Page 39 of Starry with a Chance of Nightshade
My brows met. “Van Helsing?”
Brian nodded. “Yep.”
“Then you’re related to Craig?” I asked, my stomach tightening as I worried they’d tell me Craig had died eighteen years ago.
“I am,” said Brian. He motioned to Austin and the other man as well. “We all are.”
“Is he still in town?” I asked, holding my breath.
Brian grinned. “He is. He’s an emergency room doctor at the hospital.”
My eyes moistened and my lips pressed into a thin line as I tried to suppress my emotions. He was alive and, apparently, doing well. “G-good.”
The other man eased forward some, moving closer to me. “Ma’am, are you all right?”
I nodded, still clinging tight to my emotions. “Just happy to hear he’s doing well.”
Austin rotated his shoulders and neck. There were a series of audible cracks, each one making me cringe. He then focused on me. “Please don’t tell me you’ve dated him. Did he do you wrong? I’ll kick his ass for you. Um, I mean butt.”
That brought a smile to my face and helped chase away the tears wanting to come. “We never dated. We were at Grimm U together. We were friends. Good friends.”
“Really?” asked the other man.
I swallowed hard and nodded. “I should let you all get on with your day. Thank you for letting me know he’s okay.”
The other man watched me closely. His gaze snapped to the plethora of tattoo-like symbols I had on my arms. His expression shifted slightly. “There any reason why he wouldn’t be okay?”
Austin nudged him. “Elis, stop.”
“Interesting ink you have there. Tell me about it,” said Elis. The way he asked said he knew the tattoos were far more than something neat I’d decided to have put on my body forever.
“Thanks,” I said, trying to tug my sleeves down.
Elis pulled out his cell phone. “Want me to give Craig a call? Who can I tell him is asking about him?”
“No,” I said fast. “No need to bother him. I’m sure he’s busy.”
“Really, it’s no problem,” Elis said, his gaze flickering to my markings again.
“Dude, you’re being an ass—” Austin stopped short of saying the rest.
Elis met Austin’s gaze and gave him a hard look.
Austin backed down and it was easy to see which of the two was the shot caller. His focus came to me. “If you change your mind, just let me know. My brother would probably like catching up with someone from college.”
“Brother?” I asked, looking harder at Austin. My eyes widened. “Ohmygod, you’re his little brother?”
He nodded. “Guilty. Why?”
I tried to keep from laughing. I failed. “Didn’t recognize you all grown up and minus chicken pox all over you.”
Austin’s eyes widened. “No way. You’re not the same…great. I run into a hot girl only to find out that when I was nine, she put anti-itch lotion on my face and armpits because I was covered in spots. That’s not embarrassing in the least.”
Brian snorted. “What you’re saying is, you have a thing for the girl who used to babysit you?”
Austin lowered his head, shaking it slightly. “And it just got more embarrassing.”
I offered a reassuring smile. “Austin, the spots were adorable. So were the pajamas you had on.”
