Page 87 of Killing Time

“I found lots of stuff,” she said cheerfully. “So I hope some of it fits. But at least now the two of you won’t have to wander around looking like a couple of rejects from a swing dance competition.”

“Thanks,” I replied, grinning at the description even as I took the bag of clothing from her. “Seth and I are going to get something to eat after this. Want to come along?”

She pursed her lips. “Nah, you two could probably use the time alone to get adjusted. I already talked to Tricia and told her what’s going on, and she said the elders will definitely want to talk to you but that it can wait until morning.”

“I’m supposed to be at the store — ”I began, belatedly realizing that tomorrow was Friday and I was scheduled to start at nine-thirty.

Bellamy waved a hand. “I’ll cover for you. This is way more important.”

Maybe it was. And it did feel as if Seth and I needed to take a little time for ourselves before we started acting as if everything was completely back to normal.

Even though I hoped we’d get there very soon.

Seth was able to scrounge several pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts from the donations bag that looked decent enough. However, I knew we should keep things casual rather than attempt anything resembling fine dining, so we went to Bocce in Cottonwood and had pizza and wine, and walked along Main Street afterward.

“It’s so different,” he said as he looked from side to side, his gaze analyzing the buildings on both sides of the street. “But at the same time…I recognize everything.”

“Well, they’ve worked hard to preserve as many of the historic structures as possible,” I replied. “Just like up in Jerome. So I suppose I was hoping it wouldn’t feel too strange.”

“It does, though,” he said. By that point, we’d reached the corner of Main and Pima Streets, and he paused there, watching for a moment as several self-driving cars slid past, their progress nearly silent except for the crunch of their tires against the pavement. “In a good way, though. This place feels alive and happy.”

Yes, it did. Although Cottonwood hadn’t suffered as much from the mine closures as Jerome did, the last time we’d been here it had been in the late 1940s, in an era when people were still recovering from World War 2 and the general economy of the area was just beginning to bounce back from its downward decline. Now, though —

Well, now the tourist industry kept everything humming, as well as all those local wineries.

Speaking of which….

“We should go wine tasting tomorrow,” I said, and Seth lifted an eyebrow.

“Bellamy made it sound as if we needed to talk to the elders.”

“After we do that,” I replied. “It’s not going to take all day. And Bellamy already said she’d cover for me at the store, so we’ll be free afterward.”

A nod. “It’s amazing to me that the mercantile is still going strong after all these years.”

“Oh, it is,” I assured him. “And I’ll take you to see it. But I think we’ve earned a little R&R.”

He didn’t ask what that meant, so I had to assume either the phrase was one he’d heard before or he didn’t want to inquire about it, since we had more important things to think about.

“Yes,” he said, and looped his arm with mine. “I think we have.”

Although I’d bumped into the McAllister elders individually after moving to Jerome, this was the first time I’d had to deal with them in anything resembling an official capacity. Tricia had sent me a text saying to meet at her house at ten the next morning, so that was where Seth and I showed up, full from a wonderful breakfast at the Mine Café and relaxed and ready for almost anything, thanks to the way we’d made love the night before and then once again fallen asleep in each other’s arms.

Levi, of course, and Tricia McAllister, brisk and efficient, looking like she was about to go out to brunch in her sleeveless sheath dress and careful bob, and wispy Allegra Moss, who was in her seventies, decades older than the other two, were already there, waiting in the large, airy living room of the house Tricia apparently had lived in for decades. Although I’d passed by the home plenty of times when I was lost in the past, I’d never learned who lived there back then. Not Ruby, of course, sincewhen she wasprima-in-waiting she’d lived down the street from Seth, and after she became the head of the clan, she’d occupied the big white Victorian that Angela had inherited after Ruby’s death.

Even though all three elders wore pleasant expressions, I couldn’t help being a little nervous as Seth and I sat down on the sofa, although I knew that technically, the elders didn’t have a lot of say over what I did, since I wasn’t a McAllister.

But Seth was. He might have come from a completely different era, but he was still part of the clan.

After exchanging introductions and hellos, Tricia said, “We wanted to welcome you to Jerome, Seth. I’m sure all this must be something of a shock for you, but I hope it won’t take too long for you to adjust.”

“I don’t think it will,” he said, sounding confident. We held hands, and I could feel his fingers tighten on mine ever so slightly as he added, “Devynn told me something of what I could expect.”

“That’s good,” Levi said. “I know what it’s like to begin a new life in a different place.”

More than most people, since Levi hadn’t even started out as human, but a being called into existence from nothing by theprima-in-waiting of the de la Pazes, who’d been desperate to find a consort. It turned out her soul mate was a McAllister, and Levi had come to live in Jerome, over time becoming an inseparable part of the community.

“And we’ll do what we need to in order to make sure you settle in unobtrusively,” Tricia added. “Driver’s license, Social Security card, credit history. Whatever it takes.”

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