Mockingbird (A Stepbrother Romance #2)(19)

"You think she's okay?"

"Better than she'd be if we just left here there," I sigh. "Here we are."

Once I pull in the garage, the two of us carry Charity inside, and to the couch in the sitting room. Apollo props her up with a pillow and turns her head as she begins to snore.

"We need to make sure she doesn't choke on her own puke."

"Lovely," I sigh.

Apollo drops into one of the side chairs, and yawns. "What was she even doing there?"

I shrug. "Not much else to do around here."

"Why weren't you there?"

I glance at Apollo and sigh. "Something to drink?"

"Sure."

I bring him a can of Coke and sit down to crack mine open. I feel like I'm a million years old and my joints are made of balsa wood.

"My mother thinks Lucas and I are a perfect match. She's been pressuring me to go out with him for years. I can't stand him."

"Need I ask why," Apollo says, smirking. He downs half the can of soda and burps into his hand. He's even hot when he's burping.

"Anything to eat around here?"

"You like tofu?"

He makes a face that makes for a passable imitation of one of the ornate Japanese samurai masks in the museum collection.

"That's a no."

"Can you order food here? Like pizza?"

"Yeah. I'll call something in."

He reaches for his wallet, twisting to reach his back pocket.

"It's okay."

"I insist."

He gives me forty. I order three mediums and a triple order of boneless chicken bites, in case Charity comes around, and the breadsticks are free with the order and so on and so forth. After I call George the gate guard to let him know the food is coming, I settle back down in the living room.

"So, um, I have no idea who you are. Why are you here?"

He laughs. "We just moved to town. My father wants to retire here. He's out on a date with some local girl tonight, so I'm on my own. I wanted to explore, and the bookstore felt like a good starting point. Are you into all that stuff? Crystals and spells?"

I shake my head. "Nah, I just like to drink the coffee and hang out with Charity, and it's the only bookstore in town. They have some regular stuff, too."

After staring into my soda can for a while, I sigh. "I should thank you. That would have gotten really weird if I didn't have your help. How did you do all that stuff? Like that neck jabby thing and the swingy stuff with Lucas."

He shrugs. "Practice."

"So you're just a man about town," I say, eyeing him. "What are you planning to do here now that you've moved here with your father?"

He shrugs. "I don't really need to work. It's sort of taken care of. I saw a help wanted sign at the bookstore. I might start there."

"I think that's a joke. Like, the owner needs help because he's crazy. Charity is the only employee."

"Oh."

The pizza chooses that time to arrive. I add some cash of my own to make for a generous tip. Apollo takes it all from my hands and moved it to the kitchen, spreading it out on the table. Paper plates and some microwaving later, we sit at the kitchen table while Charity groans and wanders into the room, plops down, and looks at Apollo.

"Are you a vampire?"

He blinks at her a few times. "No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She looks at me. "Did he make you invite him in?"

"Eat your chicken."

She shrugs and pulls the tray of chicken in front of her, slathers the pieces in the buffalo sauce lining the bottom of the tinfoil pan, and scoops up great big gobs of blue cheese dressing before gobbling them down. I resolve to eat some pizza before I lose my appetite from watching.

"Damn," Apollo blurts out, "This is better than I expected."

"It's Antonio's. Local place. They know me."

The three of us eat in silence. Charity eats almost all the chicken, but Apollo tries it and eats the rest, complete with the dressing, while I polish off half a triple cheese meat sensation pizza by myself. Antonio is creative with his naming. When Charity finishes eating, she wanders back into the sitting room and sprawls out on the couch, thankfully laying on her side as she begins to snore.

"She's going to have a monster headache in the morning," Apollo notes, peering past me to watch her. "She only has her mother?"

"Yeah, her Dad was killed in Iraq."

A pall falls over the room.

"Oh. Shit."

"You didn't know. She's a mess. Charity's uncle does a lot for them, gave her the job. She'll probably take over the shop one day. She likes it."

"She have a boyfriend?"

"No. She did but they broke up when he moved away."

"How about you."

"No, I don't have time for-"

He's grinning.

Oh.

I turn beet red. "As I was saying, no time. You don't get a 4.0 average at a private school by twiddling your thumbs. It took a lot of work."

"School's over, right? You can let your hair down."

"Hardly. Now I have to go to college."