Page 12 of Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck
Plus, with his luck, he’d skip the meeting, and one of the Frankensteins would up and decide to make another creature. That would surely land Drest in hot water.
He tipped his head back, listening to the sounds of Aerosmith’sToys in the Atticalbum. He’d had an 8-track stereo combo installed several years ago and was already considering moving to a cassette player. They were all the new rage and, since he liked listening to music while he drove, seemed like a smart investment. Sadly, even Steven Tyler’s smooth voice and flawless delivery couldn’t put Drest in the mood to deal with what he was sure would be two to three hours’ worth of debates that would lead to a week’s worth of headaches for him.
From the moment Gil had given him the Frankensteins as charges nearly five months ago, his life had been a series of migraines. Not that he’d shared any of it with Gil. No. He’d go down with the ship before he dared admit they were pains in his backside.
Drest killed the engine and exited the vehicle. He was several paces from the front porch steps when he pivoted and hurried back to his car. He popped the trunk and pulled out a small cloth doll he’d had made for Henry and Amice’s daughter, Astria.
He’d been alive a very long time, despite looking like he was only in his early thirties at most. In that time, he’d never really given much thought to having a family of his own. In order for that to happen, he’d need to meet his mate, someone he strongly suspected did not exist.
Until Astria, Drest hadn’t really paid much attention to the children he’d crossed paths with. There was something about her that made him feel oddly protective of her. She was shy but adorable. She’d only just stopped hiding against her mother’s chest when he was close. The last time he’d been at the house, she’d been fighting bedtime and had joined them for dinner. She’d sat in her high chair and had surprised Drest by offering him a handful of cut-up cooked carrots that she’d previously chewed. It was unpleasant but a sign she was starting to trust him, and he’d take any progress he could get with the Frankenstein family.
That line of thinking had left him standing outside a small sewing shop in the city that specialized in handmade toys. He’d wanted to give Astria something that reflected the connection she had to her goblin—Toirdhealbhach.
When he’d gone in and requested a goblin doll be made, the woman had looked at him as if he was nuts. In the end, she’d taken his order, and a week later, he’d picked up the finished product. It had been in his trunk ever since.
He clutched it and nearly put it back in the trunk, overthinking the gift idea. He kept hold of it, shut the trunk, and headed for the house.
Amice opened the door before he reached it. She had a wide smile on her face. “Drest, welcome!”
She hugged him and stepped back. “Come in. I’m so excited about this month’s visit.”
He had to dig deep to reply. “Me too.”
She patted his arm and leaned in. “I know that’s a lie but thank you all the same.”
He lifted the stuffed goblin doll. “For Astria.”
Amice beamed. “Oh Drest, she’ll love it. Thank you so much. That was so thoughtful.”
“It was no big deal,” he said, still second-guessing his decision to have it done in the first place. He didn’t make a habit of bringing gifts to his charges. “Just thought she might like it because it looks a little like Toirdhealbhach.”
Amice hugged him again. “Still. It’s lovely. Thank you. Come on in. You ready for tonight?”
Drest cringed. “I’m not sure I’m mentally ready for the arguments I know are to follow.”
“I’m sorry. I know Nile and Henry can be difficult,” she said.
“Difficult?” he echoed. “Try impossible to reason with.”
“Yes, they are that,” she said with a sigh. “I’m hoping that Henry will be better tonight now that Rachael is here. She tends to lighten his mood.”
Drest had yet to meet Rachael Frankenstein. He knew very little about her. She was university-aged and had been studying abroad for her last two semesters. That left her checking in with a Hunter in that region.
While she’d been gone, Drest had gotten notices on his desk about her check-ins over in London, along with a rather lengthy list of the courses she’d taken to date. He’d done a fast skim of the courses to be sure nothing stuck out that might get flagged in an audit for sanction violations, and then he’d tossed it in his bottom drawer with everything else he had to file away.
There had been another notice on his desk a month back that mentioned something about an updated address. He’d not really paid much attention. Information on her was rather limited in the folder, and he still didn’t have a current photo of her. The one in the folder was from when she was eight years old. Drest had asked Amice for an updated one about a month ago. That was when she’d suggested having a dinner get-together at some point.
Amice looked him up and down. “Turn in a circle for me.”
He lifted a brow but did as she asked, only then realizing she was sizing him up. “Amice?”
She beamed and set the doll on the side table near the door. “Purple is a good color on you, Drest. I’m glad you wore that shirt.”
“Uh, thanks?” He’d stopped home after his shift at the police department to change into a fresh dress shirt and pair of slacks, but he’d not put any real thought behind his selection. The fact Amice was bringing up his attire was strange. She’d never before mentioned his clothing choices. What was going on?
“I see the question on your face,” said Amice, glancing quickly behind her and then back at him. “I want this night to go off without issue. It’s special, or at least I hope it is.”
“Why is that? Did Nile and Henry decide to stop complaining about things I can’t change?” he inquired, already knowing the response. There was no way in hell Nile and Henry would stop pestering him.
