smelling the sea breeze that fingered her hair, she wondered how she could be in the middle of such utter beauty and perfect tranquility, and yet at the same time in the midst of chaos.
“Good afternoon.”
Lucy turned around, not having heard anyone’s approach. The man couldn’t be a vampire, because it was daylight and he was standing right in the sun. So he must be—
“Willem Stone,” he said. “Sarafina’s husband. This is our place.”
Frowning, Lucy studied him more closely. “You…you really aren’t one of them, are you?”
“No, I’m human. And they’re all dead to the world at the moment.” He winked when he made the lame joke. “Except for Brigit and J.W., of course. They’re out running some errands. Won’t be back for at least a couple of hours. And in the meantime, I have coffee, a dozen doughnuts and one of the most luxurious bath rooms you could ever want to see. And you’re welcome to all of them.”
She sighed. “It does sound tempting.”
“I promise, it’ll just be you and me in the house. Awake, anyway. And I’ll leave, if you want.”
“I wouldn’t throw you out of your own home.” She looked at the place, with its giant deck. Seagulls perched on the roof, a few more coming in, a few others taking off. Constant motion, like the ocean itself, with its waves rolling up onto the beach and hissing as they fled again, leaving foam and shells in their wake.
“Come on. I’m a great cook. I’ll make whatever you want, if you don’t want doughnuts for breakfast. Or you can do both, real food and empty calories.”
She smiled. “A doughnut and a cup of that coffee will do nicely. And thank you. I need a little normalcy more than you know.”
“Oh, believe me, I know.”
He walked her into the house, and just as he’d promised, the place seemed entirely empty. “Bathroom’s upstairs, first door on the right. And I put a change of clothes in there for you, too. They’re Fina’s, and her style doesn’t suit everybody. I hope they’ll be okay.”
Lucy felt a pang of regret for the things she’d left behind in the house the vigilantes had burned. Especially for the Kwan Yin pendant she’d left hanging on the bedpost. Thank God she’d imported the file to her phone. It was now the only copy of Folsom’s “eyes only” version of the book in existence, as far as she knew.
“Are you sure she won’t mind me borrowing her clothes?”
“She’s the one who picked them out.”
She lowered her head, sighing. “Thank you. I won’t be long.”
Lucy went up, half afraid of stumbling over sleeping corpselike bodies on the way, but she didn’t. She imagined there was probably a suite of darkened rooms hidden in the bowels of the basement somewhere, with emergency exits and secret passageways, and big locks on the doors.
The bathroom was every bit as luxurious as Willem had promised, and Lucy allowed herself to relish a very long, very hot shower that would have been even longer, had it not been for the siren’s call of coffee and doughnuts. The clothes were a decent fit, a long, broomstick type skirt of russet and orange, and a frilly white off-the-shoulder blouse with a gathered waist and short puffy sleeves. There were high-heeled black boots, as well.
She combed her hair and left it to dry naturally. She couldn’t find a rubber band or a scrunchie, so she was forced to hold it in place with a pretty silk scarf, which she knotted at her nape, its ends trailing down her back. Finally she headed down the stairs. The smell of coffee greeted her as she entered the kitchen.
She accepted the mug Willem held out and took a grateful sip.
“Feel a little more human now?” he asked.
“A lot more.”
“Good. Fina’s clothes look lovely on you, by the way. She’ll be pleased. And the doughnuts should complete the transformation.” He waved a hand toward the table, where a familiar pink-and-white box stood open, an assortment of doughnuts, éclairs and muffins awaiting her selection.
She took a powdered sugar-coated jelly doughnut and told herself she would have the chocolate frosted éclair next. She’d earned at least two goodies today. Then she sank onto a tall stool in front of the breakfast counter, took her first bite, washed it down with more coffee and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “Now that’s heaven,” she muttered.
Willem nodded, taking a huge bite of his own glazed sourdough doughnut. “I agree.”