by Ryan Field
“Who is the mayor?” Avenir asked.
“Robert LaFramboise,” Gretchen said. “When he realized that all the LaFramboise money was gone, he married my daughter for the Harrington money. I don’t remember any of it, because I was living in a commune in France. But from what I’ve been told, my daughter was vulnerable and lonely because she was still grieving for her husband. The two families were always rivals and he finally got his hands on the Harrington money by marrying my daughter.”
“You didn’t know that your cousin Robert was the mayor of Glendale Harbor?” Sienna asked. “I’m shocked he didn’t mention it.”
Avenir shrugged. “I had no idea. I haven’t even seen them since my first week here because I’ve been so busy at Oceanview.”
“He practically kicked the former mayor out and ran unopposed for office,” Gretchen said. “And although I love where I am now, it’s the one thing about this town I could do without.”
Then Gretchen hesitated for a moment and stared out the window. A strong breeze was blowing a few amber leaves from a tall tree. When she turned back to face them, she cocked her head to the side and asked Avenir, “Who are you? I don’t think we’ve met yet.”
“My name is Avenir,” he said. His voice was soft and kind; he seemed to understand.
“I’m Gretchen Blye,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you, young man.”
Sienna had been hoping that Gretchen would remain lucid for the entire visit. It was the dementia. Her mind seemed to be slipping faster as the months passed. And once she’d slipped, you never knew when she’d return to normal. So Sienna stood up and kissed her good-bye, then she said to Avenir, “It’s time we left. Grandmother will be going in for dinner and she doesn’t like to eat late.
Gretchen looked at a clock on the mantel. It was almost six. “Yes,” she said, “I’ll see you next Thursday, dear.” Then she leaned in closer and whispered, “I like this Avenir, Sienna. He’s smart and good-looking. Bake him a pie.”
Chapter Four
When they left the nursing home, Avenir said, “I know you’re not working tonight. Would you like to stop by Oceanview to see the progress I’ve made?” He hadn’t been in the house long, but he’d already hired a cleaning service, a landscaper, and a local contractor. There was a great deal of work to be done on the old house and the neglected property, but at least it was clean and presentable to show. Avenir hated those stereotypes about vampires who lived in musty old plantations with cobwebs hanging from the ceilings, worn paint on the walls, and bats flying through the rafters. He wanted white, modern sofas instead of dusty old velvet davenports from the nineteenth century. He liked living well and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
Sienna stopped walking and said, “How do you know I’m not working tonight? I don’t remember giving you my work schedule.” Then she flipped a chunk of long blond hair off her shoulders and folded her arms across her chest.
He could see that she was still mad because he’d shown up unannounced at the nursing home. When she was angry a small vein surfaced on her forehead; he could smell the blood passing through it. But she didn’t remind him of his lost love, Adriana. Sienna was strong and independent. “I asked Jaydin,” he said.
“My brother talks too much to strangers,” she said.
Avenir took a deep breath and hesitated before he replied. He’d always been naturally aggressive, and he didn’t want her to think he was trying to control her. He could have controlled her if he’d wanted to. One of his powers as a vampire was that he could perform hypnosis just by looking into someone’s eyes. But he didn’t want to do this with Sienna. It had to be natural with her. So he smiled and said, “We’re not exactly strangers, Sienna.” Then he looked down at the pavement and pouted.
But she could see right through his scam. She laughed and said, “Give me a break, Avenir. You’re about as shy and demure as a rollercoaster ride, and I’m no fool.” Then she looked at her watch to see what time it was and said, “I can stop by for a minute on the way home. But only for a minute. And it’s only because I’m curious about Oceanview. I haven’t been there in many years.”
“Do you remember it well?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “I never lived there. My father and his older brother inherited the house from my grandfather Harrington, and my father didn’t want to live there. So his brother bought him out and my father took the money, and his half of the Harrington fortune, and moved to Seal Harbor with my mother. When my uncle and my father died in the boating accident, my older cousins inherited Oceanview and they all moved away. I don’t even know them. And I know nothing about that house, other than the fact that it’s where my mother died.” Her voice was normal and even, as if she was working hard not to show any emotion. She reached into her purse for her car keys and said, “I’ll follow you there.”
On the way to Oceanview, he drove slowly and kept looking into the rearview mirror to make sure she was still following him. He had a sinking feeling she might ditch him at the last minute. But when they reached the long driveway and he clicked his right turn signal, she followed him onto the property.
He pulled up to the front door and got out of the car fast so he could jog back and open the door for her. But by the time he reached her car, she was already standing on the driveway, slamming the door shut. She was wearing a short, white skirt and a pink camisole under a beige jacket. There were white cross-training shoes on her tiny feet and a thin, gold bracelet on her right ankle. He looked down at her smooth legs and swallowed hard. His cold, vampire heart started to beat faster and he felt the urge to lift her in the air and sink his fangs into her solid thigh.
Sienna didn’t notice him staring at her legs, and that’s because she was looking up at the house with her palm pressed to her throat. Her eyes were wide and she was frowning.
He smiled and said, “I’m sorry if the house brings back bad memories.”
She shrugged and continued to stare at the house. “Not bad memories,” she said. “I was too young to really remember anything about my mother. I only know what I’ve been told, which isn’t much. My father died, my mother married Robert LaFramboise, and then she died less than a year later without leaving a will. Robert inherited my mother and father’s family money, and he kept it. Sometimes you can’t control certain events.”
“Couldn’t you try to fight Robert now? Maybe there’s a way to get your rightful inheritance.” Avenir said.
She shrugged again. “And where am I going to get the money to hire the lawyers? Besides, Robert would keep it tied up on court for years. He’s a very crafty man.” She sighed. “My mother made a huge mistake, and it is what it is.”
“You haven’t had much luck,” he said.
Her head turned fast. She looked him in the eye. “You make your own luck in this world.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I really am.”
“I know,” she said. “But I’m okay. And right now I’m more curious about seeing the inside of Oceanview than anything else. ”
“Then we’ll go inside,” he said, “and I’ll show you around.” He sensed that she wanted to change the subject.
The entrance had a set of wide double doors that were flanked by two oversized, concrete statues of greyhounds sitting with their heads held high. The doors were solid mahogany and arched to a point at the top. He unlocked them and opened them both at the same time. When he reached for the light switch to his right, he stepped to the side and said, “Welcome to Oceanview, a work in progress.”
She stepped into the main hall and looked around. “I thought it would be darker for some reason. It’s actually not like I expected it to be at all. There’s nothing depressing about this room.”
“It’s surprising,” he said. “I thought it would be, too. And I haven’t even begun the renovation yet.” He lifted his right arm and pointed to a massive crystal chandelier above their heads. “This was covered with cobwebs and filth until recently. The cleaning crew worked on it
for two full days to get it to shine again. It’s Austrian, I think. I’ll have it appraised at some point.”
“It’s wonderful,” she said. “I love it.”
But he knew she wasn’t looking at the chandelier anymore. He had the fine-tuned peripheral vision of a vampire and he could see everything she was doing without moving his eyes. While he was looking up, he knew she was staring at his body. Her eyes were wide and one eyebrow was raised.
A minute later, he led her across the paneled hall to another large set of double doors that mirrored the front doors. He opened them both and led her into a large drawing room with a walk-in limestone fireplace and long windows that were covered with dark green velvet draperies. When he switched on the lamps, he said, “I’m going to keep all the architectural details as they are for the sake of preservation, but when I find the right interior designer I want to lighten this room up. I’m not a fan of heavy velvet and tapestry.”
She looked around the room and said, “I’m impressed. From the way Karla and Robert always talked about his house I pictured it to be in shambles. It’s actually an unexpected surprise. I wonder why they both hate it so much.”
He laughed. “Ah well, Robert and Karla claim to be Glendale Harbor’s very own real estate experts.” He rubbed his jaw and asked, “Do they work in real estate? Do they actually sell property on Mt. Desert Island?”
She smirked and waved her hand. “Those two pretend they know everything, but they’ve never worked a day in their lives at any job. They are just curious about what everyone’s doing on Mr. Desert Island. And real estate is a hobby. They spend their time reading real estate listings in the local newspaper and going to open houses to satisfy their curiosity. But they really don’t know anything, and the only property they own is the house they live in.”
“I had a feeling about them,” Avenir said. Then he added, “I really don’t know them very well at all.” He wanted her to know that he wasn’t like them and he wasn’t fond of them either. “But I also have a feeling they aren’t too happy about me buying Oceanview. They seem like very competitive people, and I don’t think they like that fact that they aren’t living in the largest estate in Glendale Harbor anymore.”
She smiled and said, “You’re a lot smarter than you look.”
“Huh?”
Sienna lowered her eyes and blushed. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I’m sorry, Avenir. It’s just that good-looking guys like you aren’t always the most intelligent men around. Larson is a good example. He has a beautiful face, and he’s not a bad guy, but there’s nothing inside his head.”
Avenir lifted his eyebrows and said, “You think I’m attractive?” He knew he was attractive. He’d always known that he could get what he wanted with his looks. But he wanted to hear her say it aloud.
She turned back toward the center hall and ignored his question. “Let’s see the rest of the house. It’s getting late.”
He showed her the main floor first, including his office, and then took her to the second floor of the east wing. The second floor of the west wing hadn’t been cleaned out yet and he didn’t want her to see how dusty and neglected it was. The second-floor rooms in the east wing were sparsely furnished, but at least they were spotlessly clean. After the entire tour, they both wound up in his room, the master bedroom, last. He’d done this on purpose.
When he opened his bedroom door, she crossed through and said, “This is huge.”
“It overlooks the Greek gardens in the back of the house that I plan to restore to their original glory,” he said. “But because I sleep all day, I probably won’t enjoy them much.” There was a large Edwardian bed in the center of the room, flanked by two long chests with hand-carved scrolls.
She crossed to the windows and ran her fingertips down the side of a dark wooden panel. All the windows in his bedroom had thick dark panels designed to block out the sunlight. Vampires could sleep in coffins if they wanted to, but it wasn’t required for survival; they only had to protect themselves from the sunlight at all times. And this room, with these thick panels, worked perfectly for Avenir’s needs. “Is this where you sleep?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Do you think it’s strange that I sleep during the day?” He was curious about what she thought of him; it mattered a great deal. He knew he was good- looking, but he wasn’t sure about anything else.
Sienna turned to face him. She tossed her head to the right and said, “Not strange, just a little quirky.”
He crossed to the window where she was standing and ran his fingers through his hair. Then he smiled and said, “It just occurred to me that this is the first time you’ve actually paid me a compliment.”
“And it is a compliment,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I tend to attract quirky people in my life. You’ve met my grandmother and my brother, and my best friend, Grace, isn’t much different.” Her voice was low and gentle, and her eyelids were almost closed.
Avenir leaned into her neck and inhaled. His fangs popped out and his eyes glowed. “You smell like apples and sugar,” he said. What he lost in taste, he gained in smell. His sense of smell was ten times stronger than a mortal’s.
Sienna couldn’t see his fangs or his eyes because her eyes were closed. She didn’t move, but she whispered, “I’ve been baking apple pies all day. I can’t help it.”
“It smells good,” he said, taking another deep breath.
His lips were now a fraction of an inch from her sweet, tender neck, just below her earlobe. He felt her heart pound and beat faster with each breath she took; the vein beneath her earlobe was pulsing. She didn’t push him away and step back, so he pressed his lips to her silky neck and closed his eyes.
Her head went back and she took a deep breath, then she dropped her purse on the floor and placed her right palm on his shoulder. She stammered, “What are you doing?” It came out soft and breathy, as if she couldn’t find her voice. “We should stop.”
He continued to kiss her neck. “Do you want me to stop, Sienna?”
“Yes,” she said. But she didn’t pull away. Instead, she squeezed his large bicep a few times.
“I can’t stop,” he said. He kissed her again. “I’m kissing the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” He was breathing heavily now; his lips moved slowly up her neck. With each breath she took, he listened to her heartbeat increase.
Sienna placed her left palm on his other shoulder and ran the right one across his back. “You’re wider and more solid than I expected you’d be,” she said. “You’re a very strong man, and yet you look so refined and delicate on the surface. I’ve never felt such powerful muscles.”
Then he lowered his hands to her small waist and pulled her into his body. He concentrated on holding her gently so he wouldn’t frighten her. He knew his own strength well, and he knew that if he wanted to he could split a cinder block in half with just one hand. But she wasn’t scared at all. When he tilted his head to the side and placed his lips on hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer this time.
For a minute, their lips were locked in an unbreakable bond. The entire universe disappeared into an endless tunnel of sparks and multi-colored lights he’d never experienced before. Not even with Adriana, his first love. When his right hand went down and rested on the small of her back, the center of her body arched and she kissed him even harder. And when his other hand went beneath her jacket and rose to the middle of her back, she grabbed the back of his head and pulled his hair.
While they kissed, he slowly walked her toward his bed. She moved with him for a second, then gently pushed him away and shook her head a few times. Long blond hair flew in all directions and she reached to the floor for her purse. “I have to leave,” she said. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
Avenir stood there with his mouth half open and his arms spread apart, wondering what he’d done wrong. “Don’t go,” he said.
“I didn’t expect this,” she said.
&
nbsp; “What did you expect?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” she said.
“Did I do something wrong?” He lifted his arms; his palms faced her. “If I did, I’m sorry.”
“No,” she said. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Then she pulled her keys out of her purse and ran out of the room.
Avenir sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the doorway. He heard the front door slam shut, and then the sound of her car speeding down the driveway. He could have gone after her, but something told him to sit still and wait. Give her some time to think. Adriana had done the same thing to him years ago, and he’d made a huge mistake by forgetting about her needs and acting on his own selfish impulses. He should never have pushed her so far.
The first time he kissed Adriana Laperouse was on an Easter Sunday many years ago. She smelled like lilac perfume, and a band was playing an old song, “The Love of My Life,” in the distance. The day was cool and breezy and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It happened near a water fountain in the cemetery behind the church. They were sitting on a concrete bench below the fountain and Adriana was telling him about a short story she’d been writing about Mt. Desert in the summertime. When the story was finished, she wanted to send it off to a magazine in New York to see if they’d publish it. She’d titled it “Loving Daylight.”
Everyone else was in front of the church enjoying the annual Easter picnic. She sat with her knees pressed together and her hands folded on her lap. She was wearing a pale yellow dress with ruffles, white lace gloves, and a white hat that had a yellow band and blue flowers. Avenir kept moving closer; his heart was racing and he could barely manage to breathe. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.