It all came flooding back. He had been in Claudia’s bed. Actually, he had been in her several times. Had she worn him out? Or had the Vampire Vintage wine’s effects worn off and he went into his death sleep?
That thought upset him. Had Claudia witnessed it? Had she tried to rouse him, only to realize he was as close to dead as a person can get without decomposing?
He jumped out of bed and dressed quickly. Maybe she’s in the kitchen or living room. When he rounded the corner, he spotted the note on her door. Without even rushing over to it, he was able to read the comforting and alarming news. She’d gone to a meeting and would be back.
He mulled it over and realized the meeting would be good for her. She probably needed a sobriety pep talk, even if she couldn’t tell anyone what she’d been through. At least he hoped she wasn’t telling anyone. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became.
Mother Nature wouldn’t bring him back from that mountaintop again.
It was night time. That much he was sure of, even without looking outside. He didn’t need the Vampire Vintage unless he wanted to stay up during the day, so he didn’t need to get a bottle out of the desk drawer in his and Claudia’s office.
Suddenly another worry entered his mind. Had he explained to Claudia what was in those bottles? What if she’d found them? Was she out on a bender somewhere?
Oh, gods.
If only he knew where the meetings were. He could check and see if she was there. Wait. There must be a way to look them up. Otherwise, how would anyone find them?
He jogged down the stairs to the tea room. The place was closed. He used his key and went straight to his office. First he checked the bottom desk drawer. All bottles were there, and with the exception of the one he had opened himself, they were still full. Whew!
He fired up the computer and searched for local AA meetings. The site he tried first seemed like the right one. He called the service office, and to his surprise, someone answered. Apparently they had staff at night as well as during the day. Probably a good idea.
He was told there was a meeting going on nearby and jogged to the church where, in all likelihood, he’d find Claudia. A couple of guys were smoking cigarettes outside the ground-floor entrance.
“Is this where the AA meeting is?” he asked.
“It sure is. Welcome, brother.”
“Oh. I’m not here for myself. I was hoping to find my girlfriend inside. Do either of you know Claudia?”
The guys looked at each other, then back to him. “I guess you don’t realize what the second A in AA stands for.”
The other one said, “It’s an anonymous program. Who we see and what we hear stay in these halls.”
Anthony slapped his forehead. “Of course. Well, I’ll just go inside and check for myself.”
The guys frowned but didn’t attempt to stop him. One called after him, “If you want help with your drinking, stay after the meeting wraps up and we can talk.”
Did he look that disheveled? He finger-combed his hair as he entered. People were just milling around, drinking coffee. He spotted Claudia among the crowd and strode to her.
“I was hoping I’d find you.”
“Anthony! What are you doing here?”
A short woman with red hair put her hand on Claudia’s arm. “If you need me, I’ll be right over there.” She pointed to another crowd of people and joined their circle.”
“Is this what you do here? Stand around and talk?”
She chuckled. “No. This is the break. The meeting will restart in a few minutes.”
“Are you okay? I mean…did you need to talk to me about anything?”
Her forehead creased. “I’m fine. Why did you think I’d need to—Oh…” She leaned in and whispered, “That death-sleep thing?”
“So you did witness it.”
“Yeah, I guess so. I woke up after a very restful nap,” she said and winked. “You were lying there with your hands crossed over your chest, looking paler than usual. I didn’t bother trying to wake you.”
She woke up next to a dead body and was okay with it?
“You prepared me for it.” It was as if she’d read his mind. Maybe she had. “I wasn’t scared as soon as I remembered what you’d said. I just got dressed in the bathroom and read my big book until it was time to leave for the meeting.”
“I—I’m amazed. I thought you’d be upset.”
“The old Claudia would have. The new Claudia is working on her serenity, despite life’s challenges.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. The program seems to be working.”
The short woman returned. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Gaye, this is my boyfriend, Anthony.”
Ah…I’m meeting the renowned sponsor.
“Yes, you are. So be nice.”
Anthony took Gaye’s outstretched hand and kissed her knuckles. “Any friend of Claudia’s…”
The woman’s eyebrows rose. “You didn’t tell me he had such old-fashioned, charming manners, Claudia.”
At least the woman was smiling and didn’t seem to be using sarcasm.
“Yes. Anthony is a real gentleman.”
“A rare find these days,” Gaye said. “So, what do you do, Anthony?”
“I own the tea shop Claudia manages.”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot. You changed it from a bar to a tea room just for her?”
Anthony wrapped his arm around Claudia and gave her a side squeeze. “She’s worth making changes for.”
“Funny. She says the same thing about you.”
A shock wave ripped through Anthony. Had Claudia told her sponsor how many “little changes” she’d had to make to accommodate his “condition”?
“Don’t worry. She’s just talking… She doesn’t know anything.”
Whew. Thank goodness for the ability to communicate telepathically.
“So, is there anything else you wanted to tell me?”
“No. I just thought I’d check in.” Anthony felt like he was being dismissed. Maybe he was.
Claudia pointed to a guy stepping up to the podium. “The meeting is about to start again.”
“Okay. I might be going to Cambridge. If it’s too late by the time I get back, I’ll just see you tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she said and tipped up her face to give him a peck.
He didn’t mean to act like a demonstrative jealous lover who laid claim to his woman in public, but he couldn’t help it. The majority of people here were men. Some appeared to be young professionals. He swept her into his arms and kissed her deeply as he dipped her toward the floor.
“Wow!” Gaye said.
When he righted Claudia, she giggled. “‘Wow’ is right.”
He grinned and tossed a casual, “See you later,” over his shoulder and sauntered outside.
Now that his mind was at ease, he could concentrate on the second most important thing in his long life. Getting rid of that damn lab. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and called Kurt.
There was no answer for a few rings, then a panting voice answered. “Where’ve you been? We had to start the fun without you.”
Anthony got directions to the lab and took off as fast as he could fly. He arrived minutes later and found Kurt questioning a researcher while Ruxandra restrained him. Nick and Sly were working on opening the huge glass cage using brute strength.
“Where are the keys,” Kurt demanded.
“I seriously don’t know, man. It’s not up to me to feed ’em or let ’em out. I’m just the night staff.”