Vampire Babysitter (Camren)

Chapter 8

I gestured to the brand new gas grill Dinah had bought for the occasion. It gleamed even under the overcast skies. In her eagerness to learn how to operate her new grill, Dinah had purchased a huge assortment of barbequing foods. Our guests would have a selection previously unseen at a two-year-old's birthday party.

"Cake!" Ari exclaimed.

Camila grinned at her. "Happy birthday, sweetie. Did aunt Dinah make you a cake? I bet it's yummy."

Selena joined us, her son on her hip. She waved at Ari. Justin was more reticent. He cuddled shyly against his mother; it always took him a few minutes to warm up.

"This must be the birthday girl I've heard so much about." Selena smiled at Ari, who informed her that there was cake.

I nodded. "This is Ari. She's just turned this many," I demonstrated holding up two fingers. Ari mimicked me with pride.

We had taught her how to show her age this morning and she'd been doing it incessantly, though she had no idea what it meant, just that it made everyone really happy when she did it.

"Two, already? Oh my. You don't look a day over 20 months," Selena claimed, even as she surreptitiously scanned the yard for Demi. She stood a little straighter when she spotted her. I bit my lip to hide my smile.

Camila chuckled. "Yes, Demi's over there, Se. Stop being a creeper and go talk to her."

Selena ignored her best friend, sticking out her tongue at Camila when the kids weren't looking.

She busied herself with pulling an intricately wrapped gift out of her bag.

"Happy birthday, Ari," she told the little girl as I set the gift on the table with the other brightly wrapped packages Ari had accumulated.

Ari had already grasped those words were often followed by something good.

"Cake?" she suggested.

I smiled at her one-track mind. We definitely shouldn't have shown her the cake first.

"Well, it is your birthday," I conceded, though we had gotten into the habit of saving dessert until the end of her meals. I chuckled at how parental I'd become in a matter of weeks.

Camila regarded Ari's cake with identical gleaming eyes. "I'm with Ari. There's no reason to delay eating cake. It's chocolate!"

She stood to kiss Dinah’s cheek as she passed us with a handful of forks. "You're the best, Dinah!"

Dinah gave a humble shrug, though her smirk shone right through it. "It's nothing. Ari likes chocolate, so…"

I snorted at her contrived modesty, a little jealous my girlfriend was kissing her when she hadn't even kissed me yet.