Page 17 of Monster Among the Roses (Fairy Tale Quartet 1)

When I trudged home that evening, it was nearly seven before I made it to my building. I felt bogged down and exhausted even though I hadn’t done much more than climb a ladder to wash windows and change a few lightbulbs in a chandelier. My soul felt weary because I kept worrying about Isobel.

I didn’t even know why I was so concerned; she’d been twenty times nastier to me than I’d been to her. Why should I care if the barbs I’d slung her way had actually hit the mark?

Because I’d meant to infuriate her and cause steam to rise from her collar. I’d wanted her face to flush with the lively rage I knew I could summon right before she fought back, belittling me in return. I’d wanted to taste the victory of another sparring match. Instead, nothing but acid had filled my tongue because it felt as if I’d hurt her. Truly, bone-deep hurt her.

Dragging, I pushed open the front door to my building, only to fall

to an uneasy halt when I saw the woman sitting on the bottom step.

When she saw me, she sprang to her feet, her eyes brightening and blonde hair bouncing. “Hi, Shaw. Where you been all day? Your mom said you got a new job. Did you get something at the new factory in Dover? Do you like it?”

I let out an exhausted sigh, barely holding in the groan I really wanted to release. “Hey, Gloria.”

I itched to brush past her and keep going up to my door, but her expression reminded me of an eager little puppy. I couldn’t kick the puppy, even though I knew any kindness on my part would only encourage her into thinking she might finally stand a chance with me. So I made a production of checking my mail slot, delaying the moment I’d have to face her again.

Gloria was a dilemma I didn’t know how to navigate. She was pretty, got along with my mother, adored the ground I walked on, cooked the best pumpkin pie I’d ever tasted, came from the same background as me and was only a year younger. On paper, we looked perfectly suited for each other, and I should probably thank my lucky stars I’d found such a gem.

In reality, she was clingy, nosey, annoying and I couldn’t summon an iota of chemistry for her. So I usually felt like an ungrateful ass when she threw herself at me, so obviously letting me know I could have her any time I wanted, or whenever my mom tried to nudge me in her direction. But seriously, a clammy sweat broke out over my skin when I even considered getting my mouth close to hers. I couldn’t do it. I just…I couldn’t. Which made me feel worse, and then caused me to be extra nice and polite to her, which, yeah, in turn fed her hopes and dreams that I’d eventually develop some affection for her.

I didn’t string her along. I swear, I didn’t. I’d explained to her—and to my mother—on numerous occasions that we would never have a relationship. And they both nodded as if they completely understood, only to concoct some new trap to try to snare me into Gloria’s clutches a week later.

The whole situation was a hot mess, and I would give anything to escape it.

Suddenly deciding I wasn’t in the mood to put up with a Gloria encounter after all, I closed the empty mailbox door, gave her a stiff nod, and hedged around her to head upstairs. “Well, have a good night.”

Not that she was deterred. She followed me up the steps. “So, what kind of stuff did Mr. Nash make you do?” Her voice lowered as she moved closer. “Was it illegal?”

I sighed, wondering why she’d asked me where I’d been and if my new job had been at another factory, when she’d obviously already gotten all the inside dirt from my mother. I really, really wished she and my mom weren’t so close, though I felt bad as soon as that thought arose. Mom didn’t have a lot of friends. It was sweet of Gloria to visit her, even though I suspected she only did it to get the scoop on me.

“No, it was nothing illegal,” I answered, knowing she’d probably glean these very details off Mom sooner or later. “He just wanted me to be a handyman at his house.”

Her nose wrinkled. “A handyman? That’s all?” I guess it would’ve been more exciting for her if I’d been breaking kneecaps and handling illegal substances.

I shrugged, inordinately pleased to disappoint her. “That’s all.”

She nodded. “So you got to see his house? I bet that was fancy. What’s the inside of Henry Nash’s place look like?”

“Big,” I answered, reaching my floor and pausing before darting past her, careful not to physically touch her, and hurrying toward my front door. “Well, I’m going to check on Mom now. Have a nice day, Gloria.”

“Oh, she’s fine. We had a lovely—”

I cut her off by slipping inside my apartment and closing the door as quickly as possible. The rest of her words went muffled and I shut my eyes as I rested my back against the door, feeling crappy for probably hurting yet another woman’s feelings today. I was certainly on a roll, wasn’t I?

“Shaw?” my mother’s weak voice called. “Is that you, dear?”

My eyes flashed open, and I immediately pushed myself forward. “Yeah, Mom. It’s me.” I hurried into the only bedroom in our apartment to find it dark with a blanket hanging over the window to keep as much light out as possible, which meant she’d had another migraine.

Wincing because I hadn’t been here to help her through it, I eased down next to the mattress beside her so I could stroke her thin, graying hair. “I just got home. Are you okay? Do you want me to get you some aspirin? Water?”

“No, no. I’m fine. Gloria took care of me.” She made a vague motion with her hand. “I was worried that man would keep you all night.”

I sent her a gentle smile. “Nah. He only worked me eight hours. It just took me a while to walk home.”

“He was…the work was okay?” She sounded worried so I kissed her forehead and smiled again.

“The work was fine, Mom. He just wants me to fix odds and ends around his house. Nothing more.”

She sniffed. “Nothing more so far. Rich, powerful men like that always have a hidden agenda.”

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