Seer (Wonderfall #1)

1. Greg

CHAPTER 1

GREG

“Thank you for coming to speak to me about the job opening,” I said to Killian. I shook his hand and gestured for him to precede me out of the office and into the lobby.

He’d impressed me with his customer service skills and quick thinking when I’d given him some upset client scenarios to see how he might handle them. And when I’d walked him around the pet resort, he hadn’t flinched at the larger dogs or the cats. He’d even dressed up for the interview, wearing khakis and a button-down instead of the more typical jeans and a t-shirt.

Killian would be our new front desk employee, I could feel it.

“We’ve got a few more candidates to interview, but I’ll be in touch by the end of the week.”

Killian grinned and slowly turned, taking in the lobby. “I’m not worried. I’m from the future, so I know I’ll get the job.”

I pulled up short. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I have a time machine,” he told me earnestly. He wasn’t smiling .

Giving him my best grin, I said, “Ha ha, that’s a good one.” Come on, come on, laugh, dammit .

He shook his head. “I’m not joking. I’ve traveled to all different time periods, but this is my favorite.”

Fuck, I’d been so excited we’d finally fill the opening.

“Um, how nice.” Desperately I glanced around. At least there weren’t any clients in the lobby. Only Marie, who was staring open-mouthed, frozen in her task of counting the cash drawer. I cleared my throat. “Um, like I said, I’ll let you know by the end of the week.”

“Thanks, Greg!” He waved at Marie, who gave a half-hearted wave back.

When the glass door swung shut behind him, she rounded on me, her eyes wide. “Was he serious?”

“I think so?” I shook my head, turning to go back to the office. “He interviewed so well.”

The front doors opened again, this time admitting Craig, my business partner and best friend. He was on the phone, and he pointed me toward the office.

“Silvia, hang on. I just got back to the pet resort, and Greg is right here. Give us a second to get out of the lobby.”

I raised my eyebrows as I followed him. Silvia was the sixty-something ball of energy who lived across the street from Craig and his husband Foster. I’d gotten to know her fairly well over the past several years since I’d started attending game nights at Craig and Foster’s house. She made the most amazing food for us to snack on while we played.

Once we were inside the office with the door shut, Craig set his phone on my desk and said, “Okay, Silvia, you’re on speaker and Greg’s here. Why don’t you tell him what happened?” He smirked at me.

At least it didn’t seem to be anything bad.

I greeted Silvia, and she said, “Greg, Craig says your family can help me.”

I paused on my way to sit in my desk chair, raising my eyebrows at Craig.

He just grinned and pointed at the phone.

“Um, okay? With what?”

“I was driving home from Austin after I visited Corrie and the baby. I saw this poor dog walking along the side of the road. He was obviously someone’s pet, so I couldn’t leave him, pobrecito .”

“Of course not.” I squinted at Craig, who was laughing silently now. My family—officially—ran a wildlife rescue, not a dog rescue.

“He got right in the car and sat in the front passenger seat. He even let me put the seatbelt on him. He’s so cute. He keeps licking my face and hands.”

“Okay. I’m not sure I understand where my family comes in. They don’t take in dogs. But we can recommend some excellent dog rescue groups.”

“No, that’s the thing. I took him to a nice vet clinic right there on the edge of town. They scanned him for a chip, but he doesn’t have one. The vet said he’s a wolf hybrid.”

Oh, okay.

“Yeah, Silvia, you won’t find a regular rescue that would take one of those. ”

She sighed. “ Sí , the vet told me the shelters would put him down right away because of his breed.”

I frowned at Craig, who was still grinning like a fool. “I’m happy to take him to my family’s sanctuary. We can post his photo online in case someone’s looking for him. But in the meantime, TWIST will know how to handle him. They already have a couple of wolf hybrids.”

Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Okay. Can I bring him by the pet resort right now? If I keep him much longer, I don’t know if I can give him up.”

“Sure, come on over. You’re doing the right thing. You don’t know how a wolf hybrid will react around your great-granddaughter.”

We heard whining in the background.

“Oh, te amo también, perro bonito .”

Due to the risk of illness, I couldn’t put a stray in the boarding area with the client pets, but if he was well-behaved I could take him home with me for the night.

Craig whispered, “Ask her why she picked him up.”

Good point. “Hey, Silvia?”

“Yes?”

“He must be a pretty big dog. What made you think he was safe for you to let in your car?”

She laughed. “He’s wearing a beautiful blue sweater. Like a man’s sweater, not a dog sweater. It feels like cashmere.”

Fuck my life.

Craig almost fell out of his chair, he was laughing so hard.

I threw my pen at him.

A little after the lobby closed for the day, Silvia pulled up out front in her small SUV. The “dog” was sitting next to her, seat belt strapped across his cashmere-clad chest, his enormous head on her shoulder. She giggled as he licked her neck and cheek.

“Oh, boy,” Craig muttered as we walked outside.

I lifted the slip lead in my left hand and opened the passenger door with my right. “Hi, Silvia. Let me get this lead around his neck.”

He gave me a dirty look, but he allowed me to put the loop over his head.

“Excellent. I’ll run him to the sanctuary tonight. Hopefully he’ll be neutered and ready to mingle with the other wolf hybrids by the end of the week.”

He curled his lip at me, and I grinned.

Silvia hugged him around the neck. “You be a good boy for Greg. You’ll have a happy life.” She kissed him on the head, then, face crumpling, she turned away as I dragged him from the car.

Craig walked around to the driver’s side to talk to her, and I hauled the pain in my ass through the empty lobby.

I shoved him through the office door, then I slammed it behind me. “What the fuck are you doing, Lloyd?”

He shimmered, shifting, then the older man stood upright, lifting his arms over his head to stretch. I cringed and opened my lower desk drawer for my emergency pair of sweatpants.

Lloyd put his hands on his hips. At least he didn’t try to hug me. “You have to introduce me to her. Like this, though.” He gestured at himself. “The resonance between us was incredible.”

I slapped him in the stomach with the sweatpants. “I’m not introducing you to anyone without pants on. What the hell were you doing by the side of the road? And why here? I thought you were at TWIST.”

The door opened and Craig came inside. He instantly clapped his hand over his eyes. “Hey, Lloyd. Good to see you.” He grimaced. “Maybe not all of you.”

Lloyd huffed. “Fine, fine.” He put the sweatpants on. He was a good-looking guy, in a sort of middle-aged Morgan Freeman way.

Craig gingerly peeked through his fingers until he saw it was safe to lower his hand. “So what brings you here?”

Lloyd dropped into one of the guest chairs. “Destiny,” he said dreamily, looking at the ceiling.

I groaned and sat heavily in my desk chair. “Start at the beginning.”

“Your Uncle Edgar had a vision. He told me I had to walk along that particular road at that particular time. He even dropped me off.”

Oh, fuck. My mom was going to be pissed.

“Where’s Edgar now?”

“He went to Dallas. He was supposed to be there last night, but he said this was more important.” Lloyd rubbed his hands up and down his thighs. He gave me a pleading look, then turned it on Craig. “Y’all have to introduce me to Silvia. We’re meant to be.”

Craig turned to me, his eyebrows high enough to almost touch his blond curls. I sighed and said, “It’s up to you. ”

Craig told him, “You’re welcome to come to game night at my house tomorrow night. But no one there, not even my husband Foster, knows about this.” He waved a finger between me and Lloyd.

“And,” I said sternly. “You can’t pressure her. If Silvia’s not interested, you walk away.”

Lloyd put a hand over his heart. “Upon my honor.”

Turned out, Silvia was interested.

Everyone had taken Lloyd’s presence in stride, accepting that he was a friend of my family in town on business. He’d kissed Silvia’s hand as he greeted her, which I’d thought was over the top. But he’d followed it up by asking about the delicious food he could smell. She’d smiled and even giggled a couple of times as Lloyd had gushed over the food she’d made, rhapsodizing in Spanish how she must have trained under professional chefs to be so talented.

He'd managed to wrangle the seat between me and Silvia, and then he’d spent the evening complimenting her on her skill playing Hues and Clues —which, mind you, was suitable for children as young as eight years old—and hopping up to refill Silvia’s plate or get her another beverage.

Right now he was raptly listening to Silvia’s description of her newly remodeled kitchen, praising her for her choices.

For her part, Silvia seemed just as smitten with Lloyd, and the resonance between them was as strong as Lloyd had said it was.

I suppressed a yawn. It was 9:30pm and we’d finished two rounds of the game. Half the usual crew had already called it a night and gone home .

The rest of us had stayed to drink and chat, hanging out around Craig and Foster’s giant dining room table. Craig was sitting to my right, and Lloyd and Silvia were on my left. Foster sat across from Craig, and to his right, directly across from me, was Malcolm, a good friend of Foster’s and mine. His fiancé Felix was next to him.

Felix asked Silvia what kind of oven she’d chosen, and I tuned out the conversation. Picking Lloyd up at his hotel had been a mistake. If I’d let him drive himself, I wouldn’t have to find out whether or not he was planning to stay overnight at Silvia’s house. I rubbed my forehead and grimaced.

“You okay?”

I glanced over at Craig. “Sorry. My neighbors were playing video games all night again. I’ve complained enough that they turn the sound down on the game itself, but they still yell and trash-talk each other.” I sighed. “I’m forty years old, and everyone in the building is younger than me. Not to mention the management company isn’t keeping up with repairs. I think it’s time to bite the bullet and look for a house to buy.”

Instead of agreeing or commiserating, Craig gasped. His eyes went wide and sparkled with excitement.

“What?”

He slapped his hand over his phone, which was lying on the table in front of him. “Your mom will be so excited!” He picked up the phone and opened his messaging app.

Oh, hell no.

I grabbed his wrist. “No way. That’s not what’s happening.”

“What’s going on?” Lloyd asked. I was impressed he’d taken his eyes off Silvia to notice us .

Craig looked at Lloyd, and his face lit up. He opened his mouth, but I said, “No.”

He smirked. “You said it out loud, so it counts.”

The entire table went silent, everyone waiting to find out what Craig was talking about. Shit. I let go of Craig’s wrist and got up to get another beer. Maybe I should get two. I’d need them for this conversation. As a bonus, then I’d have to ask Malcolm to drive me home, and I could leave my car for Lloyd. I’d never have to know where he spent the night.

Craig gleefully said, “Greg wants to buy a house.”

Lloyd sucked in a breath and said, “ No . Really?”

“Really.”

“Fuck off, Craig,” I called from the kitchen where I was dumping my empty bottle in the recycle bin. “I have noisy neighbors, that’s all.”

Foster said, “Um, why is this a big deal?”

“It’s not,” I said emphatically, thunking my fresh beer on the table as I returned to my seat. I’d only gotten one, but I reserved the right to go back for another.

“It is ,” said Lloyd.

Craig nodded in agreement. “Greg’s mom is psychic. About ten years ago she told me she’d had a vision that Greg will find the love of his life as soon as he moves out of his apartment.”

Lloyd chuckled, glancing around the table so everyone could share in his amusement. “He’s stayed there this long just to irritate her.”

“There’s nothing wrong with living in an apartment,” I protested. “I’ve saved a ton of money.” Though pissing off my know-it-all mother was an excellent side benefit.

“Anyway,” Craig said. “I had to promise Greg’s mom I’d tell her as soon as he showed signs of moving out.”

I pointed a finger at him. “Do it, and you’re dead to me.”

Craig shrugged, “Sure. Then I guess I don’t have to meet Mrs. Carver at 6am Saturday morning so she can drop her dogs off before her flight.”

Fuck.

“Fiiiiiine. You’re my best friend forever, no matter what you tell my mother.”

He grinned. “Plus your mom reminds me every so often. Last time she said I’d get a year’s supply of chocolate chip cookies as a reward when I told her.”

Foster perked up. “Delphia’s cookies? Shit, send the text now.” He pointed at Craig’s phone. Foster might not know all of my mom’s secrets, but he’d met her several times since he and Craig had gotten together. She tended to make sure my friends remembered her fondly so they’d tell her any gossip about me.

Case in point: Craig’s stupid grin as he texted her.

I turned off my phone before slamming back half my beer. My mom would be insufferable. Which was nothing new.

Felix leaned forward. “She’s really psychic?”

I heaved a sigh. “Yes. She has visions. Usually while she sleeps but sometimes when she’s awake. She’s always fucking right.” I elbowed Craig. “My freshman year of college, she drove me to Austin to help me move into my dorm. On the way there, she told me I was about to meet my best friend. ”

“ Awww . I love that story.” Craig sent his text then leaned over to put his head on my shoulder.

Silvia pursed her lips. “There are more things in this world than we can ever understand. If she was given this gift, God must trust her to use it wisely.”

Lloyd picked up Silvia’s hand. “Well said.” He kissed her knuckles.

Foster tilted his beer at me. “I guess this means it’s your turn to get hit with the love stick.”

I glared at him. “That’s not happening. Plus, I haven’t even searched for a house yet, much less moved.”

Craig tapped his chin with one finger. “You know, Greg. The big house at the end of our street is for sale.”

Everyone made “ Oooh ” noises. Everyone except Malcolm and Felix.

Those two were whispering furiously at each other. Usually I’d be able to hear what they were saying, but there was enough ambient noise in the room to muffle their words.

With his eyes locked on Felix’s, Malcolm gestured in my direction. Felix had his arms crossed and he was shaking his head.

“Hey, what’s up, y’all?” They didn’t look my way, so I said, “Malcolm? Felix?”

The others turned to stare at them. It was nice not being the center of attention anymore.

Malcolm finally turned back to the rest of us. “Sorry. We, um....” He glanced at Felix. “We know someone who has the same sort of psychic talent. ”

I inhaled sharply. Lloyd was more subtle, but I could tell he’d gone tense.

“You mean visions while they sleep? Visions that come true?”

Malcolm nodded. “Yeah, exactly.” He made a face. “Trust me, I was skeptical as hell the first time Felix told me about it, but they’re the real deal.”

Holy fuck. Seeing visions was a rare gift. Carefully I said, “My mom would be happy to speak to them, to tell them how it works for her.” I practically held my breath waiting for a response.

Malcolm and Felix exchanged glances again. Felix leaned back in his chair. “This person is very private, and I won’t share their name or contact info without their permission.”

This psychic could be anyone Felix was acquainted with, but he had two best friends, Steve and Cal. I’d met Steve at Malcolm and Felix’s house once, and he didn’t carry any magic at all. My money was on Cal.

I nodded. “Of course. Can I give you my mom’s info to pass on to them? She’ll be excited to hear from them, I promise.”

Lloyd nodded. “That’s an understatement.”

If anything, this seemed to make Felix even more uncomfortable. He made a face. “I don’t know. They’re not good with... excitable people.”

Oh, right. Felix had met my mother. Shit. “Okay. I’ll tell her to tone it down. Your friend can always text or email her.” I gave what I hoped was a casual shrug. “If they don’t know any other psychics, connecting with someone who has the same talent could help make them feel not so alone.”

Felix nodded slowly. “Okay. It won’t hurt to ask them.”

I’d be googling the hell out of Cal when I got home.