Page 233 of As The Shifter World Turns

“No one is as handsome as my mate.” I handed him back the phone. “Can you email me that?”

“Or you can say yes.” He took the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

“Say yes?”

“I just posted that job and you can ask Ivor, hiring people is the worst thing ever. I get people who don’t show up for interviews, others do show up and I wished they didn’t, and really I just hate it. Say yes. Help me launch this app into the stratosphere.”

“You mean it.” He nodded. “I might suck at it and I live next door. It’s not like you can avoid me.”

“You won’t suck at it. Ask Ivor when he comes back, I talked to him about asking you if you wanted the job. He told me not to because you had a steady job and a growing family and it’s a start-up not a huge company.”

“You wanted me? I guess you really do hate interviewing people,” I teased. “And yes under one condition.”

“Name it.”

“If it’s not working out, just tell me so it doesn’t fester and we lose our friendship.”

“Done.”

103

BEST FRIENDS

Neil

“Charlie’s asleep, but if he wakes, wait and see if he puts himself back to sleep.”

Martin sighed. “I live here too, love. I know the routine.” He kissed me. “Go and have fun with your friends.”

“Okay.” Archer was picking us up. Me, Anthony, and Ivor. We’d asked Daire but it was date night with Nate. We would have invited Anthony anyway, but he was having a hard time of it lately with the phone hang ups and stuff. I’d found my red bag. It was left on the porch of Sunshine Manor but someone had rifled through it, so I tossed the makeup and bought new stuff and sent all the clothes to be dry cleaned.

“I’ll walk you out.” We were being extra careful worried that Len could be lurking. “Toby, I’ll be back in one minute,” he yelled. “Just going next door. Listen for Charlie in case he wakes.”

“Okay.”

I felt bad leaving my mate at home but the four of us had been trying to arrange a night out for a while and we’d had to postpone a few times. While I was over the moon excited Martin had temporary work with Ryder, his head was not in the best place. Losing a job he was good at and had been doing for years put a huge dent in his confidence.

And while he had a job for however long the project lasted, I had an image of him watching TV all hours of the day and night and eating junk food when it ended. I pictured my mate coming with me to the manor when I was working in 2A and us falling over one another.

Martin needed to talk about why he’d been let go and I had to rememberhe’d been traumatized by losing his job and it was my role as his mate to be supportive.

“Are you sure you’re okay? I can cancel.” I didn’t want to but I had to offer and if he wanted me to stay, I’d do it.

“No, go. Toby and I are going to plan the next LARP.”

“Great.” I wasn’t going to be a servant next time.

Martin took me to the Sunshine Manor porch where Ivor was waiting with Anthony. And right then, Archer drove up and we piled in. Anthony peered out the back window as Archer drove off. We’d discussed whether to go somewhere busy or a small, quiet place but decided on the former, figuring there was safety in numbers.

“I need a plate of carbs,” I announced as the four of us settled in a booth. My friends agreed, though as Archer was vegetarian, we also ordered green dishes and not just brown!

“How’s Martin coping?” Ivor asked as he sipped his drink and Archer munched on fries.

“Much as you’d expect. His pride’s hurt and he’s worried about money. But thank you so much, Ivor, for thinking of him.” Of course he was concerned about finances for when the job with Ryder ended. But I was working and we were incredibly fortunate not to be paying a mortgage or rent on our apartment. And what Daire was asking for 2A and 2B was tiny compared to the market rate.

“No need to thank me. He was the best person to fill that vacancy. I’m just sorry it’s not permanent.”

That was the thing. As it wasn’t permanent, Martin was constantly looking ahead to the future, which was the sensible thing to do, because unemployment was looming. And while we were both relieved he’d be getting a paycheck, he was a little down, wondering what he’d done wrong at his former job, even though I reassured him it was a cost-cutting measure and had nothing to do with his ability to do the work. He knew that but the self-doubt remained.

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