“To put it mildly. Although it’s better since…well, it’s better now, and I just hope it lasts.”

“Which is why you can take care of yourself so well.”

She cracked her knuckles, which made the lone counterman cringe. “Bet your ass.”

“Indeed I would not.” He stirred his coffee. He could drink it, though all it would do was make him thirstier. Instead, he played with it; he enjoyed the ritual of cream and sugar. “How long are you in town?”

She shrugged. “Long as I want. The wedding’s over, so we’ll probably hang out for a couple days, then head back to our homes.”

“And home for you is…?”

“None of your fucking business. Don’t get me wrong, Dick, you seem pleasant enough for a bloodsucking fiend of the undead—”

“Thank you.”

“—but I’m not opening up to you with all my vitals, no matter how good-looking and charming you are.”

“So my powers of attraction aren’t completely lost on you,” he teased.

She ignored the interruption. “And if you don’t like it, you can stop dicking around with your coffee and get the hell gone.”

“I cannot decide,” he said after a long pause, during which he guiltily put down his spoon, “if you’re the most refreshing person I’ve ever met, or the most irritating.”

“Go with irritating,” she suggested. “That’s what my family does.” She glanced at her watch, a cheap thing that probably told time about as well as a carrot. “I gotta go. It’s really late, even for me.” She laughed at that for some reason.

He leaned forward and picked up her warm little hand. Her palm was chubby, with a strong life line. Her nails were brutally short and unpolished. “I must see you again. Actually, I would prefer to spirit you away to my—”

“Creaky, musty, damp castle?”

“—condo on Beacon Hill, but you’re quite a strong young lady and I seriously doubt I could do so without attracting attention. So I must persuade you.”

“Damned right, chum.” She jerked her hand out of his grasp. “Try anything, and—”

“I’ll vomit my teeth, or be split down the middle, or my head will be twisted around so far I’ll be able to see my own backside.” She giggled. “Yes, yes, I quite understand. Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”

“Don’t you mean ‘let me watch you eat while I play with my drink’?”

“Something like that, yes.”

“Why?” she asked suspiciously.

“Because,” he said simply, “I’ve decided. You’re refreshing because you’re irritating. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a nice conversation with a lady?”

She stared at him. “You think this has been a nice conversation?”