Chapter 13 Remiel #2
Greer’s cheeks flush the same pink they did when we first made eye contact on the sidewalk. My vision clouds with the memory of last night, and I do remember my name being used. Two names, actually. I wonder which she’s thinking about: Remi or Daddy.
“You already know it, love, don’t you?”
She shifts in her chair. “Remi, right?”
I admire that she didn’t back down. Most people would have. In fact, I doubt most people would have been able to look me in the eye after what she saw.
Kai, Sam, and I have been together a very long time, and we’re not exactly shy with each other. In the office, we were especially voracious. Just like she was—or is—by the looks of her biting her lip and shifting slightly in her chair.
“Yes. My full name is Remiel, but I go by Remi most of the time.”
“That’s an interesting name.”
“Yours is as well. Is there a story behind it?”
“No story other than my mom wanting my name to be unique like my eye color.”
“It suits you.”
“My eyes or my name?”
“Both.”
She sips her coffee again, and a moment later, our food is placed in front of us by a fellow Nephilim, Celeste. Greer ordered a California-style omelet with no tomatoes, and I got a full English.
I thank Celeste for the food, making her smile.
Greer doesn’t speak, only nods before picking up her fork.
I’m sure Celeste is wondering why I’m even here—it’s not usual for me to have breakfast with a job.
Normally, after Kai does his work, they stay in their rooms. Or if they do venture out, I observe them from afar, making notes on their behavior and preparing for my time with them in the dead of night.
But I think this approach with Greer is better. Spending this breakfast with her will help me understand her even more.
Through our minds, I tell Celeste to go, and she walks off.
“Where are you from in England?” Greer asks after swallowing a bit of her omelet.
“My mother was from London.” It’s a true statement. She’s where I got my accent from. I’ve never met my angel father, Michael, so I don’t know what I did or did not get from him beyond giving me his angelic grace.
“I’ve always wanted to go to London.”
“Not a world traveler?”
She shakes her head as she chews and swallows another bite. “Work keeps me busy here.”
That surprises me and also doesn’t. I may not know Greer from experience, but I know her in a way that a regular person who just met her wouldn’t—not only from what Kai saw of her past but also from what I’ve seen of her present.
I’ve already been sifting through what I’ll show her tonight. It’s easy to see that the main thing Greer cares about is work.
“Shame, you’ll have to visit sometime,” I say.
“Do you go back often?”
“No, I don’t. Work keeps me here as well.”
Her cheek twitches to an almost smile. “I guess we have that in common, then.”
“I suppose we do.” My stomach flips as her eyes flutter closed, long lashes kissing her cheeks. When her gaze returns to mine, I can’t deny the chemistry between us. I felt it yesterday when we first met, and I feel it now.
Her aura pulses a flash of passion, and I have to inhale a breath to keep from asking her back to the inn. I may be open to exploring a more intimate side with Greer, but that can come later. Not to mention that Kai would punch me if he wasn’t included.
I take another drink of my tea before cutting into my toast. I’ll let the food distract me from all my less-than-professional thoughts.
“You said you wanted to speak with me about the inn?” I ask after I swallow.
She dabs her mouth with the napkin she’d placed on her lap. “Yes, I did.”
“Is the room not to your liking?”
She laughs sardonically, stabbing at her omelet. I can’t help but think she looks cute as she attempts to murder the breakfast dish. It reminds me of Sam in a way. When he gets frustrated, he tends to take it out on whatever is in front of him as well.
“I take that as a no?”
She swallows her bite and sets down her fork. “It’s…fine.”
“Fine?”
“Very Christmas-forward.”
I chuckle. “That’s to be expected for the time of year, is it not?”
“I suppose, but has anyone ever told you the decor is dated?”
After another sip of my tea, I lift one eyebrow.
It’s interesting she brings up the decor again, especially since the inn and the town is decorated this way for her.
Some Nephilim do enjoy decorating for themselves this time of year, but depending on who we’re called to help, it will appear in different ways.
We don’t just help people during the holiday season, and we also don’t only receive people who celebrate or have celebrated Christmas.
And after seeing her past through Kai, I’m not surprised she dislikes it, but I can also see why the town chose it.
A part inside her, buried deep by pain, feels safe surrounded by the ghosts of Christmas Past. Even if she fights it.
“You prefer something more modern?” I ask.
She swallows another bite of egg and bacon before she nods. “It’s less what I like and more about what sells.”
“‘What sells’?”
She nods. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but your inn should be fully booked. I won’t complain that you had room for me last night, but I’m surprised you did. Given you’re near Garland and in the mountains, a town like this should be brimming with people during the holidays.”
“And you attribute the lack of bookings to my dated and abundant Christmas decor?”
She smirks. “Of course it’s not only that. I’d have to look at your marketing and your website to get more of a picture.”
I’m not daft. I know that Greer is a corporate shark.
Not only did I see her come into Holly’s Restaurant yesterday, but the memory of their interaction fills my mind as well.
The words she said to the older woman: This property is under review.
I’m here to evaluate the current condition and discuss the lease moving forward.
I should have put it together before, but now I understand Greer’s motive in speaking with me about the inn. She sees Elysian Pines as a business opportunity.
To be honest, it shows how smart she is. If I put myself in her shoes, I’d see it as the same. But she doesn’t know the nature of this town and that she won’t remember it once she leaves.
“What is it that you do exactly, Greer?”
She grabs her purse from the back of her chair and pulls out a business card.
I take it from her, purposely brushing her fingers as I do.
Her aura pulses with that flash of red again, and a bit of a smile appears on my lips at her reaction to me.
I probably shouldn’t like it as much as I do, but I can’t help myself.
I purse my lips as I read the card. Greer Mallory, Northlight Capital, Inc., Asset Manager.
“I manage many of Northlight’s properties. Mostly, I analyze the performance of commercial tenants and make recommendations on whether to renovate, sell, et cetera.”
The et cetera meaning evict tenants—interesting that she left that out. She didn’t seem to mind being forthcoming yesterday when I watched her with Holly.
“I take it you manage most of the accounts in Garland? Like the restaurant we were at yesterday?”
She nods. “Yes, that’s correct.”
“I see.” I extend her card toward her, trying to give it back, and she frowns.
“It’s for you.”
“While I appreciate your interest, I can tell you that our town is fine as it is. The people here don’t have any desire to become a tourist spot.”
Greer eyes me. “Eventually, you’ll have to think about it. The cost of living is only going up in Colorado with the influx of people moving here from the West. If you or the other businesses in town can’t turn a profit, then you will either be forced out or the town will die.”
“We’re doing just fine,” I assure her.
“I don’t see how that can be. Like I said, this town should be booming with activity.”
“You have been here for one night, Greer. We’re doing just fine.”
“Even your inn?”
“Yes, even my inn. I don’t need it to be booked every night. There aren’t many rooms, and I have people who choose to live at the inn instead of having their own home here.”
The muscles of her throat tense as she swallows. “How does that work exactly—do they have a lease or pay monthly?”
“They pay what they can,” I say, though that’s not true; Kai and Sam don’t pay anything at all. Money is irrelevant here, given our town is magical. Things appear as we need them. Elysian Pines has always worked that way, and I’ve never questioned it.
“How do you make money?”
“Not everything is about money.”
She scoffs. “I think that’s what people who don’t have money often say.”
My chest tightens, and I roll my shoulders back. “You know that to be a fact?”
Her eyes narrow. “It’s from my experience. Plus, we live in a capitalist society. Money matters.”
“Money is a part of life, yes. But it’s not all that matters.”
“Says the man in nice clothes.” She flicks her gaze to my blue sweater. “Is that cashmere?”
I grit my teeth. Truthfully, I’d walk around naked if I could. I think every being here would, but that’s not a normal way of living for humans. Besides, while I do enjoy looking nice, I’m dressed this way for Greer. She likes when people look expensive and well dressed, so that’s what I did.
“Not everything is as it seems,” I say.
“So you aren’t wealthy?”
I can’t say that I’m not. While Elysian Pines doesn’t need money to operate, many Nephilim—Sam, Kai, and I included—do have money.
We’ve lived a long time, and we have accounts and stocks that grow every year.
If we need money for the rare occasion we travel outside the town’s borders, we have access to it.
There are also nonprofit organizations around the world that we donate to.
All that is hard to explain, though, so I give her the only answer that makes sense and won’t be confusing to explain. “Wealth isn’t only measured in money.”
She huffs. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those kumbaya people who measures wealth by friends, family, and experiences?”
“And if I am?”