Dead Until Dark

again. “Back to work!” I said briskly and strode out of the room, trying to make sure there wasn’t a hint of sway to my hips.
    “Would you keep the kids for a couple of hours this evening?” Arlene asked, a little shyly. I remembered the last time we’d talked about my keeping her kids, and I remembered the offense I’d taken at her reluctance to leave her kids with a vampire. I hadn’t been thinking like a mother would think. Now, Arlene was trying to apologize.
    “I’d be glad to.” I waited to see if Arlene would mention Bill again, but she didn’t. “When to when?”
    “Well, Rene and I are gonna go to the movies in Monroe,” she said. “Say, six thirty?”
    “Sure. Will they have had supper?”
    “Oh, yeah, I’ll feed ’em. They’ll be excited to see their aunt Sookie.”
    “I look forward to it.”
    “Thanks,” Arlene said. She paused, almost said something else, then appeared to think again. “See you at six thirty.”
    I got home about five, most of the way driving against the sun, which was glaring like it was staring me down. I changed into a blue and green knit short set, brushed my hair and secured it with a banana clip. I had a sandwich, sitting uneasily by myself at the kitchen table. The house felt big and empty, and I was glad to see Rene drive up with Coby and Lisa.
    “Arlene’s having trouble with one of her artificial nails,” he explained, looking embarrassed at having to relay this feminine problem. “And Coby and Lisa were raring to get over here.” I noticed Rene was still in his work clothes—heavy boots, knife, hat, and all. Arlene wasn’t going to let him take her anywhere until he showered and changed.
    Coby was eight and Lisa was five, and they were hanging all over me like big earrings when Rene bent to kiss them good-bye. His affection for the kids gave Rene a big gold star in my book, and I smiled at him approvingly. I took the kids’ hands to lead them back to the kitchen for some ice cream.
    “We’ll see you about ten thirty, eleven,” he said. “If that’s all right.” He put his hand on the doorknob.
    “Sure,” I agreed. I opened my mouth to offer to keep the kids for the night, as I’d done on previous occasions, but then I thought of Tina’s limp body. I decided that tonight they’d better not stay. I raced the kids to the kitchen, and a minute or two later I heard Rene’s old pickup rattling down the driveway.
    I picked up Lisa. “I can hardly lift you anymore, girl, you’re getting so big! And you, Coby, you shaving yet?” We sat at the table for a good thirty minutes while the children ate ice cream and rattled off their list of achievements since we’d last visited.
    Then Lisa wanted to read to me, so I got out a coloring book with the color and number words printed inside, and she read those to me with some pride. Coby, of course, had to prove he could read much better, and then they wanted to watch a favorite show. Before I knew it, it was dark.
    “My friend is coming over tonight,” I told them. “His name is Bill.”
    “Mama told us you had a special friend,” Coby said. “I better like him. He better be nice to you.”
    “Oh, he is,” I assured the boy, who had straightened and thrust out his chest, ready to defend me if my special friend wasn’t nice enough in Coby’s estimation.
    “Does he send you flowers?” Lisa asked romantically.
    “No, not yet. Maybe you can kind of hint I’d like some?”
    “Ooo. Yeah, I can do that.”
    “Has he asked you to marry him?
    “Well, no. But I haven’t asked him, either.”
    Naturally, Bill picked that moment to knock.
    “I have company,” I said, smiling, when I answered the door.
    “I can hear,” he said.
    I took his hand and led him into the kitchen.
    “Bill, this is Coby and this young woman is Lisa,” I said formally.
    “Good, I’ve been wanting to meet you,” Bill said, to my surprise. “Lisa and Coby, is it all right with you if I keep company with your aunt Sookie?”
    They eyed him thoughtfully. “She isn’t really our aunt,” Coby said, testing the waters. “She’s our mom’s good friend.”
    “Is that right?”
    “Yes, and she says you don’t send her flowers,” Lisa said. For once, her little voice was crystal clear. I was so glad to realize that Lisa had gotten over her little problem with her r ’s. Really.
    Bill looked sideways at me. I shrugged. “Well, they asked me,” I said helplessly.
    “Hmmm,” he said thoughtfully.