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“Please be careful.”

Laria simply smiled. “Always.”

She left the same way as Drake, over the balcony, and Lawrence fought the urge to follow her.

She can do this.

The question was, could he?

Chapter 9

“You don’t look good, honey.”

Toni made a face at Birdie as she walked around the counter, preparing to go home.

“Birdie, no one likes to hear that.” Especially not five days after a breakup. But she couldn’t lie to herself. If she looked rough, it was because she hadn’t seen Lawrence in four days. She couldn’t get him out of her head. She’d even started dreaming about him.

Between breaking up with Tyler, learning an angry vampire had come to town and left quickly thereafter, along with Lawrence’s sister in a race toward some unknown location in the south, and her inability to think of anything but the feel of Lawrence in her arms during that dance, she wasn’t surprised at Birdie’s greeting.

Her aunt had offered to close the shop, bless her. The days had started to seem impossibly long—her mornings and afternoons at the shop, and a couple of nights a week at Murphy’s Pub.

She’d never thought her life would end up this way, that she’d be working two menial jobs when she was pushing thirty . . . but she tried not to dwell. Dwelling never helped anyone.

“I worry about you,” her aunt said. There was an edge of ferocity to the remark. She’d hate to be Tyler if he ran into Birdie on the street. Her aunt might be five foot nothing and slightly plump, but she was a powerhouse.

Grabbing her favorite patchwork bag, she smiled reassuringly at her aunt.

“I’m fine. I’ve just been working a ton.”

“Go get some rest.”

“Scout’s honor. See you tomorrow,” she called over her shoulder as her phone buzzed.

Digging through her purse to find it, she opened the door of the shop and stepped out onto the street. She finally unearthed it from the bottom of her bag, beneath crumpled gum wrappers and about half a dozen receipts.

Alessandra.

She’d been checking on her constantly since Saturday, which Toni appreciated. But right now, she just wanted to be alone. After sending her a quick check-in text, she tossed the phone back into her bag and started walking the few blocks toward home.

The sight of Lawrence brought her to a stop.

Some people simply commanded your attention. Toni knew plenty of good-looking people who didn’t make her feel as if she’d just jumped off a plane. Tyler was handsome by anyone’s standard, but he’d never begun to affect her this way. Lawrence made her pulse jump and set flocks of butterflies loose in her belly. He made her want to grab life with both hands and run with it.

He was coming out of Stone Haven’s sole liquor store, brown bag in hand, his light brown hair spiked up in every direction, as if he’d just gotten out of bed, and his cheeks covered in light stubble. Oh, how she’d like to run her hands through that hair.

Speaking of which. Perhaps she should have taken more than three seconds that morning to pull her hair into a bun. If anyone looked like they’d just gotten out of bed, it was her.

Didn’t matter. He was coming toward her as if she were a homing beacon.

“Hey,” she said as he crossed the street, stepping onto the curb beside her.

“Hey yourself. How are you?” His casual tone seemed ludicrous after the sparks that had flown between them just a few days ago.

“Good,” she lied. “You?”

He never looked away.

She’d always wondered what it was about him that both disconcerted and turned her on at the same time. And that was it. His liquid green eyes never shied away from hers. She was the one who eventually looked away.