Elouan imagined a better weekend with Jules at his side. He discreetly sniffed the air but found no trace of dragon, or human either, for that matter. However, Leon made things work with a human mate. It could be done.
So confusing. Could Elouan simply ask? Subtlety wasn’t a usual alpha trait, but he could try. “The oddest thing happened while I was up there; I imagined I saw a golden dragon in the sky. Might’ve been just a hawk. What do you think?”
Jules turned away. “Where were you?”
“Somewhere near Denali. Where did you go?”
“Um…the Rockies, I think.”
“You don’t know?” The pendulum swung from human to dragon. Elouan’s dragon reveled in this development, while Elouan voted for caution since Jules and his guardians had obviously gone through a great deal of trouble to hide.
Two cups sat on the table, along with two paper bags. Jules pushed one toward Elouan, still not meeting his eyes. “I didn’t know what you wanted, but they have a great tuna melt.”
Elouan smiled, doing his best not to betray what he thought he’d figured out. “Tuna sounds great.” In either of his forms. Actually, the company far outweighed lunch. He could no longer keep his news to himself. “Remember how I told you I wanted to give flipping houses a go?”
Jules removed his sandwich from the bag, peeled back the wrapping, and took a bite. Once he swallowed, he asked, “What are you looking for? City? Suburbs? House? Condo?”
“Well, I put down earnest money on a small three-bedroom brick house, but the more I think about it, the more I think I might want to live there myself, at least for a while. I’m not sure yet. It’s got a decent yard, and it isn’t too far from here, since traffic might be a problem getting to work.” Speaking to Jules solidified Elouan’s resolve. Yes, he’d make the house his own. Possibly their own. Or at least until he bought and remodeled something more to his liking, then he could always sell the first house. Wasn’t that what he wanted to do?
Jules swallowed another bite of his sandwich. “There are a few houses for sale in my neighborhood, but they’re big and might need maintenance. Mostly built for large families during the ‘50s. I hate to see them sitting, allowed to rot until they have to be torn down.”
A large house? Plenty of room to move about? A double garage might allow a place to shift, even if Elouan couldn’t stretch his wings. “I’ve no problem with maintenance since I’m in construction. In fact, if it’s an older house, I might want to renovate.” Sharing a bathroom with Curtis for three years left Elouan longing for a large private bath and a Jacuzzi tub big enough for two. Although the clawfoot tub in his first acquisition wasn’t bad—for one.
“Maybe we can drive around Saturday, see what’s available, if you don’t mind going house-hunting with me.” The idea of looking for a place with Jules held a lot of appeal. Images alreadyappeared in Elouan’s mind of Jules in the kitchen, the living room…the bedroom. He might even find the right moment to prod Jules for answers.
If nothing else, Elouan could show him what he’d already bought and would close on tomorrow.
“That would be great. Meet here at the same time as before?”
“Sounds good to me.” Elouan would count the moments until Saturday. In the meantime, he’d fine-tune his best fantasies.
Elouan signed where indicated, initialed documents about a million times, then finally left the attorney’s office, two sets of keys clutched in his hand.
Derrick slapped him on the back with a grin. “Congratulations, man. I hope you enjoy your new home, and call me if you ever need anything else.” He handed Elouan a couple of business cards. “In case you have friends in the market.”
“Appreciate it.” Elouan couldn’t help grinning back. “I might be interested in a few more houses to work on if this one turns out all right.”
“Just let me know what you want, or when you’re ready to sell. You have my card after all.” Derrick bounced down the steps to the sidewalk, then turned and waved before getting into his truck.
Elouan ambled to his own truck, heart light. He hummed along with the radio on his way to his—his!—new house. A duffel on the front seat held some items he intended to store there.
The house looked less forlorn when he pulled into the driveway. Though someone had kept the house relatively clean, he wanted to add finishing touches, making lists of things he’dneed. What a feeling to own his own place. He’d never have gotten this chance back home.
He wandered from room to room. His home. His very own home.
Which he couldn’t wait to share with Jules. Oh, yes. Saturday couldn’t get here soon enough.
“Still going out with Jules today?” Curtis entered the kitchen on Saturday morning, hair still wet from the shower. He stopped and stared at the coffeemaker, mouth hanging open. “You made coffee? What smells so good?”
“I figured it was about time I started pulling my weight around here. I owe you an apology for not doing so before now.” Look at Elouan making amends.
Curtis waved a dismissive hand. “It was nothing. After all, I’d be making coffee for myself, anyway. What’s a little more?”
Elouan poured Curtis some coffee and set the cup and a plate of cinnamon rolls on the kitchen counter.
“Cinnamon rolls! You made cinnamon rolls!” Curtis gazed at the confections like a long-lost love.
Elouan tore his attention away from his cellphone screen before placing the device on the kitchen table with a sigh. He sank down onto the uncomfortable wooden chair. Yes, the time had come to move out and get a dining table with padded seats. “I still don’t understand what you’ve got against Jules. I like him. Really like him.”
