Playing With Vampires - An Izzy Cooper Novel Read Free Page B

he did, usually while I was taking a bath. He could also send telepathic messages.
    Why he was using text messaging was beyond me, but he could be a strange duck at times.
    “Ayden … can you swing around to Pier Alley. I need to meet someone at Pies & Stuff.”
    “Sure … but how are you going to get back to your car?” he asked.
    “I left my car at the Sandbar, so I can just call Annabelle to pick me up.”
    I could tell the boss man wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea of leaving me in town without my car, so I thought I better do some extra talking. “I’ll have my friend wait with me until Annabelle shows up,” I reassured him.
    Grudgingly, Ayden dropped me in front of a little historic building, located next to the ferry landing
    As soon as I got out of the SUV, I caught the scent of cherry pie.
    The pain gnawing at my stomach reminded me that I’d forgotten to eat dinner. When I was busy plotting revenge on ex boyfriends, food was merely an afterthought.
    My pumps made a loud clanking noise as I walked up the wooden sidewalk to the old Victorian building.
    At one time it had been an abandoned fish shop, but with a fresh coat of pastel blue paint and white trim, it looked warm and cozy. Charlie had done a magnificent job of restoring it.
    Charlie was standing behind counter, and was in the process of giving Ivan Kent a warm up on his coffee.
    Looking up, Charlie waved. “Hello Miss Cooper. You look a bit overdressed this evening.’
    Charlie Fox loved wearing pink striped aprons, which was a contrast to the blue-checkered table clothes and curtains of Pies & Stuff. I preferred not to think about why he liked pink, especially at his age. Sure, lots of guys got into pink these days, but that was the younger generation. Charlie had to be at least in his mid thirties, and not really as feminine as his pink apron would suggest. He had hairy arms, and a thick brown mustache that reminded me of one of those old time barbers.
    “I’m just stopping in to meet a friend for a cup of go juice,” I explained.
    “Oh … it must be the guy out on the deck.” Charlie pointed to a side door that led to the deck.
    On summer days, the deck would be filled with people snacking on pies and ice cream, while they escaped the heat beneath the huge blue and white-checkered canopy.
    “Hi Izzy,” Ivan spoke up before I could make my escape.
    “Hello Ivan,” I returned his greeting, forcing the corners of my mouth in an upward direction. I hoped it looked close enough to a smile to fool him.
    It wasn’t that I didn’t like Ivan, but I did prefer to keep him at a distance. When we were in high school, Ivan had stalked me throughout most of my senior year. He was one of those guys who could be as sweet as honey, but still couldn’t comprehend what no meant.
    “It’s been a long time,” he said, tipping the blue football cap he was wearing.
    I wondered if he was wearing the hat to hide the fact that he hadn’t bothered to comb all that brown - curly hair of his? Even his jeans and T-shirt looked dirty.
    Suddenly I felt something pulling on my heartstrings and I didn’t much like the feeling.
    Could it be my fault that he’d deteriorated to such a state?
    “It has been awhile. What are you doing these days?” I asked.
    “Working at the boat salvage on South Point. It’s not much, but it pays the bills.”
    “Well I’m sure you’ll find something better soon.”
    He shook his head. “I don’t know. Some of us don’t have a college education, so we have to do what we have to do.”
    “Well my friend is waiting for me,” I told him. “I’ll talk to you again soon.”
    “Sure thing, Izzy. Hope the family is doing good,” he called after me as I was practically running toward the sliding glass door that led to the deck.
    “Yours too … tell your mom I said hello,” I tossed the words over my shoulder.
    “Will do!” he said, raising his voice so that I would hear him from the deck.
    Julius was sitting