Sunset Rising (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 5) (15 page)

I started slightly as I registered Bel’s
proximity.

“
Probably, I really just
need to find somewhere quiet,” I said. “Seems nice and quiet here.
I can probably still catch a few fish, too.”

“
Well, it’s pretty dead in
the off season,” she said. “But if it’s quiet you want, this is the
place. This time of year, you’ll have your pick of cabins at Tar
Hollow. And yeah, any fisherman worth his salt can land some bass
and crappie.”

“
Thanks for the info. So,
how’s the chicken fried steak?” I asked.

“
Award-winning, just like
the menu says.”

I noted the wry expression on her face.

“
What award did it win,
exactly?”

“
Blue ribbon at the
Hocking County Fair.”

Then she smiled. “Back in 1959.”

Somehow the year 1959 seemed fitting in more
ways than one for anything I had already seen in Laurelville.

“
Do they use the same
recipe today?”

“
Oh, sure. But then, I
think it’s prepared by the son of the recipe’s cook,
too.”

I chuckled. “I’ll take it, mashed potatoes
and all. Oh, and ranch dressing, if you have it.”

As our eyes met, I thought that her hazel
eyes practically twinkled.

“
I’ll fix you right up,”
she said. “I’ll bring your salad out in a few minutes.”

“
Order up, Bel!” yelled
the cook from the back kitchen area.

“
Coming, Jim!” she yelled
back. “Old fart.”

I stared out the window at the town beyond
and watched only a couple of vehicles pass by before my meal
arrived. Fortunately, my food tasted much better than I
expected.

Bel placed a check at the edge of my table.
“Can I get you anything else?”

“
Yeah, about how far away
is the main office to rent a cabin at Tar Hollow?”

“
Well, it’s a few miles
south of here, but you can’t miss it if you follow highway
56.”

“
A few miles?” I
asked.

“
Just a few minutes by
car,” she said. “The guy you’ll want to speak to is Garth. I forget
his last name, but he’s the only Garth in this area that I’ve ever
heard of.”

It sounded pretty straight forward. Then it
occurred to me that walking there was going to be quite a hike.

“
You have a vehicle,
right?” she asked.

“
Uh, not exactly,” I said.
“It sounds strange to say, but I just got off the bus. Any taxi
service around here?”

She stifled a laugh. “Boy, did you land in
the wrong town. I haven’t seen a taxi come through here in
months.”

“
Car rental?”

She shook her head. “Not so much.”

Despite my practice of cautious budgeting, I
quickly calculated a generous tip for her and laid out the cash
onto the table.

“
Thanks for everything,” I
said. “The food was pretty good…took me right back to
1959.”

“
I’ll bet. As if either of
us could legitimately claim to know 1959,” she said.

“
Yeah, well, that’s the
history teacher in me talking,” I said, picking up my pack and
making my way out of the restaurant. “Thanks again.”

As I stepped out onto the sidewalk, I sensed
the major flaw in my impromptu plan.

No transportation in a one-horse town.

Then my eye caught sight of a dark blue
moped with a for sale sign on it out in front of the Feed and Seed
across the street.

“
Well, beggars can’t be
choosers,” I said.

An hour later, and with a serious dent in my
cash reserves, I donned a small skullcap helmet and awkwardly rode
down the street on my decidedly used moped.

Paige would give me so much hell over this
right now.

* * *

Before venturing south, I made a quick trip
to the town’s only discount department store for what few
toiletries and supplies I could squeeze into my nearly full
backpack.

By the time I had secured a cabin from Garth
at the main office and settled in, it was late afternoon. Realizing
that I only had some light snacks for food, I puttered back to town
where I purchased another backpack before heading to the local
grocery store. At the camping supplies store next door, I procured
a relatively inexpensive fishing kit.

Afterward, I began my drive back to the
cabin and felt very appreciative for the moped.

Approaching the café, I saw Bel getting into
a Jeep. We waved at each other as I passed by.

It was a cool but pleasant early evening by
the time I returned to the cabin. I gathered some firewood from a
neatly stacked supply on the back outer wall. Only as I carried the
wood inside did I realize that I actually felt more relaxed than I
had in days.

Maybe I’ve finally found where I need to be
to think things through.

* * *

The next morning, I rose early for a quick
breakfast and then walked to the nearby lake to do some fishing. I
only had a couple of bites and tossed back the few small bass and a
crappie that were too little to be worth cleaning.

As I appreciated the beauty and peacefulness
around me, I mulled over my situation and all that had brought me
there.

I couldn’t deny that my existence was likely
enviable to most people; that is, if you discounted the occasional
attempts on my life or the violence that went along with renegade
vampires showing up from time to time. In truth, some of it was
sort of exciting. However, it was the life-threatening aspect that
got old fast.

Then there was my situation with Kat.

I loved her. I really loved her.

But she was essentially an absent mate,
perpetually on missions and building and organizing a veritable
army for Alton. Even though she told me that she was doing it for
us as much as for Alton, it nevertheless kept me away from being
with her.

Then there was my doctoral program at
Yale.

Yale.

I’d have never expected the opportunity for
that; not in a million years.

Kat and Alton were spending thousands of
dollars toward my education and living expenses, not to mention
Paige upheaving her life with Ethan just to help protect me. Of
course, Roman was doing his part, as well. He had even turned out
to be a pretty competent trainer.

Granted, he was a bit of a drill sergeant a
lot of the time. I could do without some of that, actually.

So many sacrifices were being made and
opportunities being issued on my behalf.

And, while I realized the importance of each
of those, I still couldn’t help feeling dissatisfied at times.

In the end, I was fully cognizant of
everything that Alton and others were doing for me, which only made
me feel guilty over feeling the way I did. But it really didn’t
alter my view—my visceral emotions—over the situation at hand,
either.

I didn’t care about vampire politics, or
building coalitions, or even stemming the tide of mounting
aggression against two opposing factions. I didn’t even feel like a
failure if I didn’t complete my doctoral program. I only wanted to
be with Kat, to have her in my life on a daily basis.

If we were together, I felt as though there
was nothing I couldn’t overcome or endure. My love for her would
carry me through.

And yet, I wasn’t enduring her prolonged
absence in my life very well at all. What did that say about my
true sense of commitment?

Or did it really mean anything in the
end?

My fishing line tangled as I cast forward in
frustration.

“
Dammit!”

I threw the small rod and reel to the
ground, annoyed that I couldn’t even enjoy a simple fishing
excursion without things going to hell.

I took a deep breath and hitched my hands
atop my hips. Then I slowly stretched my neck and back muscles to
relieve some tension.

The sun was already on its trek toward the
west as I glanced down at my watch. Half the afternoon had already
passed.

Worse yet, I was hungry and I had no fish to
show for it.

I picked up my rod and tackle and walked
back to the cabin. I immediately went to the refrigerator to grab
something to eat.

As I started to retrieve the items to make a
cold sandwich, my stomach craved the menu at Cooper’s Café.

I mulled over my finances, which could still
endure a few meals before I had to be overly conservative.

I put everything back into the refrigerator
and headed out to my scooter.

When I walked through the café main doors
Bel was delivering some food to a table.

“
Hey,” she said. “Back
already?”

“
What can I say? Best food
in town.”

Granted, it qualified as the only legitimate
restaurant in town.

“
Pick a place and I’ll be
right with you,” she said.

I selected the same booth that I had on my
first visit. It had an excellent view of both the entrance and the
street outside; a good tactical location.

Roman would be proud of me.

“
Already tired of eating
all those fish you’ve been catching?” Bel asked.

I gave her a wan look.

“
I warned you it was the
off season,” she said. “Besides, the fish are in their fall
pattern, usually deep instead of the shallows.”

“
You fish?” I
asked.

“
No, but I’ve cleaned
quite a few for my ex,” she said. “And I pick up dozens of good
tips each week working here.”

I glanced at her left hand and noted a
telltale faded circular area at the base of her ring finger.

“
Well, I should hope you
get good tips,” I quipped. “You’re a really good
waitress.”

She shook her head at me, though she smiled.
“Thank you, kind sir. What can I get you today? The fried catfish
is pretty good, if you’re suffering fisherman’s remorse.”

Suddenly, the thought of fish didn’t entice
me very much. “Nah, how about the fried chicken instead.”

“
It’s even better. Iced
tea?” she asked.

“
Yes, thanks.”

“
Coming right
up.”

As I sat there, I realized how much I
appreciated running into someone like Bel. Somehow, her friendly
personality made my situation here in town feel more
comfortable.

As I ate a small salad that she brought to
me, my thoughts returned to Kat and our future together. I barely
noticed when my entrée was being delivered to my table.

“
Deep in thought?” she
asked.

“
Yeah,” I replied.
“Thanks. This really looks good.”

“
There’s some good things
here,” she said.

“
You know, this whole town
seems like something out of a nostalgic old movie,” I said. “It’s
almost like an escape from the real world. All that’s missing is
James Stewart.”

“
You’d think so as a
visitor,” she said. “But people in small towns like ours one have
just as many issues as people living in the city. The main
difference is that here everyone else knows about everyone else’s
problems.”

I nodded. “Makes sense.”

“
There’s a lot to be said
for the anonymity of big cities, if you want my opinion,” she said.
“Let me know if you need anything.”

Halfway through my meal, Bel stopped by my
table. “I’m getting off-shift in a few minutes, but Candace will
take care of you from here. Normally, I’d stay late to finish your
table, but I have to pick up my kids on time tonight. My parents
have an event to attend.”

“
Oh, that’s just fine,” I
said. “But thanks for letting me know.”

She smiled at me and I watched her as she
took off her apron. A nearly teenage-looking young lady wearing a
waitress uniform handed a coat and purse to Bel.

“
Thanks, Candace,” she
said. “Take good care of table four over there. He’s a first-class
customer.”

“
Sure thing, Bel,” the
young woman replied.

Bel winked at me while shrugging into her
coat and then left through the front doors.

I liked her.

Her parting words echoed in my thoughts as I
finished my meal.

There’s a lot to be said for the anonymity
of big cities, if you want my opinion…

I could appreciate how Bel might feel the
way she did about small towns. Still, sometimes it felt like a
person could practically drown in their anonymity in a big city.
Certainly, New Haven and the Yale campus made me feel practically
invisible at times.

When I thought about it further, so did
Atlanta.

I’m sure that’s something vampires find very
appealing.

It struck me that those were two key words
for me, vampires and found.

Now that I had stopped moving around the
country, how much longer might it be before I was found...by a
vampire?

More to the point, what was I going to do
then?

Chapter 13

Caleb

After stopping by a convenience store to
purchase some beer, which I slipped into an empty back pack I had
brought with me, I rode the distance back to the cabin.

During the ride, I replayed the list of
routes I had taken to get to Tar Hollow. I was confident that my
circuitous journey permitted me many more days of solitude before
Kat, or anyone else for that matter, might come close to locating
me.

That’s when the guilt washed over me; guilt
for leaving New Haven so abruptly, as well as for going off the
grid once I had.