“Yes! That would be amazing.” Claire popped the last piece of chocolate in her mouth, moaning as she chewed it.
“Christ, Claire, no need to carry on over there. It’s only chocolate, not dick.” Claire gasped. She decided to ignore her.
“But it’s been so long since I have had anything like this. I was dieting like crazy so I didn’t look like a chunk for Elaina’s wedding.”
Sophie looked her up and down. “I find it hard to believe that you could possibly look like…a chunk, did you say?” Sophie was very skeptical.
“I had a small pooch. I’ve just lost a bunch of weight since…well, you know.”
“Yeah, I was two hun’red pounds before this whole thin’ happened.” Both Sophie and Claire looked at Thomas and laughed. He smiled as he popped the last piece of chocolate into his mouth.
“Thomas, you wouldn’t reach two hundred pounds if you were carrying me on your back!” All three of them laughed, enjoying a normal conversation for a change.
“Well, it looks like the fog is lifting enough for us to drive on,” Sophie said.
“Onward, captain! I’m ready to get back to Nick!”
“Alright then.” Sophie started the truck and began navigating to the on-ramp. Claire could feel a prickle running through her whole body. Her excitement was endless, running from her head to her toes. She was beaming, thinking of the ways Nick would react to her getting his guitar for him.
Chapter 28
S
ophie, Claire, and Thomas still hadn’t returned. I was trying to keep myself busy by reading a few of the books that were once my mother’s. Lightweight, written in a box, soft core romance novels…barf. Nothing erotic about these kissy-kissy, lovey-dovey things. I wanted something with a shifter or vampire and some rather interesting scenes. I tossed the book aside.
Nick was driving me crazy, pacing the floor and constantly looking out the windows. He still hadn’t admitted to me that he had a thing going on with Claire, but I could see that he was worried about her. He was crushed when Jenna became true dead. He loved her so much, but he was always one to quickly move on.
I hoped that he and Claire were becoming a couple. She had carried a torch for him for ages. Even though she loved Marc, Nick was always in the back of her mind. I thought she would be good for him.
Henry stared out the windows toward the street like a dog waiting for his owner to come home, as well. I had a feeling he was working out travel plans.
“Winter will be rolling in soon. We need to figure this out.” And there it was. He sat down next to me, rubbing his eyes. I could tell he was ready to move on. I know he wanted to get to Gunther, but it also sounded like he wanted us out of the danger of the winter weather.
“There’s a little wood stacked out in the garage. I saw it when I was looking for something to tie Kellan up with.” Just hearing Nick say his name made me shiver all over.
“Just a little?” The worry was written on Henry’s face.
“Yeah. Probably a week’s worth if we had a fire 24/7.” Henry stood up with more ease than I had seen since his brutal beating.
“Well, let’s go cut down a couple trees.” I watched him roll his neck back and forth.
“Henry, are you okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Are you hurting?”
“I’m fine,” he snapped, and I left it at that. I knew he needed a fix. He forgot that I knew the signs, and “Angry Henry” was about to break through. I would give him a vial, but I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t ask. He had to know that I would do anything for him, like I knew he would do anything for me.
It was brisk and still early. According to the tacky bird-themed thermometer my mom had on the window to the front porch, the needle was hovering around the mid-forties. The ground was nearly covered in yellow, amber, and red leaves. It was actually quite stunning. Henry and Nick both grabbed a couple of dad’s old flannel shirts, and went outside to gather wood.
***
As soon as Nick closed the door behind him, he questioned Henry, “Why didn’t you tell her you were in need?”
“I don’t want her to think she has to provide for me every time.” He sounded gruff and angry.
“There’s no one else around.”
“I know. Just let me deal with it. If it gets too bad…”
“I understand. I really don’t want to take any from her…or anyone else, for that matter,” Nick mumbled. Henry just looked at him and didn’t say a word. They continued to the back yard. Henry was frustrated and he felt terribly guilty.
“I don’t know what else to do for you. I apologized a dozen times. There’s no way I can make it right, but I do regret what I did.”