Page 31 of Vampire's Cupcake
Eli nodded again.It was what had gotten the last board removed--they'd come for Romeo.
"I think we should look through the non-fiction boxes."Thano moved over to the boxes and lifted two of them onto the desk.
"What are we looking for?"
Thano frowned at him."Cupcakes."He said it as if Eli had lost his mind, and maybe he had.He pulled in a deep breath and tried to get his brain back on track.Okay, they were looking for cupcakes.He pulled one of the boxes closer and opened the lid.There were about twenty books inside, as Thano had said.He checked the titles.There was one about crocheting, and he pictured showing it to Rosie.There was one about origami.Eli opened it.He couldn't help himself.Imagine having so many papers you could fold them into little animals simply for the fun of it.Next up was a recipe book.
Eli opened the back and searched the table of contents."This one has cupcakes."
Thano stepped closer as Eli searched for the right page.He opened it and stared at a picture of three different cupcakes.One of them was chocolate.He pointed at it."I don't think we'll be able to get hold of cocoa powder."
"No, most likely not."
"The others have vanilla extract."
"But we can skip it?"Thano's dark eyes bore into his.
"Maybe.It won't taste the same, but it will still be sweet.I fear they'll taste too much of eggs if we don't have anything else with flavor."He turned a couple of pages and stopped when he found a lemon sponge cake."Like this."He tapped a finger at the recipe."See, lemon zest and juice, no vanilla extract."
Thano leaned a little closer, and Eli's heart sped up.
"So we need a lemon?There are no lemons on your tree at the moment."
"I think we can substitute.I have some blueberries in my freezer."He had saved them for a special occasion, but maybe trying to bake cupcakes was special enough."They're not as tart as lemons, but maybe you won't be able to tell there is no vanilla in the batter."
"We'll do that."Thano didn't move away."I'll borrow the book from Romeo, and we can try it at my place."
Eli couldn't move, couldn't breathe.At Thano's place?He had a place?Did Eli want to be in a vampire's home, off the paved road, and with no one who could come to his rescue?He swallowed hard."Eh...baking powder.I don't have any baking powder, and I don't have any in the shop either.Sometimes I can get hold of some, but it's not often, and it disappears fast when I have it."
Thano pressed his lips together, a small crease forming between his brows.Eli couldn't help but stare.For years, Thano had been the only other in their town--or the only one who walked the streets at least.He might not have been a customer in Eli's shop, but he'd seen him around, and his face has always been a blank mask.Stoic.Dangerous.
He was still dangerous, but there were so many more expressions Eli hadn't seen before.Without knowing why, he touched Thano's arm."We'll get hold of some.I might be able to use Elijah's phone to call New Town or Grave Ville, see if anyone is willing to deliver."
To have something delivered, he'd had to order a lot more things, and he didn't think he could afford to.Not when he had to pay for the things Joshua would bring in the morning.Worry clawed at him.How would they survive if the board went through with the docking fee?Joshua hadn't made any promises about continuing to deliver--of course he hadn't.Neither of them could foresee what it would mean, and while Eli was sure Joshua would be willing to go through some trouble to keep Eli as a customer, there were already so many troubles in their lives, so the easiest option made the most sense.
"I'll fix it."
Eli jumped at Thano's voice, and it took a second for him to make sense of the words."Fix it?"
Thano nodded."I'll have some tomorrow."
"Oh..."
"Shall I pick you up at the same time?"
"Eh..."Eli was aware he was making noises, not words, but he couldn't get his mouth to work.In the end, he nodded.Shit.
* * * *
Thano watched Tuur drive away with Eli.He was reluctant to let him go, but Eli needed to get home to eat, and Thano needed to get a move on.He watched the taillights disappear out of sight.
He should've gone with him.Now Eli was alone with Tuur for the entire drive, and Thano hadn't liked the look of relief on his face when Tuur had suggested going back.Didn't he like The Moonlight Ranch?
"Is this going to be a thing?"
Thano turned to look at Romeo who walked out on the terrace."What?"
"People driving my car back and forth to Last Hope several times a day.You better pay for gas."
