by Ryan Field
On the way back to Glendale Harbor, he said, “I’ve done a few things at Oceanview. Would you like to stop by and check them out for a few minutes?” He hesitated a few times between words and stared at the road. He didn’t want her to think he was inviting her back because he had ulterior motives. He did have ulterior motives: he wanted to throw her down and make love to her with wild abandon. But he didn’t want her to know that.
She smoothed her skirt and said, “I’d love to see the house.”
Ten minutes later, they pulled up to the front door at Oceanview and he got out of the car to open the door for her. But when he reached for her door handle, his fingers slipped. The tips of his fingers were numb and it occurred to him that he couldn’t feel the handle. He shook his hands a few times and rubbed them against his jacket. He couldn’t feel the fabric either.
She opened the door herself and asked, “Is everything okay?”
He made fists with both hands and squeezed them tightly, then he said, “Yes, everything is fine.”
Sienna got out of the car and reached into the backseat to get the pie she’d made for him. When she stood up, she kissed him. It was just a quick kiss on the side of his mouth, but he tasted the seafood on her lips again. The taste wasn’t as strong this time, but it was still there.
When they reached the entrance, Mavis was standing there with the double doors wide open. She looked Sienna up and down a few times and lifted her right eyebrow. Then she stared at the pie Sienna was carrying and scrunched her lips. Avenir smiled and said, “Sienna, this is my long time housekeeper and assistant, Mavis. Mavis this is my friend, Sienna Harrington. She lives nearby at Raspberry Hall.”
Sienna turned to him and said, “I didn’t know you had an assistant.”
Mavis lifted both eyebrows and said, “I’ve worked for Mr. Lafram for a long time. I just arrived. I would have been here sooner, but I was closing up his home in France.” Then she placed both hands on her hips and looked Sienna up and down again. “I take very good care of him,” she said. Her voice was low and serious.
Avenir took a deep breath. He’d lost his sense of touch in both hands because of the silly allergy, and now his witch housekeeper was about to scare Sienna off for good.
But Sienna must have sensed Mavis’ protective instincts. She smiled and said, “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Mavis. I’m glad to see that Avenir has someone watching out for him. I used to worry that he was living here in this huge old place all by himself. But now that I see you’re here, I don’t have to worry anymore.” Her voice was casual, and he could detect her simple, Maine accent.
Mavis tilted her head and smiled. Her face softened and she took the apple pie from Sienna’s hands. “What a sweet young girl,” she said. “You come right inside now and I’ll get you a nice cup of tea, and I’ll bring this lovely pie to the kitchen. Did you bake it yourself?” Mavis was certain that a cup of tea could solve all the problems in the world.
Sienna nodded yes and said, “People seem to like them.”
Mavis brought her to the drawing room, and Avenir followed. Sienna sat down on one of his brand-new white sofas and looked around the room. The paint was fresh, the walnut inlaid floors had been refinished and polished, and the long, stately windows were now covered with expensive window treatments in shimmering white silk. All the important antiques were still there, but now they were mixed with modern furnishings and vibrant fabrics that created a light, glistening effect.
“I can’t believe how this room has changed since the last time I was here. And it wasn’t that long ago, either,” Sienna said. “It’s wonderful.”
Avenir put his hands in his pockets and smiled. “I hired a designer from Bar Harbor. I wanted her to do this room first.”
Sienna stared up at a brand new crystal chandelier and said, “She’s wonderful. The whole room is wonderful. It feels like daylight everywhere I look.”
He smiled. “Even though I work at night and sleep all day, I love the look of daylight,” he said.
Mavis was standing in the doorway holding the pie. “I’ll make some tea,” she said, “And then I’ll go up to my room and leave you two alone.”
“I’ll come with you,” Avenir said. Then he smiled at Sienna and said, “I have to check on something in the kitchen.”
He followed Mavis out the door and down the left side of the center hall. When they were out of listening distance, he grabbed Mavis by the arm and said, “I have a problem. Tonight I came into contact with seafood and I have no feeling in my hands. I’ve lost my sense of touch in both hands.” He lifted his hands, palms up, and held them in front of her.
Mavis furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at his hands. She shook her head a few times and said, “It’s a classic reaction. I’ve seen it before.” Then she squinted and said, “Why did she take you anywhere there would be seafood?”
Avenir shrugged and said, “It’s not her fault. I didn’t tell her I was allergic until the last minute. She would have gone somewhere else. Actually, she insisted on going somewhere else when I did tell her.”
Mavis sighed. “Well there’s nothing you can do about it now except wait for it to go away. It will probably take about forty-eight hours. It takes longer for vampires than it does for humans.”
He turned to head back to the drawing room, but stopped and said, “Don’t mention this to Sienna. I don’t want her to know.”
But the minute Mavis returned with the tray of tea and two slices of apple pie, she placed it on a glass coffee table and said, “About this seafood thing, Sienna. Avenir cannot, under any circumstances, be exposed to seafood of any kind. He’s highly allergic. The reaction he had tonight is minor, but the next time it could be much worse.”
Sienna’s head turned fast. Avenir was sitting on the other side of the sofa staring at the ceiling and shaking his head. “You had a reaction tonight?”
“It’s nothing.”
“He’s lost his sense of touch in his hands,” Mavis said. “I thought you should know.” Then she mixed milk and honey into a cup of tea and handed it to Sienna. “Here dear, this is the only way to drink tea.”
Avenir sat back and waved his right hand. “It will come back. I’ll be fine.”
But Sienna’s mouth dropped and she reached for his left hand. She squeezed it gently and said, “I’m so sorry. You poor thing.” She looked Mavis in the eye and said, “It must have been cross-contamination. He didn’t have any seafood. But now that I know how sensitive he is, we won’t be going to any seafood restaurants anymore.”
Mavis gave Sienna a look of approval and said, “He should have told you. It’s not your fault, you sweet thing. You drink your tea and don’t give it a second thought.” Then she gave Avenir a dirty look and shook her head.
“Avenir, you really should have some pie,” Sienna said. She pointed to a slice of pie on the tea tray and looked at Mavis. “People tell me my pies are healing. I don’t know why, but that’s what they say. Maybe the pie will cure the allergic reaction. I can’t promise anything, and it works differently on everyone, but it can’t hurt.”
Avenir smiled. “I’m fine. I’m really not hungry right now.” He really wasn’t worried. He may have lost feeling in his hands, but every other part of his body was still working normally. Because when Sienna held his hand, his pants became uncomfortably tight.
But Mavis was smiling. Being a witch, she loved anything connected with the unexplained. And magic pies were right up her alley. “I’ve heard that some people have the gift of pie baking,” she said. Then she picked up the dish with the slice of pie and looked it over a few times. She handed it to Avenir with a fork and ordered, “Eat this. We’ll see what happens.” She wasn’t playing games.
Avenir rolled his eyes and sat forward. He dipped his fork into the pie and took a large chunk. He couldn’t taste a thing; he would have preferred a large glass of fresh blood. But he smiled and said, “It’s the best pie I’ve ever eaten.” Even when he’d been human, a
pple pie had not been one of his favorite things. But he didn’t want to hurt Sienna’s feelings.
But it only took a minute. He swallowed the chunk of pie and felt a sensation in his index finger. Then he felt something in his middle finger. He looked at Mavis and said, “I think it’s really working. Hell, yeah.”
He finished the pie in four large bites, and by the time he placed the empty dish back on the tea tray, all the feeling had returned to his hands. He lifted them and wiggled his fingers; he waved them around and clapped them together.
Sienna had just finished a sip of tea when he grabbed her by the shoulders and said, “It worked. There really is something in that pie.” Then he kissed her on the lips and waved his hands in Mavis’ direction. Sienna didn’t taste like fish anymore. She tasted like tea with milk and honey.
After that, Mavis left them alone. Sienna had to get up early, but she hesitated when it was time to leave. She kept inching closer to him on the sofa. She ran her soft fingers up his thigh a few times with one hand and squeezed the muscles in his forearm with the other. Avenir smiled and leaned back on the sofa. The fact that she was approaching him first made him smile. When he spread his legs wider, Sienna leaned into his body and put her arms around his shoulders. She squeezed both of his biceps at the same time, and then she pressed her lips to his. She closed her eyes and kissed him so gently it felt as if she’d run a thin, silk ribbon across his face.
He put his arms around her and pulled her up on his lap. It was like lifting a soft feather. Her blond hair reminded him of the sunlight he hadn’t seen in so many years; her skin smelled soft and soapy and powdery. He could smell the sweet blood pulsing through the vein in her thin neck. When he pressed his lips to a tender spot below her earlobe and started to kiss, she tossed her head back and gasped for air. He wanted to sink his teeth into her flesh and taste her fully. It would have been so easy to take her right there and feed.
But he didn’t. They rolled and hugged and kissed on the sofa for another two hours. When he climbed on top of her and caressed her breasts, she hesitated, but she didn’t stop him. He tried to get her to pull down his zipper and put her soft hand inside his pants. But she kept pulling her hand away, and he knew she wasn’t ready yet. So he tugged on the back of her head and said, “It’s getting late.” He’d tugged a little harder than usual to see her reaction. He’d always been so gentle with her. She was still breathing heavily and her cheeks turned a pale shade of pink. She didn’t resist his strength. Instead, she bit her bottom lip, reached down with her right hand, and grabbed his thigh muscle as hard as she could. When she squeezed it, she gave a soft moan.
He caressed the back of her head, then he kissed her on the lips and said, “I don’t want you getting home too late. It’s well after midnight.” He was ready to explode, but he didn’t want to frighten her.
She placed her palm on his right chest muscle and said, “You’re right. It is late.” She was breathing so hard it sounded like a loud whisper.
Avenir gently lifted her off his lap and placed her on the sofa cushion next to him. The back of her thigh was soft and firm and he didn’t want to let go. He wanted to slide his hand up higher and open her legs as wide as they would go. But he removed his hand fast and said, “Take my car home. It’s easier. By the time I drive you back to the bar and then you drive back to Raspberry Hall, it will be close to one in the morning.”
She smoothed out her skirt and rested her head against his shoulder. “Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “I won’t be driving it until tomorrow night anyway. You can just bring it to Applejacks and I’ll have Mavis drop me off to pick it up there.” He didn’t need Mavis to drop him off. He could get there on his own, like a vampire is supposed to travel, in a matter of seconds.
They kissed for a few more minutes. He didn’t want to let her go, and he had a feeling she didn’t want him to let her go. But it was still too soon. He knew she just wasn’t ready for him yet. So he clenched his fists hard, controlling his alpha-male urges. Then he stood up and walked her out to the car. He handed her the keys to his prized Mercedes and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow night.” Then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her one more time.
When he went back into the house, he was about to go to his office and do some work. But as he passed a window in the center hall he noticed something unusual. The window was slightly ajar and it was covered with a film of condensation. He pulled the window in and noticed writing. He couldn’t make out what it was at first, because it had been written on the outside of the window and it was backwards. But it didn’t take long to see that it said Loving Daylight. Then there was a loud slam at the top of the steps. The door that led to the west wing had slammed shut, and there was no one else in the house but Mavis.
Chapter Ten
In early December, Robert and Karla LaFramboise gave a huge Christmas party at Raspberry Hall. They did this every year. It was one of the most important social events on Mt. Desert Island. The guest list varied from year to year, and sometimes there were more than a few important people. One year there had been a former president and first lady. Another year there was a famous film actress and a well-known British duchess. There were also the regulars, people you’d see around town on a daily basis. Karla usually started planning for the event in August. She hired a full staff and the best caterer in Maine. And Sienna’s job was to help make sure everything and everyone was organized. And that wasn’t easy, because Karla was usually a complete wreck a week before the party.
On the morning of the party, a cold Saturday with a dark, overcast sky, Sienna dressed in warm clothes and went outside to start her old Camaro. She’d worked late the night before at Applejacks. The bar had been crowded and she hadn’t stopped moving and serving drinks all night long. Avenir had been there, and she’d barely had a chance to talk to him. They hadn’t been alone together since the night he’d had the allergic reaction to the seafood. He was always at the bar, but he seemed to hesitate when it came to moving forward with their relationship. And she couldn’t get him out of her mind. She went to bed dreaming about his strong body; she woke up kissing her pillow and pretending that it was his face. Sienna knew she was falling in love with him, but she wasn’t sure he felt the same way.
When she put the key into the ignition and the motor turned over, she heard a loud scream coming from under the hood. She quickly switched off the engine and got out of the car. She popped the hood to see what was there. And when she lifted the hood and looked down, there was a small, white kitten resting on a thick, black engine hose. It couldn’t have weighed more than a few pounds. She smiled and reached out to pick it up. The kitten jerked back once, and then opened its tiny mouth and meowed. She placed it in her right palm and pressed it to her warm chest. It snuggled into her wool coat and rubbed its head up and down against the buttons.
The last thing she needed was a pet, especially a tiny kitten. And she wouldn’t have gone out looking for it on purpose. But she also believed in destiny, and this cat had come to her for a reason. So she turned it upside down to see if it was a male or female and said, “I’m going to have to come up with a name for you.”
The kitten meowed again and she rubbed its soft body along the side of her face. It was a male, a helpless little creature with nowhere to go. “I think I’ll call you Latte, because your face looks just like the little white star they put in my café latte when I go to the coffee shop in Bar Harbor.”
She went back to the car and started it again so it would warm up, then she brought Latte upstairs and placed him in a dresser drawer lined with one of her old sweaters. She had to run a few errands for the party, and now she’d have to stop by the pet shop in town to pick up the necessary things she’d need for a kitten. She’d never actually owned a pet. Karla and Robert weren’t fond of animals. They’d never even let Larson have one. And when he was a child, he’d begged for a puppy.
After that, the day passed quickly. She ra
n her errands and bought pet supplies for Latte. She wanted to stay in her apartment all day and get to know Latte better, but she kissed him good-bye and went down to the main house to help the hired staff prepare for the party.
By seven o’clock that night, the first guests started to arrive. She wore a tight black dress, a vintage Marcasite circle pin, and black pumps with a high heel. She was greeting people in the entrance hall when she noticed Avenir’s old friend walk through the front door. She lifted her eyebrows and smiled. She hadn’t seen him since she’d met him that one night at the bar. She didn’t even know he was still in town. Avenir never mentioned him. He wore the same black suit, with the white shirt open at the collar.
When he saw her, he smiled and crossed to where she was standing. “It’s good to see you again, Sienna,” he said.
She smiled. He was a good-looking man, but his face was pale and gaunt. “It’s good to see you again, Bowen.” She silently patted herself on the back for remembering his name. She usually wasn’t good with names.
Then Robert LaFramboise saw them talking and he quickly walked over to where they were standing. He extended his right arm and said, “I’m glad you could make it, Bowen. Welcome to our home.” Robert put his back to Sienna’s face, ignoring her, treating her like he treated all the other hired help in the house. Robert must have thought Bowen was someone important. He never would have bothered inviting him to the party if he hadn’t.
Robert also gave Sienna a quick look to let her know that she was in the way, and that she was not part of their conversation. Sienna wasn’t actually a servant that night; she wasn’t being paid. She was helping Karla oversee things and greeting the guests in the center hall. But she wasn’t technically an invited guest, either. She was never exactly sure what she was at these parties. So she pressed her lips together and stepped back, then she silently vowed that this would be the last Christmas party she’d ever experience again with Robert and Karla LaFramboise. She clenched her fists and tightened her lips. She was tired of them both and she deserved to be treated better than hired strangers.