The cafe half of Maria’s Books and Cafe was still bustling with customers even though the morning rush was past. Maria maneuvered amongst the hipsters and office workers and those who simply needed caffeine to personally bring her son and his seemingly ever present friend their coffee.
“Thanks, Mom,” Martin said without looking up when she set the cup down in front of him.
“Thank you, Maria,” Adriana said, a warm smile on her face.
“You’re welcome, guys. What’s on your agenda for today?”
Lost in thought, Martin didn’t respond, so Adriana spoke up. “Not sure, mama Maria. I think Martin needs an airing out. He needs the stink blown off him.”
“I think you’re right,” Maria said, glancing at her son. “How do you plan on doing that?”
Slowly coming back to earth, Martin said, “Wait, what are you two talking about? Who stinks?”
Maria laughed. “Never mind, sweetheart.” She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. “You two have a good day. I have to go over some things with James in the office.”
When Maria was out of earshot, Adriana said, “What do you think they’re going to go over? You think they’re gonna do the nasty on her desk?”
He gave her an icy stare. “You know that’s my mother you’re talking about?”
“Yeah, I know. You think your mother doesn’t have sex? How do you think you got here? So what’s bothering you, other than me?”
Martin shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just feeling a little out of sorts, that’s all.”
“Well, you should have stayed and had those tests yesterday, instead of running out on the doctor like that. Maybe he could have sorted you out.”
“I got tired of waiting. What happened to him anyway? It’s like he disappeared.”
“Yeah, that was kind of weird, him cutting out like that. Still, you could have waited. What else have you got going on in your life that you can’t wait in a doctor’s office?”
“Plenty.” He attempted to sound indignant, but it was a halfhearted effort. “I’ve got plenty of things to do.”
“Yeah, you could have been home watching the Weather Channel.”
“What can I tell you, I like the music they play.” Martin looked around, his sight settling on a new girl stocking shelves in the bookstore. “Who is that? I didn’t know Mom hired someone new. She never tells me anything.”
“Do you ever ask her anything? Like how her day was, did you hire any cute new girls, that sort of thing?”
“Well, not in so many words, no.”
“I didn’t think so. Some son you are.” Noticing that he hadn’t taken his eyes off the new employee, Adriana said, “You know, rather than staring at her, you could go over and introduce yourself.”
He cast his gaze down at his coffee. “What for? Who would want to meet me?”
Adriana rolled her eyes. “Boy, you really are mopey today. Is it that time of the month or something?” She stood up. “Come on, let’s go say hello.”
Martin shook his head slightly, mumbled, “Ah, I don’t want to do that.”
“Stand up,” she commanded. Martin stood up and the pair walked over to the new girl. As they did, the new employee, a young blonde, finished putting a copy of Dickens on a shelf. Then she turned to face Adriana and Martin. Shifting her gaze from one to the other, she looked at them with a fierce intensity, as if trying to see what was inside their souls. Martin didn’t notice this, but, her senses being more keen, Adriana did.
“Hello there, new person,” Adriana said as she held out her hand, “I’m Adriana and this here is Martin Van Buren, not the old president but the son of Maria.”
“Oh, hi Martin. Your mom told me about you. It’s good to meet you.” The new girl shook their hands. Her eyes lost some of their intensity. She gave them both a quizzical, almost confused look, then smiled and said to Martin, “My name is Molly, Molly Kwiat. I just moved to Arbor Woods and your mom was nice enough to give me a job. I love books. I worked at the book store back home in Pine Springs.”
“Well, Molly from Pine Springs, wherever that is, it was nice to meet you, but Martin and I have to go see a doctor.”
“We do?” he asked.
“I hope everything is all right. Are you ill, Martin?”
“I didn’t think so.”
Adriana grabbed his arm and started to drag him away. “Good meeting you, Molly,” he said as he was being hustled to the front door. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he whispered to his crazy vampire friend.
She didn’t answer until they were outside. “There’s something off about that girl. She made me nervous. Well, maybe not nervous, but a little unsettled.”
Martin thought of the petite girl with blonde hair and blue eyes that he had just met, and said, “Yeah, you’re right, she looks like trouble.”
“Joke if you must, but I have a good sense about these things. There’s just something not quite right about Molly Kwiat, if indeed that is her real name.” Adriana drew a deep breath and relaxed. “Let’s go back to your place, I think The Price is Right is on.”
Back inside the store, Molly was also thinking something wasn’t quite right. She had quickly gotten proficient at identifying vampires. While she was unsure about Martin, Molly felt Adriana was definitely giving off blood sucker signals, just not very strong ones. Her contemplation was interrupted by a voice behind her.
“Excuse me, young lady, you look like somebody who would enjoy a little Dickens.”
Molly slowly turned her head so she could see the voice’s source. It was an elderly gentleman, dressed in a sport coat and jeans, a copy of David Copperfield in one hand, Great Expectations in the other. His eyes had a gllimmer about them that said, “I’m a naughty boy,” and he truly was. Archie Greenway meant to really live his life from now on. One way to do that was to see if he could get a date with a girl hundreds of years younger.
“Pardon me, sir?” Molly said. She thought, is this old geezer coming on to me?
“I’m trying to decide on a book. These days, I have great expectations, but I think David Copperfield was married to that German model. He must’ve had something on the ball to snag her.”
“I think you’re a little confused, sir,” Molly replied.
“Oh, let’s not be so formal. Call me Archie, because that’s my name.”
This old feller is definitely trying to pick me up, she thought, and he’s definitely giving off vampire vibes. “Okay, Archie. I’m Molly.” She looked at what he was holding. “These are both good books, well worth purchasing the pair.”
“Oh, you’re a good salesperson. Smooth I like that. You know, due to circumstances beyond my control, I hadn’t been getting out of the house much recently, so I don’t know too many people in town anymore. When you don’t know anyone, that leaves a lot of time for reading.”
“Uh-huh. Well, I’m new in town, so I don’t know anyone either. Maybe we could explore together.” She spoke that last part with just a hint of sultry sexiness in her voice. Archie thought his wildest dreams were coming true.
“I think that would be delightful, Molly. How about I take you out for dinner this evening? What time do you get off work?”
“My shift ends at seven.”
“I’ll be waiting outside for you.” He paused, then said, “You know, it has been a real pleasure to meet you.”
Archie couldn’t believe that this young girl might actually be into him.
Molly couldn’t believe that Archie might actually believe that she was into him. She looked forward to seeing him that night anyway. It was time to rid the world of another blood sucking fiend.
As they were saying their goodbyes, Molly noticed that Archie got just the slightest look of fear and surprise in his eyes when he saw Maria emerge from her office.
“See you tonight,” Archie said as he walked away.
“Okay,” Molly replied, “I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Martin said without looking up when she set the cup down in front of him.
“Thank you, Maria,” Adriana said, a warm smile on her face.
“You’re welcome, guys. What’s on your agenda for today?”
Lost in thought, Martin didn’t respond, so Adriana spoke up. “Not sure, mama Maria. I think Martin needs an airing out. He needs the stink blown off him.”
“I think you’re right,” Maria said, glancing at her son. “How do you plan on doing that?”
Slowly coming back to earth, Martin said, “Wait, what are you two talking about? Who stinks?”
Maria laughed. “Never mind, sweetheart.” She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. “You two have a good day. I have to go over some things with James in the office.”
When Maria was out of earshot, Adriana said, “What do you think they’re going to go over? You think they’re gonna do the nasty on her desk?”
He gave her an icy stare. “You know that’s my mother you’re talking about?”
“Yeah, I know. You think your mother doesn’t have sex? How do you think you got here? So what’s bothering you, other than me?”
Martin shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just feeling a little out of sorts, that’s all.”
“Well, you should have stayed and had those tests yesterday, instead of running out on the doctor like that. Maybe he could have sorted you out.”
“I got tired of waiting. What happened to him anyway? It’s like he disappeared.”
“Yeah, that was kind of weird, him cutting out like that. Still, you could have waited. What else have you got going on in your life that you can’t wait in a doctor’s office?”
“Plenty.” He attempted to sound indignant, but it was a halfhearted effort. “I’ve got plenty of things to do.”
“Yeah, you could have been home watching the Weather Channel.”
“What can I tell you, I like the music they play.” Martin looked around, his sight settling on a new girl stocking shelves in the bookstore. “Who is that? I didn’t know Mom hired someone new. She never tells me anything.”
“Do you ever ask her anything? Like how her day was, did you hire any cute new girls, that sort of thing?”
“Well, not in so many words, no.”
“I didn’t think so. Some son you are.” Noticing that he hadn’t taken his eyes off the new employee, Adriana said, “You know, rather than staring at her, you could go over and introduce yourself.”
He cast his gaze down at his coffee. “What for? Who would want to meet me?”
Adriana rolled her eyes. “Boy, you really are mopey today. Is it that time of the month or something?” She stood up. “Come on, let’s go say hello.”
Martin shook his head slightly, mumbled, “Ah, I don’t want to do that.”
“Stand up,” she commanded. Martin stood up and the pair walked over to the new girl. As they did, the new employee, a young blonde, finished putting a copy of Dickens on a shelf. Then she turned to face Adriana and Martin. Shifting her gaze from one to the other, she looked at them with a fierce intensity, as if trying to see what was inside their souls. Martin didn’t notice this, but, her senses being more keen, Adriana did.
“Hello there, new person,” Adriana said as she held out her hand, “I’m Adriana and this here is Martin Van Buren, not the old president but the son of Maria.”
“Oh, hi Martin. Your mom told me about you. It’s good to meet you.” The new girl shook their hands. Her eyes lost some of their intensity. She gave them both a quizzical, almost confused look, then smiled and said to Martin, “My name is Molly, Molly Kwiat. I just moved to Arbor Woods and your mom was nice enough to give me a job. I love books. I worked at the book store back home in Pine Springs.”
“Well, Molly from Pine Springs, wherever that is, it was nice to meet you, but Martin and I have to go see a doctor.”
“We do?” he asked.
“I hope everything is all right. Are you ill, Martin?”
“I didn’t think so.”
Adriana grabbed his arm and started to drag him away. “Good meeting you, Molly,” he said as he was being hustled to the front door. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he whispered to his crazy vampire friend.
She didn’t answer until they were outside. “There’s something off about that girl. She made me nervous. Well, maybe not nervous, but a little unsettled.”
Martin thought of the petite girl with blonde hair and blue eyes that he had just met, and said, “Yeah, you’re right, she looks like trouble.”
“Joke if you must, but I have a good sense about these things. There’s just something not quite right about Molly Kwiat, if indeed that is her real name.” Adriana drew a deep breath and relaxed. “Let’s go back to your place, I think The Price is Right is on.”
Back inside the store, Molly was also thinking something wasn’t quite right. She had quickly gotten proficient at identifying vampires. While she was unsure about Martin, Molly felt Adriana was definitely giving off blood sucker signals, just not very strong ones. Her contemplation was interrupted by a voice behind her.
“Excuse me, young lady, you look like somebody who would enjoy a little Dickens.”
Molly slowly turned her head so she could see the voice’s source. It was an elderly gentleman, dressed in a sport coat and jeans, a copy of David Copperfield in one hand, Great Expectations in the other. His eyes had a gllimmer about them that said, “I’m a naughty boy,” and he truly was. Archie Greenway meant to really live his life from now on. One way to do that was to see if he could get a date with a girl hundreds of years younger.
“Pardon me, sir?” Molly said. She thought, is this old geezer coming on to me?
“I’m trying to decide on a book. These days, I have great expectations, but I think David Copperfield was married to that German model. He must’ve had something on the ball to snag her.”
“I think you’re a little confused, sir,” Molly replied.
“Oh, let’s not be so formal. Call me Archie, because that’s my name.”
This old feller is definitely trying to pick me up, she thought, and he’s definitely giving off vampire vibes. “Okay, Archie. I’m Molly.” She looked at what he was holding. “These are both good books, well worth purchasing the pair.”
“Oh, you’re a good salesperson. Smooth I like that. You know, due to circumstances beyond my control, I hadn’t been getting out of the house much recently, so I don’t know too many people in town anymore. When you don’t know anyone, that leaves a lot of time for reading.”
“Uh-huh. Well, I’m new in town, so I don’t know anyone either. Maybe we could explore together.” She spoke that last part with just a hint of sultry sexiness in her voice. Archie thought his wildest dreams were coming true.
“I think that would be delightful, Molly. How about I take you out for dinner this evening? What time do you get off work?”
“My shift ends at seven.”
“I’ll be waiting outside for you.” He paused, then said, “You know, it has been a real pleasure to meet you.”
Archie couldn’t believe that this young girl might actually be into him.
Molly couldn’t believe that Archie might actually believe that she was into him. She looked forward to seeing him that night anyway. It was time to rid the world of another blood sucking fiend.
As they were saying their goodbyes, Molly noticed that Archie got just the slightest look of fear and surprise in his eyes when he saw Maria emerge from her office.
“See you tonight,” Archie said as he walked away.
“Okay,” Molly replied, “I’ll be waiting for you.”
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