Once Bitten (An Anya Maynard Novel)

Chapter Four

“You got it?”

“Yeah, almost,” I said, voice strained, as I reached for the top of the window.

Jess was currently holding the step ladder still for me as I reached for the Chickadee sitting atop one of the curtain rods over the door. Not that she had any particular aversion to animals, but Jess asked if I’d retrieve this one. The last time a bird managed to sneak in ended up getting tangled in her hair when she tried to get it out and she didn’t want to repeat that incident. This one got in because Pete had left the back door open when he took out the trash. It then managed to get into the front room before it figured out there was no open exit on this side of the pass-through window.

“Come on sweetie,” I said more to myself, “Just come a little closer and we can get you out of here and back out in the nice open skies.”

Its tiny black eyes were darting around the room looking for a way of escape. Its chest moving up and down rapidly as it fought against its anxieties.

“It’ll be okay,” I whispered, “Just come with me and everything will be alright, I promise.”

The bird focused its eyes on me at that moment, its breathing slowing to a more normal pace. And wonder of wonders, it hopped over to me, right beside my hand.

I frowned and cupped my hand, letting the bird jump into my palm.

“Holy hell,” Jessie said surprised, “I can’t believe she came to you like that, you Dr. Doolittle or something?”

“I guess so,” I said, equally surprised, as I carefully climbed back down the ladder.

Jesse moved the ladder out of the way and I pushed the first set of doors open with my back, cradling my precious cargo between both my hands now. I spun so I could do the same with the exterior doors, but backed into someone instead. That was twice now I had run into someone in the dinner accidentally; I really had to learn to watch where I was going.

Before I had a chance to turn around and utter an apology the man spoke, “Here, let me,” he said as he held the other door open for me.

At least that meant it wasn’t Connor. I said a quick thank you without looking at the man and hurried along to the holly bushes that bordered the diner.

“Here you go,” I said quietly as I released the bird and it hopped on a branch, “That’s better now isn’t it?”

It looked to the sky and prepared to launch itself, but paused to look at me. It fluffed its feathers once and chirped before it spread its wings and took off. I watched it as it disappeared into the bright yellow leaves of a maple tree with a smile, even the animals here’s were welcoming.

“I think it said thank you,” the man said from the doorway.

“Yeah, me too,” I said absently to the trees.

I turned to offer him that apology, but flushed and looked down when I caught him smiling at me. He was attractive, very attractive. I cocked my head to the side looking for something to distract myself. Like the bird, I was looking for a way to escape.

“You must be Anya,” the man called to me and I snapped my head up at how easily my name came to him. I hadn’t met him before, but it was those almost dimples in his cheeks that rang familiar to me. This had to be Jessie’s boyfriend.

If that wasn’t enough of a giveaway the brand new Mercedes parked in the lot should have been. Money there may be around here, most didn’t drive anything quite as flashy as the blacked out Benz. “Yeah and you must be Bradford right?”