Vampires and Vixens (Psy-Vamp) by Cassandra Lawson Read Free Book Online Page A

escorted Hannah to a table in the back, and held
out her chair for her before taking his own seat. After closing the blinds,
Noah removed his dark glasses and set them on the table.
    The waitress was a chubby woman with
gray hair, rosy cheeks, and a friendly smile. She immediately came to their
table, set down two waters, and patted Noah affectionately on the cheek. “It's
good to see you again, Noah. I see you've brought us a new customer today.”
    “You know I always recommend your place
to everyone, Maggie. How is your family doing? Has Joanna had the baby yet?”
    Maggie beamed with pride. “I have a new
granddaughter.” She pulled out a photo from her apron pocket and handed it to
him.
    He looked at the photo, and then back at
Maggie. “She’s beautiful, just like her grandmother. Congratulations. Please
give Joanna and Robert my best wishes.” He reached out to return the photo.
    Maggie put her hand up and shook her
head. “That picture is for you, Joanna insisted.”
    He carefully placed the photo into his
wallet. “Thank you.”
    Maggie’s attention shifted to Hannah
“Who is your lady friend?”
    “This is Hannah. She’s a very good
friend of my family’s.”
    “It’s nice to meet you, Hannah.”
    “It's nice meeting you too.” Hannah replied.
    Noah leaned toward Maggie with an impish
grin. “She’s just using me to get your food.”
    “Would you like the usual today?” Maggie
asked.
    “Please,” he replied. “Hannah will need
to see a menu.”
    “No,” Hannah insisted, “whatever you're
having is fine with me. I'm not a picky eater, and I’m too hungry to look at a
menu. If I start looking at the menu I might order everything.”
    “No offense,” he said, “but you don’t
seem like the veggie burger type. I’m guessing you want something with meat.”
    “I really don’t like veggie burgers,”
she admitted, “but I’m hungry enough to eat a horse.”
    “Not a vegetarian item and I’m pretty
sure Maggie doesn’t serve horse here. How about beef instead?”
    She nodded.
    “Make hers with a regular patty,” Noah
told Maggie.
    “How would you like that cooked?” Maggie
asked.
    “Just barely medium,” was Hannah’s
reply.
    “Drinks?” Maggie asked.
    “Water’s fine,” Hannah said.
    Noah nodded. “Same here.”
    Maggie went toward the kitchen to put in
their orders.
    “How long have you been coming here?”
Hannah asked.
    “About a year. I moved here to take a
teaching position last autumn. Why do you ask?”
    She shrugged. “You just seem very
familiar with Maggie, like you’ve known her for years.”
    “I like people,” he replied. He had
grown up living on the outskirts of humanity, but he preferred being immersed
in humanity. That wasn’t something he could explain to Hannah yet. He hated the
feeling that he was holding things back, but it wasn’t like he could just
reveal all of their secrets to a woman he barely knew. Lies were a part of his
everyday life, but he never really got used to them. He took a small pill
container out of his front pocket, removed three large pills, and swallowed
them dry.
    “That’s a lot of pills!” Hannah said in
surprise.
    Noah looked a little embarrassed. “I
have to take some supplements every day.”
    “Is it because you’re a vegetarian?” she
asked, not meaning it to sound as intrusive as it did.
    There was a long pause before he
responded. “No, I have a condition, and my body doesn’t absorb minerals from
foods very well. So, what’s your major?” Noah asked to change the subject.
    “Education, with an emphasis in
elementary school education.” She felt compelled to explain this choice,
probably because her mother had never approved of the idea. “I really like
children, and I want to do something that makes a difference for them.”
    “You don’t have to sell teaching to me,”
he assured her.
    “I guess I don’t, Professor.”
    “My brother thinks you’re pretty darn
incredible,” he said out of