Page 46 of 10 Things I Hate About Zombies

Zoey’s eyes were fiery. ‘And you didn’t warn me … why?’

‘Sometimes it’s good to see how someone works through a problem. Or doesn’t. And it seems as if you like to figure things out the hard way.’

Zoey sighed. ‘It’s probably not the best way to go about things. You don’t want to know how long it took me to figure out that if someone stops paying, you should probably stop working.’

‘Expensive lesson, huh?’ Nick grimaced. ‘I think every small- business owner has been there.’

Zoey sighed. ‘Probably. It’s just hard to let go of habits honed over a lifetime.’

‘Oh, definitely. I know better than to enter a bathroom without knocking. Or to expect access to a bathroom at all. Not with Cleo around. I’ve seen skincare routines that would get you on an FBI watchlist.’

‘I should’ve known you’d understand.’ Zoey fiddled with the truck’s hood ornament – a gleaming silver ram that somehow hadn’t been stolen over the years. ‘It’s just been my experience that the only person I’ve been able to rely on is me. Well and Maeve, who owned The Smoothie Maven. But then she went and died.’

‘So selfish,’ said Nick. ‘It’s just the worst when people do that.’

Zoey shoved him, but her heart didn’t seem to be in it. Nick barely had to plant his feet. ‘It’s scary sometimes, to put your trust in someone – to trust that they’ll be there when you really need them. Because life is weird. Things can go wrong at any time.’

‘Well, no one person can be your everything.’ Nick leaned back, regarding her thoughtfully. ‘The right person can be your better half, your complementary self, but you still need a community around you. Like if, say, per our previous conversation, there happened to be a zombie apocalypse.’

‘Ugh,’ said Zoey, with a shudder. ‘I hate zombies. I hate the way they lurch around.’

‘And the way they cut their hair?’ teased Nick, for Zoey was doing an excellent Julia Stiles impression.

Zoey blinked. Apparently she hadn’t seen 10 Things I Hate About You. Something Nick would have to remedy.

‘What? No, I mean, unless they have that fashy haircut everyone was into a few years ago. But, c’mon. Of all the weird beasties you could choose from. Give me a gargoyle or a werewolf any day.’

‘I can see the appeal of a gargoyle,’ said Nick. ‘They can help with water runoff during the wet months. But werewolves? Think of the drain clogs. And all the clothes you’d ruin.’

Zoey scoffed. ‘I mean, there’s an easy workaround for that. A simple dress code of kaftans and dressing gowns during the full moon. And those Adidas slides.’

‘You’ve thought this through.’

‘Never a dull moment in this brain.’

Nick teasingly rubbed the top of her head. ‘I quite like your brain.’

Zoey’s smile was bright in the glow of the truck’s headlights. ‘Yours isn’t so bad, either.’

Nick shielded his eyes: he could see the hazy yellow lights of the tow-truck guy’s truck pulling onto the property. The little vehicle chugged towards them, using the gravel trails instead of the marshy fields the way Zoey had.

‘Wait, that thing’s going to pull us out? For five hundred bucks I was expecting some shock and awe. Or at least some pyrotechnics.’

‘The pyrotechnics are extra.’

‘Pretend I didn’t mention it, then.’

‘Evening, folks,’ said Tow Truck Guy. He had fingers stained from working on cars and teeth stained from tobacco, and wore an impressive set of overalls that had more patches than original fabric. ‘This field again, huh?’

‘It must be cursed,’ offered Zoey.

Tow Truck Guy spat effusively. ‘Nah, not this bit of the property. Maybe back there.’

He nodded in the direction of where the mushrooms were growing at breakneck pace in the shadow of the lightning strike. Although, now that Nick looked closely, the line of the strike did seem to travel all the way out here.

‘All right. Let me just hook her up …’ Tow Truck Guy fiddled around with the winch, hooking it under the truck, then heading back to his own vehicle. ‘Watch for flying mud.’

Nick and Zoey stood aside as Tow Truck Guy revved his engine. Alice raced back and forth, tail wagging as she attempted to herd both vehicles.