Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
I burst out laughing. “Well, something’s very wrong with me if my first assumption is that my new friend’s a cannibal.”
“Oh, we’ve got those too.” She winked. “But only during a full moon, and word on the street is it’s the fountain of youth.” She pouted. “If only.”
“Um, you look incredible. I would die for your skin.”
She leaned in. “Would you now?” Her hand reached out to touch mine, her fingertips just grazing me like she was fascinated with the way I felt.
I frowned.
“Hath!” An angry-looking elderly woman stomped out of the kitchen. I blinked in surprise when I recognized her as the woman from the bookstore who had gone out of her way, warning me to take care not to get too close to the mansion. Her white apron was stained with what I hoped wasn’t blood, even though it was red, and she had an honest-to-God machete in her hand.
Halloween apparently came early in the cove.
“Eris,” Hath said her name like a vicious curse. “I was just talking with—”
“Get up.” Eris wiped the machete across her apron and then dropped it into one of the larger front pockets like it was a pack of gum. “You know the rules.” Her angry red hair was tucked under a hairnet, and while extremely short, she seemed more powerful than Hath as she helped her to her feet and gave her a shove toward the kitchen doors. I half expected her to add a kick to the ass.
I quickly diverted my eyes to my soup, not sure what the hell was going on and obviously not wanting to be on the receiving end of a machete still partially covered in mysterious blood.
“We work here.” Eris sniffed. Her dark eyes blinked slowly. “And I don’t let my employees flirt with the customers no matter how big of a tip they may want.”
“Oh no, no, no. I wasn’t flirting with her. I just wanted company, and she was so nice and—”
She snorted. “Course she was nice. She’s always nice to the pretty ones; it’s what she does, what they all do. If it’s pretty, it deserves kindness; if it’s ugly, you kick it to the street. All of you the same, stupid, can’t see the forest through the trees.” Obviously done with me, she continued mumbling until she was back in the kitchen, and I was once again alone, wondering what the hell sort of place I’d just been transported to.
So familiar and yet so eerie at the same time.
Well, it was said there was always a kernel of truth to rumors and stories.
Guess this was just another example?
I grabbed my purse and pulled out a twenty, but Hath rushed out and handed me the bill. “So sorry about that; she’s just… different.”
“No problem.” I flashed her a smile even though our easy conversation felt suddenly awkward. I quickly read the bill, dropped a twenty onto the table, and made a beeline for the front door.
Air. I suddenly needed air.
And I knew just the place to go; hopefully, they’d still be open.
Chapter Seven
Benjamin
The orphanage had a way of cheering people up—all sorts of people—maybe that was why I liked to stop by when I was in a foul mood, which was more often than not.
I pulled into the dark parking lot and looked up at the Victorian-style building with its fresh white paint and chipper white picket fence.
That had always been the deal: make it look like utopia, so they forgot that they had no one.
It hadn’t worked.
How could it?
Human beings were meant for connection; they were meant for love in its most basic form. Take that away, and it doesn’t matter that you paint the house every year or that you have clean clothes and an education.
I could give them everything—and I tried—but it would never replace what they craved.
Money couldn’t buy that.
With a sigh, I walked along the rock path and up to the red front door, turning the knob to the left at about the same time it jerked open.
I took a giant step back, giving her a wide berth as always, and as expected, she took one look at me, licked her lips, and moved closer. “Benjamin, you’re out of the house.”
“Have I ever complimented you on your keen insight, Pandora? No?” I crossed my arms, taking a protective stance against her.
Her green eyes briefly flashed as she gripped her white Prada clutch. Her black nails dug into the soft leather, her long red hair seemed to come alive.
“Bad mood?” I poked.
“You seem to bring it out in everyone, Ben. I wonder why,” she said through clenched teeth. “You don’t have to be an ass.”
“Actually, I do. It’s part of my charm. Thought you knew that by now.” I started to sweat as she eyed me up and down. The last thing I needed was Pandora on my bad side—again. Last time hadn’t ended well. “Do you ever find it odd that you kick puppies yet read to sad orphans every chance you get?”