Page 178 of Secret Shifters Next Door

I closed my eyes and put my finger out. Even though I was alone, I was still embarrassed, but I followed through. I turned in two circles, then walked toward the map while moving my arm in a circle. After three short steps, my finger came to a rest on the map. Opening my eyes, I raised an eyebrow in surprise. Colorado? Not exactly what I’d been thinking, but…something about it seemed right.

After five minutes of digging through an old box in my closet, I found an old road atlas and opened it to the state of Colorado. It took up two big pages and seemed to have every single city and town on it. I stared at it, trying to figure out where would be the best place to clear my head. Then I decided to do the blind-man’s-bluff trick again. I closed my eyes and slammed my finger on the map.

The moment my finger touched the paper, my lips spread into a grin. It was difficult to explain the feeling I got, but it was a sort ofrightness.I lifted my finger, and looked at the town it had landed on. Lilly Valley, Colorado. Goosebumps prickled up my arms, and warmth seeped through my stomach and chest. I’d never heard of the place before, but…it called to me. This was the place. One hundred percent. This. Was. The. Place.

Another quick internet search brought up available rentals in the small town. Small was accurate. There weren’t many places available, but I managed to find a fully furnished apartment. Without a second thought, I called the lister and rented the apartment, immediately paying the security deposit and two months’ rent.

Once I put the phone down, I clasped my hands in front of my chest. I must have looked like a little girl who’d just walked into the living room to see what Santa brought, but I didn’t care—no one was here to see me. Nothing had made me this excited in a long time. I picked up the phone again and called Tiffany to give her the good news.

“Colorado?” she asked incredulously. “Like Denver or Aspen?”

“No, Lilly Valley. It’s this cute little hamlet. Oh my gosh, it looks amazing.”

“Uh…okay. It’s your vacation and your dime. It sounds a little dull to me, but you do you,” Tiffany said.

“I leave at the end of the week. I paid for two months, but I’ll probably only stay a few weeks. I’m so excited, Tiffany.”

“Girl, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you this worked up over something. Not even when your books sell like hotcakes. Sounds like this is exactly what you need. As long as you touch base with me when you get there, I’ll be fine with it.”

The next several days went by agonizingly slow. I made no progress on my book because every extra moment I had was spent looking up pictures of Lilly Valley. Then I researched restaurants in the area, book stores, and movie theaters—all the things an introvert like me loved. By the end of the week, I was practically vibrating with excitement.

The flight on Friday was blessedly quick. I wasn’t a huge fan of airplanes, more due to motion sickness than an actual fear of flying. I picked up my rental car for the trip and headed to LillyValley. I spent the drive listening to an audiobook and was able to pretty much zone out. But then I crested the hill that revealed the town. As soon as I saw it, the pull became stronger. I smiled as I took it all in.

The leasing office was right on the outskirts of the town. After I pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car, I noticed how fresh the air smelled. Everything about this place was clean and beautiful, and from the way every building seemed to fit the aesthetic of the town, I was certain there was some bylaw that decided the architectural design. It was even better than I thought.

I entered the office and found a lady at the counter. I smiled, but she wasn’t actually looking at me. In fact, she seemed a little frazzled. Pulling my lip between my teeth and chewing nervously, I waited for her to notice me.

She glanced up after putting the phone down and waved me over. “Okay, come on up. Sorry, busy day. What can I do for you? I have an apartment showing in thirty minutes.”

“Uh…” Her brusque nature made me uncomfortable. “I rented an apartment for a couple of months.”

She wrinkled her brow in confusion. “An apartment for two months? We don’t rent by the month. Six-month leases only. You must have the wrong place.”

Without another word, she went back to shuffling papers and looked like she was getting ready to leave. My heart skipped a beat, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Mustering every ounce of courage I had, I cleared my throat. “No, this is the right place. I have a confirmation email.”

She glanced back at me with such irritation that my skin flushed hot. Any type of confrontation always sent me into a spiral of anxiety, fear, and exhaustion. It was why I usually stayed home all the time. It wasn’t agoraphobia exactly, but it was probably only a couple of steps away from it.

The woman put her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow at me. “Ma’am, we’ve never done month-to-month leases. I don’t know what information you have, but that is not something we do.”

“Karen? What was that?” called a voice from the back office.

An older woman who looked a little worried walked up to the counter. The woman I’d been dealing with looked at her and gestured toward me. “Yeah, Becky, this lady says she rented an apartment from us for just two months. I keep telling her that’s not something we do.”

I wanted to shrink into the floor, disappear, melt away. They were talking about me like I wasn’t there. It was disrespectful, but I was too timid to do anything or interject. That fact made me even more irritated at myself. I wished, at that moment, that I had the courage of all the heroes and heroines in my books.

“She does have a month-to-month lease, Karen,” Becky said; the lilt of her voice was obviously trying to get some unspoken message across. Karen seemed unable to get the subtlety of the exchange. Instead of agreeing with Becky, she furrowed her brow again and shook her head.

“No, we don’t. Since when?”

Becky gave me a pained smile before turning back to Karen. “If you’d read the email I sent out a month ago, you’d know. We have two units that are booked for long-term leases next year. They can’t move in until March, and we didn’t have a six-month block of time for the rental. I listed them as short terms about two weeks ago.” To reinforce the matter, she again added, “This was all in the email I sent out.”

Karen threw her hands up in disgust. “Well, I’m sorry, I never saw it. I’ll let you deal with this.” She waved at me dismissively. “I have a showing in fifteen minutes. I need to go, or I’ll be late.”

Karen slung a bag over her shoulder and stomped out without another word or an apology to me. Not wanting toinstigate another argument, I kept my eyes downturned as she left. When I finally had the courage to look up, the woman named Becky rubbed her temples and gritted her teeth. As soon as she noticed me looking at her, she plastered a smile on her face.

“I’m sorry about that.” She glanced over her shoulder conspiratorially. “She’s the owner’s sister. I’m sure you understand.”

I nodded sheepishly, but I didn’t really understand. I was an only child, and the only siblings I’d had were of the foster variety. I was a writer, though, so I got the gist. “Yeah, it’s fine.”

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