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“Hobbit holes are known for theircleanliness, August.” He reluctantly followed him down the hallway.

Ashley took Esther’s hand and led her to the other unoccupied room. Praise Jesus, she’d thought to pack a sleeping bag because they were not sleeping on those sheets. She was making a mental list of supplies for Esther to get from the mall during daylight hours.

“Ashley, I’m so sorry.” Esther plopped onto the bed then winced, rubbing the spot where she landed. That wasn’t a good sign. A silver chain escaped her top with the motion, catching in the overhead light. “I’ve never actually been here before, but theway my aunt talked about this place, it sounded amazing. I just wanted us to have a relaxing week away.”

“And we will, sweetheart. Don’t you worry. I’ll have this place fixed up in no time.” She was excited about the challenge, but her attention had snagged on the vial around Esther’s neck. “But in the meantime, let’s go check out the beach.”

“Did you want to unpack first? Maybe give the guys some time to unpack as well.”

“I thought we could go, just the two of us.”

Esther squinted at her as though assessing Ashley’s true motive but agreed, and they headed out. Esther locked the door behind them when they heard a thunk. They opened the door to find the inner handle rolling across the short beige carpet.

“I’ll fix that too.” Ashley fit her hand into Esther’s. “Don’t worry.”

Getting to the beach was as much of a headache as Ashley had suspected. The highway between the mall and the beach had a pedestrian overpass, but the first highway between their house and the mall required walking three blocks out of the way to a convoluted five-way intersection. Despite being less than half a mile from the beach, the walk took them a half-hour. The moon was full and bright by the time they were taking off their shoes and sinking into the sand, but the beach was blessedly empty.

Ashley led them down to the water until it licked at their toes. Her fingers laced with Esther’s. The water lapping at the sand provided the soundtrack to their night as they walked along the shore.

The wind whipped across the waters, and Esther’s hand trembled slightly. It wasn’t near as cold as New York, but it was still chilly. Ashley hardly noticed the cold anymore. When she first changed, the feeling of constantly being cold frightened her. She remembered living in Konstantine’s heated blanket that first week, shivering under a UV-free mood light.

“So.” Ashley wasn’t sure how to start this conversation. She decided to go with her usual technique of diving right in. “Are you still considering my offer?”

Esther didn’t respond but touched the vial hanging around her neck. They hadn’t spoken of her becoming a vampire since Valentine’s Day. The only indication that Esther was still considering Ashley’s offer was that Esther continued to wear the necklace.

“I am,” Esther said after a moment.

The words drifted out with the tide, a hopeful message in a bottle. At least it sounded hopeful.

“In that case, you should keep regular human hours this week,” Ashley said.

“Wait, what?” Esther’s hand clamped tighter around Ashley’s. “I thought we were spending time together this week. This was supposed to be a relaxing getaway together.”

“I know, but if you’re seriously considering changing, I want you to know what you’re giving up. I want you to be human while you still can. Don’t just jump into it like I did.”

“Ashley.” Esther moved in front of her, blocking the path. “What are you going to do all week? I don’t want to be out having fun while you’re at home by yourself.”

“I’ll be fine.” She took Esther’s hands and raised each to her lips, kissing her knuckles. “I’ll have plenty to do in the house. It’s a blessing it’s such a mess. I’ve started a list of things to do, starting with our room.”

The corner of Esther’s mouth wavered.

Ashley had hoped to coax a smile out of her with the list comment. On to her next plan to lighten the mood. “Plus, we’ll still see each other in the mornings and evenings. I might have brought some toys for us to try out.”

“The boys are in the house!” Esther scanned the empty beach, confirming they were still alone. But the blush on her cheeks told Ashley she wasn’t immune to the suggestion.

Ashley wanted Esther to take this week seriously. To really consider her decision. Because if she was serious about being a vampire, she was serious about Ashley. The two went hand in hand.

“I guess we’ll have to be quiet, won’t we,” Ashley said.

“You’re terrible.” Esther wrapped her arms around Ashley’s neck, standing on tiptoe to reach her.

Ashley bent, catching Esther’s lips with her own. “You like it when I’m terrible.”

Ashley

The next day, Ashley was awakened to the pleasant caress of warm hands pressing circles into her back. “Mmm, that feels so good. Please, tell me this is Esther. Actually, it’s too good. I don’t even care who this is. Just don’t stop.”

“Hey!” Esther laughed. The mattress sank as she mounted Ashley’s back, her thighs warm against Ashley’s sides.