for fashion week." Heather motioned toward the counter. "We bought some groceries yesterday. Please help yourself to whatever you like."
"Thank you." Facing the counter, Leah twisted a bagel in half and dropped the pieces into a toaster. She located a saucer, a knife, and some cream cheese. "So I guess you live in Paris?"
Fidelia scoffed. "I wish."
"We're in Texas." Heather sipped some coffee. "Jean-Luc went into hiding there when the media started wondering why he wasn't aging."
"And then he fell in love with my mom," Bethany added.
Heather smiled at her daughter.
They seemed like a happy family, Leah thought wistfully as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Those Vamps, they're very macho." Fidelia bit into a bagel, and her eyes narrowed on Leah. "You're a pretty young thing. I bet they'll go after you next."
"Fidelia," Heather whispered. "You might frighten her."
"She should be frightened," Fidelia insisted, then twisted her square frame in the chair to face Leah. "If one of those Vamps sets his sights on you, he'll be like a dog with a bone. A rabid dog. With a boner."
"Fidelia!" Heather gave her a warning look.
The older woman shrugged. "Okay. They're more like those heat-detecting missiles. If they think you're hot, they'll zoom right after you till they catch you. And then, bam!" She clapped her hands together. "It's an explosion of love!"
Bethany giggled.
Leah swallowed hard. Was that why Dougal had watched her with such an intense, hungry look in his eyes? Had he set his sights on her?
"They're muy macho, very sexy." Fidelia patted her hair, which was black with two inches of gray roots. "I had my eye on Robby, but he found a girl a few years younger than me."
"More than a few years," Heather muttered.
"I like the Scottish ones the best." Fidelia's eyes twinkled. "And I like what they're wearing underneath their kilts. Nada!"
Bethany grinned. "Aunt Fee, you should marry Dougal. He's still single."
Leah's breath caught. She turned her back, pretending to wait on the toaster.
"Ah, Dougal," Fidelia murmured. "He's a handsome hombre. Never says much, but I suspect he's more a man of action."
"He's real good with a sword," Bethany said.
Fidelia chuckled. "Those Scotsmen have some really long swords. And I bet they know just how to use them."
Heather cleared her throat. "I'm afraid Dougal won't be our guard anymore. He's going to be in charge of night security at Romatech."
Where I'll see him every night. Leah started when the bagels popped up in the toaster.
"I'm going to miss Dougal," Bethany whined. "Who's going to guard us then?"
"Don't worry, honey," Fidelia replied. "Mr. Glock and Senor Beretta will keep us safe."
"Oh God, no," Heather whispered. "You brought them with you?"
"Of course," Fidelia said. "That's why I love teleporting with the Vamps. They never take my guns away."
Leah glanced back and saw the older woman patting her large handbag.
Heather sighed. "You didn't need to bring them."
"How else do we stay safe during the day?" Fidelia asked. "We left Billy in Texas to guard the house, and Dougal's dead as a doornail right now."
Dead? That was the second time Fidelia had said the Vamps were dead. How could that be possible? Wasn't being Undead different from being dead? Leah spread some cream cheese on her bagel. "Where is Dougal?"
"In the basement, most probably." Heather sipped some more coffee. "That's where the guards stay when they sleep here."
Leah brought her bagel and coffee to the table. The basement. Maybe she could sneak down there when no one was looking.
"Guess what?" Bethany asked her. "Mom and I are going to a show this afternoon. Mary Poppins!"
"Oh, that's nice." Leah sat.
"Don't worry about me," Fidelia muttered. "I'll just stay here with the twins."
"John and Jillian?" Bethany asked.
"No." Fidelia patted her handbag, her eyes twinkling. "Smith and Wesson."
Leah shot a wary look at the handbag. How many guns were in there?
"We'd better hurry." Heather stood, stuffing the last of her bagel in her mouth.
While Leah ate, they bustled about, putting things away and cleaning up the happy toddlers, who had grape jelly smeared all over their faces. Then they went upstairs to a playroom Heather mentioned. She and Bethany would be leaving soon for their Broadway matinee.
With it quiet in the kitchen, Leah's thoughts kept returning to Fidelia's insistence that Dougal was dead. It didn't make sense. A body couldn't remain dead for hours and then magically revive itself. He had to be in a deep sleep or something like a coma.
The more she thought about it, the more she had