I set the pizza and bag of napkins and pepper flakes that came with it on the coffee table and waved Candrin over.
“As I see it, we have two viable options; We could go to the kitchen and eat with proper plates we’ll have to wash later or we could turn on a cheesy television show and eat like frat boys in the old eighties movieswith no plates and even less manners.” I plopped on the couch already knowing what I wanted. “And to sweeten the pot on option two, I should probably let you know that there’s aShifter Worldmarathon that just started.”
“Shifter World?” He sat beside me and my bear started to purr—he freaking purred. “I could lose my manners for some Finn.”
I grabbed the remote and found the channel, and Finn appeared on the screen. The television gods were officially with me.
Popping open the top pizza, I offered one of the house specials to Candrin.
“What’s not on this pizza?” He grabbed a slice and took a huge bite.
“No anchovies, but I think just about everything else. And they only stopped the anchovies because they lost their supplier.”
“Not sad there. This is amazing. Thank you.” He shoved another piece in his mouth and my bear puffed out in pride over having fed our mate, even though he couldn’t possibly be ours.
I was officially in big trouble.
5
CANDRIN
Wait until the popping stops
I was out of the house before Tanner and didn’t see him because my car was in the shop until I collected it after work, and I wanted to get to the office before everyone else. Catching a bus was awkward because I’d never done it and I got on the first one and when confronted by signs and people pushing me from behind, I got off, accompanied by muttering from passengers waiting in line.
I was more prepared when the second bus arrived and while I didn’t have a card, I counted out coins in my pocket and jingled them while waiting to pay. No oneelse made eye contact as I stood holding a strap at the front of the bus until an elderly woman hissed at me to move back, allowing other people to get on. Bus etiquette was something I had to learn, and learn fast.
The bus jerked and swayed as we made our way downtown and I missed the stop closest to my office. Not that it mattered as it was so early. As I wandered back in the direction of my building, I took note of people on the street. Parents dragging their kids, shift workers going home, students giggling as they made their way to school and office workers like myself, heading to their jobs. This was an aspect of city life I’d missed out on, driving to and from the office five days a week.
I almost raced into a coffee shop to grab a latte until I remembered I had little money, only what I’d found under the statue and a chunk of it had gone on rent. The good news was I’d paid for my car repairs on Saturday morning before the reading of the will and it had a full tank of gas. But from now on, I’d be taking the bus.
Gods, I had to budget, something I’d never done. Not that I was reckless with money, I’d just never had to think about it before. And now I did. As well as dealing with the sadness at losing my dad, havingeverything familiar whisked away was overwhelming and then there was rage seething just below the surface at my so-called brother.
I was the first one in to work and I closed the door to my office, hoping I wouldn’t be disturbed until mid-morning when I had a meeting scheduled. But as people drifted in, I caught their quick glances before they looked away and sat at their desk or got coffee from the machine. Damn, I’d forgotten to close the blinds, something I’d never bothered to do because I didn’t hide away from the staff.
Dean, my assistant, arrived and knocked. “Morning.” He glanced over his shoulder as Amy, our accountant, nudged him. “Ummm I’m sorry… about your dad.”
I’d been out of the office most of last week after Father died but I got the feeling Dean was talking about more than my late father. He hesitated and Amy pushed him aside and said, “We should talk later, Candrin.”
“Yeah.” My salary had always been plowed back into the charity which Amy was well aware of.
The pair paused in the doorway and shared a glance. Dean nodded at Amy. “Peoplehave been talking.”
And there it was. Not surprising as Mr James was on the charity board and while I hoped he’d kept his mouth shut, the people in his office may have let slip about my situation. I had no energy to find out who it was who blabbed. It was done now. Probably best it was out in the open.
Mid-afternoon I got a call from Anders, the guy who’d always worked on my car. “I’ll drop it by the house later.”
“No.” That came out more sharply than I intended. “Sorry, no it’s okay.” I made a spur of the moment decision and said, “You don’t know anyone who’d want to buy it, do you?” It was only a year old.
“Surprised you’re looking to sell. You love that beast of a car,” Anders said, a question in his voice.
I did. “I haven’t made a final decision.” Anders said he’d put out feelers and I told him to keep the car for the moment. Rolling up to Tanner’s home in a snazzy sports car worth almost as much as his house wasn’t a good look and would invite more questions. Selling it would give me breathing space.
Amy and I’d had a long discussion about the charity’s finances. Father’s companyhad kept us afloat and while my newly-declared brother hadn’t yet cut off the flow of money, it had only been two days since the reading of the will.
Charles and his tiny little brain and grasping hands probably hadn’t had time to comprehend what all he had and that there was a significant outgoing stream supporting the charity I was head of. Father had always been very generous but when that money dried up, we’d be forced to beg for donations and compete with every other similar organization in the city.
Taking the bus home was another new experience. It was packed and we were butt to butt, BO and bad breath spiraling around the confined space. Once again I missed the stop because I wasn’t familiar with the neighborhood, but it was a pleasant evening and I didn’t mind the walk.
