabel eyed her with concern. After five years, she recognized the signs. “I should have let you finish the glass of blood I brought you. Should I get you another glass now to tide you over until the cake is ready?”
Elvi considered it, but shook her head. She found biting others somewhat distressing, it made her feel like an animal, but the hungrier she was, the less distressing it was. She could wait and said so.
Mabel nodded, but her gaze moved to the workers in the kitchen, Pedro and Rosita, who did the cooking, and the waitstaff who were bustling back and forth and in and out of the room.
Clapping her hands to get their attention, Mabel said, “Anyone who isn’t needed in here, stay out. I want only Elvi, myself, and of course Pedro and Rosita in here.” She smiled briefly at the Mexican couple who did the cooking, then added, “I’ll put the finished orders on the table in the hall as they come up and you can place the new orders there for me to collect.”
Elvi felt herself relax as the waitstaff emptied out and sent a grateful smile Mabel’s way. It wasn’t the first time she’d ordered everyone but Pedro out of the kitchen. It was a precaution she took on those rare occasions when Elvi was hungry. The gesture was appreciated.
“I’d better get moving on that cake,” Elvi murmured, stepping away from the beads and turning to head back into the kitchen. “Maybe I should make two tonight. I don’t think one will do for that crowd.”
“I was going to suggest it myself,” Mabel admitted.
Nodding, Elvi set to work.