Page 229 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“Are you okay?” It was the first thing out of his mouth. After living my whole life wondering if anyone would care if I lived or died, it was nice to have someone care about me like that.

“I’m fine, but Felicity called me a second ago.”

“For real? What did she say?”

I chuckled. “Nothing. Nothing real anyway. She told me how she had a great holiday with her mother. She conveniently left out the part where her mom has been dead for a few years. Anyway, I did what you told me. I played it cool and acted like I didn’t know anything.”

“Okay.” He sounded calmer. “Do you think it worked?”

“I guess. We have a lunch date planned.”

“Damn, all right. Do you know what day yet?”

“She said she’d text me.”

“Let me know whatever she says. Remember, I’ll be nearby whenever and wherever this lunch happens. I don’t think she’ll try anything in public, but you never know. Stay alert. The hunters are starting to get desperate, and who knows what they’re really up to.”

“I can do that. I’m going to head home. I’ve got some stuff I want to work on.”

“I’ll stop by later to see you.”

I purchased my items, then drove to a home improvement store where I bought some sandpaper, paint, and brushes before heading home. I was thankful to see the black sedan following me everywhere. It was good to know someone was watching my back.

Several hours later, my doorbell rang. I nearly jumped at the sound. Thankfully, I didn’t since I had a paintbrush loaded with paint in my hand. I really didn’t want to lose my security deposit on this place. The bookshelf I’d bought was sitting on an old sheet in the middle of my living room. There was dust everywhere from the sanding I’d done and one full coat of paint on it already. I put the brush back on a paper plate I was using as a paint palette and went to the door. I checked to make sure itwas Miles, then unlocked and opened the door when I saw it was him.

“Hey, sorry I’m a little…” He trailed off and gaped at me.

I frowned and looked down at myself. I was pretty much covered in paint and sawdust. My old sweatpants and the torn T-shirt I wore were equally stained. Most of it came from the mirror I’d worked on earlier. In my rush to work on the projects, I’d gotten into a zone, and now I looked like a paint store had vomited all over me.

“Uh, what the heck happened to you?” Miles asked as a smile started to spread across his lips.

“Ugh, shit, I’m working on a few restoration projects. I found some things at the thrift store and wanted to spiff them up.” I stepped aside to let him in. “I like that better than buying new stuff. It has more character, and I get to put a little piece of myself into each item.”

Miles closed the door and locked it behind him, then checked out the mirror I’d already hung before looking at the bookshelf. I was pretty proud of how the mirror turned out, but I wanted to hear his opinion.

He looked back at me over his shoulder. “You’re pretty amazing, you know that? Best-selling author and Bob-Villa impersonator.”

I looked at him, and frowned. “Who the heck is Bob Villa?”

Miles groaned and tilted his head back. “Jesus, that makes me feel old as hell. Never mind. You did a really good job on this. I envy your creativity and the way your mind works. I’d have seen this stuff and called it junk, now they’re beautiful pieces of artwork. Pretty impressive.”

I grinned like a little kid on Christmas. He liked them! It made me feel all warm and fuzzy. It would have been pretty shitty for me to do all that work to just haul it out to the curb because it was nothing but garbage.

“Thanks. The bookshelf needs another couple of coats, but I can already tell it’s gonna look good.”

I noticed the plastic bags Miles was carrying. I’d been so excited to show him what I was working on I hadn’t seen the bags. “What do you have there, big guy?”

He raised the plastic bags. “Take out. I hope you like soul food. This little old lady runs a little takeout place out of her garage.”

“Soul food?” I asked, not sure I knew what he meant.

“For real? Fried pork chops? Collard greens and mac and cheese? Cornbread and peach cobbler?”

“I know all those foods, but I didn’t know they were their own type of cuisine,” I said, shrugging.

“Lord. We have to get you out more. You’re missing out. I’m making that my mission. Okay, go get cleaned up. You can take a quick shower while I plate this all up and reheat it.”

He was right, I did need to get out more. If nothing else, it would help my writing. Even though he was right, I still stuck my tongue out at him as I went to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I wrapped myself in my thick robe. Though my apartment was warm enough, it was freezing outside, and as tempting as it was to wear the skimpy robe Miles saw me in before, I would have been even colder in that than if I walked out naked. That mental image, and the thought of what Miles might do if I actually did that, made me clap my hand to my mouth to stifle a giggle. I tied the sash and went out.

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