He flashes me one of his trademark winks only he can manage.
I swallow hard. Can I do that? Spend the next year trying to forget that it might be his only year in the school? Or act like it’s no big deal?
“Please, Dru?” he whispers, rubbing his thumb across my cheek. “I need this.”
I sigh, dropping my gaze to the tabletop. “All right. Get your things.”
He bends in, kissing the spot where his thumb just was. “Thank you,” he breathes against my cheek.
I roll my eyes in defeat and stand up.
Twisting around, he walks over to the breakfast bar and grabs his keys and wallet. Then, he moves to the door and swings it open. “After you.”
I tip my head, walking out the door and into the hallway, practically running straight into Chelsea.
“Sorry, dear. Had my head in the clouds,” she says, wrapping her hands around my upper arms and steadying us both.
I shake my head. “No, it’s my bad. I wasn’t looking where I was going. I guess I sorta figured the hallway would be deserted.”
“Fair dues, considering most of my tenants are introverts,” she chuckles. Then her face suddenly turns dark and serious. “Hey, did you guys hear about what’s happening in town?”
Wade steps out, locking the apartment door. When the lock clicks into place, he spins around and shakes his head. “Been holed up trying to get unpacked. What’s going on?”
Chelsea looks to me and I shake my head as well. She leans in, clasping her hands together. “Someone’s been digging up graves in town. And it’s not the cemetery’s gravedigger.”
“What?” I practically snort. “Why would anyone do that?”
She shrugs. “Who knows? My money is on kids. There were two newly dug graves that were desecrated. The ground was completely dug up and the bodies missing.” Her green eyes widen to the point of practically falling out of her head. Even though it’s horrifying news, it’s pretty clear she’s enjoying the gossip of it.
“That’s horrible,” Wade says, his eyebrows tugging in.
“Well, yeah. But totally intriguing. I don’t have internet, so it’s one of the more exciting things I’ve heard around here,” Chelsea says, laughing softly.
“Why do you think it was kids?” I say, circling back around to her original thought.
“Because the bodies were missing and they were both new graves. The earth was probably way softer, making it easier to dig up. I mean, do you know any kids willing to go out of their way to work? Especially for a practical joke or whatever they thought this was…”
“Maybe they were robbing the bodies. Sometimes people get buried with things,” I say, trying to make sense of the vandalism.
“Nada. Neither one was buried with anything of value. The police wondered the same thing, according to Sheriff Gordon.” She leans in, covering the side of her mouth with the back of her hand. “He’s my cousin.”
“Creepy,” I say. “The grave robbing, that is. Not that the sheriff is your cousin.”
Wade chuckles and nods.
“Well, he’s pretty creepy, too. But yeah, they’re at a bit of a loss. Should be interesting to see what happens when they find out who did it. Well, anyway, I didn’t mean to stop you,” Chelsea says, shooing us with her hands. “Go, go. I can see you were heading off somewhere. Hopefully, more exciting than this place.” She smirks.
“Thanks,” Wade says, tipping his head. “Let us know if you hear anything else, though.”
“Oh, trust…if I hear anything, I’m coming straight for you,” she laughs, wandering off down the hallway.
Again, a twinge of jealousy writhes its way into my abdomen. I twist around and start heading for the door, completely willing to brave the insane cold to escape the frigid feeling in here.
“Hey, woman. Hold up, would you?” Wade says, chasing after me. He slides his hand into mine and pulls me back as we get to the door. Without a word, he opens the door, so I can go through first, as always. The insanely cold air thrusts its way into the hall, making me shudder, but I ignore it.
“Thank you,” I say, releasing his hand and sliding it along his waist as I go by.
He shudders. “Now, that, you can definitely do more often.”
A smile spreads across my lips, melting some of the concerns. “Come on, mister. Let’s get your money over to Ms. Cain.” I tip my head toward my vehicle and start to race him. “I’ll drive.”
“I can hardly wait for the onslaught of elation to roll off Ms. Cain. It’s bound to be epic,” Wade says as he gets inside Big Blue.
I snicker under my breath and put the vehicle into drive.
The trip to Windhaven Academy takes less than five minutes from Wade’s apartment. Had the day been warmer, it would even have been a nice walk. The parking lot is devoid of the usual hustle and bustle of student cars since the semester doesn’t start until Monday. Instead, a small huddle of SUVs and Cadillacs in the faculty lot are the only clue the school has people inside.
“At least this should be fast,” I say, pulling up as close as possible to the front door.
“I’ve seen Ms. Cain in action. When she’s behind that desk of hers, nothing moves fast,” he says, reaching for his handle.
I nod. “You’re not wrong.”
We make our way to the enormous school entrance as quickly as possible, but as soon as it’s within reach, Wade stops to look up.
“Cool gargoyles,” he says, pointing. “Never noticed those before.”
My gaze follows his fingers and I smile. There are multiple gargoyles on the building, if you look close enough. But the ones he’s pointing to are griffins, with what looks to be a large piece of rope dangling from their beaks.
“Pretty awesome, right?” I say, shivering from the cold.
He reaches for the door handle, nodding. “For sure. Come on, get inside before you turn into an Autumncicle.”
As we step inside the school, the floor squeaks with each of our steps, clearly newly polished in preparation of Monday’s fresh arrivals. Everything about the building sparkles, from the banisters on the large stairway to the windows and walls.
The door to Ms. Cain’s administration office is wide open. As we enter, she looks up slowly, taking her time to cast her gaze out over the dark-rimmed glasses.
“Ah, Mr. Hoffman. So delighted to see you. I take it this means you have some good news. Should I start jumping for joy?” Ms. Cain says, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Wade nods, pulling out the cashier’s check from his pocket and slides it across the space between him and Ms. Cain. “Well, it’s good news, depending on how you look at it. But I have tuition covered.”
She tips her head in acknowledgement. “Very well. Thank you, sir. I’ll make sure your hold is lifted and you can continue on with classes as planned, come Monday morning. Do you require another copy of your schedule?”
“No, I’m good. I have it memorized already,” he says, smiling broadly at her.
“Do you, now?” she says, quirking an eyebrow, clearly impressed.
“Yep, sure do. It wasn’t that hard. There’s only six classes to keep track of.”