“How’s Moonglow? I didn’t think I’d miss work, but I do.”
“Nothing to worry about. Sales are up, and Naya volunteered to take over for an afternoon if I need a break.”
“That was nice of her. I miss you.”
“Me too. Are you still coming home on Friday?”
“Maybe. I’m having such a good time up here, but Lakota’s been talking about heading back a little early.”
“Why’s that?”
“He had a bad dream. I told him that he’s worrying over nothing. That’s one reason I wanted to call tonight to see how things were going. Maybe it’ll put his mind at ease and we can stay.”
I didn’t mention my own dream about the store in flames. Lakota and I believed dreams were messages, but they weren’t literal interpretations. Usually they were metaphors, and the meaning for mine seemed obvious. Someone was trying to shake my confidence.
“Stay as long as you want and tell my brother not to be such a worrywart.”
She chortled and repeated my comment, and Lakota said something in the background. Those two really deserved a honeymoon. They’d been cooped up in the house with me since their mating.
Melody cleared her throat. “Did you close that deal with what’s-her-face?”
“You mean Asia? Nothing’s in writing yet. She’s supposed to talk it over with her housemates. We’ll see.”
“Well, if it falls through, we’ll figure something out. Maybe we can just sneak over and pluck them.”
I bit back my laughter. “I better let you go. Say hi to everyone for me.”
“Will do. Talk to you later.”
After I set the phone down, my gaze fixed on the buildings across the street. The light soaked into the brick, amplifying the colors. I loved Texas. Even in the city, the expansive horizon was full of possibilities.
And danger.
Would my stalker ever relent? Some resented that we’d purchased the shop, especially since we were single women. There were people who didn’t believe Shifters should own businesses when we had so much land. Maybe someone had targeted me for a specific reason. There were so many angles and no way of knowing the truth.
If only we could set up a security camera, but recorded surveillance wasn’t permitted in the Breed district since the Councils protected the identities of immortals. At least Tak was still around.
When the doorbell rang, I jumped out of my chair. Sometimes our neighbor gave us a heads-up that they were having a party. With Shifters, that could mean a lot of howling. I padded across the floor and looked out the peephole.
“Dutch,” I said, opening the door. “How did you get in the building?”
“My charm and good looks?” He gave me a sheepish grin. “I snuck in behind the delivery man. Mind if we talk?”
Impeccable as usual, I thought, admiring his golden hair, which was neatly styled back. Did the man even have whiskers, or did they simply stop growing at his command? Dutch could have been a male model in a cologne ad.
I stepped back to let him inside. “Can I take your jacket? It’s a little warm in here.”
His sports coat slid off his shoulders, and I hung it up.
“Nice place. It doesn’t look anything like what I imagined,” he said, staring at the living room.
“I have two roommates, and we have different ideas about interior decorating. Can I get you something to drink? Root beer, tea, water…”
“Wine?” He gestured to the small wine rack in the kitchen.
“Sure. Make yourself comfortable.”
While I uncorked the bottle of red and filled our glasses, Dutch strolled around and inspected the apartment. He looked closely at pictures, touched fabric, studied the artwork, and admired the view.
