“I’m kind of glad she’s off,” I admitted. “The last time we were here, I got this sense that she was watching me the whole time. It was kind of creepy.”

“Oh, please!” Reg drawled. “Stop pretending you don’t like to be looked at.”

“I don’t mind admirers.” I tossed a wink in Dex’s direction. “I just prefer them to not be middle-aged shop owners.”

The group laughed, all but Dexter, who was suddenly very distracted with packing up his books. Maybe he hadn’t seen my wink.

He left a little while later with a friendly, if not very flirty, goodbye, and the twins followed. When Reg and Poe and I finally got up to leave, Reg let Poe walk ahead and stopped me just outside the front door.

“Charlie, can you let Sal know I’ll be home a little later?”

“What do you mean? Where are you . . . ?”

I looked over his shoulder to where Poe was waiting on the sidewalk a few yards away, fidgeting with his frames.

“Oh. Are you two . . . do you . . . ?” I lowered my voice. “Is it like a date?”

“Yes, I suppose it is. Do you mind?”

I did mind. It was Saturday night and Reg had a date, while all I had was a backpack full of still-unfinished homework. But I didn’t want him to think I was jealous, so I plastered on a smile.

“Of course not. Obviously, you will share all the juicy details later.”

“Obviously.”

He turned to join Poe, and I crossed the street in the opposite direction, passing the boarded windows of the old cinema and recalling the story about the fire that had gutted it. Where were Reg and Poe supposed to go on a “date” anyway, if this town couldn’t even keep a movie theater open?

My phone rang, and Sydney’s pink hair and blue eyes filled the screen. She and Sophia invited me over for a movie and makeovers, and I hung up feeling grateful. Slumber party was a little lower on my human bucket list than dating, but anything was better than spending Saturday alone in the slayer’s den.

I spun around to holler at Reg that I had plans too, but he was already at the end of the street, lost in conversation with Poe. A small thread of worry tugged at my insides. There was nothing wrong with dating—I had every intention of trying it myself if Dexter ever got around to asking me out—but it was just a diversion while we waited for our sentence to be reversed.

I watched Reg slip his hand into Poe’s just before they rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. I hoped my brother still felt the same way.

Sixteen

Fade into Fall