Page 98 of My Haven
“Of course,” he said, looking a bit worried. “Maybe I should go with you.”
She waved him off. “It’s a straight shot to the parking area and the orphanage is in the Lower City. After I speak to the director, I plan on going to the Water Temple to torture Arlo, so as you can see, my afternoon is booked.”
He smiled. “You have your phone with you? You have my number? Meryn’s number? Thane’s number?” he asked, one question after another.
She nodded. “Meryn sent me everyone’s number yesterday along with a color-coded power point presentation, and excel sheet that I’ll look at later.”
He walked over, pulled her into his arms, then kissed her gently. “Be careful and come straight home.”
“Sure. What will you be doing while I’m gone?”
He jerked his thumb over to Aiden. “I need to catch up on the drills with the thermal goggles.”
“Have fun beingHe-man,” she said, rinsing her cup and placing it in the dishwasher. Going to the fridge she pulled out a gallon of milk, a few cartons of eggs and a block of cheese and put them in the canvas shopping bag she found. She went to the pantry and added a couple loaves of bread.
“Have fun, torturing Arlo,” he called back, as she walked toward the front door.
She picked up her backpack in the foyer where she left it that morning and lugged the food to her van.
It didn’t take long to get to the city. Parking was as easy as she remembered and walking to the orphanage involved very few turns. Again, she heard the children before she saw the building. When she walked up the kids welcomed her warmly. The director was called over as she waited by the gate.
“Come in!” Nan called, as she hurried toward her.
Genevieve lifted the handle of the gate and let herself in. “I brought some stuff for breakfast,” she said, passing the bag to Nan and setting her backpack on the ground. The woman glanced down in the canvas bag and a look of intense relief crossed her face. “Thank you, for this.” Nan looked around. “June!” An older girl jogged over, and Nan passed her the bag. “Can you get breakfast going for the children?”
June saw the bounty and smiled. “Of course!” She all but ran inside, a few kids trailing behind her.
Nan patted her arm. “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Soon, they’ll be getting more than scrambled eggs. I have a few kid-friendly recipes I’ve been wanting to try.”
“Did you come all the way out here to bring them breakfast?” Nan asked.
“No, actually, I wanted to ask you about the children’s preferences. Does anyone have any allergies I should be aware of?”
Nan shook her head sadly. “They haven’t had much opportunity to try different things, and I hate to admit it, but even if there were allergies, the kids would probably eat the food anyway, they’re that hungry.”
“We can’t have that, food allergies can have serious consequences. Please have them tell me or you if there is an adverse effect. It won’t mean they’ll never get that food again, it just means I may have to make it differently.”
“You are a true godssend,” Nan said, wiping her eyes.
“Don’t worry, it won’t be just me. The guys I met in Éire Danu want to help too.”
“Why would they help us?” Nan asked.
Genevieve thought back to the way the mens’ expressions changed when they learned of the children’s plight. “Because they are good men. I thought it was just because squires liked to feed people, but a few of the warriors volunteered too.”
Nan gasped. “Squires are cooking for the children?” The woman got down on her knees and clasped her hands in front of her. “Thank you, Goddess, for hearing my prayers.”
Genevieve stared, unsure of what to do. If this was a religious thing she didn’t want to interrupt.
It only took Nan a few more moments of kneeling and giving thanks before she stood again. “Do I seem strange to you?”
“No,” Genevieve said quickly.
Nan laughed. “If you’re going to lie, you might want to let your face know to go along with it.”
Genevieve chuckled ruefully. “Got me.”
