Page 7 of Havenfall Harbor
“He was working the desk this afternoon,” Alice supplies, while gazing off into the distance.
“You know you’re not supposed to mess with him for a few more weeks, Ally,” Noah tells Alice, sounding somewhat chiding.
Alice licks her spoon before dipping it back into a chocolate mousse. Her face contorts into a snarl. “Shut up. I know.” She pouts briefly, but then a smile lights up her face.
“Poor Wes, he has no idea what’s coming for him,” Rob teases. Millie looks up from her plate with a soft grin curling her lips. When she notices me watching her, she averts her eyes again.
“What do you guys teach or do here at Havenfall? If you don’t mind me asking,” I question, adding the last part quickly before folding my arms on the table. I miss this kind of camaraderie. I haven’t had a close group of friends since I left school a few months ago. I should have kept in better contact with some of my friends.
I never thought I would have to move back home after graduating from college, but that’s where I found myself. Listening to my mother’s passive aggressive digs on how I should have chosen something other than social work and secondary education for my degree was driving me insane before Professor Mackey told me about the position at Havenfall. I was actually starting to believe her.
Alice leans back and shakes out her hair. “I teach at the primary level, third grade equivalent.”
I lean my chin on my fist. “Why do you say equivalent?”
“Well, we don’t just teach reading and writing, so the curriculum is a little different,” Alice answers easily.
A little confused, I ask, “What else are you teaching?”
“At that age, simple things like maintaining control of their animals, and learning about hygiene and self-care,” Rob replies.
A commotion near the door draws my attention. A man is leaning over a table with both palms pressed flat on the top, his head dropped low.
I move to stand up as he lists to the side, looking as if he may fall over. A woman rushes into the doorway, her cheeks flushed pink as she moves right over to the man and ducks her head under his arm. The man looks down at the woman, and his eyes are soft, adoring as he gazes at her.
“You were supposed to wait for me,” she chastises him softly.
“I got thirsty,” he mumbles back, and curls around her in a hug before releasing her. “I’ll be right back.” He stumbles forward, but the woman easily catches him.
Rob places his hand on my shoulder as I begin to lift from my seat. It’s clear the man needs help, he must be drunk or something.
I glance at Rob, but Alice is the one to speak. “He’s fine, Quinn,” she assures me with a nod.
“But…” I look back over to see the man pushed up against the wall with the much smaller woman in front of him, holding him up. He’s still wearing the soft smile while gazing down at her. He leans down, and the woman pushes up just in time to seal her lips to his. I should look away, but I don’t. I watch as the man’s hand comes up as he traces his fingers over the woman’s back, her head tilting to the side as their kiss deepens.
I do look away then, but only to glance around to see who else is paying attention to the couple. There are a few people watching them, but it’s not with the same slight embarrassment I am. No, it’s more like they’re enjoying the show.
“Quinn, I promise he’s fine, a little bite drunk, that’s it.” Alice is peeling off the top few flaky layers of another dessert to get down to the cream below, seemingly unaffected by the display.
“Oh, oh okay.” I flush. I probably should have caught on sooner, but I’ve never seen someone right after a vampire bite…well, maybe I have out at a club or something, but then I probably wouldn’t have even known if that was the case.
Noah leans over the table and snags my attention. “Speaking of vamps, have you met Stone?”
“Director Stone?” I question, even though I know there’s only one Stone he could be referring to.
“Headmaster Stone,” Millie corrects me, finally speaking up. The one letter I received with his name only had G. Stone on the signature line, with Director of Havenfall Harbor beneath it.
“No, I haven’t had the pleasure,” I respond.
Alice spews small bites of dough and cream from her lips, laughing as they fly across the table to land right before Rob’s plate. “Ally, come on. You’re not twelve,” he admonishes her, but he can’t hide his grin.
Alice’s head tilts back and she howls with laughter. I look around, noticing we’re attracting more attention than the vampire and her donor.
“Haven’t…had…the…pleasure,” Alice says through her chortle. “You have no idea how perfect…” She shakes her head and covers her eyes, trying to take a deep breath.
I’m obviously not privy to the joke here, but because of her reaction, I’m assuming Stone is going to be the opposite of pleasurable. While Alice calms herself down, I start to pile the little pieces of trash onto my plate to clear the table.
Millie has been picking at her plate for a while, and Rob’s is already empty. “I’m sorry, Quinn, that’s just…you’ll understand when you meet him,” Alice tells me, laying her hand over mine. I give her an appreciative smile. I know she wasn’t laughing at me.
