Healing Haven - Book 2 in Haven Series [Complete]

11| Who are you?

Alyssa brushed a hand over Lucy's dark mess of hair, her little body wedged against hers on the couch with her school book splayed open on her lap. 

"Good," Alyssa encouraged as she carefully outlined the letters, tracing the shapes and repeating the pattern over and over. "Much better. But we still need to work on your R's and Y's." 

"Those are hard," she whined, tipping her head back with a pout. 

"I know, Gummy Bear. I sucked at those ones, too." Smiling, she kissed Lucy's cheek, softening her scowl. "How many more lines do you have to do?" 

"Mrs. Chiu says we only these two," Lucy said, wiggling the two mostly complete pages they'd laboured over for the last forty-five minutes. They'd enjoyed an early evening together after school while Eva had to work late at the gallery on putting together a few prints. She'd been surprised to see that Out of Focus had its own dark room hitched at the back where Eva developed most of her own stuff. She'd even helped with a couple, marvelling at the way the solution washed over the blank pages and slowly—almost as if by magic—the images appeared.

She'd swished the pictures in basins of solution, rinsed them, strung them up to dry. The entire process, though tedious at times, was oddly soothing in its predictable monotony. And there was something to be said to see the birthing of Eva's artwork manifesting slowly before her eyes. To have a hand in its creation. More than once Alyssa would gaze deep into those pictures and puzzle over the mysteries ensconced within. 

As if, like those colours and contours and textures, the secrets themselves would be revealed in those swishing basins of chemicals and water. 

"Alright, finish up that line and you're free to watch Monster High with Payton upstairs." 

Perking up at the incentive, tongue poking between her lips, Lucy wielded her pencil with determined strokes as Alyssa rose to answer her ringing cellphone. 

"Indy," she smiled in greeting, crossing the room to the sliding glass doors overlooking the back yard. 

"Hey," Indira's voice sang out. "Sorry, I've been swamped the last week. The firm's taking on--never mind, I've just had a twelve hour day and don't want to talk about work. How are you? I miss having my partner in crime around." 

Alyssa smiled and her heart clutched with emotion. "I miss you too." 

"I met with Paulette for lunch two days ago. To get the low down on what happened behind closed doors when you were pushed out. She told me that the decision with the board wasn't unanimous." 

"Seriously?" Surprised by that bit of news, Alyssa opened the glass door, shivered at the burst of cold as she stepped out on to the back deck. Though the days were still balmy and warm the nights dropped lower and lower with each passing day. Here, surrounded by the water, Haven's climate carried with it a damp chill. A chill her blood wasn't thick enough to accommodate as of yet.  

"As a judge. One or two of the directors spoke up in your defence, but were out voted in the final ruling.  Don't know who for sure, but Paulette thinks it may have been George Wyatt and Harvey Class who stood by you." 

Warmed by the thought, Alyssa no longer noticed that she was standing outside in the cold. "I always liked George, Harvey too but George especially." He'd been the latest acquisition to the directors almost two years ago, a former CEO of Iconic Communications and now stood as it's majority shareholder. He now filled up his time sitting on various boards for a diverse range of companies. He was a stocky man with kind eyes and a booming laugh; Alyssa had liked him instantly.