“No, but I can get a hold of one,” David said.
“And with that test, you’ll also be able to tell us if David’s blood is changing, like mine?” I asked. Gunn nodded. “One more thing,” I said. “This craving for human flesh, is it ever going to go away?”
“That’s a good question, and one,” he tightened his lips and shook his head, “I don’t have an answer to. That’s why it’s important we plan ahead, figure out how to sate your hunger.” He pointed at the five cubes of meat left on the plate. “Should we continue or would you like to see what I’ve set aside as a last resort?”
The thought of tasting another piece of raw meat made my mouth water and not in a good way. It was the type of mouthwatering followed by vomit.
“Skip the taste testing,” I said. “What’s the last resort?”
“Dear, would you…?” Gunn looked at Eileen.
“I’ll be right back.” Eileen walked out of the kitchen.
“Dr. Gunn…” I was uneasy. “There aren’t severed limbs involved, right?”
“No, nothing like that. Sometimes,” Gunn said, “the most challenging situation has the simplest solution. I hope this is your case.”
Eileen returned a moment later with a small, white bag. She held it out to me. David and I peeked inside.
“This is it?” I furrowed my brow, taking the bag form Eileen. “You want to combat my brutal hunger with this?”
“What is it?” Galilea asked.
David stuck his hand in the bag and pulled out the contents: a small, white box and a brown, fat bottle.
“Prenatal vitamins and iron supplements?” Alezzander scoffed. “Gunn, what kind of a—”
“Oh, but there’s more,” Gunn said, “in the bag.”
I stuck my hand inside and found a three-dollar coupon for a sack of protein powder. “You’re joking?” I asked.
“Not at all. It makes perfect sense,” Eileen said. “Meat contains protein, iron, vitamin B12… If you meet the level of nutrients your body is asking for—”
“It’ll stop the cravings,” Nyx said, taking the prenatal vitamins from David. She skimmed the label on the bottle. “These pills contain all of those.”
“Precisely,” Gunn beamed.
“What about food?” David asked. “She can’t survive on protein shakes for the rest of her life. Especially not now that she’s pregnant.”
“Yes, I thought it as well, and for a moment, I was afraid we’d have to start stealing fresh corpses,” Gunn said. “But I believe she may be able to eat cooked meals again.”
“She hasn’t attempted to since you restricted her diet,” David said. “You do remember?”
“I do. I remember. But things have changed.” Gunn gestured at his laptop screen. “My theory would be more precise if I had a full CT scan, but based on these results, I deem it’s possible.”
“What do you think?” David asked me. “Do you want to try?”
“I don’t know. What if regular food makes me sick again?” I thought about the things I missed eating the most in the last few months. “Although, I’d kill for a burger right now.”
Gunn blinked and took a step back.
“It wasn’t literal.” I smiled at the doctor.
“Oh.” Dr. Gunn’s shoulders relaxed. “I knew that.”
I heard Galilea snicker behind me.
“Galilea, do you own a grill?” Alezzander asked.
“Yup. There’s a full outdoor kitchen right over there, on the other side of pool.” She pointed out the kitchen window. “Why?”
“If you don’t mind,” Alezzander said, “I’d like to borrow it, please.”
CHAPTER 16
My legs dangled off the edge of the pool. My jeans were rolled up to my knees, the warm, relaxing pool water enveloping my feet and ankles, caressing my calves. Galilea sunbathed on a float that looked like a lawn chair. She offered to lend me a bathing suit, but I didn’t feel like swimming. Nyx and Eileen sipped on margaritas at a table behind me. I watched as Alezzander, Dr. Gunn, and David huddled around the grill on the other side of the pool. David glanced over his shoulder at me and smiled. He turned around when Alezzander patted his back, then swung an arm over his shoulder. Dr. Gunn said something to Alezzander and handed him a beer. They all laughed. I didn’t have Alezzander pegged as a beer-drinking kind of guy. It was strange to see Alezzander so laid back. And grilling burgers. So…human.
“Isis, I’m going inside to get us another round of margaritas,” Eileen said. “Would you like a cold drink? It’s scorching out here.”
“Water, please? And thank you.”
Eileen walked to the house. Nyx stood from the patio table and joined me. She raised her flowing, white skirt and dipped her feet in the water.
“I didn’t know it took so many people to light a fire,” I said, looking at the men.
“You noticed too?” Nyx laughed. “I can’t speak for Tobias, but Alezzander and David are out of practice. We haven’t had a family cookout in a long time. About sixty years.” She reached down and touched the water with her hands. “He’s doing this for you, you know?”
“David?” I asked.
“No, Alezzander,” she said. “He’s cooking the hamburgers you asked for.”
“Oh. Yes, I know.” I nodded. “I’m a little thrown off by it.”
“He’s not as rigid as you think. It takes him time to warm up to people.” She dried her hand on her skirt. “It’s a bad time to bring this up, but I need to get it off my chest. Alezzander never liked Olympia. Neither did I. Not one bit. It was hard for Alezzander to ask David to agree to marry her. I objected. We fought over the issue, as a matter of fact.” She glanced over to her son and husband. “David was so miserable, and Alezzander knew it.” She returned to gaze to me “Do you know hard it is to see your child carrying a broken heart? You will someday. It’s a part of life. Anyway, last night, Alezzander told me he was relieved David and you had reconciled. He said he didn’t want you to hate him.”
“I don’t hate him,” I said. “To be honest, I thought he hated me.”
“Now you know different, right?”
“I thought you hated me, too.”
“No.” She rubbed my forearm and gave it a tight squeeze before withdrawing her hand. “I was upset. But then, I thought about your motives, and I think—no, I’m positive—I would’ve done the same if I were in your shoes.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “Alezzander has his flaws, but I love him dearly, and would do anything for him.”
“Thank you—for understanding.” I said. “My mom told me you kept in touch after David and I broke up, which surprised me.”
“Yes, well, I was worried for you, for your change, for David. And after all, Claire is my friend. I can talk to her so much easier than I can talk to people I’ve known my entire life. It’s hard to find real friends, Isis; you don’t let them go when you find them.”
“Yeah,” I said, glancing at Galilea. “I know what you mean.”
“Eileen is taking an awful long time with those drinks.” Nyx fanned herself. “She might need help. I’m going to check on her.”
“Should I go, too?”
“No. I’m sure Eileen and I can manage,” she said. She nodded at the men. “You can make sure those three don’t catch on fire, though.”
“Okay.” I smiled.
Nyx walked away, and I glanced at Galilea floating in the pool. The float had made its way closer to me. I couldn’t tell if her eyes were closed under her dark sunglasses. I didn’t want to disturb her.
I turned in the direction of the outdoor kitchen. After twenty minutes of failed attempts, the men had a fire going. Alezzander and Dr. Gunn were sitting on barstools, talking. David’s elbows were poised on the high counter, listening to them. He glanced over at me, turned, and said something to the doctor and Alezzander, then circled the pool. He rolled up his pants and sat down at my side.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hey.”
David leaned in and kissed me chastely on the lips. It was weird how I still felt butterflies in my stomach when he was near me.
“Get a room!” Galilea splashed water on us.
“Mind your own business, nosey.” I kicked water in her direction.
David pushed Galilea and the float with his foot.
“Awe.” Galilea pouted as she drifted away from us.
“So what’s happening over yonder in menfolk’s territory?” I asked David. I glanced in the direction of the grill and caught Alezzander staring at us. He quickly looked away.
“Let’s see…” David squinted as if in deep thought. “There’s been recipe swapping and gossiping about the neighbors.”
“Oh, really?” I smiled.
Somehow, he seemed cuter when he was trying to be funny. I wondered what he’d look like when he grew older. Should I have even been thinking so far ahead?
“Yes, really,” he said. “And we also braided each other’s hair and exfoliated our elbows.”
“You’re a bad liar.” I giggled.
“You have the sweetest laugh.” David put his arms around me. “Do you want to hear what really happened?” I nodded. “My father asked me to text an invitation to your mother. She replied saying she’d head over as soon as she left work.”
“That’s a first. Is there a reason he invited her?”
“I’m asking myself the same thing.” He lifted my chin with the tip of his fingers. “Why do you have that confused look on your face?”
“Because I am. Your dad is being social. Not just social, but nice. He’s exchanged maybe a dozen words with my mom the few times they were in the same room, and today, out of the blue, he asks her to come over to eat grilled burgers. Burgers he’s cooking—for me? I don’t understand this at all. Is it because now he knows who I am and what I’m supposed to do, he feels obligated to be nicer to me?” I glanced at Alezzander, who was poking the fire with a stick. “Because that’s not fair.”
“Maybe,” David said, “he’s attempting to be a good father-in-law.”
Or maybe he was playing nice for his son’s sake. I didn’t even know if Alezzander liked Claire or vice versa.
The weight of someone’s stare on me made me uneasy. I turned to view the grill area and saw Alezzander looking at me. He waved. I waved back. Smiled to be polite.
“Why is he acting so weird?” I asked in a whisper.
“He’s just trying to make you feel welcome into our family. He’s doesn’t do warm and fuzzy too well.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I think you’re reading too much into it.”
“Probably,” I said. “It’s just… My entire life feels so odd right now. I can’t wrap my head around any of this.” I closed my eyes for a moment. “Last night, my mom let you sleep over with me. Today, your dad is drinking beer and flipping burgers. What’s happening to them?”
“The same thing that’s happening to us,” David said. “Our parents are growing up.”
“Speaking of parents…” I looked past David to the house’s sliding doors. “My mom is here.”
Claire was holding a margarita in one hand and waving to everyone with the other. David and I waved back at her. Nyx hooked her arm with Claire’s, and they walked across the backyard. Eileen followed behind them with a tray.
“Mom, you’re working tomorrow. Do you really think you should be drinking?” I asked Claire as she took a seat at the patio table.
“Gah! Who are you—my mother?”
“Just watching out for you. And aren’t you driving?”
“For your information, it’s lemonade.”
“Claire,” Alezzander said, a few steps away from the table. He kissed both of Claire’s cheeks. “Nice to see you again. I’m so glad you were able to join us. Dinner is almost ready. I hope you like hamburgers.”
“I love burgers,” Claire said. “And thanks so much for the invitation. I wasn’t expecting to see Nyx or you. David told me you had to be somewhere?”
“We were supposed to leave today, but…” Alezzander kept the small talk going.
“This is freaking me out,” I whispered into David’s ear. “It’s like the Twilight Zone, but with stranger characters.”
“What’s this about?” Galilea said, climbing out of the pool.
“Alezzander invited my mom to come over,” I said. “Yeah, you heard right.”
Galilea raised her brows at me. She turned her attention to the conversation at the table.
“…and I see you’ve met Eileen,” Alezzander said. “This is her husband, Dr. Tobias Gunn.”
Uh-oh. I hoped Dr. Gunn knew how to lie and lie well. I wished I’d thought about warning him of her natural gift to make people spill the beans. The heat index seemed to rise ten degrees around me instantly, but I knew it was just my nerves.
“Oh, hello.” Claire stretched her hand out to the scientist. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Gunn.”
“No need for formalities. I’m just Tobias,” Gunn said. “It’s a pleasure, Claire.”
“Dr. Gunn is our private physician,” Alezzander said.
“He’s the doctor I told you about—the one who’s overseeing Isis’s pregnancy,” David added, helping me to my feet.
“Oh, the gynecologist?” Claire asked.
“No. I’m a scientist,” Gunn said. “A geneticist, to be exact.”
“And you also deliver babies?” Claire looked at him quizzically.
Oh no… Lie, Gunn! Lie!
“Well,” Gunn scratched his head, “in medical school I had some—”
“Yes.” Galilea slapped Dr. Gunn on the back. He griped. “Dr. G. does all the baby delivering and prenatal-ish stuff. He has several specialties. Don’t you, Doc?”
From across the table, Nyx noted the wide-eyed stare I was giving her. She gave me a nonchalant nod and elbowed Alezzander.
“I…Yes,” Gunn said. “As a matter of fact, I do, but—”
“Tobias, we’d better get back to that grill,” Alezzander said to Dr. Gunn. “Burgers aren’t very tasty if they’re burned to a crisp.”
“Right you are,” Dr. Gunn said. “Excuse us.”
Either from confusion, suspicion, or something else, Claire’s brow furrowed as the men walked away to the other side of the pool. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but I knew her enough to know she’d be asking questions. Questions to answers I’d have to be quick to make up.
Claire turned her attention to me. I felt my stomach contract. As she was about to say something, Nyx asked Claire how things were going at the office. I breathed a sigh of relief. I crossed my fingers, wishing for her to forget about the topic. David and I stepped off to the side, away from hearing range, and motioned Galilea over.
“You didn’t tell the doctors my mom didn’t know about any of this?” I asked Galilea in almost a whisper.
“I thought they knew.” She looked at David “Why didn’t you tell them?”
“I thought you had told them,” he said. “They do live with you.”
“David,” Alezzander called out. He lifted a tray with fully assembled hamburgers for us to see from across the pool. “A little help?”
David hurried to the other side of the yard to help his dad. I took a chair next to Claire. Galilea slipped into a loose sundress and flip-flops and joined us. It wasn’t long before Dr. Gunn, Alezzander, and David were at the table. Everyone dove into the mound of hamburgers, including me. I held my burger in front of my face.
You can do this. Take a bite. Swallow. Keep it down.
“Eat.” Claire elbowed me.
I took a small bite of the burger. It was delicious. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed the taste. Maybe Dr. Gunn was right. Maybe I could eat again. I swallowed. Took another bite. My stomach tensed.
Oh no.
I felt my stomach relax. I sighed.
“Enjoying your food?” Dr. Gunn caught my eye.
“Very much,” I said. “These burgers, they’
re great. Thank you, Alezzander.”
“Most welcome.” Alezzander reached for the ketchup bottle. “So, Isis, David, what plans have you discussed for your wedding?”
I’d avoided the subject on purpose. But now even Alezzander seemed to be pressing it.
“Mmm…mmm.” Galilea raised her hand. She swallowed her food. “Shotgun on being maid of honor.”
“I don’t think shotguns are allowed on that one,” Eileen said. “It’s up to the bride.”
“Actually,” I set down my burger, “I don’t—”
“A garden wedding would be beautiful.” Claire sipped her lemonade.
“Unless it rains,” Nyx said. “We’d need a backup plan.”
“I take it back.” Claire smacked her arm. “A garden wedding isn’t a good idea.” She swatted away a mosquito buzzing around her ear. “I hate these blood-sucking bugs.”
“I’d prefer a beach wedding,” Galilea said. “At sunset. All the guests wear white. Imagine how stunning the pictures would be, Isis.”
“I don’t know.” I scratched an itch on my neck. “I was thinking along the lines of something more private. You know, the family, a few friends.” I looked at David. “What do you think?”
“If an intimate celebration is what’ll make you happy, then I agree.”
“Honey,” Claire put her hand on mine, “if you’re choosing a simple wedding to spare me the expense…”
“Oh no, Mrs. Martin.” David pushed away his plate. “I know traditionally the bride’s family would take care of many of the expenses, but I can’t let you pay for our wedding.”
“Well, I happen to like old-school traditions,” Claire said. “And what if I want to pay?”
“Then I’ll have to put my foot down.” Alezzander wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “It’s the father of the bride who used to pay for the wedding, if I remember correctly. But since Isis’s father is…well…absent, then it’s not possible. However, in our culture, the father of the groom is responsible for the expenses.” He looked at Nyx. “Isn’t that right, dear?”
“Yes,” Nyx said. “But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can always stray from tradition.”
“Thank you.” Claire raised her glass at Nyx.