Page 37 of Shifters in the Night

“You know you’re probably the best friend I’ve had in fifty years?” he told her.

“That’s really sad, Carmody,” Eva replied.

10

LIA

As usual, once the project got started, it did run like clockwork … if the clock was mounted to a runaway train.

It just so happened that construction broke ground the same week she was planning to move into Bayard’s house. She’d been so busy with her actual work and monitoring Victor’s super-secret “Main Street Phase I” progress that she hadn’t even had time to help with the presentation for Founder’s Day or implementing the plans she’d helped design. But that gave Zed and Bael time to fix the few maintenance issues around the house – a loose screen on the door, replacing light bulbs, that sort of thing.

She knew she’d acted like a fool, running around Bayard’s house and exclaiming over every little thing. But it was just so nice, the idea of having a home, not just some temporary place for her to sleep between workdays. For the first time in a long time, she had a proper kitchen – not just some sad little kitchenette in a hotel. She could cook. Maybe she could even host dinners for her newfound friends. Friends, plural.

The impromptu meeting-slash-dinner had been a revelation for Lia. A text had gone out and the whole group just showed up at Sonja and Will’s house as a unit. There were no formal plans, no catering, no fussing with flower arrangements, just people enjoying each other’s company with food. She’d attended so many gatherings like this where people poured into her parents’ apartment and occupied the whole space with their laughter and conversation. And honestly, it had sort of annoyed her when her parents’ friends did it, but it didn’t feel like this – like she was wrapped in some sort of blanket of genuine love and warmth. Her parents’ parties had seemed surface-deep and the affection, mercenary. Now that she’d experienced something different, she could see herself getting addicted to it very quickly.

And yes, it was difficult to keep Victor’s plans to herself, when so many of the people it would affect directly were in one room. But from what she could see, Victor hadn’t been able to make any progress past the “artist rendering” phase. No one was willing to sell him their property. He hadn’t pitched the idea to anyone. It was just an idea – a foolish, destructive idea.

And then there was Jon. She felt like she’d been smacked in the chest when he’d shown up with Eva in tow. He looked happy with her, at ease in a way he didn’t seem to be with other people. And though she hadn’t wanted to see it, the deep purple bolts of contentment and pleasure were hard to miss. She told herself it was for the best. If Eva made Jon happy, Lia wanted them to be together. She just didn’t know if she wanted to see it every time she turned around.

So she decided to focus on her new place instead of potential heartbreak. She’d arrived at the New Ground trailer court that night, almost giddy as she bolted up her stairs, head full of plans and hopes. As she was unlocking her door, she heard Jeff’s open behind her. Her shoulders had sagged in exhaustion and she felt terribly guilty for it. Jeff was a friend. She shouldn’t start seeing him as an annoyance because Victor was pressuring him.

“Lia? Where have you been?” he’d asked, his expression worried. “You never stay out this late.”

She’d worked to keep her tone light. “Oh, I just went to dinner over at Sonja and Will’s house to talk about Founder’s Day stuff. It was last-minute and you know how it is when you plan something by committee. It takes forever.”

Jeff had frowned. “Did you ask Uncle Victor?”

She’d cocked her head while staring at him. “Why would I ask Victor? I don’t need his permission to go to dinner.”

“No, but he would want to know if you’re making agreements without talking to him. You know how he gets when he feels left out of decisions,” Jeff had said.

“Half of my job is making agreements without talking to him,” she’d reminded him gently. “He doesn’t care about the details, just the final results.”

“OK, but you should at least let us know where you’re going. We’re in an unfamiliar place in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by strangers,” he’d said.

She’d scoffed, “We’re always in an unfamiliar place surrounded by strangers, that’s the job. And half of the town authorities were there, I couldn’t have been safer.”

He’d shrugged, like he hadn’t just spouted complete nonsense at her. “Uncle Victor just wants to make sure you’re safe, Lia.”

Lia had felt a good deal of her joy was sucked out of her. Now, she sat at her desk, reviewing the construction timeline, wondering how much longer she had to wait until she could move into the Boone house. She wasn’t comfortable in her trailer any longer, not that it had ever been home.

She tried taking some solace in the apartment complex being exactly on schedule, but on time was late when it came to this sort of project. Anything from bad weather to delayed materials could happen and cause chaos on the site. She tried to build a two-week cushion into the timeline to prevent that, but things just seemed to take longer here. The Bayou was so remote that it made every step of the process more difficult and time-consuming.

She was pondering what sort of adjustments she could make in case of future problems, when a sharp knock sounded at her door. She looked up to find Victor in the doorframe. She didn’t mean to frown so quickly – and completely – but this was another considerable departure from his usual MO of summoning her to his office. In fact, she wasn’t sure he’d seen the inside of her office before.

“So you’re moving out of your approved housing,” he said without preamble, flopping into the chair across from her desk. It was far from his usual undulating grace, much closer to a petulant teenager.

Lia gaped at him. How did he find out? She hadn’t talked to anybody about her move with the exception of the locals. And they didn’t talk to Victor, or vice versa. Could Jeff have found out? She glanced down at her desk and saw the simple but binding written agreement between herself and Bael for the month-to-month leasing of 1862 Sea Cove Road.

Oh, she’d been very stupid.

Victor never came into her office, but Jeff did. And clearly, Jeff had seen the lease on her desk and reported it to his uncle. She’d forgotten the first rule of negotiating. Never leave paperwork laying around.

She reminded herself that he did own said living space, and she was vacating said living space. Notifying him that she was moving was a basic courtesy. It was just that she’d hoped to put it off until she’d moved. “I didn’t realize that I was required to stay in approved housing while in your employ. I never saw that in my contract. And you know how carefully I read contracts.”

His eyes narrowed. “Well, you’re certainly not required to stay in approved housing, but it just doesn’t make any sense to me that you would pay for housing when I generously provide that housing for you. Is this about my greater plans for Mystic Bayou? Are you trying to get back at me for keeping things from you? Honestly, Lia, I expect better from you. This comes across as petulant, ungrateful.”

“Well, I can’t say I’m thrilled with your plans for Mystic Bayou because I don’t think they make sense for us as a company. Or for the Bayou,” she said.

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