Page 21 (1/2)

"So nohat?" Jonas asked "We could spend hours onna benames," Betsy pointed out "And I want to I think Madison here got a raw deal, and no matter how unpleasant and awful Fred is, she doesn’t deserve this kind of hassle"

"Thank you," she said dryly "That was your husband, right? He was outside with you earlier tonight The tall dark-haired man?"

"Mmm-hmm" Betsy fluttered her eyelashes "Isn’t he dreeeeeeauess He’s a vampire, too?"

"Yep"

"And since you’re the queen, that hed "Boston’s soooo lucky! My horoscope didn’t so much as hint at any of this today Avoid situations with , universe"

"Isn’t it dangerous to justyou know"

"Out ourselves as blood suckers?" Betsy teased

"Well Yeah"

"We’re trying things different than the last guy This is the infore, the twenty-first century, and it’s time for vampires to actually live in the real world with the rest of the real world Does that make sense?"

Madison and Jonas nodded; Fred did not

"Justtake s vao If it doesn’t work, we can always go back to the skulking-in-dark-alleys, sleeping-in-coffins way of life Yawn And while we’re throwing around personal questions, you’re engaged, right?"

"Right" Fred glanced at Jonas, a little nervous She hadn’t planned on hi up but he had Now she could only hope he’d be so distracted by Madison’s woes he wouldn’t reroaned and buried her head in her forearms

"The other two reasons you’re in town this week are to visit your ht? Yeah, but she’s your mom, and just like with Cliff Clavin’s mom on Cheers, nature dictates there be a bond"

"What’s Cheers?" Madison ventured

"Old TV showThe second reason you’re in town is tostuff done Now obviously Madison’s little strange--until-Fred’s-dead-too thing comes first, but only just So to answer your question, Fred’s not only engaged (again), she’s getting married in sixnot to cave in to despair "No cakes No dresses No churches No pastors A judge and a piece of paper And then Legal’s"

"No way" Jonas turned to Betsy "She was gonna ht? And have a royal wedding--which she was lettingoff to the other side of the planet to live in the Caspian Sea, where she wondered why her Kindle wasn’t working And I was gonna get to plan a royal wedding! But noooo, she decides she’s in love with a ro onto Jonas’s every (shrill) word

"--duuy, by the way--chucks all the old wedding plans, and thinks herfor fiancé nuuys Madison ran into," Fred said, brightening "Then no weddings"

"Wouldn’t that be great? Dare to dreas first Madison’s mom asked me to come, which I was fine with, since I’ot a responsibility to hters So devoted to duty a store was"

"What?"

Jonas’s eyebrows arched into blond, horizontal parentheses "Oh ho"

"Oh ho what?" Fred asked "What is a Fluevog?"

Betsy’s eyebroere doing their own arching back at Jonas "I’ you knohere Newbury Street is, huh?"

Fred snorted "It’s his Graceland" Newbury Street was one of Boston’s older streets, crammed with ever more expensive boutiques and restaurants Wikipedia dubbed it one of the most expensive streets in the world, as it was streith shops for Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Chanel, and Armani, to name a few It was beloved by locals as well as tourists Fred wouldn’t go there if soun in her ear

"I would verystore And we’ve been at this for hours, with no end in sight"

"So we should quit and go look at shoes?" Fred snapped "Be serious"

"Shoes, wedding gohatever" Jonas shrugged