Page 15 of The Dancer and the Dark
He filled the kettle at the sink, then keeping his back to Clara, used a wooden spoon to press the power button, letting out a small sigh of relief when there was no accompanying spark.
“Where do you keep your tea?”
“We don’t have much, but there are some bags to the left of the sink in that top cupboard.”
Gavin searched and found a pathetic selection of small paper bags on a shelf above carefully-lined-up coffee mugs. “Will your family be coming soon?”
“My sister will.” Clara crossed her arms and leaned on the counter. “I’m sure John’s sister will too. His older brother passed a few years ago.”
“I remember.”
Clara nodded. “So there’s not as much family on that side. But my sister will come.”
“I’m glad. It’s not good to be alone during these times.”
Clara examined him. “Do you come from a big family?”
Mortal or immortal?
“About average size for the area where I grew up.”A mad, batty vampire with self-image issues.“I’ve a sister who lives in France with her children. Works in winemaking.”
There. That was enough information to seem normal, wasn’t it?
“And your parents?”
“Oh, they passed long ago,” Gavin said.
But wait, he looked like he was barely older than Chloe.
“There was an auto accident,” he added quickly. “Very sudden… Uh, very sad.” He was going to have to remember to tell Chloe this entire backstory because her mother didn’t trust him, and he was sure she’d cross-check everything with her daughter. “So it’s just my sister and me these days.”
“And she works in wine production and you have bars?”
He sighed. “I have a number of bars around the world, but I have more clubs. Entertainment clubs, nightclubs, social clubs. That sort of thing.”
“Chloe doesn’t talk much about your business, but I know you travel a lot.”
So does your daughter, which you’d know if you called her more than two times a year.“Chloe is a wonderful partner for countless reasons, but one of the benefits of her job is that when she doesn’t have a show in production, her work usually allows her to travel with me. It’s been quite wonderful.”
“Huh.” Clara watched him as he removed the tea bags and doctored the Earl Grey.
“How do you take your tea?” Gavin asked.
“However you make it is fine.”
“Very well.” He added two spoons of sugar and a hefty dollop of milk. “There you are.”
“Thank you.” Clara sipped from her mug. “My daughter seems to have all sorts of people watching her these days. I know she said the young man who dropped her off and the older woman are friends, but I can spot private security.”
Gavin said nothing.
Clara looked him dead in the eye. “Are you a criminal, Mr. Wallace?”
How could he possibly answer that honestly? There were countless actions he’d taken in the previous 160-odd years that would probably classify him as a criminal in her eyes, but none of them were the reason that Chloe had to be guarded so carefully.
“What I am,” he said carefully, “is very rich. And very influential in certain circles.”
It was Clara’s turn to be quiet.
