Page 18 of Spies without a Face
“How so?”
I chewed my bottom lip as I debated how much I should reveal about Austin’s personal life without checking with him first. Sticking to the basics should be safe. After all, he was here right now at the Network trying to start a new life here. What I was doing was aiding in the process, even though it was outside of the scope of my responsibilities and Lucas’s.
“His father was a bear shifter, but Austin didn’t know anything about shifters or that he had shifter blood until he was older. I get the sense he’s still searching—not just for a place to live but a place where he belongs. Do you know what I mean?”
Lucas nodded. “I do, indeed.”
“I thought you’d be a good person for him to talk to.”
Why was I getting involved in my neighbor’s social life?
Lucas glanced behind his body and joked, “Ah, good thing I hitched the Salem Supernaturals welcome wagon to me this morning.”
Lucas being Lucas. I went along with his joking. “That’s what gave me the idea.”
He tapped his chin and made a thoughtful sound. “Let me think for a moment.” He flashed me a knowing look. “You never asked me to do anything like this before. There must be something special about this guy.”
I avoided eye contact and rolled a shoulder back. “I’m just trying to be neighborly.”
“He must be good looking,” Lucas teased.
My cheeks heated as I pictured Austin’s massive, burly frame and warm brown eyes. With those muscular arms, he could make any woman feel protected and warm in his embrace—not that I was envisioning being that woman.
“I don’t know, maybe?” I dismissed it with a wave. “I didn’t pay much attention,” I lied, “Since he’s much younger than me.”
“So what? Supernaturals don’t age like humans.”
That was true. Shifters lived longer than humans. What that meant for someone with both shifter and human blood could mean anything.
Hoping to avoid any more of Lucas’s probing questions, I asked him, “What do you think?”
He stared at me with a speculative gleam a moment longer. “This is the guy who saved the cat, right?”
I pictured Austin showing up at my back door with the kitten. “Yes.”
“That means he must be a good dude.”
I resisted a sigh. He did seem so, indeed. Yet, I’d been so skeptical when he’d showed up there. “From what I know about him in the limited time we spoke, yes.”
“As a cat dad myself, I think it’s a good sign,” Lucas replied with a confident nod. “Sure, boss. Whenever you want to introduce us, I’m game.”
“Thanks. He’s over talking to Lucie about a job. I’ll give her a call to see if she can send him over when they’re done.”
My cheeks felt warm, and my hands trembled slightly as I picked up the phone. Why did I feel this strange fluttering inside? I was a professional, simply trying to do a good job while being neighborly. The tingling inside indicated otherwise.
AUSTIN
Pandora asked me to come over to her office. I stared at Lucie, waiting for her to answer my question if she knew why.
“No idea.” She stood and pointed out the window. “Her office is in that house.” She pointed across the lot to the green Victorian where I’d seen Pandora enter.
After we finished up, I tried to keep my steps unhurried and steady as I walked over, but my bear urged me to rush.
Stay cool, I growled at him.We’re not going to make a fool out of ourselves again.
I stepped inside into what appeared to be a waiting area with a few chairs. Instead of typical bland office décor, it appeared like a tropical greenhouse with an abundance of plants of all sizes. I scented Pandora was close. I inhaled and my bear lolled about inside as if drunk on honey mead.
Pandora stepped out of a room into the hallway area ahead and greeted me with a smile. “Hello again, Austin.”
