Endless Days (The Firsts) (2 page)

Lunchtime went quickly, everything going smoothly as usual, and after the final lunch customer had left, Cherise removed her apron to wander out front and help Margaret straighten up the small dining area.  Through the rest of the day, they may see occasional food orders, but mostly people would be stopping in after work or school for pastries.

“Did you see that gorgeous guy?   Came in here about an hour ago?”  Margaret asked.

“Umm.
  Missed him.  Out of towner?  Interested?”

“Me?  No, no, I’m too ancient for the likes of him.  But now you…you would be his type.”

Cherise stopped cleaning her tabletop.  Leaned on it and crossed her arms.  “And what would you be knowing of what he might like?”

Margaret continued busily filling the case with fresh tarts that had come out of the oven moments earlier.

“Well, now, he
looked
like he’d like hot brunettes with a sweet disposition, and well, let’s face it, great ta ta’s.”

Cherise was glad she had her arms crossed.  “You set him up, didn’t you?  Answer me,
madame
.  You had him come in here to see me.”

“Okay, okay, I did.  I was in Colorado Springs last week, he’s the son of a friend, and I told him he should come get a look at you.”  She paused dramatically.  “He was
not
disappointed.”

“Oh, Margaret, what am I going to do with you?  I cannot date.  I told you that.  Not now. 
Maybe not for a long time.”  
Try never.  Her gift did not play well with
humans.

“I just can’t imagine a gorgeous thing like you spending all your nights alone.  I wish you’d give him a try.  He’s really handsome and a professional.  Lawyer, I think.”

Mon Dieu!
  An analytical, sharp eyed, cynical profession.  Oh, no….

“And he plans to be back.  He’s really interested, Cheri.”

“Well, he’s just going to have to be satisfied with baguettes.”

Cherise threw down her towel as she entered the kitchen and grabbed a carrot stick, gave it a nasty bite.

Margaret followed her.  “I’m sorry, honey.  But, seriously, you’ve been here a year and turned down everyone.”

With a sigh, turning slowly to face her friend, Cherise killed the carrot.  “I know.  Please, though, know that I have my reasons.   I’m okay, my friend. 
Really.  I’m perfectly happy with my new female friends…”  Margaret started to protest, but Cherise held up her hand.  “Listen to me.  I do not need male companionship.  It will come when it comes, alright?”

Margaret knew the topic was closed.

“Well, okay.  But I still think you two could have some beautiful children.”

Cherise strangled a cry and threw a towel at Margaret.  “He is all yours, if you think he is so great.”

“No, I had my great love.  I’ll wait until I see him again.”

The bell tinkled above the door alerting them someone had come in.  Cherise touched Margaret on her arm lightly as she went out of the kitchen.  She knew her husband had been gone
years, yet she knew Margaret still missed him deeply.  Time does not always heal wounds.  Yeah, she understood that completely.

The man at the counter gave her a stunning smile.  Even white teeth, deep blue eyes, nicely coiffed light brown hair, expensive cut…handsome, dressed in a nice suit.  She’d never seen him before.  Crap. 
The lawyer.

She hoped the sigh wasn’t obvious.  “May I help you, sir?”

He hesitated, seemed to be lost in staring at her.

“Sir?
  What would you like?”  Loaded question.  Wrong one.  She saw his mind wrap around the implications.  Then he seemed to come out of it.

“Uh, yeah, just two of the cherry popovers, please.”  He paused as she started to open the glass door that kept them corralled.  “Um, I was wondering…would you be interested in joining me for dinner sometime? 
Tonight, maybe?  I’ve been told the Golden Lamb on Main Street has really nice steaks.  I’d like to get to know you.”

Here it goes…

He put out his hand.  “I’m James, by the way.  James Chadwick.”

She stared at him, now.  He
did
seem nice and he
was
handsome.  Nervous, but that was usual for men who tried to ask her out.  She knew she was attractive, but it was more than that.  Something in them knew she was different…they were not the same.  Their spirits recognized it even if their minds didn’t.   Not that the message reached a certain part of their anatomy that could care less about spirits.  But…he couldn’t handle the closeness with one of her kind.  No, she couldn’t…

“That’s nice, but I really cannot.  Other commitments, you understand.”

“But…  I’m sorry, but I was invited here by someone you know.   She believes you are single, unattached.  That isn’t true?”

“It’s complicated, but no, I am not available.”

He stared back at her, paused, started to say something, then pulled a card out of his pocket.

“Well, if you were to change your mind, I would love to treat you to a really nice dinner and just…talk.  That’s all.  We could take it from there.  I want you to know, I’m really very interested.  But, I won’t push.  Would you mind if I called back perhaps in a few weeks or so, if I haven’t heard from you before then?”

How sweet.  No.  But…

“That’s kind of you.  I…will consider your invitation.  Thank you.  James.”

He nodded, smiled again,
great smile
, paid for his items and left.  When she turned around, Margaret was smiling.

Cherise picked up another towel and pitched it to her.    “Wipe that smile, matchmaker, it didn’t work.  But you’re
right, he seems like a nice man.”

“Just think about it, honey.  Well, you need me to stick around for closing?”

“No, you may go.  Thank you for opening.  I will do so tomorrow and you may sleep in a little bit.”

“Sounds good.
  See ya, Cheri.”

After Margaret left, Cherise busied herself zoning the café to be sure everything was tidy and pristine, then began preparations for all the pastries for the next day’s business.  She would be in at five o’clock to begin baking for the morning crowd and lunch.  The evening went well, she moved another sixty pastries and various bread items, took special orders for three parties, and then closed up.   It took another twenty minutes to finish the final cleanup, balance the till, and prepare for final lockup.  As she picked up her shoulder satchel to go, there was a light knock on the back door.  Who in the world…

She opened the door without worrying about who was there.  The town just didn’t have problems with crime…well, anything serious.  Besides, she could easily defend herself.

A small man came in, limping slightly.  “Cherise,
mademoiselle
,
pardon, j’vais aid.”

“English only,
mon ami
.  See, I am still struggling to be an American, too.  What is it you have need of?”

Leo had a noticeable stutter.

“I…I th…think you need to ch…check on the resident of the old m…mansion outside of town.”

There was only one.  Cherise frowned.  “But it is empty.  Chelsea was just telling me a few weeks ago that the kids from school liked to go out there to make out and party.”

“It isn’t empty.  They th…th…think they’re doing that, but they aren’t.”

Cherise felt a tight c
linch in her gut.  No.  No, no, no…   That could only mean…

She closed her eyes and pressed her hands against her belly and tried to breathe.

Loudly, Leo cleared his throat.  “Yes,” was all he said, confirming her worst fear.

Chapter Two

            
 
She dropped back into an ornate wicker chair, a mirror of the one she had on her patio.  It wrapped around her and kept her steady as she opened her eyes to stare at the bringer of bad news.

His little elf eyes were smaller than most humans, but humans never really noticed it.  They just saw the dwarf he appeared to be.  His left eye always seemed to be in a wince, but now, this moment, she knew he
was
wincing.  He didn’t want to tell her this either.

The sigh she released was unavoidable…it came from deep within her soul.

“Tell me.”

“He hasn’t been here long…a few months.  I didn’t say anything
to you…it didn’t seem necessary.”

“And what has changed?”  It came out on another sigh.

“He is sick.  In the mind…in the h…heart…in the body.”

That she did not expect.  That was unusual.   Vampires did not get sick.  It piqued her interest.

“In what way?”   She was staring at him now.  He limped over and hopped up on her vacated stool.

“I don’t know what happened to him.  But he was de…de…de…”

Cherise placed her hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes.   Her touch allowed him to speak unencumbered by his affliction.

             
“Deeply troubled.  He isn’t able to manage normal things.  Um…I found him wandering out in that big grass field near the vacant house one night just after sunset.  He was disoriented. When he saw me, he called me over and asked me what the hell I was.  I told him and he kept staring at me.  Then he asked me very politely if I would mind if he had some of my blood.  I told him vampires usually don’t like elf blood and how come he didn’t know that.  He looked even more confused and then just said he thought he was very hungry but that he’d found he couldn’t keep down human blood.  Isn’t that odd?”

Cherise nodded.  Yes, that was really odd. 
Unheard of, actually. 

“So I said sure, if he wanted to try it.  Seriously, you should have seen
him, he was pitiful for a vampire.  Skinny, almost.  Anyway, we tried it and he latched on pretty good, really took it in.  I was scared for a while that he’d drain me, but he pulled off on his own and thanked me very nicely and asked if I could come to him every two or three days for him to feed.  I knew I couldn’t keep it up, but I’ve tried.  I can’t do it anymore, Cherise.   I’m exhausted all the time.  I can barely do my job at the warehouse.  It’s been a little more than two months and I need help.  He can’t drink humans, I tried.  I brought him one of my work buddies and his blood came right back up.  He’s gonna die if we don’t help him.  I just don’t have enough volume for a huge vampire to live on.  I have my family to take care of so I can’t do it anymore.  Is there anything you can do for him?”

Damn’t, damn’t, damn’t! 
She’d scoped this entire area thoroughly before she decided on this small village.  Vampires rarely chose little, nothing-special villages like this.  So, when she made sure there were none living here, she knew it was unlikely one would come then, she settled in and chose this for her home.  And now…

“Okay.  But you said he was sick in the mind and the heart.  How is this?”

“He stays confused.  He does not know his name, or where he came from, or how long he has lived.  I call him Kavin, because he reminds me of my wife’s dog.  Big, but broken.   She got her dog from the animal shelter near Denver.   The poor animal had been abused and he was never right.  We could never get very close to him.  He died after a few years and I always thought it was from a broken heart.  It’s hateful how humans throw animals away.  Sometimes all I want is to go home.  But my life is here now, it’s been too long.”  He hesitated, realized he’d swerved from his mission.  “So.  Will you come with me?  Cherise, please.  I have no other option. 
He
has no other option.

Damn’t, damn’t, damn’t!   Why could it not stay simple?  She’d left the world of the supernatural for very good reasons.  This was so unwelcome.  She couldn’t,
couldn’t
do it again.

Be
fore she even could make a choice, she was shaking her head.  “No, no, I’m sorry, Leo.  I cannot do it.  I’m not the vampire whisperer.  I cannot help him.  You must find another option.  He should go from here…find more of his kind.  They will be able to help him.  He shouldn’t be here in this small place.  This is no place for the likes of him.  You tell him.  I am sure he will agree.”

“Cherise…”

“You must accept my decision.  Leo, you are a good man, a good elf.  You represent your species with honor.  But this man, this vampire, he needs his kind.”

“But I’ve suggested it.  He does not want to go.  He is afraid.  I do not know why, but I cannot get him to even come into the village to see you.”

“Then he is stubborn and if he dies, it is his own choice.  I struggle to just take care of myself these days.”

Leo stood there.  He understood her choice, but he didn’t want to accept it.  “It’s just…you should come with me.  I like him.  You would too.  He needs you.”

“He does not need me, he does not
know
me.  I would help you, Leo, anything you need, c
herie
.  But not this.”