Page 291 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Leaving my father to rest, I went downstairs. The house was surprisingly quiet. Most of my family was probably out.

I heard some commotion in the kitchen. Heading that way, I found Uncle Sam’s girlfriend, Giana, in the kitchen with Marissa. They were packing up food from what looked to have been a massive lunch.

“Hey, guys,” I said.

Marissa’s lined face broke into a smile as came to wrap me in a hug. “Miss Francis. My little Ava girl. How are you today?”

Grinning like an idiot, I squeezed her. “I’m good. I brought Dad home to sleep. Where is everyone?”

Giana sighed. “Out canvassing the town. Sam wouldn’t tell me what was going on, but I have a feeling something big is happening.” She finished packing a giant Tupperware container with some kind of pasta dish, salad, and bread and slid it across the table to me. “Here you go. A little snack for later.”

It was enough food to keep me fed for at least three days. Since we were Italian, this was normal. It amazed me that none of us had had a heart attack yet.

I pulled the container over and smiled. “Thanks.”

There was enough food that I could probably share it with Blayne. Maybe I’d take it over to his place later. Was that a good idea? I assumed so. Ihadtold him I’d see him later. Hopefully, he’d be up for it. I really didn’t want him to start back-sliding and make me feel like I was smothering him or something. It could play out a dozen different ways, but it was worth a shot. That way, I’d find out if he was really ready for me to be his friend or not.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Giana asked me.

I wasn’t sure how much she knew. She and Sam had been together for years and years. It was a little confusing that they hadn’t gotten married yet. Until I found out how much she knew, it was better to play dumb.

“Not sure. Dad didn’t want to get into it. I’m sure it’s no big deal.” I raised the container. “I need to head out. Thanks for dinner.”

“Okay, sweetie. See you later,” Giana said with a wave.

“See you soon, Miss Francis,” Marissa said from the sink.

Blayne’s car wasn’t at his house, so I’d have to wait until he was back to bring him dinner. I put the container in the fridge, then grabbed my laptop. I’d fallen behind on my work stuff and needed to check my emails.

After everything that had happened to Liam, I couldn’t stand living in Lilly Valley anymore. I’d left a few weeks after his burial to go to cosmetology school, which led to me opening my own business. I’d been lucky to find a spot at a high-end studio near DC. It helped me get some high-end clients, and now I was usually booked up seven or eight months in advance. It was a good problem to have, but when Dad got sick, I had to put a hold on all my appointments. Thankfully, some of my friends in the industry were able to fill in for me, but I was sure I’d have a dozen or more requests in my inbox.

I pulled up my calendar and noted when Dad’s last day of chemo was, and then started combing through my emails to start booking appointments. Once Dad’s treatments were over, I’d be safe to head back to the real world. The cancer was caught very early, and the treatments wouldn’t be too aggressive, but getting him tostartthe treatments had been the most important thing. Now that he was on the road, he wouldn’t stop. He was too stubborn to give up once he began something. I’d probably return every few weeks to check up on him unless there was some kind of setback.

I had well over a dozen emails to sort through. Most were from clients asking for appointments. Others were junk. After an hour of replying, scheduling, deleting, and other administrative tasks, my eyes were getting heavy. I tried to blink away the tiredness, but soon the screen started to blur and I rubbed at my eyes, exhaustion overwhelming me.

Before I even realized it, I was asleep on the couch. A knock at the door startled me from my sleep. I glanced around the room in confusion, unsure of my surroundings at first. A wet line of drool trickled down my chin. I wiped it away with my sleeve.Very sexy, Ava. Really fucking hot.

The knock sounded again, and I stumbled to the door. I glanced through the peep hole and saw Blayne standing out on my porch. I lifted the chain and opened the door.

“Hey? What’s up?”

Blayne stared down at his shoes, his hands fidgeting at his sides. He looked nervous.

“Blayne? Is something the matter?”

He looked up quickly, like he’d made a decision. His words tumbled out breathlessly. “Can you come with me for a minute?”

I stopped, unsure what he meant. “Come with you where?”

Blayne looked like he was mad at himself, wincing and shrugging. “Sorry. It’s nothing bad. I want to test something out. Can we go back behind my house?”

Not sure what else to do, I nodded and stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind me. Blayne looked relieved when I followed him. The sun had slipped over the mountains and the sky had a purplish glow that threw long shadows across the grass. Blayne kept walking until we were about twenty yards into the forest behind his house.

“All right,” he said. “I guess I should tell you now. I haven’t been able to shift since you rejected me.”

“What?” My eyes must have looked like saucers in the darkness. I hadn’t known that. “You never told me that.” Irritation and sorrow fought within me. Irritation that he hadn’t mentioned all the side effects he’d be experiencing, and sorrow that I’d caused it.

“I know. I’ve tried, but it just won’t happen. My panther’s been so depressed that he wouldn’t come forward when I called on him. He’s been better the last couple of days, though. I wanted to try again. I thought…uh…you know…if you were here it might make it easier for him to come out.”

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