Medium (Wonderfall #2)

16. Ellis

CHAPTER 16

ELLIS

I admired our connections, all golden and sparkly even without my glasses, but Rory’s face scrunched up. “Uh, Ellis? His stomach? I’m not sure what you want me to say.”

Shane smiled at him and grabbed his hand where it rested on my belly. I still had hold of their wrists, so we were solidly joined.

“How old are you?”

Rory looked even more confused. “Twenty-five. Why?”

“Some magical abilities manifest early, like your being able to see ghosts. But other abilities come later in life. What Ellis and I can do, that you’ll be able to do one day yourself, is see connections.”

Rory stared at my stomach for an uncomfortably long time. My dick considered being interested, but ultimately decided it needed more sleep before anything fun would happen.

I felt Shane squeeze Rory’s hand. I loved Rory’s long fingers. I had so much to teach him if he was willing to learn. Shane’s fingers I loved for other reasons. Reasons I couldn’t take advantage of right now .

“You’re saying you see connections? Between me and Ellis? And you?” Rory raised his eyebrows at Shane.

I couldn’t stop smiling.

Shane smiled too. “Between the three of us. Strong connections. Really strong.” He focused his gaze on where his hands joined with Rory’s. I let go of their wrists and put my hands over theirs. Shane smiled. He glanced almost shyly at me, then at Rory. “If Ellis and I bond again in the future, it looks like you’ll be bonding with us too.”

A smile bloomed over Rory’s face, and through the connection I felt his happiness. Tension eased from his body.

I cleared my throat. “One of us hasn’t been kissed yet tonight. Just pointing that out.”

Rory’s smile turned naughty. He leaned toward me, but before he got close enough for our lips to touch, he turned his head toward Shane. “Well? Get in here. We can’t have him complaining later how he didn’t get the full experience.”

Shane’s eyes almost bugged out of his head. Then I felt a rush of lust through our connection. It was strange, feeling him at a distance like this after being bonded. But at the same time it felt right. Because the connection to Rory balanced out the connection to Shane. And when we bonded—because that was absolutely happening—it would be beautiful.

Shane bent down, and his and Rory’s heads approached mine. I didn’t know where to look, so I closed my eyes and waited.

The kiss was glorious. A little awkward, but it was worth it to feel both sets of lips, both tongues, touching mine. I moaned, letting go of their hands to lift mine to rest on their necks.

Rory was the first to break away .

“Nooo!” I gripped his neck harder to keep him in place. Shane gave me one last peck on the side of my mouth, then he sat up as well.

Rory chuckled. “You’re in no shape to do anything more.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but then I stopped. He was actually right. I was ready to sleep some more. “Well, fuck.”

They laughed, but Rory froze. He turned toward the door and held one hand up in a Stop gesture. “No. You get out. Especially you .” He pointed in the direction of the dresser. “I won’t have you making them uncomfortable and worry that you’re spying on us.”

Shane sat forward. “Is that Granny? Listen, you old bat. I didn’t put up with your nosiness when you were alive, and it goes double now. I’ll be happy to visit with you in the morning, but right now, Ellis needs to rest, and Rory and I aren’t planning on wearing any pajamas. So get out or get an eyeful. It’s up to you.”

He jerked his t-shirt over his head and tossed it in the general direction of the closet.

Rory relaxed and turned around. He got out of bed and picked up Shane’s shirt. “They’re gone.”

“Hold up.” I glanced between Shane and Rory. “Are you saying Shane’s grandmother is one of the ghosts who’s been helping you?”

Rory winced. “Yeah. She didn’t want me to tell Shane.”

I fell back against the pillows, my hands over my face. “This is too much for my brain right now.”

Shane kissed my cheek. “Sleep. Rory and I will get ready for bed, and we’ll be right back, okay? ”

“Okay.” I closed my eyes, smiling to myself as I listened to them moving about the room and speaking softly to each other.

I managed to avoid dwelling on the giant gap in my memory, and especially the reason for it, before I fell asleep.

I woke up when Rory got out of bed. He patted my arm. “I’ll be right back.” He headed for the bathroom.

Now that I thought about it, I really needed to go as well. I sat up and looked around. I’d been pretty out of it last night, but we—the three of us! Fuck, yeah!—were in a guest bedroom, probably in the dryad’s compound. I automatically checked my magic to see if everything was right with my District and my connections, but all I could feel was Rory and Shane.

Shane was still asleep next to me. I resisted the urge to run my fingers over his stubble. I missed our bond, but—at least based on what we’d discussed last night—we were heading in that direction again. This time with Rory.

I smiled as I looked around for my phone. My smile dropped. The vampires must’ve tossed it. I shivered uneasily and moved my hand so it rested against Shane. Our connection was strong enough that the skin-to-skin contact gave the illusion of a bond.

I wanted to speak to him mind-to-mind, but he was having a pleasant dream. A sexy one, if I wasn’t mistaken. I looked down at my dick. It wasn’t reacting.

I probably needed more rest and recovery from losing all that blood. I shivered again.

Rory came out of the bathroom, so I slid to the edge of the bed and stood up .

He rushed to my side. “You feeling okay?”

“A little tired. But I need to piss, and I desperately need a shower.”

Shane stirred and opened his eyes. “No showering without help. At least until you get breakfast.”

I tapped my finger on my chin. “I am hungry, but if I take the shower now, you just promised to help me.” I wiggled my eyebrows.

They laughed, as I’d intended, but I regretted the innuendo. I didn’t want them to think I planned on having sex; my body was not up for any shenanigans this morning.

I went into the bathroom by myself and shut the door in Rory’s face. “I can pee alone. I’ll open the door right after.”

Without looking at the huge mirror over the sinks, I rushed over to the toilet and pulled down my boxers, closing my eyes in relief. When I was done, pulled my boxers back up. Normally I didn’t have any issues about the size or shape of my body, but right now I wasn’t ready to bare it all for Rory. Shane had seen me before, but still.

I took a big breath. Okay, I could do this. I walked over to the sink and looked at myself in the mirror. I tilted my head back and squinted so I could examine the marks on my neck. There were four of them. They didn’t look fresh, so—like the mark on Rory’s wrist—the bites were healing more rapidly than normal wounds.

Vampires had fed from me four times. Clutching the lip of the sink, I closed my eyes and breathed through the nausea. I completely understood why Rory had thrown up yesterday.

I needed a shower, and I needed it now .

I washed my hands and finally looked around. The bathroom was fairly large for a guest room. There was a cream-colored granite counter with a double sink, the toilet, a cupboard for towels, and a shower stall.

I walked over to turn on the shower so the water could warm up. Our hosts had provided sample-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, which I appreciated. I hadn’t brought any shampoo with me since I usually only used it once or twice a week. But after whatever the vampires had done to me, I needed to wash my hair as well as my body.

I pulled open the shower door and leaned inside to turn the faucet handle. I grabbed the lever but froze without turning it.

The shower stall felt like it was closing in on me. I was dizzy, and the nausea was back. I forced myself to step away. I made it over to the sink, and I grabbed the edge of the counter as I sank down on my knees.

Still hanging on to the granite, I hung my head and gulped in air. I must’ve made some sort of noise, because Rory opened the door. “Ellis!” He rushed over and squatted down next to me. “What happened?”

“I—the shower—” I jerked my head toward it.

Rory looked over his shoulder at Shane, who leaned over Rory’s back and stared down at me in concern. “The shower scared you? Made you remember something?”

“I—sort of? Not really. It felt like... a trap.” My voice went down to a whisper on the last part.

Shane’s eyes shot to the shower, and he made a hissing noise. “The vampires—in their van—they had you in a metal box with a lock on it. Ms. Jackson had to rip the lock off so we could get you out. ”

I shuddered. “I thought I was unconscious.”

Rory rubbed my back. “Um, maybe you were in and out. Okay, well, I’m sure Clementine will let us use another bathroom that has a tub.”

Shane nodded. “I’ll go check.” He started to straighten up.

“No! Wait. Please. Can you just... go in there with me? I want to try that first.” I had a shower stall at my house in Dallas. I didn’t want to live there anymore, but I might have to stay there while I got it ready to sell.

Rory and Shane eyed the shower stall, which, okay, wasn’t big enough for the three of us.

Shane walked over and reached inside to flip on the water. “How about one of us is in there with you and the other stands outside. We’ll pull you out if it gets too stressful.”

“Okay.” Rory seeing me naked suddenly wasn’t much of a concern in light of my issues with the shower stall. I let him help me stand up again.

Without ceremony, Shane pulled his t-shirt over his head and tugged off his boxer-briefs.

Rory muttered, “Fuck.”

Relieved to have something to smile about, I elbowed him. “Right? It’s all the landscaping he does.”

“Your turn.” Shane walked over and tugged on my boxers. I couldn’t decide if I was glad he wasn’t hard or embarrassed.

Once I was naked, he grabbed my hand and led me over to the shower stall. He checked the water temperature and got inside. Rory stood at my back and rubbed my shoulders. “You can do this. ”

I glanced back at him. “How did I miss you getting undressed?” I gave him a thorough once-over, but even if I’d had my glasses I wasn’t in the right mindspace to appreciate his lean muscles, golden treasure trail, and sizeable dick. He was at least half-hard, which I decided was a compliment, though it might’ve been for Shane, who could turn anyone on all by himself.

“I’m sneaky that way.” He nudged me toward the shower stall.

I sucked in a deep breath and got in next to Shane. Rory held the door open. I didn’t enjoy the cool drafts of air, but it was better than being shut inside.

Shane and I couldn’t avoid touching each other, and I focused on where my skin brushed against his, which helped me not think about how small the box we were in really was.

Once we were both completely wet, I reached for the shampoo.

“Let me?” Shane intercepted my hand.

“Okay.”

He turned me so my back was toward him. I heard him set the bottle back on the little shelf, and then his hands were in my hair, massaging the shampoo into my scalp. I lifted my gaze to Rory’s. He gripped the frame of the shower door with one hand, and the edge of the glass wall with the other. His eyes burned into mine, and his cock was rock-hard.

“Ooooh, look,” Shane said into my ear. I felt his erection brush my ass cheek. “Rory likes what he sees.”

He tipped my head back to rinse out the shampoo. When he released me, I said, “Guys, I don’t think I’m.... ”

“Shh.” Shane wrapped his arms around my front. “A little blue balls won’t hurt us.” His reassurance came through our connection, but I still felt guilty.

“Y’all can?—”

“No.” Rory reached in and ran his hand over my cheek. “We’ll wait until you’re ready. All of us or none of us, at least until we figure out our relationship. Okay?”

Shane nodded, the stubble on his cheek rasping against my ear. “Okay.” He nudged me. “Conditioner?”

“Um, no, thanks.” I couldn’t look away from Rory’s smiling eyes. He wasn’t trying to send his emotions through our connection—I was pretty sure we’d explained connections to him—but I could feel his want when he looked at me and Shane. And it wasn’t just lust. He wanted us. Our time, our emotions, and our futures.

Shane lathered me up with the body wash, cleaning everything, including my ass and junk, tenderly but efficiently. When I was rinsed off, he kissed me before handing me over to Rory, who dried me with the same care. Then I was wrapped in a towel and seated on the closed toilet.

“Now you get to watch.” Rory winked at me and swung his hips as he got into the shower with Shane, who was almost done shampooing his hair. Rory grabbed the body wash and, after dumping some in his hand, began to lather Shane up. Based on the way Shane’s cock jumped, and the bolt of lust that came through our connection, Shane enjoyed the touch.

I really wished my libido was interested, but I was fighting fatigue. Shane shot me a worried look and took over washing himself. He muttered something to Rory, who hastily snatched the shampoo off the shelf and began on his hair.

Well, fuck. I was a killjoy today .

A very few minutes later, Shane and Rory got out of the shower and dried off. I decided to let my hair do whatever it wanted. I didn’t have any product here, and nobody was going to judge.

We all went into the bedroom where it turned out Rory had hung up all of our clothes. After I got dressed, I was told to sit in one of the armchairs, and Rory packed my dirty clothes into my bag and his into his backpack. Shane packed up his own bag. We stripped the bed and left the sheets in a pile on top of the comforter.

We got to the living room in time to hear Levi yell at Simon. “Don’t be a damn fool, son!”

Simon put his hands on his hips. “I’m not your son!”

Levi waved this away, but before he could open his mouth again, Shane said, “What’s going on?”

Levi pointed at Simon. “This one won’t wait for the others to get here to feed him. Plus, Roberta went to the medical supply store to get some bags and tubing so we can send a cooler along for the road. But that’ll take even more time, and he—” He jabbed his finger in Simon’s direction again. “Says he needs to get going.”

I felt slightly ill thinking about Simon feeding from someone, even if it was consensual. But on the other hand, he’d risked his life to rescue me yesterday, and Shane and Rory had said he’d saved the dryads from the vampires.

Rory walked up to Simon and poked him in the chest. “You promised. Last night, you injured your leg. You promised you’d feed before you left today.”

Simon’s expression said he’d hoped Rory wouldn’t remember that. His shoulders slumped. “Fine.”

Shane walked over. “Give me your phone. ”

Simon gave him a wary look but pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over.

“I’m putting all of our numbers in here, and the number for Dominic Shaw, who heads up the Hunters out of TWIST.” Oh, good call.

Simon scowled. “I can handle the vampires on my own. There are only four of them left on the planet besides me.”

“Maybe. But it’ll be easier and less risky for you to have backup. Plus, didn’t you say they had hostages? The Hunters know all about handling trafficking victims.”

Simon huffed and rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

Clementine stuck her head around the corner. “If the shouting is over, y’all can come get some human-style breakfast.”

As I turned to follow Rory into the kitchen, a flash of gold between Simon and Levi caught my eye. Oh ho! All of that shouting covered up some real affection. Even without my glasses I could see they had a tentative family connection between them. No wonder Levi was calling Simon “son”. Simon was going to get help whether he wanted it or not.

Smiling, I walked over to the table, where Ms. Jackson was in their tiger form along with Pia and Manny. Pia cheered when she saw me, jumping up from her chair and running over to hug me.

“I’m glad you’re okay!” She stepped back, pointing at the newly reformed connection between us. “That’s better!”

I smiled at her as she skipped back to her seat, but Rory said, “Hey! Is she talking about a connection? How come she can see them, and I can’t?”

I shook my head. “She’s a Wonder. They have more magic than we do.” But speaking of things we could see.... I stopped in my tracks. “Why’s Manny sparkling?” I squinted, but it didn’t go away.

Manny looked down at himself and frowned.

Shane put his hand on my lower back. “He got injured and Ms. Jackson healed him. It’s fading.”

“Wait.” Manny put his hands up and turned them this way and that. “What do you mean I’m sparkling? Why can’t I see it? I want to see it!”

Pia giggled. “Only magic carriers and Wonders can see the magic sparkle, silly.”

He gave her an exaggerated pout. “Huh. I’ll just have to find some extra sequins or rhinestones to make up for it.”

Had Ms. Jackson given him some of their magic as part of the healing? Just how badly injured had he been?

Shane pushed me toward one of the empty chairs. I smelled bacon and toast, and my stomach growled. I’d get Manny’s story out of Shane and Rory later when Pia wasn’t around.

Clementine reappeared. “Ellis, is this your phone?” She held it up.

My mouth dropped open. “Oh my god, yes, it is! Where did you find it?”

She handed it over then gestured vaguely toward the front door. “One of the others found it in the woods when it rang.”

I pressed it against my chest. “Thank you so much, and please tell whoever it was that found it thanks as well. Now I don’t have to deal with getting a new phone on top of everything else.”

I clicked on the screen. Without my glasses I couldn’t make out the percentage of battery left, but it looked small. I’d only received one phone call, and although I couldn’t read the town name, it was from somewhere in Arizona, so most likely spam. Well, at least it’d helped me get my phone back.

Simon joined us at the table and scarfed down a large plate of food, same as the rest of us. He had nice hands, large and long-fingered. He’d be easily able to do a Double Iron Whip if he wanted to. When he was done eating, he put his fork on his plate and drained his glass of orange juice. “I’ll be leaving soon. Rory and Ellis, if you want your memories back, now is the time to tell me.”

I didn’t have to think about it. I shook my head almost violently. “No. Not me. Thanks for offering, but no.”

Rory rubbed my back, but said, “I want them back. Please.”

“Sure. Shane, can you switch seats with me?”

Shane got up, and he and Simon moved around each other to exchange places. Simon caught Shane’s arm. “You guys should bond soon. That’s a shit-ton of connections you’re holding. If your magic decides they’re too many, it’ll either start cutting some of the connections or just kind of....” He clapped his hands together. “Implode.”

“Wait, what? You mean because he’s holding both of our Districts? Can’t I take mine back now?” Fuck, I didn’t want Shane hurt.

Simon shrugged. “If you’re resonating with your District, sure. Have you felt it since yesterday?”

My shoulders sagged. “No.” And I was smack dab in the middle of it too.

Shane hadn’t sat down again yet. He shifted nervously, gripping the back of the chair Simon had been sitting in. “I bet that’s because I’m resonating with your District as well as my own. Or they’re combined now. But, Simon, what did you mean by implode ? That sounds... violent?”

Simon lowered himself into the chair next to Rory. “I’ve never seen it myself, but it would mean your magic would essentially collapse in on itself from the strain and you’d pretty much burn out. Some of your magic might come back, but most of it probably wouldn’t.”

Shane plopped into the chair, rubbing his chest. His face was pale. Ms. Jackson nudged him with the side of their head.

I raised my hand. “I’m all for bonding ASAP.”

Rory’s eyes darted between me and Shane. “I’m on board if you’ll have me.”

I put my hand around his back.

Shane emanated worry through the bond. “It’s a big step. Are you sure?—”

Simon held up a hand. “You can discuss it later. I need to get going. Ellis, let go of Rory for a minute.” I pulled my hand back. “Okay, Rory, give me your hand.” He took Rory’s hand in his and then stared into his eyes for a moment. “Okay, done.” He let go. Simon scooted his chair back as if he were about to stand up.

Rory grabbed his wrist. “Wait.”

Simon froze.

Rory said, “I forgive you for taking my blood with, um, minimal consent. I can see you didn’t like doing it.”

Simon ducked his head. “Thanks.”

Rory patted Simon’s wrist. “I hope you find the one you’re looking for. ”

Simon smirked. “Which one?” He shoved the chair back and picked up his and Shane’s plates to take to the kitchen.

Just as he returned, Levi came in through the front door. “Where’s Simon? Oh, there you are. A bunch of people are here ready to donate blood. And we have bags so you can take some with you.”

We all said goodbye to Simon and Levi so they could go off to deal with that. Then Shane helped Clementine clean up the dishes while Rory put our bags in the car. Manny and I were allowed to go to the front porch and watch Pia ride on Ms. Jackson’s back as they trotted around in their donkey form. It looked hella uncomfortable to me, but I wasn’t a teenager anymore.

I was looking forward to getting into the car, because I really needed another nap.

I turned to Manny. “Are you tired from being injured yesterday?”

He made a so-so gesture. “Not as much as I expected to be. Those sparkles must be the shit, right?” He grinned, but then dropped his smile. “But my head is pretty fucked up. I thought I was dead. I mean, I could tell I was on the way out. It’s freaky, you know?”

I knocked my shoulder into his. “I know. Trust me, I know.”

Finally everyone was ready to go. We thanked Clementine for her hospitality, and she hugged us goodbye. Pia and Ms. Jackson got in the third row of seats along with Pia’s potted plants, and Manny and I commandeered the more comfortable seats in the second row. I had mine reclined as far back as it would go before we were off the dryads’ property.

I yawned. “Wake me when we get there. I can’t wait to be home.”

I jerked awake when the car doors opened. Blinking, I looked around as I levered my seat upright. “What are we doing here ?” Shit, they weren’t planning on leaving me here, were they?

Shane pulled my door open. “What do you mean? You said you wanted to go home. This is the address you gave me a while back. Did you move or something?”

“I—I meant your home. I mean, I was hoping we’d live there.” I eyed my zero-personality, cookie-cutter suburban home. “I guess I should’ve talked to you about it.”

Shane seemed at a loss for words.

But Manny wasn’t. “Great! We can pick up a bunch of your stuff to take back with us, then we can get on the road and be home in Houston tonight!” Pia cheered as he exited the car and tilted his seat forward for her to get out.

Shane extended a hand to help me out of the car. When I was on my feet, he kissed my cheek before tilting the seat for Ms. Jackson. “Sounds like a great plan to me.”

“Yeah?”

“Um, Ellis?” Rory put his hand on my back. “Ms. Jackson seems to be letting your neighbor see them.” He pointed toward the house next door. I squinted at the fuzzy figure of Gerald Rathbone, the biggest pain in my ass, who seemed to be tracking Ms. Jackson as they sauntered toward the front door.

“Oh, fuck. He’s going to call the HOA. Or Animal Control.”

Shane chuckled. “Ms. Jackson can handle it. Let’s get inside and get your packing started. Pia could probably use a snack if you’ve got anything. ”

“You know what? You’re right. Fuck him. I’ll be moving out anyway.” I waved cheerfully at Gerald as I walked to the house. Ms. Jackson had opened the front door, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about how.

Selling the place would certainly help my finances now that I was unemployed. The severance check would only go so far.

Rory and Manny went to forage in the kitchen while Shane, Pia, and Ms. Jackson explored the back deck. I headed for the bedroom to get my spare pair of glasses.

Once I could see again—and that alone improved my mood a hundred percent—I dug a couple of suitcases and some duffel bags out of the closet in the office-slash-guest bedroom. I took those into my room and tossed them onto the bed.

The first thing I did was take my Yo-Yo collection off the shelf over my dresser and carefully wrap each one in a t-shirt and place them in a duffel. I only owned nine, but the Hornet and the Metal Drifter with the skull counterweight were my favorites. Hopefully Shane and Rory wouldn’t think my hobby was too dorky.

After making sure Pia was still outside, I opened my nightstand and dumped my sex toys, lube, and condoms into the same duffel before zipping it up.

After that I shoved clothes into the suitcases without taking them off the hangers. I’d worry about wrinkles when I got to Shane’s house. Our house.

I smiled.

Shane wandered in. “Those bougainvilleas you planted a few weeks ago look great.” He opened a drawer and started rummaging through my shorts and t-shirts.

“Good. They’ll help sell the house then. ”

He paused, a stack of my shorts in his hands. “You were nesting. I remember. You told me you bought a bigger car, you painted, and you planted the flowers.” He dropped the shorts into the suitcase and walked over to me. “The bigger car was to carry me, Rory, and Pia. But the paint and the flowers were to help sell this house so you could move into mine.” He kissed me, slow and sweet.

I reveled in the feel of his body, his lips on my mouth. I’d missed this. When he finally pulled back, I hugged him. “I can’t wait to have our bond back, but I’m glad we know what was missing the first time.” I glanced out the window to the backyard. Pia and Ms. Jackson must’ve come back inside. “Do you think we can get Rory to move in too?”

Shane snorted. “He’s hooked. He’ll come. Plus he lives in an apartment. It’s not like Pia would want to move in there.” His eyes went wide. “Do you mind.... We didn’t talk about Pia living with us.”

I gave him my most devious grin. “Hey, Pia?” I called.

“Yeah?” It sounded like she was in the kitchen.

“You wanna live in Shane’s house with me and Shane and Rory?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay, good!” I winked at Shane. “See, took care of that. TWIST has someone who can help us get ID documents for her. We’ll be all set.”

Rory stuck his head around the doorframe. “I feel like I missed out on an important conversation.”

I tilted my head up to squint at the ceiling. “ Hmmm . No. No, I don’t think so. ”

He came inside the room, allowing Shane and me to pull him into our hug. “Nothing you want to ask me?”

Shane kissed his cheek. “No, not particularly. Ellis and I got everything figured out.”

He snorted. “Sounds like it. For the record, I’m with Pia. I wanna live with you two. And her.”

We attempted another three-way kiss, but before we could work out whose head needed to tilt in which direction, someone pounded on my front door.

“I’ll get it!” Manny shouted.

I groaned. “I bet Gerald called the homeowners association about Ms. Jackson.”

Rory pulled back. “They’d show up that quickly? I thought HOAs just sent you nasty letters with fines for breaking the rules?”

“Ellis? Can you come here please?” Manny sounded amused.

I sighed. “They do that too.” I squeezed them one more time then headed to the front door. Rory and Shane trailed after me.

Yep, there was Sharon White, the president of the HOA. She was dressed to impress in a navy power suit and heels. She had a clipboard in one hand and held up her phone in another.

“Hello, Sharon. What brings you by today?” As if I didn’t know.

“Ellis. I received a very concerning complaint regarding a dangerous animal on your property. I’m afraid I can’t allow such a creature to remain in the neighborhood. ”

I crossed my arms. “A dangerous animal? Is that really an HOA matter? Seems to me you should’ve called Animal Control if you or whoever made the complaint were that worried about it.”

“Wait a sec.” Rory held up his phone. “If she’s recording this conversation, I feel like you should have a recording too. Okay, go ahead.”

Sharon gave him a once-over. “And who might you be?”

He gave her a charming grin. “I’m Rory, one of Ellis’ boyfriends.”

Her mouth dropped open. “One of....”

Shane came up behind me and kissed me on the temple. “I’m Shane. The other boyfriend.”

Sharon’s eyes went wide. “Well, now, this is not acceptable. There’s a morality clause in the HOA charter.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. “Isn’t that the clause where it says we can’t do anything illegal? I don’t remember a law against having two boyfriends.”

Pia walked up with a peanut butter cracker in her hand. Sharon gasped. “You have a child in this home? Little girl, where are your parents?”

Pia wrinkled her nose. “Dead.”

Sharon’s jaw was getting a workout today.

Pia turned to us. “Ellis, is it lunchtime yet? I’m hungry.” She stuck her bottom lip out and tipped her head forward slightly to make her eyes seem bigger and sadder.

I rubbed my hand over my mouth to hide my smile. “Sharon, I’m sure you have other things to do with your day. What exactly did you come over here for? ”

She dragged her eyes away from Pia. “Right. The complaint about a dangerous animal. I need to see the animal to verify it and obtain your assurance you will get rid of it.”

I scrunched up my face and tapped my finger against my chin. “I don’t have a pet, and I don’t recall seeing any animals today. What kind of animal? Like a coyote or something?”

“It was a tiger,” she said flatly.

Pia gasped. “She wants to take Ms. Jackson away? Noooo! Ellis! Rory! Shane! You can’t let her!” She threw her arms in the air—which I thought was a little overdone—and spun around before racing around the corner toward the small den I used for watching TV and gaming.

Manny, who was still holding the door open, coughed into his shoulder.

Sharon had a triumphant gleam in her eye. “So you do have a tiger.”

I sighed. “Sure, Sharon. There’s a tiger in the den if you want to look. Though really, aren’t cats allowed under the HOA rules? I don’t think the type of cat is specified.” I waved her forward. I would not miss dealing with Gerald and Sharon after I moved.

With that heartening thought, I extended my arm to indicate Sharon should precede us through the living room and into the den.

She sniffed as she walked past me. “I feel certain that owning an exotic animal such as a tiger violates a city ordinance.” She stopped in the doorway. “Is this some sort of joke?”

I folded my arms. “You tell me. You’re the one who accused me of having a tiger. There’s the tiger. ”

Manny stuck his head around my shoulder to chortle at Pia, who was hugging the tiara-wearing stuffed tiger form of Ms. Jackson and pretending to sob into their fur. “ Chica , the tiger’s not going anywhere. Stop crying and come help me and Shane figure out what we’re going to order for lunch.”

Pia looked around and wiped her dry eyes. “Lunch?” She leaned over and kissed Ms. Jackson on the cheek then bounced off the couch. “Ms. Jackson wants to try brownies!”

Sharon stepped aside to allow Pia to leave the room. She stared down at her clipboard. “I see I was provided with incorrect information.”

“I guess so. Anything else I can help you with?”

“Um, no. Thank you.” She held her head high as she walked past me.

I gave Ms. Jackson a thumbs up before I followed Sharon to the front door, running into Rory as he carried one of my suitcases out of my bedroom.

“You packed for me?”

He grinned and shrugged. “You’re tired. And this way it’ll be a surprise to see what you brought with you.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Or what you forgot.”

Sharon ignored him but thawed enough to tell me, “If you’re leaving town, I can have the citizen patrol drive by more frequently.”

Well, shit. Now I felt bad. Maybe I should throw her a bone. “Thanks, Sharon, that would be great. Um, I’m actually going to be moving to Houston. Do you know a good realtor?”

She smiled, and as Rory went out the front door to put the suitcase in the car, Sharon pulled out her phone and texted me a number. “Gretchen is my sister. She knows the area well and will get you the best price.”

Oh, fuck, her sister? I gritted my teeth and forced a smile. “Sounds great.”

Sharon glanced behind her at Rory, then she eyed Shane and Manny, who were in the kitchen with Pia. “If you’ll be tied up with... your boyfriends in Houston, she offers a remote closing option and she can contract out the packing.” She looked around my living room. “If you can leave the furniture here, it’s staged well enough now.”

Shane had been right. My nesting instincts had helped me get my house ready to sell.

Manny edged past me carrying the tequila and Triple Sec I kept on top of the refrigerator. “Can’t leave these behind!”

I cleared my throat. “Sounds great. I’ll give her a call next week.” Honestly, having someone else pack up my stuff might be for the best. Simon had said Rory, Shane, and I needed to bond sooner rather than later, and we wouldn’t be able to be apart much for a while after that. I hoped Rory could work remotely. Shane’s job would be a big issue though. I watched him in the kitchen, tossing peanuts at Pia, trying to aim for her open mouth.

We should probably sit down and talk about all this like adults.