through the living room, past my sleeping parents and the blaring TV and out the door.
I opened the door as quietly as I could and tiptoed around the side of the trailer. The foil package was waiting there for me and I took it to the garden plot to sit among natural, healthy plants…and eat the most unnatural and unhealthy thing possible. I was a creature of contradictions.
That man had risked nausea and limb to get me something he knew I would like, something I’d given up to make him more comfortable. When was the last time anyone had done that for me? Put themselves at risk? Noticed and appreciated what I’d done for them? It certainly wasn’t something I saw in my parents’ relationship. The last time my daddy had given anything for Mama, I think it involved not watching a play-off game because she’d broken her tail bone and wanted to watch Wheel of Fortune.
I laid back on the dirt, staring up at the stars and chewing thoughtfully. I felt like I was standing with my toes over the edge of something, something special, something that could change the rest of my life. But I didn’t know if that change would be for better or for worse. I could have maybe found someone I could love. I could have found someone who could be in my life for years. And at the same time, my family could find out about Alex. I could be pushed out into the cold on my own.
Some weird little voice in the back of my head said maybe one would be worth the other.
5
“What you don’t know about your partner’s past can hurt you. What you don’t tell your partner about your past will hurt you in a far more dramatic (and possibly bloody) fashion.”
—A Gentleman in Any Era: An Ancient Vampire’s Guide to Modern Relationships
* * *
The next morning, I woke up to a silent house, which was never a good sign. I padded into the living room. My parents were sitting at the dinette, eating an inordinate amount of sausage and eggs.
“Morning,” I muttered, pouring myself a cup of coffee.
“I smell pizza bacon dogs,” Daddy said, staring at me.
I froze in the middle of my first coffee sip. How was that even possible with the amount of sausage and coffee in this small space? But instead of making up an excuse, I just said, “Weird.”
“Pretty weird, being able to smell them so far away from the drive-in.”
“Mmmhmm,” I mumbled into my coffee cup.
Daddy stared me down while he chewed. “Where did you say you went last night?”
“Jolene’s,” I replied, careful to maintain eye contact.
“And if I called Jolene to ask what time she sent you home, what time would she tell me?”
“Well, I got home around 11, so 10:40?” I guessed, sipping my coffee. I was able to stay so casual because I’d already texted Jolene to tell her what time she’d sent me home.
I wasn’t proud of lying, but life wasn’t giving me much choice lately.
“I’ll do just that,” he said. “Keeps ya honest.”
“All right, then.” I shrugged, even while I mentally apologized to Jolene.
The front door swung open and Aunt Lurlene walked in without even knocking. Because why would she? It was just our kitchen, where we were sitting, in our pajamas, having a private conversation. I hated it. Almost as much as I hated the way my mother hopped up from her breakfast to plate some sausage and eggs.
The many benefits of living in my own space seemed to scroll through my brain, like a devious voice whispering in my ear. Privacy. Control over who walked in my door first thing in the morning. Meals in blessed silence. But Lurlene was teetering with purpose on her cork wedge shoes, so I didn’t have time for that voice or its seductive promises.
“Morning.” My daddy just kept chewing as Lurlene kissed his cheek. She didn’t say ‘thank you’ when Mama served her breakfast, which was not helping my mood.
“What brings you by?” Mama asked, pouring Lurlene coffee.
“Oh, just checking in on Tylene,” Lurlene said breezily, as if that was a normal thing to say about a grown ass woman, who was standing right there. “I hear you stayed out late last night.”
“Yes, as I mentioned before to my parents,” I said, even while Daddy glared at me. “I was babysitting for Jolene.”
“Well, I just think it’s weird that you would stay out so late to babysit,” she said, giving me