Sweet Nightfall Read online

  Whew! I righted the ship. God, I’m good.

  “I was a little surprised to drive through a bikini coffee place this morning. I’m sure their clientele is mostly male. You said your friend owns it?” Adam asked.

  “Yep. I’ve known the owner for a decade. She’s great! I support women no matter what they wear. It’s female owned and operated and those girls are paying for college. You better believe I don’t mind handing them my money. And another major plus; I get to admire the ladies. Mmmmm.” Sara trailed off remembering Stacy leaning out the window.

  Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be Stacy’s age again. I would grab this boy and never let go.

  Adam turned onto the freeway. She knew she had about nine minutes to spend with him. She prayed for gridlock. She longingly looked at his broad shoulders. His hair was grown out past his ears. He had it tucked behind them. He smelled so good. Masculine and earthy.

  Sara imagined crawling into his lap and snuggling in front of a fireplace. She finally remembered one of the talking points she had gone over in her head last night a hundred times.

  “After our first ride I went straight home and downloaded The Presidents onto my daughter’s phone. I caught her trying to play “Peaches” on her guitar yesterday!”

  “Nice!” Adam replied. “If you want to start a Presidents cover band, let me know. Cause we have “Lump” down pretty good already.”

  Gulp. Was that an invitation for an outside-of-Uber meet up??

  NO, you crazy old lady! He’s being nice!

  …Whatever. A girl can dream.

  You seriously think he wants to start a cover band? Sara argued with herself .

  “You’re right. That one’s in the bag,” Sara responded, nodding her head. Adam smiled back at her. His eyes were kind and genuinely friendly. Sara forgot what she wanted to say next, letting several moments of silence pass. “Do you play an instrument or will you be the lead singer?”

  “I used to play the drums in high school, so if that’s like riding a bike I could pick up the sticks again.” Adam replied.

  “No no no. We can’t have you behind a set of drums. That would be a waste. You’re frontman material.” Sara stated. “You’re our ticket to mega-stardom.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh, yes. I would ride your coattails to fame and fortune.” Sara stated.

  Dude, I would ride your coattails so hard. She smiled to herself. Talking to him was so invigorating.

  Sara’s phone chimed a notification. She found it in her purse and checked it. Hazel had texted. Did you get to ride with your green eyed boyfriend? Sara chuckled. Adam looked at her in the rearview mirror.

  “My daughter wondering if I got to ride with the cute driver I told her all about.” She answered his curious look honestly.

  Why did I tell him that? He’s gonna think I’m a creeper.

  Adam shook his head and smiled.

  Sara texted back, I’m in the car with him right now!

  “It’s pretty early in the morning for a teenager to be awake.” Adam said.

  “She’s got a little part time job she needs to get up and get to this morning. She’s a very independent, responsible girl. She’s saving money so she can pay for half of her own car and won’t have to borrow mine anymore. Her dad and I told her that we’d match her dollar for dollar.” Sara felt a rush of pride talking about Hazel.

  “Well, I hope she doesn’t save too fast. It’s nice driving you.” Adam said.

  “Aww, thanks. Don’t worry, it’ll take her a while to save enough on minimum wage.” Sara felt warm all over. She didn’t know if it was the warmed seat or her body overheating from being in a confined space with so much masculine energy.

  Her phone chimed again. Hazel texted, Are you wearing any cheetah print? Sara smirked and threw her phone back in her purse to ignore her.

  “It seems like you raised a pretty good kid.” Adam said.

  “I think so, but I’m her mother and I think she’s perfection made real. I bet your mom loves to show you off.”

  Sadness entered Adam’s eyes. He said wistfully, “She did.”

  Sara immediately felt the shift in energy.

  Oh, no. What? He said, “did.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say anything that would make you sad.” She scrambled to apologize.

  “Don’t feel bad. Don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I should have just gone along with it. I’m sorry. It makes people really uncomfortable to talk about stuff like that. I had a wonderful mom. We were a very close family. They’ve been gone for a while now.”

  “They?” Sara asked dreading the answer.

  “My mom and dad were in a car accident. They passed together… a few years back.”

  Sara felt crushed for him. It broke her heart. She tried to control her breathing as her eyes began to tear up.

  Adam shook his head. “Man. I did not mean to…”

  “Stop. Don’t apologize for anything. You can tell someone something sad and it’s okay. I’m really sorry that happened.” Sara said as a tear rolled down her cheek. She didn’t want to bring attention to herself, so she concentrated on slowing her breathing and not sniffling.

  “Thank you. You’re a very sweet person. Let’s talk about something else. We can’t end the ride on that note,” Adam said as he pulled off the freeway.

  Sara wanted to hug him and never let go. She controlled her urge to cry and got her emotions under control. He pulled into her neighborhood and she wracked her brain for a way to end the ride on a positive note, but she couldn’t think of one.

  “I see you’ve added more lights to your Christmas display,” Adam said breaking the silence. Her house could be seen from further away than the last time they rode together.

  “Oh yes!” She said. “I think it’s as Christmas as I can get it now.”

  “I love it. Good Job! It’s very Clark Griswold of you.”

  “Thank you!” Sara was proud of her Christmas display. “My electricity meter is spinning just as fast as Clark’s did. My bill is scary as hell every January.”

  “I bet it is.”

  “It’s worth it, though. It makes me happy.” Sara stated.

  Adam pulled the car into her driveway surrounded by colorful lights and Christmas cheer that lit up the interior of the car like daylight.

  “Thank you for another great ride, Mr. Uber.” Sara said.

  “No, thank you. It was a pleasure.” Adam said turning around in his seat to look at her.

  The full force of his attention on her made her lose her breath. “Damn, you’re so fucking handsome!” Sara turned red. “Oh god, I can’t believe that came out of my mouth.” She started laughing. “I think, though,” she said waving her hand in front of herself. “I’m at the safe age that I can say whatever I want, so there. I’ve decided that. So I won’t go home, replay this in my head and want to die for the rest of the day.”

  Sara opened the door to escape the awkward moment she had created. The brisk morning air rushed into the car. She hurried out of the car and shut the door before she could embarrass herself further.

  “Sara!” Adam’s deep masculine voice called out to her from his rolled down window. She turned around, her hand on her heart. “I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas in case I don’t see you again before the holidays.”

  “Merry Christmas to you, too.” She waved at him, shaking her head at herself as he reversed and drove away.

  Chapter Eight

  The sky was beginning to lighten. Sunrise was fast approaching. Adam needed to get home as fast as possible. He drove with speed and precision out of Sara’s neighborhood and back to the freeway. He took too much time driving her home. He was enjoying himself so much he had not been his normal cautious self. He had driven slower than usual, and stopping for coffee had taken more time than he had that morning.

  He replayed the ride in his head, going over every detail of their conversation. She was so full of light. She
was his age but would never know it. An older woman would never see him as a potential husband. He knew from the way Sara’s body reacted to him that she was attracted to him. By calling herself an old lady, he knew she didn’t see him as a potential boyfriend.

  Adam could not help but think of the possibilities. He actually had things in common with her. She grew up through the same decades that he had. The girls he’d been dating had never heard of the bands he liked or the movies he grew up on. They had so many shared interests. She was a pretty woman. He was definitely interested in her sexually. He remembered her face as she passionately enjoyed that latte. He let his mind drift to images of her passionately enjoying his dick. It was an easy image to bring up. A woman with that much joy for life had to be a fun lay.

  He remembered her face when he’d mentioned the death of his parents. The single tear that slid down her cheek. The way she silently slowed her breathing to control herself. Her reactions were so honest and raw. He could hear every heartbeat acceleration. He could feel her empathy for him and it was genuine. He could kick himself for mentioning that. He shook his head.

  I’m supposed to be driving people like a professional, not telling them my sad sack story. Now she feels sorry for me. She probably thinks of me like an orphaned puppy.

  The impending sunrise filled him with dread. It reminded him fully of what he was; a night creature, a monster. Sara was daylight and he was night. He wondered why he kept kidding himself, by playing human. She was a woman so full of warmth that she made a dark December morning feel like a bright summer day. He felt human during the ride with her. She made him laugh. The banter back and forth was easy.

  He pushed the Durango to ninety miles per hour, passing by slower vehicles as he raced down the freeway. He checked every angle for any police. Minutes later he exited the freeway and felt safer being close to home. He could relax a little as he swiftly made his way through the familiar streets of his neighborhood. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he clicked his garage door opener.

  The door slowly rose, revealing two stilettoed feet, connected to long legs standing in the doorway to his kitchen.

  “Rebecca.” Adam groaned. He pulled the car into his spot and turned off the engine. He sighed and shook his head before getting out of the car.

  “This is what you left me for?” Rebecca asked. “A twelve hundred square foot box in a low end neighborhood? To drive people around and pay bills?” She threw a handful of Adam’s mail to the ground in disgust.

  “It’s thirteen hundred, thank you. I want to live the life I would have lived. I have eternity. So spending a while playing human isn’t the end of the world. I really don’t understand why you are acting like it is,” Adam replied. He walked toward her and picked up his mail while she glared down at him.

  Rebecca looked completely out of place in his modest home. She was wearing the latest designer fashion and shoes that cost over a grand a pair. Diamonds reflected light from her ears and neck. He looked her up and down. Only a vampire could look this exquisite.

  “What made you risk being caught by the day?” Rebecca asked. “I’m worried about you. You would never have been so careless before.”

  “I had an interesting ride.” Adam countered. “You don’t need to be worried. I’m a forty-year-old man inside here. I can take care of myself. Speaking of which, you better get going before...” He cocked his head toward the open garage door.

  She shook her head. The sun was about to rise. Adam knew she had no choice but to leave. Adam heard a car pull up. It was Rebecca’s blacked out Land Rover.

  “I’m flying to Garda tomorrow to spend Christmas in the Villa. Everyone will be there, of course. There’s a ticket on the counter if you would like to join us.” She stated. “I still love you. Please consider coming. You can continue this farce after the holidays.”

  “Tell Joe ‘hello’ for me,” Adam said, referring to her driver.

  Rebecca didn’t reply as she walked out of the garage and entered the backseat of the Land Rover.

  Adam watched it drive away. He pushed the button on the wall. The garage door closed off the entering morning light.

  “Goddamn it.” He muttered to himself.

  Adam entered his kitchen and spotted the airline ticket on the counter. Christmas was two weeks away. The worst time of year to be alone. He was dreading its arrival.

  He missed his parents so much. Growing up, Christmas was his favorite holiday. After their passing, he at least wasn’t alone. Rebecca had taken him in and made him part of a coven. He had spent Christmas in a lavish villa for the last fifteen years. It was populated with vampires that had known each other for hundreds of years. They made sure to get together each year to renew their friendships and catch up with each other. They had welcomed Adam with open arms. After all these years, he considered them his closest friends.

  He pictured himself spending Christmas in this house all by himself. He took a deep breath and tried to shake off the depressing scene.

  I’ll just drive people. I’m sure they’ll feel sorry for me and add onto the tip. At least I can make some money.

  That’s even more depressing. Driving happy people to and from family events on Christmas.

  What choice do I have?

  …Go to Italy! It would be better than sitting here alone.

  No.

  Adam shook his head. An image flashed in his mind of Sara standing with her hand on her heart amongst the glittering of thousands of Christmas lights.

  I bet her home is filled with love at Christmas.

  He wandered into his living room and turned on his TV and Xbox. He wasn’t ready to go to sleep just yet. He felt antsy. This wasn’t as easy as he had hoped it would be. He thought it would be simple to find a human that would fall in love with him. He was not stupid, he knew what he looked like. Human women had fallen over themselves to be with him all through his teenage years and early twenties. He’d always had girlfriends. Then Rebecca came along, he had spent fifteen years with her. But he still saw the looks and sexual attraction in the eyes of other women.

  He didn’t realize that in fifteen years he would mature and become a grown man and the women in their early twenties were still the same. Now he was stuck in this body but his mind wanted more than the young women he dated had to offer.

  Could Sara think of him as anything but a boy?

  Worse than a boy. Now she thinks I’m a sad, motherless boy. Fuck.

  He knew he could find women his age to have sex with him but would they ever go against social norms and commit to a relationship with him?

  He opened up Netflix. The first rows of options were all Christmas movies. National Lampoon was right at the beginning, reminding him of Sara’s Christmas light display.

  He smiled shaking his head. He wondered what the inside of her house looked like? Does she bake holiday goodies? Adam hadn’t really bothered with human food since leaving Rebecca. They would dine at the most exclusive restaurants but never ate while at home. He could still enjoy human food. It just did not sustain his life. Since the break up he had refrained all together. Why bother, he couldn’t cook anyways. But thinking about a home-cooked holiday meal prepared with love, made his mouth water.

  Does she have a boyfriend? That thought rubbed Adam the wrong way.

  Hell, she could already be in love with someone. I know nothing about her.

  Adam grabbed his phone from his pocket. He knew a thing or two about how to find out about someone. He put her address into Google to find her full name. Sara Hartford.

  “Ok Sara Hartford, who are you?” He mumbled to himself.

  Within a few clicks he had her Facebook profile. Her big blue eyes and the smiling face of her profile picture greeted him. She was posing with what had to be her daughter on Santa’s lap. Adam almost laughed out loud. They had the same hair color and smile but the girl had brown eyes. They looked happy.

  Scrolling through her posts, he could see that she was passionate about f
eminism, gay rights and advocating for women’s health issues. She had a lot of friends and was tagged in photos smiling and hugging them. One man was good looking and they were smiling and posing together in a lot of the pictures together. He had brown eyes and looked a lot like the girl.

  Must be the dad. They seemed to be best friends. That’s really odd. Why are they not together then? Oh…

  The next picture was the dad with another man, Sara’s daughter and two toddlers posing in color-coordinated outfits.

  What’s the story here? Adam read all the captions. He learned that Shawn was Hazel’s Dad. He was gay but also Sara’s best friend.

  Did she use him as a sperm donor? That’s very progressive. Maybe there’s no competition on the scene.

  Adam spent the next thirty minutes scrolling through all her pictures and then moving on to scrolling through all Shawn and Hazel’s pictures. He checked out any other social media accounts linked to her name and smiled when he found her Instagram account. It only had 42 followers. He mulled over all the new information.

  Not only a Vampire, now I’m a stalker too. Good god. He made fun of himself and threw his phone aside.

  Chapter Nine

  Hazel barged through the front door.

  “Mom!”

  “I’m right here.” Sara yelled from the couch where she was scrolling on her phone.

  “How was your boyfriend?” Hazel teased.

  “He was as dreamy as ever.” Sara replied and turned off her phone. “Oh! Poor kid lost both his parents in a car accident a few years ago. It was just the saddest.”

  “Oh no! That’s terrible.” Hazel said, her face filled with sympathy.

  “I know! I nearly lost it! It breaks my heart… Poor thing. Seriously like…” Sara choked up and could not finish her sentence.

  Hazel walked over and landed beside her on the couch. Sara grabbed her up in a bear hug.

  “I love you my Hazelbug! Have I told you that enough?”

  “Umm yeah like a hundred times a day for sixteen years. I think it’s been enough.”