Even so, it was hard not to get turned on. Olivia was so damned beautiful. More than once she had peered closely at the monitor and asked if his eyes were turning red.
"'Tis the camera," he'd tell her. "My eyes are always looking red in photos." Luckily, she accepted that excuse.
One more good reason, he thought, for keeping their relationship long distance for a while. If he went to visit her, his eyes would be glowing red within three minutes.
He verified that J.L. Wang was trustworthy, and he found nothing wrong with Otis's lawyer. When he mentioned he was the best man in Jack and Lara's wedding in April, Olivia insisted on hearing all about it.
"What does the wedding gown look like?" she asked.
Robby thought back. Lara had shown him a picture. "'Tis...white."
Olivia snorted. "That's real descriptive. Is it bright white or cream? Is it floor length? Is there a train? Does it have beadwork or lace? Is she wearing a veil?"
Robby frowned, trying to recall the picture. "'Tis white." When Olivia groaned, he added, "I'll e-mail you the picture."
He ended up e-mailing all sorts of things that Olivia was curious about, even the menu that the mortals would be eating at the reception. Since she was so fascinated with the wedding, he was sorely tempted to invite her, but he rejected the idea. How could he explain the Bubbly Blood - synthetic blood mixed with champagne - that he and his friends would be drinking at the reception? No doubt she would want to do some sightseeing, too, and she'd wonder why he was completely unavailable during the daytime.
He needed to tell her the truth soon, but figured it should be done in private. A wedding was not the right place to break the news.
The wedding took place in mid-April at the Romatech chapel. While Robby listened to the couple reciting their vows, his thoughts kept returning to Olivia. Could she marry a vampire? It involved more than just accepting him as Undead. If she wanted to stay with him over the centuries, she would have to become a vampire, too.
The conference rooms were opened up to make a ballroom for the reception. The bride and other mortals enjoyed a gourmet meal, while the Vamps celebrated with Bubbly Blood.
The High Voltage Vamps began playing a waltz, and Jack escorted Lara to the dance floor, leaving Robby alone with LaToya at the bridal party table. LaToya had flown into town two days earlier to be Lara's maid of honor.
When the waltz was over, other couples joined Jack and Lara on the dance floor.
LaToya suddenly jumped to her feet and grabbed Robby's arm. "Come on, dance with me."
"As ye wish." He stood, then noticed Phineas hurrying toward their table.
"LaToya, will you dance with me?" he asked.
"Sorry. Robby asked me first." LaToya tugged on Robby's arm. "Come on."
He gave Phineas an apologetic look, then led LaToya to the dance floor. It was a slow dance, which made it easier to talk. "Ye canna avoid him all evening."
LaToya frowned as she placed her hands lightly on Robby's shoulders. "Why doesn't he give up?"
"He's crazy about you."
She glanced to the side where Phineas stood watching her with a lovesick expression. "Crazy is right. I can't scare the guy away. I practically killed him with hot sauce. He came to see me in New Orleans, and I threatened to shoot his ass. Somehow he thought that was romantic."
Robby shrugged one shoulder. "He believes in love. He has a big heart."
"He has a dead heart. Dead as a bloodsucking mosquito caught in a bug zapper."
Robby winced. "He's alive now."
"And what kind of weird shit is that? I mean, you're alive at night, but dead during the day? Sheesh, make up your minds. Either be alive or be dead. How can you be both? It's just wrong."
"So ye're still upset about us being vampires?"
She heaved a sigh. "I promised to keep my mouth shut, if that's what you're worried about. I don't want any of you creepy guys erasing my memory, not when my memories of Lara would end up erased, too."
"She is fortunate to have a loyal friend like you."
LaToya glanced at the bride, who was beaming with joy as she swayed to the music in Jack's arms. "I want her to be happy. I guess she is, but I don't see how it can last."
"There's never any guarantee." Robby thought back to his own failed marriage. His wife, Mavis, had rejected him for being Undead. Just because Shanna, Heather, Toni, and Lara were able to love Vamp men, it didn't mean all women could. Would Olivia be able to handle it?
"My mother's on her third husband," LaToya grumbled. "She's never had a marriage that lasted more than five years. And you Vamps think you can stay married for centuries? You're out of your half-dead minds."
Robby smiled. "Maybe so."
LaToya chewed her bottom lip. "Though I have to admit, the thought of being around for a few centuries is kinda appealing. And staying young forever - that's not bad."
"Aye, there are some advantages." Maybe she was learning to accept them, after all. "We're no' so bad once ye get to know us. When I was captured last summer, a lot of the Vamps in this room risked their lives in order to rescue me."
She nodded. "Yeah, Lara told me about that."
"Phineas was one of them. He's known us for only a few years, but he's demonstrated over and over again how loyal, brave, and trustworthy he is."
LaToya scoffed. "He was a drug dealer. I checked him out, you know. There's an outstanding warrant for his arrest."
"He's come a long way since then."
"That doesn't mean he shouldn't pay for his crime."
"He did pay," Robby insisted. "With his life. He deserves a second chance."
LaToya huffed. "I'm not sure I can be that forgiving."
Robby glanced at Marta Barkowski, who was sitting at a table with Vanda and Phil. "I dinna think I could be forgiving, either. But sometimes there's just no point in prolonging everyone's suffering."
With a small shock, Robby realized he was changing. His time with Olivia was healing his heart and soothing his wounds. He still wanted to kill Casimir, but it was no longer the top priority in his mind. And when it came to Vamps like Marta or Stanislav, he now understood that they'd been victimized, too.
"Can I cut in?" Phineas tapped him on the shoulder.
Robby released LaToya and stepped back. "That depends on the lady's wishes."
Phineas extended a hand to LaToya. "Sweetness, will you dance with me?"
She gave him a wary look. "I guess I could finish this one with you."
"Great!" With a grin, Phineas wrapped his arms around her.
The music ended.
"Oops. Dance is over." LaToya stepped away.
"No, it's not." Phineas pulled her back.
"Yes, it is!" She stomped a stiletto heel on his foot.
With a yelp, Phineas released her.
"So long, sucker." She strode away, flipping her long curls over her shoulder.Phineas tried putting weight on his sore foot and winced. "Ouch."
"Sorry about that," Robby murmured.
Phineas gave him a wry look. "Yeah, it hurts, but at least I didn't turn emo and punch a hole in a wall."
"I fixed it," Robby grumbled. He'd taken a lot of ribbing over that hole.
Phineas turned his attention back to LaToya, who was ordering a drink at the bar. He smiled slowly. "It's happening, bro. She's falling under my spell."
"How can ye tell? She attacked you again."
"Yeah, but this time she didn't threaten to kill me." Phineas smoothed a hand over his short black hair. "Oh yeah, baby, the Love Doctor is hard to resist."
It was the end of April when the pace at work finally slowed down. Olivia had spent the morning finishing up paperwork. "Ready for lunch?" she called over the partition to J.L.
"Almost," he replied. "Give me five minutes."
This was the perfect opportunity to check her personal e-mail account. She grinned when a message from Robby popped up.
Good morning, sweetheart. After we talked on the phone last night, I received a message from Jack and Lara in Venice. They sent some pictures from the wedding. I've attached them for you.
Olivia clicked through the photos, delighted to finally put faces to the names she'd been hearing about for the last two months. Her heart swelled when she saw a photo that included Robby. He looked dashing in his formal black jacket, white shirt, and black tie that matched his black and white plaid kilt. There was a twinkle in his green eyes and an amused tilt to his wide mouth. She could have gawked at him for hours, but there were a bunch more photos to see. She clicked through some more.
"Hey, Liv. Here's that report you wanted." Yasmine set a file on Olivia's desk, then glanced at the monitor. "Are those wedding pictures? I love wedding pictures!"
"Let me show you the bride." Olivia clicked on Lara's photo.
"All right." J.L. leaned his elbows on the partition. "I'm ready for lunch now."
"Wow, she's beautiful," Yasmine whispered.
"I know," Olivia said. "Can you believe she was a New York cop?"
"Hello?" J.L. waved at them. "Lunch?"
Yasmine ignored him. "I didn't know you went to a wedding. Are you friends with the bride?"
"I didn't go," Olivia replied. "I'm just friends with the best man."
"Just friends?" J.L. scoffed. "He's all you ever talk about anymore. I can't eat my lunch without getting the latest 'Robby' update."
Olivia made a face at him. He'd laughed at the stories, too.
"Who's Robby?" Yasmine asked.
"He was the best man. Here, I'll show you." Olivia clicked on a group photo.
Yasmine snorted. "Who's the big guy in the skirt? And what's that? A purse?"
Olivia stiffened. "That's Robby."
"He's wearing a skirt? I've got to see this." J.L. peered over Yasmine's head at the monitor, then snickered.
Olivia glared at him. "Robby's Scottish. That's why he's wearing a kilt and a sporran."
"Where on earth did you meet a Scotsman?" Yasmine asked.
"Look, guys," J.L. interrupted them. "I'm starving. If you want to keep drooling on those photos, I'll bring lunch back here."
Olivia's glare switched to a smile. "That would be great. I'll take a turkey sandwich."
"Me, too," Yasmine said.
J.L. walked away, muttering about the female fascination with weddings where poor saps got shackled for life.
"Well?" Yasmine asked. "Where did you meet the handsome Scotsman?"
"On Patmos last November."
"A Scotsman on a Greek island?" Yasmine laughed, then abruptly turned serious. "Oh my gosh, Liv, he's not the one who made you cry, is he?"
Olivia's cheeks warmed with embarrassment. "That was just a misunderstanding. We're okay now."
"You're dating him?"
"Sorta. We talk and e-mail every day. I wish I could go see him, but I'm out of vacation days."
Yasmine shook her head slowly. "I had no idea you were involved with someone. How serious is it?"
Olivia bit her lip. Yasmine could be annoying sometimes with her constant curiosity about everyone's personal affairs, but Olivia was dying to tell someone her news. "Last night Robby told me he was taking some vacation time in June so he could come for a visit. He said he had something really important to discuss with me and he needed to do it in person."
Yasmine gasped. "Do you think he's going to propose?"
Olivia grinned. She was so excited, she'd hardly slept at all last night. "It sounds that way, don't you think? I mean, he wouldn't come all this way to break up with me, would he?"
An aura of anxiety swirled around Yasmine. "Are you seriously considering this? You can't really know him that well."
"We've had lots of long talks. I can tell him anything, and he understands. He makes me laugh. I make him laugh."
"Girl, he made you cry last December. You were hurting really bad. Maybe you should rethink this. Or at least slow down."
Olivia shrugged. The last thing she wanted to hear was something bad about Robby. He was the sweetest, most gentle man she'd ever met.
"Here, I'll show you the rest of the photos." She clicked through them, and her eyes were invariably drawn to Robby whenever he appeared in a photo.
Was he really planning to propose to her? She couldn't imagine anything else of importance that he would need to tell her.
There was, however, something important she needed to tell him. She'd meant to tell him before, but the appropriate time had never come up.
How was yer day? he would ask on the webcam.
Great. We arrested a kidnapper, and by the way, I'm a virgin. That would have been too strange.
But surely it didn't matter if Robby was unaware of her secret. Why would any man object to it?
Two weeks later, on a Saturday afternoon, Olivia returned to her apartment after running errands. She dropped her handbag and keys on the console by the front door, then carried her bag of groceries to the kitchen.
As she passed the breakfast nook, she noticed something on the dinette table. A brown cardboard box. The logo on top was unmistakable.
Apples.
Her heart lurched up her throat. The box was in her house. Not on the front porch, left by a delivery man. In her house.