Page 46 of My Haven
“Do you only employ handsome men?” Arlo asked.
Pip thought for a moment. “Meryn is here. She’s my sister, so not a man. But, technically she isn’t working, just sitting at the bar and eating.” He pointed to a small woman watching the room with bright green eyes. When she saw them looking her way, she held up her hand, flashing them the Vulcan ‘V’.
Genevieve held up her hand and returned the symbol, causing the woman to smile brightly. “She’s cute.”
“She’s the one who planned our pop-up restaurant,” he said, proudly.
“Ahh, like the event organizer?” she asked.
“Yes, she’s very good at telling us what to do.”
Arlo pointed to Caiden. “What about him?”
Pip smiled. “That’s Meryn’s new big brother. She did all this to help him. He’s very kind and loves to cook.” He leaned in. “Last night he made steak so good, I wanted to eat all of it!” he covered his mouth with his hands giggling. “He promised Meryn to cook different dishes for her to try, he said I could eat them too.”
“So, this is like a family business?” Arlo asked.
Pip nodded. “We have a huge family now.”
She was still staring at Caiden, when he turned to look at her. When their eyes met, she couldn’t help an overwhelming sense of recognition. She fought every fiber in her being to keep from getting up and going to him. The raw emotion had her dashing away her tears.
A warm hand on her shoulder had her looking up at Pip. He gently enfolded her in a small hug, then let her go. He bent down and whispered. “People only find magic when the look for it,” he said, then stood up. “I’m gonna get you a special treat. Be right back!” He hurried back toward the kitchen.
Arlo took her hand. “We can go,” he said, with a concerned expression.
She shook her head. “It must be my time of the month or something. Looking at him made me homesick.”
“For your home?” Arlo laughed, which caused the sudden need and melancholy to be chased away.
“I know right? The only good thing I have from my family is Mike.”
“How’s she doing anyway? Kill all the bad guys yet?” he asked.
Her older sister Mikayla joined the Marines as soon as she was of age. They kept in touch constantly. “She’s with some special squad or was. I couldn’t get all the details last time, because she had to go.”
Arlo looked toward the kitchen where Pip was talking animatedly, hands waving. “Can we take him with us?”
She laughed. “No, but I know how you feel. I wish he was six inches tall, so he could ride around on my shoulder and chase all the bad things away.”
They watched as Pip turned, with what looked like a cocktail in hand. Beaming he was halfway to their table when a hand shot out and grabbed him.
“I’ve been waiting five minutes to be served!” the angry man growled.
Pip dropped the glass, it shattered at his feet. His now empty hand went to where the man held him tight, a pain filled expression on his face.
She grabbed her clutch and took out her taser. Six steps later, she slapped the man as hard as she could across the face, causing him to let go. When Pip was clear, she reached out and tased the man. He jerked once, then slumped forward breathing hard.
She pulled Pip behind her, Arlo wrapped an arm around the small man.
The officious man looked up at her, his bloodshot eyes wild. “You bitch! I’ll have you arrested!”
She felt nervous for a second, but saw how every single employee of the restaurant, including the kitchen staff was converging on their location. “Grabbing his arm like that is assault. You’re lucky it’s not broken.” She looked back. “Pip, are you okay?”
He sniffled. “He made me drop your special drink.”
Nigel and Neil made it to them first. Each took a side and pulled the man up out of his chair. Under their feet, she could have sworn the floor shifted. “You’re out,” Nigel said, growling each word.
“I demand to speak to your manger!”
