The Black Coats(26)

Her dad looked dejected.

“Will you at least go linger in the kitchen like normal parents? You can easily spy on us from there.”

They smiled and dutifully retreated. “I’ll be watching,” her mom called out.

Outside, a car door slammed, and Thea’s heart turned nervously. “Okay! Go!” she hissed at her parents, shooing them away.

She opened the door. Drew gave her an easy smile, leaning against the side of her door. He looked her up and down approvingly. “A dress!” He whistled. “I’m speechless.”

“I can’t believe that’s ever true,” retorted Thea. He didn’t look so bad himself: tight dark jeans showed off his long legs, and his white linen button-down was just snug enough to frame his chest. The white of the shirt set off his gorgeous olive eyes, though Thea thought there was something different about him. She couldn’t put her finger on it.

He held a bouquet of tiny pink and black flowers in one hand. “The florist said these are called anemones. They seemed just right for a girl who probably doesn’t love daisies.”

“Err, thank you.” She glanced up at him with a laugh, finally realizing what was different about him: “You’re wearing glasses!” Chunky brown frames sat on the edge of his nose. He rocked back on his feet.

“Ah, yeah. I wear contacts at school, for soccer of course, but on the weekends, my eyes need a break. Are they, um, okay?”

Thea nodded. She liked them. Like, she really liked them. He wiggled his eyebrows. “I think they make me look like the guy who never gets the girl in all those vampire books.”

Thea took the flowers to the kitchen, where her parents were hiding, and then returned, sliding past Drew to pull the door shut behind them. The night was lovely. A golden sun shimmered against the horizon, throwing long trails of lavender across a dark blue sky. Thea took a breath, willing her nerves to be still. They climbed into Drew’s green truck. “So . . . where are you taking me?”

Drew grinned, buckling his seat belt. “After this date, you are either going to be mad about me or never want to talk to me again.” Drew rubbed the stubble on his chin as Thea admired his strong profile.

“I’m honestly up for anything,” Thea said quietly. Drew nodded once and shifted the truck into high gear as they turned off her street. A white pickup passed them, and Thea sucked in her breath until she saw that an older woman sat behind the wheel.

“What is it?”

She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

A change of subject was needed. After a fierce debate in her mind, Thea laid her hand carefully on Drew’s. His eyes lit up, but he remained steady, a confident smile lifting the corners of his mouth. Drew turned toward Thea. “So I have to ask: Where do you rush off to after school? I saw you running like a lunatic after Mirabelle Watts the other day. Why would you do that to yourself?”

“She’s not that . . .” Her words trailed off. “Okay, she’s kind of bad, but she grows on you.”

Drew grinned again. “Not unlike a fungus.”

Thea skillfully avoided his question and their conversation continued, light and easy, as Drew drove through the creeping twilight. He turned to her, his olive eyes kind. “So since we’re almost there, I feel like you need some history on where I am taking you. My dad knows this weird guy who lives outside Austin. He’s been arrested a bunch of times, but only recently for public drunkenness and nudity.”

“This,” deadpanned Thea, “is already the most romantic date I’ve ever been on.”

“I aim to please. Anyway, he owns a museum downtown. The shady end. It’s a museum of weird things.” Thea burst out laughing. “It’s called Harry’s Peculiarium.” Drew turned the truck down a dark alley. “I know this seems like I’m taking you somewhere to murder you—” He stopped his sentence as soon as the words were out of his mouth. “Oh, Thea, I’m so sorry. Oh God, I didn’t mean that. I don’t know why I said that.”

I know why, thought Thea. Because you were making a normal joke like normal people do until you remembered that they found my cousin floating in a creek. Thea took a deep breath, choosing to smile through the sudden threat of tears. “It’s okay. I know what you meant. Go on; tell me more about this weird museum.”

“No need to tell. It’s right there.” Drew parked the car and pointed through the windshield smeared with a fine layer of brown dust. Small puddles in the alleyway reflected a buzzing neon sign glowing a sickly green: Harry’s Peculiarium. Thea leaned forward and looked through the windshield. “I’m already intrigued.”

“Oh, just you wait.” Drew hopped out of the car and came around to her side, helping her down from the massive truck. They ran through the puddles, splashing their way to the door. Drew knocked and then looked at her with a shrug. “I told you this was going to be a weird date.”

Thea started laughing, but she stopped when she saw an old man peek through a window. He was heavyset, with greasy white hair that flew in all directions. Above his askew collar a cragged face reflected a long and troubled life. Still, his cloudy eyes lit up when he saw Drew and Thea and his trembling hands reached for the lock.

His raspy voice sounded painful as it passed through his cracked lips. “Hello! Come in! Drew, you brought a girl!”