Healing the Bayou by Mary Bernsen

hallway.
    “This is the room I stay in.” He gestured toward a closed door as he walked by, moving to the next.
    “You live here? Do you work for Vivian?”
    “No. The Voodoo community is very close knit. I stay here with a few other younger members. She mentors us. Camille from the diner, she lives here too.”
    I had to keep myself from frowning. They lived together which probably meant they did a few other things together at least on occasion.
    He read my thoughts again. “I’m not interested in Camille.”
    He opened the door next to his, and we stepped inside. The room was beautifully decorated in pastel colors. The soft green carpet was luxurious under my bare feet. A pink canopy draped over a king-size bed with an eggshell blue comforter. Next to a hand-carved dresser was my black luggage that stuck out and looked terribly boring in comparison to everything else in the room.
    “This is where you’ll be staying. The bathroom is just across the hall. Do you need anything?”
    “Um, no. I think I’m all set.”
    “OK, well if you need anything just think it,” he teased, and my heart quickened. He knew what he was doing, and he was enjoying doing it. My body reacted to him without permission, and I was powerless to keep him from knowing about it.
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    Aunt Vivian woke me up early the next morning, and after a delicious breakfast that highlighted Samuel’s exquisite cooking skills, I had some time to socialize with the other housemates. We all gathered around the dining room table drinking coffee and becoming acquainted.
    Camille was the same delightful ball of sunshine that I had left at the diner, and another young man named Marcus thanked me for Camille’s new attitude. He told me how she had been impossible to live with the last few weeks—she’d just broken up with her boyfriend and was making everyone else pay for his infidelity.
    Marcus was much smaller than Samuel but only a few inches taller than me. His blond hair was long and unkempt, and he had that California surfer look. The comedian of the group, he amused me with wisecracks about Samuel’s stoic demeanor. It was something I appreciated since Samuel hadn’t spoken to me all morning. I almost thought I had upset him somehow, but apparently he was just the strong, silent type.
    The glares that came from Samuel’s end of the table frightened me a bit, especially when his face hardened even more with each dig Marcus made. He didn’t as much as flinch at Samuel’s silent threats. He was eighteen and invincible in his own mind. Or, just maybe, Samuel wasn’t as dangerous as he looked.
    “Look, his face is turning as red as his shirt,” Marcus teased.
    “I think it’s cute.” Camille winked.
    I chewed at my lip to bite back the mounting unwarranted jealousy. Clearly she was on the rebound, and I couldn’t blame her for turning her attention to a man who was as sexy Samuel. I tried to chase the thought away before he caught it. Nervously, I shot him a glance, and his expression told me I was unsuccessful.
    “You all need to leave my boy alone now,” Aunt Vivian warned.
    Marcus reached up high and dug his knuckles into his friend’s hair. “Oh, he can take it.”
    I held my breath, preparing for how Samuel might react, relieved when the two started wrestling like a couple of high school jocks. Of course it didn’t take long before Samuel’s superior size won out and he had Marcus in a head lock, begging for mercy. I liked his playful side much better.
    “Eliza,” Marcus breathed heavily, “you have a hell of a keeper. You lucked out for sure.”
    “That’s a conversation for another time, Marcus,” Samuel said.
    “What do you mean, keeper?” My interest was piqued, especially when Samuel’s gaze intensified at the mention of it.
    “Samuel is right, Eliza,” Aunt Vivian stated with the same unwavering conviction. “Come with me. I have something for you.”
    Aunt Vivian led me to her room and gave me a