Olivia’s face brightened, but Ivy frowned. “That won’t work,” she said. “Our mother’s not around anymore.”
“Wait a second,” Olivia interrupted. “Maybe Camilla’s onto something. We might not have our mom, but there are tons of eligible women in Franklin Grove we could set your dad up with.”
Sophia shut one eye and pursed her lips. Then she opened her eye and shook her head. “Nope, I can’t see it,” she said. “I’ve known Mr. Vega for my whole life, and I’ve never seen him go on a single date.”
“He’s shy!” Ivy said, surprised by her own defensiveness. “He could have a girlfriend if he wanted to.”
“What about Georgia Huntingdon?” Olivia suggested. “That lady from... that magazine.” Ivy could tell her sister was being discreet for Camilla’s benefit—Georgia was the flamboyant editor of Vamp.
“I don’t think that would work,” Brendan said skeptically.
Ivy nodded. Every vamp in America knew Georgia Huntingdon had a very on-again/offagain relationship with a TV soap star.
“We need someone perfect,” Ivy said. “He’s our dad, after all.” In fact, Ivy had always thought that the right woman might help her dad relax a little bit.
“So, are we agreed,” said Sophia, “that the only thing that might be more killer than a killer job is a killer romance?”
“Agreed,” everyone chimed, and Brendan started playing footsies with Ivy under the table. If she were a bunny, she would have blushed.
Instead, the bell rang for the end of lunch.
“The second emergency meeting is now adjourned,” Sophia declared as everyone gathered up their trays. “Let’s go find Mr. Vega his Miss Right!”
For the rest of the day, Ivy tried to think of women who might be a good match for her dad. She kept a running list on the back page of her notebook, where she usually wrote ideas for the school paper.
Valencia Deborg from the Vampire Roundtable? Too cold.
The lady at the adoption agency? Too loud.
Marie the florist who specialized in dead flowers? Too weird.
The list went on and on, but Ivy couldn’t come up with anyone she thought her father would be interested in.
After school, Olivia had to meet with her algebra study group to prepare for midterms. Ivy went over to Brendan’s. The door swung open the moment she touched the doorbell.
“Don’t let him see you!” Brendan’s little sister, Bethany, whispered in a panic and pulled her inside. Bethany was wearing enormous aviator sunglasses. She ran to the window, pulled aside the curtain, and peeked out at the street.
“Who?” said Ivy.
“The vampire hunter!” Bethany replied. Ivy took off her jacket and hung it by the door.
“Seriously?” Ivy asked.
“FREEZE, VAMPIRE SCUM!” a voice com
manded. Ivy’s stomach lurched, and she turned
to look. Standing in the door that led to the
kitchen was Brendan, wearing a long trench coat
and a yellow hard hat. In his hand, he held an
eggbeater. He laughed maniacally.
“EEEEEEEEEEKKKKKK!” Bethany shrieked and started running in circles around the living room. Brendan took straight-legged zombie steps
into the room.
From the kitchen, Mrs. Daniels called, “Please
use your inside screaming voice, Bethany,” but it
didn’t seem to have any effect.
Ivy couldn’t help smiling as Brendan clomped
right up to her.
“Aren’t you afraid of the vampire hunter?” he
asked with bulging eyes.
Ivy shook her head. “Nope,” she said. “Why not?” the vampire hunter demanded. “’Cause I think he likes me,” Ivy replied coyly. I
am going to miss you so much, she thought. Brendan
touched her arm tenderly.
“You get away from Ivy!” screamed Bethany.
She charged and kicked Brendan hard in the leg. “Ouch!” Brendan cried.
Bethany leaped on his back. “You big mean
vampire hunter ugly man!” she shouted. Brendan winked at Ivy and gave a monstrous
roar. He and his sister collapsed to the living
room floor in a wrestling heap. Bethany was jumping up and down on his back, alternately giggling and shrieking, as he grunted and tried to claw at Ivy’s foot. Ivy kicked his hand away play
fully.
“You show him, Bethany!” she called. Suddenly Mr. Daniels burst through the front
door. “Eureka!” he cried, his Einstein-like mane
of gray hair pointing in all directions. “Let’s celebrate! I’ve had a major breakthrough!”
Brendan and Bethany both sat up.
Mrs. Daniels came rushing in from the kitchen
in an apron. “Marc! Please calm down,” she
admonished. “We have a guest.” She cast a meaningful glance toward Ivy, who was standing by the
couch.
Mr. Daniels focused his eyes on Ivy. “Ivy! It’s
Ivy!” He bounded over and hugged her enthusiastically.
“Um, hi, Mr. Daniels,” Ivy said awkwardly, her
arms pinned to her sides. “How are you?”
“How are you is the question!” he said,
releasing her. “How are you a vampire,” he
elaborated, waving his hands excitedly in the air, “while your twin sister is a human?” He puffed up his chest. “Well, today, Ivy, I found the answer!”
Olivia made her way through the Meat & Greet Diner. She could see her sister already seated at their usual booth in the back. Ivy had called her on her cell in the middle of study group and said she had to see her right away. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.
When Olivia reached the table, her sister leaped up and hugged her quickly. “My dad’s going to be here to pick me up in, like, fifteen minutes,” said Ivy, “so we don’t have much time.”
They slid into the booth opposite each other. “Let me guess,” Olivia said. “You found the perfect Mrs. Vega?”
“Better,” said Ivy. “I found the perfect explanation for us—or, rather, Mr. Daniels did. He figured out how it’s possible for you to be a human and me to be a you-know-what.”
Olivia’s heart leaped up into her throat. “Really?!” she squealed. “What’d he say?”