The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 by Carissa Andrews (graded readers txt) 📕

He flinches. “Yes and no, I guess.”

“Okay, you gotta give me more than that,” I mutter, removing a box from one of his wooden chairs that are butted against his tiny, two-person dining room table. Setting the box on the floor, I take a seat.

He leans forward on the other chair, pressing the palms of his hands against the back of the seat. “Well, do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

“Good, definitely good,” I sputter.

“Okay, then. Good news is,” he takes a deep breath through his nostrils, “I can pay tuition for this semester.”

“Yay,” I say, clasping my hands together as relief floods through me. “That’s excellent news. Are you kidding me?”

“It is,” he says, his expression faltering.

I narrow my gaze. “But?”

“But…” he pulls back, running his hand across the back of his neck. “My inheritance money won’t cover as much as I originally thought. Even with the house sale, the county is taking a large chunk to recoup the costs for having the hospice services come out. So…” His voice trails off and he walks away.

“So…? What does that mean?” I repeat, standing up and following him.

“It means I’ll just about have enough to cover a full year.” His eyes drop to the floor and he presses his lips tight. “And that’s it.”

“Okay, well, that still gives you time. Right? I mean, that’s not terrible.”

He tilts his head to the side, shrugging. “I suppose. But it really just delays the inevitable. I either have a money problem now, or I have a money problem in a year.”

“But in a year, a lot could change. You can apply for scholarships and grants in the meantime. If you get a part-time job, you could save up. There are options,” I say, pressing my fingertips into the tabletop.

Wade steps forward, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. “Have I told you, I love your optimism?”

I press my cheek into his chest and pull him in tight. “Why do I get the impression that’s your way of saying you’ve lost hope?”

“I’m not. I’m just a realist, Autumn. There’s a good chance I won’t be able to continue after this year,” he says, stepping back. “I don’t want to sugarcoat it and make it something that it’s not.”

I shake my head. “No, I refuse to accept that. There’s gotta be something we can do between now and then.”

“There is,” he says plainly.

“What? Anything… Name it, let’s do it,” I say, my eyes wide.

“Come with me to the academy so I can give them my cashier’s check for the year. Then, help make this year the most amazing one ever,” he says, pushing a strand of my hair behind my ear.

He flashes me one of his trademark winks only he can manage.

I swallow hard. Can I do that? Spend the next year trying to forget that it might be his only year in the school? Or act like it’s no big deal?

“Please, Dru?” he whispers, rubbing his thumb across my cheek. “I need this.”

I sigh, dropping my gaze to the tabletop. “All right. Get your things.”

He bends in, kissing the spot where his thumb just was. “Thank you,” he breathes against my cheek.

I roll my eyes in defeat and stand up.

Twisting around, he walks over to the breakfast bar and grabs his keys and wallet. Then, he moves to the door and swings it open. “After you.”

I tip my head, walking out the door and into the hallway, practically running straight into Chelsea.

“Sorry, dear. Had my head in the clouds,” she says, wrapping her hands around my upper arms and steadying us both.

I shake my head. “No, it’s my bad. I wasn’t looking where I was going. I guess I sorta figured the hallway would be deserted.”

“Fair dues, considering most of my tenants are introverts,” she chuckles. Then her face suddenly turns dark and serious. “Hey, did you guys hear about what’s happening in town?”

Wade steps out, locking the apartment door. When the lock clicks into place, he spins around and shakes his head. “Been holed up trying to get unpacked. What’s going on?”

Chelsea looks to me and I shake my head as well. She leans in, clasping her hands together. “Someone’s been digging up graves in town. And it’s not the cemetery’s gravedigger.”

“What?” I practically snort. “Why would anyone do that?”

She shrugs. “Who knows? My money is on kids. There were two newly dug graves that were desecrated. The ground was completely dug up and the bodies missing.” Her green eyes widen to the point of practically falling out of her head. Even though it’s horrifying news, it’s pretty clear she’s enjoying the gossip of it.

“That’s horrible,” Wade says, his eyebrows tugging in.

“Well, yeah. But totally intriguing. I don’t have internet, so it’s one of the more exciting things I’ve heard around here,” Chelsea says, laughing softly.

“Why do you think it was kids?” I say, circling back around to her original thought.

“Because the bodies were missing and they were both new graves. The earth was probably way softer, making it easier to dig up. I mean, do you know any kids willing to go out of their way to work? Especially for a practical joke or whatever they thought this was…”

“Maybe they were robbing the bodies. Sometimes people get buried with things,” I say, trying to make sense of the vandalism.

“Nada. Neither one was buried with anything of value. The police wondered the same thing, according to Sheriff Gordon.” She leans in, covering the side of her mouth with the back of her hand. “He’s my cousin.”

“Creepy,” I say. “The grave robbing, that is. Not that the sheriff is your cousin.”

Wade chuckles and nods.

“Well, he’s pretty creepy, too. But yeah, they’re at a bit of a loss. Should be interesting to see what happens when they find out who did it. Well, anyway, I didn’t mean to stop you,” Chelsea says, shooing us with her hands. “Go, go. I can see you were heading off somewhere. Hopefully,