Sagely, she nodded. “I’m legally bound to keep your secrets. There are limits, though. If you tell me you’re about to commit a crime, I will be obligated to report that to the authorities.”
That didn’t bode well. I ran through a mental list of ten crimes I’d committed in the last week. “Be more specific regarding the crimes you need to report.”
Nonplussed, she said, “Oh-kay.” When she saw that I was waiting for her to enumerate the list, she began. “Any child abuse or elder abuse. If I think you are an immediate threat to yourself or others.”
“But everything else is fine? Like if I already killed someone, that’s okay?”
“I wouldn’t say…okay.”
“So hypothetically, if I tell you I’m a vampire, you won’t tell anyone?”
She smiled benignly. “As long as you aren’t about to bite anyone.”
“Consensual biting?”
She cocked her head to the side. “I’d have to think about that, but probably okay.”
This could be interesting.
While I was considering my options, Dr. Rosetti gave me a scrutinizing look. After sitting with her discomfort for a moment, she smiled as if she’d figured something out. “I bet youfeellike a vampire. How long have you been afflicted with porphyria?”
“As long as I can remember,” I said carefully. “I lived in LA until just recently, and it wasn’t as big of a problem there. Even though it’s sunny all day, the city is alive at night. Here, everything closes after dinner, which seems to happen very early.”
“So you haven’t been able to meet people?”
“That’s why I’m here. To learn about my neighbors.”
“I can see how you might feel isolated at first in this community.”
“The bar and, apparently, your practice are the only businesses open past eight.”
“Do you live alone?”
“No,” I said, reluctant to offer any more information.
“I sense some tension in your answer. Who do you live with?”
“I moved here with—” I hesitated. What was Heaven to me? We’d declared a truce. I answered, “I think she could be a friend.”
“Say more.”
“Heaven was my neighbor in LA. We’ve always been friends, but we’renot incredibly close. I turned her into a vampire, mostly by accident, and yada yada yada, here we are in Vermont renovating an inn.” Letting out my truth was better than taking off a corset at the end of a long day.
Dr. Rosetti kept her expression blank. “Is there anyone else?”
“Tyrone invited me over, but you know, he’s a tree farmer and I’m…” I struggled for words.
“A vampire?” she supplied.
“Exactly.” I returned a benign smile.
“I can understand how you might feel unable to be yourself on a Christmas tree farm, as a vampire.”
She understood. No wonder people loved therapy so much.
“Have you made any other big life changes?”
“I’m on this new coconut water diet. It’s sort of a juice cleanse, I guess.”
