Free Other Places 1: Shortcuts by P. S. Power Page B

and he helped me get them to leave her alone. Then he called a tow truck for her and put it on his Triple A, which was awesome of him." It was the truth, as far as Zack knew, so if Troy asked about it the guy wouldn't have to lie or anything. He wasn't at least, which his roommate would get, on some level.
    "That sounds like him. I hope I grow up to be that cool. I do think he's being a little hard on Kevin and Barb, since it's just sex and I don't think he's sleeping with either of them himself, so it isn't about being jealous."
    They chatted about the club for a while, until nearly eleven, when Zack decided all good little store clerks should be in bed, especially if he was going to finish fixing the store the next day. Hopefully Lisa would make it in and he could actually do that shopping for decorations. He had the envelope on him still, and made a point of tucking it in his coat pocket, so that he wouldn't lose it. There was no way he was leaving the house without it after all. Plus it was next to his house key, which would make it twice as certain.
    He got up at about eight, dragging a bit, but made it to the store with plenty of time to spare just by walking a little faster than he normally did. He didn't look to see if Lenore was in yet, figuring that she would be. Instead Zack just got to work making a display table out of some nice red silk and some boxes that he taped together. He set a piece of white silk on the top as a place holder for the real display, which he'd make later and then some candles to hold it down, just as the Vampire girl came in, holding a flat container that seemed to be frozen yoghurt on a honey bun.
    "A morning treat for you." She smiled, letting her teeth show, which he took to mean she was feeling comfortable with him, rather than aggressive. The fact she was handing him food while he was hungry didn't hurt either.
    Zack took it with a smile and nodded a bit.
    "OK, I'll go out with you. I warn you though, I'm totally crazy. I mean, I hear voices and stuff. On the good side the voices like you." There was a pause while he scooped just a little bit of the white frozen goodness up with a bit of bun. "Or, to be more honest, he thinks that you're hot, but that you might be trying to fatten me up. You know, for food. Just to clarify, dating yes, munching no." It came out happy sounding and got the woman to cover her mouth and giggle a little.
    "Oh? How serious are you about all that?" She leaned in a little, the scent of her hitting him like a gentle breeze. Flowers and something like vanilla.
    "Totally. Even about the voices. I don't lie. He does, my mirror self. So, did you come to see the damage that Nikki brought to my door? It really wasn't her fault, but I can't exactly bill the local police department for it, so you get stuck with it. Did she mention that at all?"
    There was a slow blink, as if she couldn't really track the conversation for some reason. Possibly like it was just too stupid to deal with at the moment. Then, she wasn't the one that had to explain the damage to Lisa, was she? Having cash in hand for it would make him look a lot less inept.
    "She... did mention that. I haven't looked at the invoice yet. Still, I'm sure that you'll deal with us fairly. I'm not wild about Nikki at the moment. She's not a horrible person, but she's a little too gentle for the position she holds. You can't coddle the young. Not Vampire young. This problem with the human detective shouldn't never have happened, which is another sign she isn't ready for her job. Would you like us to kill him? It's been discussed anyway, so that wouldn't be a problem. I can expedite the paperwork on it, if you have a complaint too. That would make it a diplomatic issue after all."
    He took another bite of the roll which was a little hard where it had been in contact with the frozen part of the dish. There was a cinnamon caramel drizzle on it, but no whipped topping, since obviously, it was too early in the day for