Sleeping With the Entity
said, “I consider what I do to be art.”
    “You’re clearly very talented. Would you be interested in branching out?”
    “In what way?”
    “Doing some drawings for my business.”
    “Do you mean cupcake tattoos?” he asked.
    “I was thinking more along the lines of flyers and that sort of thing.”
    “You’ve already got your logo,” he said. “I saw your sign in the window advertising your grand opening. The cloud background with the angel perched on top is clever.”
    “Thank you,” she said. “I really appreciate that. Especially coming from someone like you.”
    “Someone like me?” He sounded insulted.
    “Someone with such an artistic gift,” she hurriedly explained.
    “Well, I do tend to see what others don’t.”
    She nodded. “Creative people are like that. We notice the little things in life.”
    “That’s true.”
    She smiled at him. Finally she felt like she was on the same page with someone on this block. “I’m really glad I stopped by today and we had this talk.”
    “I’m glad, too,” Pat said. He leaned forward to kiss her hand. “It’s been a pleasure.”
    His gesture could have been sappy or icky but was courtly instead. She’d never had anyone kiss her hand before.
    Feeling confident, Daniella left a box of cupcakes next to the cash register as Pat suggested and then moved on to the Happy Times Emergency Dental Clinic next door.
    Once again she was greeted by the sound of drilling.
    “May I help you?” the receptionist asked her.
    Daniella checked the older woman’s name tag before replying. She was helped by the fact that the receptionist looked like Mrs. Cunningham on the classic TV sitcom Happy Days . The other woman radiated maternal vibes. “Hi, Lois. My name is Daniella Delaney and I’m the owner of Heavenly Cupcakes. Our grand opening is a little over a week away so I’m stopping by the other businesses on the block to introduce myself.”
    “Your family owns the Evergreen Funeral Home, right?” Lois said.
    “That’s right,” Daniella said. “But I’m here about my own business venture.”
    “I saw you had a HELP WANTED sign in your window along with the sign for your grand opening. Adorable angel by the way,” Lois said.
    “Thanks. Yes, I still am looking for some part-time help. Why? Do you know someone who might be interested?”
    “Me,” Lois said. “People who come here have problems or they wouldn’t come to an emergency dental clinic. It might be nice working someplace where people are happy.”
    “Have you worked in retail before?” Daniella asked.
    Lois nodded.
    “I wouldn’t want to steal you away from the dental clinic or anything…,” Daniella said.
    “Not a problem,” Lois said. “I’m not the only receptionist working here. Tell me more about your shop.”
    *   *   *
    Nick was not having a good day. You’d think that being a vamp would make life easier, but the opposite was true. He was only now appreciating how much he’d depended on using mind compulsion to deal with humans who gave him a hard time. He’d just made that comment to Pat as the two of them met to discuss Daniella.
    “She was here a short while ago and I have to admit that it was hard saying no to her,” Pat said.
    Nick frowned. He didn’t know whether he should be pleased or aggravated by the fact that he wasn’t the only vamp having trouble dealing with the cupcake maker. “Saying no to what?”
    “She liked my designs and asked if I’d be willing to do some for her.”
    “For her? You mean as a tattoo?” Nick asked. He tried to imagine tats on her alabaster-pale skin, but couldn’t. It would be a violation somehow.
    “No, not tats. For flyers and ads. She said I was a very talented artist.”
    “She probably knew that complimenting your work was the way to your heart. Not that you have one,” Nick said.
    “Are you saying I’m not a talented artist?” Pat said.
    “I’m saying that Little Miss Cupcake Maker is smart. Very smart.
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