A Vampire for Christmas(104)
Soon, maybe in just a few days, he’d be but a faint memory. Someone she might think of briefly when she took down the Christmas lights and mistletoe.
He hated knowing that.
Now that they knew that Daniel was involved, he’d convinced his lieutenant that Eagan no longer needed to use the diner for cover. Since they knew where the kid lived, they could keep an eye on Daniel whenever he wasn’t in school or working. He suspected his boss knew he wasn’t being completely forthcoming on why, but Hughes had let it slide. Eagan had walked out of his office determined to spend the night alone, once again an outsider looking in.
Instead, here he was standing in the alley across the street again, his feet leaden and reluctant to move. In or out? Which was it going to be?
Out.
He caught himself rubbing his chest as if his heart hurt. How stupid was that? It didn’t help that twice he’d seen Della standing at the door and peering up and down the street. Was she looking for him or someone else? No way to know and the answer didn’t matter. It wouldn’t change anything.
Restless and edgy, he headed back down the alley to the next block. With luck he’d eventually cross paths with someone he could take out his bad mood on.
Fangs down and predatory senses running hot, he was ready to hunt.
CHAPTER SIX
THE PAST THREE DAYS had been long, hard and hurtful. Even decorating the small tree she’d bought for the front window hadn’t improved Della’s mood. Normally, unwrapping the ornaments she’d collected over the years had her smiling as she sang along with the Christmas music playing on the radio. Right now it felt like just one more thing on her long to-do list before turning in for the night.
It was bad enough that Eagan had been a no-show for the past three nights, but then she’d gotten in an argument over him with Lupe. Yeah, maybe she overreacted when her friend noticed that Della had kept the front table available all evening just in case he came. Lupe looked thoroughly disgusted and said flat out that it would be best for all concerned if Eagan never stepped through the front door again.
Yeah, her emotions were a tangled mess right now. The whole thought of never seeing him again hurt a lot more than was justified by their brief acquaintance. If only Lupe would simply say what she had against the man, but she refused. After a brief exchange of words, Della had announced to any and all who were listening that regardless of Eagan’s reasons for not returning, he was still welcome anytime.
To make matters worse, right after Lupe left, Della had a run-in with Daniel over something equally stupid—his sweatshirt. The kitchen had been steaming hot, but he’d kept it on even though he’d been sweating like crazy. When she’d asked him about it, he’d exploded. Even though she’d tried to apologize, he’d continued to slam pots and pans around loudly enough to bother her customers.
In the end, she’d sent him home. Her only worry was that when he’d walked out of the door, he’d headed in the opposite direction of his family’s apartment. At least he’d called her an hour later to apologize. She’d heard his brothers playing in the background, so he’d been calling from home. A few of the knots in her stomach had loosened, but not all of them. There was something going on with her young friend. All she could do was cross her fingers that he got it figured out and soon.
She pulled out the next ornament and smiled. It was a small gargoyle, a funny mix of ugly and cute. Her mother had collected gargoyles for years, and Della had bought her a new one every Christmas. This little guy was the one she’d given her mother their last Christmas together. Every year since he had held a position of honor on her tree, right out front where everyone could see him because nothing screamed Christmas like a guy with an impish smile and fangs. The thought made her giggle.
Earlier, she’d wrapped a few packages to put under the tree for her favorite customers. Over the summer, she had knitted a cap and scarf for Harry and tucked a handmade gift certificate for five dinners inside. She’d bought a small wolf ornament for Lupe, who collected them much as Della did gargoyles. For Daniel, she’d gotten a gift card to one of his favorite clothing stores. The rest of her staff got similar presents. She arranged them around the bottom of the tree and stood back to admire her work.
It looked good. Christmas was only three days away now. She always stayed open on the twenty-fourth for the last-minute shoppers. Christmas Day, too, could also be a lonely day without someone to share it with. She should know. Lacking any family of her own, she’d built one.