Free Silent Night: Vampire Holiday Romance (The Night Songs Collection Book 4) by Kristen Strassel

with me. But I have to tell you, there’s been some talk.”
    “What are you talking about?” My heart stopped beating, and I struggled for breath.
    “Sarah and Jen didn’t like the fact that you were sleeping in the back room during overnights. You know, because of LP issues. We shouldn’t be in the backroom if we’re not on the clock. But I told them why you needed to stay—“
    “You told them?” I thought I might fall backward. I’d told her about the shelter in confidence.
    “I had to. Or else you would have been out on the street. Or you’d be depending on that dirtbag for a place to stay. I still think it was probably him that ripped us off tonight.”
    No wonder everyone had been treating me strangely the past couple of weeks. But it didn’t stop them from cutting my hours.
    “Now do you understand why it looks bad when I have to call these things in on your shifts?” Katie continued. “There’s only so long I can fight for you to keep your job.”
    “They’d fire me for being homeless?” I could hardly process what I was hearing.
    “No, but it makes it a lot easier to believe you’ve been stealing.” Katie lowered her eyes back to the closing paperwork. Things seemed to be balancing.
    “Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say, but then I remembered I was in the process of digging my way out of this hole. “I’ve found a place to stay.”
    Katie looked back up, her eyes wide and mouth open in a surprised smile. “That’s awesome! Where?”
    “A friend had an extra room.” It was a good place to start my talk. “I’m going to be starting school soon, too.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah, January fourteenth. I’m going to need to change my hours, because it’s Monday through Friday until four.”
    “Oh.” Her smile faded. “That might be a problem.”
    “Why?” How could school be a problem?
    “Well, to be a sales lead, you need open availability.”
    “I have fifteen hours next week!” I cried.
    “It doesn’t matter, those are the rules.” She shook her head. “You may have to go back down to being a sales person.”
    Less hours. Less money. More reasons to move on from this place.
    “It’s okay,” I said it like I wasn’t scared. Even if I knew I was doing the right thing, it was scary as hell. Being at this job was like standing on a burning bridge.
    Aidan’s sleek black car waited by the curb, the cloud of exhaust blinking orange from the hazard lights turned on. Was he ever a sight for sore eyes. “I thought I was going to have to drag you out of that place.”
    “I wish you did.” It would have been nice to show him off. My body melted into the leather seat, the heat blasting against my skin. “We got ripped off right at closing. And I found out that I’m pretty much about to get fired.”
    I left the part about Matt out. He hadn’t been brought up yet, and I could be sure that Aidan would hate him.
    “To hell with those people.” Aidan shook his head as he merged into traffic.
    “Soon I’ll be a professional ass wiper and I won’t have to worry about underwear ever again.”
    He burst out laughing. “I’ve never heard it put like that before.”
    “That’s what a CNA does.” I giggled. “It’s okay, it’s still better than working at the mall.”
    If nothing else, working at the mall gave me plenty of experience in dealing with shit.

 
    Eleven
     
    On New Years’ Eve, Mother Nature seemed to be in high spirits about new beginnings. I knew exactly how she felt. The bright sunny day warmed the city enough that I didn’t even need a jacket. Aidan told me I needed to dress for the evening, but he didn’t tell me why. My one outfit worth going anywhere in was in a box in Paige’s basement, wrinkled and probably getting moldy. Aidan insisted I buy an outfit, leaving money out on the table for me, and telling me he wouldn’t take it back. As much as I hated taking his money, I didn’t want to embarrass him.
    The crowds might have left the mall, but