“Diana will be there,” Sebastian explained.
“Screw that bitch,” Lucas barked. “Pardon my French.” He covered his mouth with mock demureness. “Forget that lecherous creature of the night.”
“I’m not talking about this again.” I crossed my arms. Why wouldn’t they leave me alone? If I lived my life as a hermit, I wouldn’t risk getting hurt again.
After I found aScrubsrerun, I continued to flip through the mail, separating it into piles for the three of us. The last one was a letter addressed to current residents. I opened it, read the letter, and cursed.
“What is it now?” Sebastian stirred the sauce again. “Did we get invited to a carnal carnival that you’re going to shoot down next?”
“Ha, ha, and no. It’s about the house.”
Sebastian put the spoon down and covered the pot. “What about it?”
“The new owner is going to come by on Thursday. It’s Margaret’s niece. Her name is Nova Adams.” I scowled.
“What’s the problem?” Sebastian asked. “You knew someone would inherit the house.”
“Exactly.” I nodded. “And we already talked about what may happen. She’ll probably raise the rent or sell it. Or, she might want to move in here and kick our sorry asses to the curb. Either way, we’re screwed and will have to find a new place to live.”
“You don’t know that,” Lucas dismissed.
“Want to bet?”
“Of course.” Lucas could never turn down the chance to gamble. “Twenty bucks you’re wrong.”
I shook his hand. “I hope I am. You know how much I hate change.” I flipped through the rest of the mail. “Bills. Bills.” I threw down the pile. “Ugh, I hate mail.”
Lucas rolled his eyes at Sebastian. “Vamps are so melodramatic.”
“Lack of sunlight makes them sullen,” Sebastian agreed.
I snorted. “We’ll see what happens. At least I’m being a realist and covering my junk before a woman comes along to kick me between the legs.”
Lucas smacked his lips together. “You’re wrong, Diego. If this Nova is anything like Margaret, she’ll be cool.”
I stood. “Then why haven’t we ever heard of her? Margaret never mentioned Nova’s name.”
Neither Sebastian nor Lucas had an answer.
“Call me a pessimist, but I can’t see how anything good will happen once this Nova woman arrives. We’ll likely be out on our asses before you can saywitch, please.”
Chapter 2
Nova
After leaving the Salem Supernatural Network with not only a set of keys to my aunt’s house, but an invitation to a ball on Halloween (no, thank you), I drove the burnt orange Mini Cooper I’d rented to the address in Salem. I’m sure I’d been there when I was little, but I couldn’t remember it. My aunt had lived on a tree-lined road in a residential area. With it being October, the leaves were changing to marvelous shades of sunset overhead, and fallen leaves blanketed lawns.
At the end of the road, a lavender house sat on the back of the lot. It had a gabled roof and circular rooms in a tower section leading up to a turret. “Wow. I own this?”
After I closed my mouth, I pulled into a spot in the long driveway before a two-car garage that could use a fresh coat of paint. The October day was partly cloudy, but not yet cold enough for it to be uncomfortable outside.
I climbed out of the Mini and walked around the exterior to examine the house. It was spacious for sure, but dated, and could use some repairs. It had several bay windows, but the shades were drawn. Hmm. It was late afternoon. Wouldn’t the tenants want some sunlight? A porch extended out from the back door with several pots of mums.
The house appeared to have good bones in my limited viewpoint, and plenty of space, much more than I could ever use. I scrunched my nose as I assessed the condition of the roof, but what did I know? At least it wasn’t crumbling. A fresh paint of coat, some yard clean up, and some new landscaping would go a long way, especially if I ended up putting the house on the market.
I snapped a picture with my phone and sent it to Gianna.
Looks stellar,she texted back. See you soon.
