I woke up with my alarm and knew that I wanted more sleep, but apparently I had a job to do. Though I did like the normality of having a shower and dressing in daytime clothes. It was around 1pm and the Louisiana sun was beating down, giving the day a hazy quality which I thought very beautiful.
And best off all? Hours of Eric free time. I blushed as I remembered how I ended our exchange but I couldn't do anything about it so I tried to put it out of my mind. But I found it hard to do so and wondered what the hell I was going to do when Sookie saw all of this in my head. She was hardly going to think better of either of us.
I felt defeated before I'd even started. But hey, if I felt like that, what was I really going to lose? I could go to the bar, have some food and get to know her better if nothing else. We may even have similar experiences with our vampire counter parts, though I couldn't imagine Bill was half as arrogant, smug or intensely frustrating as I found Eric to be.
I put on a white tank top and my pair of little denim shorts. My hair was pretty much dry before I even thought what I was going to do with it so I pulled the messy, wavy mass up into a short ponytail, quite a bit falling out around my face. A touch of make-up would make up for it though, right? Looking in the full length mirror before I left my room I was pleasantly surprised with the result. It would certainly be a different side of me that Sookie saw today, but this felt more like me than the red dress I was wearing when we met earlier.
I plodded downstairs and headed for the kitchen, needing my first cup of coffee to perk me up a bit but I found that the coffee machine was already on and percolating away. I went to turn it off and jumped when I heard the guy behind me say "good. You're awake".
I turned in shock to see a man stationed at Pam's kitchen counter. He wasn't looking at me, rather his laptop which was open in front of him. He had set everything up in a very orderly way with his blackberry, writing folder and lap top case set precisely beside each other. He was dressed just as precisely in an expensive looking dark grey suit and blue tie and his black hair was combed to perfection. I wondered how much hair spray he used.
He looked up and saw me staring at him, made a few more key strokes and then got up and introduced himself "I'm Bobby Burnham. I'm Mr Northman's daytime co-ordinator." He held out his hand and I shook it firmly, knowing he would make a mental note.
He returned to his computer but offered me a cup of coffee first, though I doubted he liked doing it. After I had settled across the counter from him I asked him why exactly he was here.
"Mr Northman left me instructions to get you a car so you could travel at your leisure throughout the day" He sounded like he was reading from a script – written by Eric. He reached in his laptop case and slipped a set of keys across the table. "It's got a full tank and all of your license and insurance is arranged."
"When does it have to be returned?"
"It's not a rental car Miss James. Mr Northman had me purchase it for you this morning." I have never seen someone look as patronising as he did. My desire to beat him with his blackberry overcame any embarrassment I may have felt.
He continued to sneer but got out an envelope and slid that across the table as well. "Mr Northman also asked me to make a withdrawal on your behalf." I opened the envelope and gasped at the wad of twenty dollar bills. There had to be at least $500 in there. "You should be able to buy something pretty with that."
That was definitely not on his script and I gave him my best 'Eric' stare. "Is that all Mr Burnham?" why is it my accent gets more English the more authoritative I want to be?
He looked up from his laptop but still didn't seem too impressed with me. "There's a new cell phone on the passenger seat, programmed with all the numbers Mr Northman specified, and the car's GPS has been similarly updated" he was definitely smug, tapping away on his lap top while going through the motions with me and never making eye contact. He was just rude.
I stood and put my coffee cup in the sink, taking the time to calm myself a bit. I turned to face him "Anything else?"
"That should be all of it."
"Then you can leave now."
That got his attention "I'm sorry?"
I spoke slowly so he could keep up "If Eric didn't leave anything else for me then you are no longer required." I walked out of the kitchen to the living room to transfer my things from my little black bag to my bigger handbag that was more appropriate for daytime – and it went better with my outfit. I purposefully dawdled, as I didn't want anything else to do with Bobby – even if it meant I was late leaving for Bon Temp.
I was more than relieved when I heard him pack his stuff up and I soon saw him walk out the door with no backward glance. Well, lets just add another to the list of people who don't like 'Eric's new squeeze'. At least he thought we were together, maybe that kept me a little bit safer. But maybe my trip today would solve the problem altogether.
With that happy thought I shut the front door behind me to face the new car Bobby had referred to. I let myself call it my new car in my head which just brought out little giggles that I was very glad no one was there to witness. I didn't know what make it was, or model (yes I am that stereotypical a girl when it comes to cars) but it was small and silver and looked really fast.
Very fitting of Northman's pet.
