Page 100 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Holy… fucking… shit. How could I be this unlucky?

Kellan shook his head. “I’m sorry. I should have asked more questions about the location. I could have told you.”

I leaned back in my seat and chuckled. The irony was almost too much to believe. “Well, it’s too late now. I’ve signed the lease. Besides, the other places we looked at were picked up a day or two after I found this place. This is my only option.”

“You could stay with us. Don’t move out.”

“Larry bought me a ton of furniture and everything else. Honestly, it’ll be fine. I’m not going to stress about it.”

“What are we waiting for? I’m gonna go say hi to Coach,” Aiden said, opening the door.

Before we could say anything, he was out of the car and running toward Steff, waving like a madman. I groaned inwardly as Steff saw him coming and frowned. The confusion on his face faded as his gaze slid toward the car. He locked eyes with me, and his mouth set into a hard line. He didn’t look surprised to see me, more resigned. Had he known I was moving in next door? Had that been the reason he’d tried to find me at the bar last night?

“Come on, let’s get your stuff inside,” Kellan grumbled as he popping the trunk.

Doing as he said, I got out and tried to keep my eyes averted from Steff. After last night, I couldn’t think of anything else to say to him. We grabbed my bags and headed toward the house. Aiden was chattering away to Steff as we went. At least that was one good thing. With him preoccupied, he couldn’t come over and try to make things even more awkward by trying to talk to me or Kellan. My brother would have made sure that interaction ended poorly.

Once inside the door, I punched the code into the security system to disarm it and glanced around at my new house. It wasn’t as luxurious as what I’d lived in before, but it was all I needed. Comfortable and secure, with plenty of room for oneperson. Plus, I could walk out of my bathroom naked without worrying if my nine-year-old nephew would walk around the corner and see me. Larry even had hi-def cameras set up around the house, including a doorbell camera. It wasn’t as safe as having a doorman and a bodyguard, but it was as good as you could get out in the middle of nowhere like Lilly Valley.

Larry had left a note for me on the table, with a business card attached with a paperclip:

Hope you enjoy the place.If you have any trouble with the security system, I left the card. They’re local, so you can just give them a call. Let me know if you need anything. And I do mean anything.

-Larry

I flipped over the card.I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The owners of the firm were listed on the back of the card. The third name, of course, was Steffen James. I handed the card to Kellan. At first, he looked confused, then he read the letter and the card.

“Jesus, can’t you get away from this guy? It’s like he’s every-damn-where.”

Kellan was getting more and more pissed. Thankfully, I hadn’t bothered to tell him or Kris that Steff had been at the bar last night. I had no idea how they would have reacted. If I had to guess, Kellan might have walked next door and slugged Steff right in the face.

“April, are you sure you want to live next door to Steff?” Kellan looked like a little boy—desperate and hoping.

“Like I said, we won’t see each other that much. It’ll be fine. I’ll be over at your or Kris’s house most of the time. Besides, I’msure Steff works a lot. Even if we’re home at the same time, I’ll stay in and read or watch movies. It really will be fine.”

Kellan glanced out the door again. Aiden was still talking to Steff. It looked like he was trying to imitate a baseball pitcher. Steff was smiling and trying to continue the conversation, but he kept glancing toward my house.

“Okay, well, get your stuff settled. I’m going to go get the last bag and bring Aiden over.”

Kellan stepped out, and I rolled my suitcase to the biggest bedroom and flopped it onto my bed. Before I turn to go back out, I glanced out the window and saw Kellan talking to Steff. Kellan didn’t look happy, and when Steff looked back at my house, his face wasn’t very cheerful, either.

“Ugh, dammit.” What the hell was Kellan saying?

Dread seeped into my chest. I rushed outside as fast as I could. What could he have said? Bursting out the front door, I composed myself and walked across the shared lawn toward the two of them. Aiden had already drifted over toward my porch, and Kellan was walking away from Steff.

I pulled him close and hissed, “What the hell did you say to him?”

“I just… I said he needed to keep an eye on you.”

“Oh, bullshit, Kellan. You hate him; why would you ask him to watch out for me? Tell me right now.”

Even as I said it, I realized I sounded like a snobby, entitled bitch. How could I demand anything from Kellan? Still, I was terrified that Steff would find out about the scandal. Sure, it was public knowledge, but so far no one in town had said anything about it. There was a slight chance that Steff hadn’t heard about the story, and I was desperate to keep it that way. The last thing I needed was for Steff to look down on me or think I’d become some trashy Hollywood socialite.

“April, you need to stay safe, and as much as I dislike him, he and his friends have that security firm. It’s good you have someone who knows what he’s doing next door. Chill out.”

My irritation was starting to turn to anger. “I have security for that. I spent thousands of dollars on a system for this house. I don’t need a babysitter.”

I hadn’t noticed Steff stepping up beside us. He put a hand between us and said, “Hey, stop being a brat. He’s only looking out for you. It’s for your own safety. You should be happy you ended up next door to me. Whatever trouble you might have that comes your way, I can handle it.”

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