Dead to the World by Annabel Chase

Author:Annabel Chase [Chase, Annabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Palm Press LLC
Published: 2023-05-10T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

Steven showed up on schedule the next morning. He carried his version of a toolkit, which was a well-worn brown leather bag that contained whatever items were necessary to revive my aging computer.

He sat at the desk and flexed his fingers, as though preparing to play a piano. My mind flicked to Otto. I still had to uphold my promise to visit the vampire within the next week. It seemed that favors made the world go round in Fairhaven.

“Let me know if you need anything,” I said. “I’ll be in the living room with headphones and a hammer.”

“Sounds like a dangerous combination,” Steven remarked.

“You should offer him a drink at the very least,” Nana Pratt urged, as I wandered out of the kitchen area. “Maybe scramble a few eggs.”

“I’m not playing hostess. That wasn’t part of the deal.”

The old woman followed behind me, persistent. “It’s not about your deal. It’s about common decency.”

I put on my headphones and started the playlist on my phone. Otto was right about me; I missed playing music. Unfortunately I’d learned that wasn’t a safe option for me. I lost myself in music and losing myself wasn’t something I could afford to do, so I gave it up.

As I raised the hammer, Nana Pratt positioned herself between me and my chosen nail. I let the hammer drop anyway, and it cut right through her. She gasped, seeming to forget that the tool couldn’t actually hurt her. Although her mouth moved, I continued to focus on the plank of wood. She seemed intent on distracting me. I whipped off the headphones and glared at her.

“What is it now?”

“He needs your password,” she said.

I turned around to see Steven in the arched doorway behind me. “I need your password,” he said.

“I have a password?”

“According to your computer.”

Well, crap. “Let me think.”

He gave me a lopsided grin. “When’s the last time you used it?”

“When I lived in the States. I left it in a storage unit when I moved to England.”

Steven grinned. “Yeah, see. Computers don’t really last very long. They’re like new cars. They depreciate the moment you take them home.”

“I think he likes you,” Nana Pratt said. “You should date him.”

I shot the ghost a silencing look.

“This is a big house. You could fit a dozen children in here.”

I ignored her for the sake of my blood pressure. “Can I get you a cup of tea? I’m sorry, but I don’t have coffee in the house.”

His eyes widened. “How do you function in the morning?”

“Tea has caffeine.”

“Not enough. What have you got against coffee?”

“Nothing. I’ll drink it on occasion, but it isn’t my go-to.”

He stared at me for a long beat. “Huh,” he finally said. “Is that some sort of diet thing?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Do I seem like someone who should be on a diet?”

“Oh, dear,” Nana said, wringing her hands. “He didn’t mean to insult you.”

“No, not at all,” Steven said. “You look like you work out.”

“I don’t have to work out. Manual labor takes care of it for me.

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