“Don’t you need to pay the man for your drink?” he slurs, cocking his head and taking me in.
“On the house, no worries.” I plaster on my best customer service smile, but make sure my fangs flash as I grin a little wider at the sorry sack of a man in front of me. He blinks quickly, asif unsure of what he just saw before he shakes his head in an attempt to clear it.
“Besides, Daphne should get some sleep. I’ll see you early at 7:30 sharp to begin your lessons tomorrow morning. Sound good?” I swing the half door and walk about from behind the bar, puffing out my chest as I tower over the both of them.
“Great,” she says, smiling nervously and waiting for his reaction.
“Grand idea, she needs all the help she can get.” Gerald belly laughs at his own cruel joke.
I walk ahead and open the door so that Daphne can lead him out. Before she steps all the way over the threshold, I place my hand on the small of her warm back. She whips her head around to hear me whisper, “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ring the front desk. I’ll be here…really, anything at all.”
The vision, the human I want to touch so badly, bites her lip and nods before leaving me alone in the lodge foyer.
I watch them make their way clumsily to the luxury cabins nearby. I don’t look away until they’re both on the porch, even though my chest burns with jealousy.
What in the world is going on with me?
I barely know this woman, and yet I need her. There’s some primal part of me that is already planning all the little accidents her fiance could have around the lodge to get him out of the picture. I bite the inside of my cheek until I draw the metallic taste of my own blood.
Is this just a crush? Is my sense of justice hijacking my own common sense?
In a few short paces, I’m back at the bar. I grab two shot glasses and pour doubles of the well whisky. With a swig, the first one goes down almost as easy as the second. That familiar burn, the one that normally dulls the aching need in my chest,does nothing for my feelings for Daphne. The need is still there, whispering behind my every thought.
How has this sad human woman wiggled her way into my soul so deeply?
Chapter five
Daphne
“You’resodrunk,”Iwhisper as I look at Gerald lying prone on the sofa of our cozy private cabin. He reeks of scotch, the peat-moss-like odor all over the front of his shirt as if he spilled half a bottle on himself.
“No you, you’re drunk,” he laughs into the plaid couch cushion.
I scrub my hand down my face, unsure of how to proceed. I’ve never seen him like this. Sure, we have a drink at dinner, but he’s plastered. I feel guilty once again that the wedding stress is getting to him. Seeing me falling all over myself probably didn’t help either.
“What can I do to help?” I ask as I kneel and stroke his head.
Gerald’s head pops up, spit plastering the side of his face, eyes rolled partly back.
“You-you can just play your damn part,” he seethes. There’s an anger behind his eyes that I’ve never seen before.
“What?” My brows knit and I search his face.
“Play the little wife and let me get on with my damn life. Honestly this should feel like a gift I’m giving to you—quit making me second-guess it all!”
My stomach freezes and I get nauseous.
“Are you having second thoughts about the w-wedding…about me?” I gulp down my panic and try to steady myself for his answer. I don’t know what I’ll do if he’s done with me. I’ve given up so much to make this work, and I want a family so fucking badly.
“Oh, we’ll be getting married, you can bet your pert little ass on that.” Gerald closes his eyes and pushes his body weight into the couch cushions. He rocks side to side.
“Tell the room to stop moving,” he commands.
“Babe?” I place my hand on the small of his neck.
He looks at me and opens his mouth. Instead of a response, I’m hit with a wave of sour vomit. The acidic bile hits my chest, coating my jacket and sweater beneath.
I gag, putting my hand over my mouth as I lean as far away from him as I can. When I have no other choice, I look at him.
