Chapter 17 Cedar
seventeen
Cedar
*GWENDOLYN*
Over the course of last night and today, QQ has obtained one more egg. Apparently, she is stealing them or saving them from other animals and keeping them for herself. One looks to be a chicken egg. As for the other, I dare not make any assumptions.
Going by my luck, it might just be a snake.
My phone vibrates, and I unlock it to see a message from Amelia. I have reached out to some friends. I might have found a place for you by next week. It might just be temporary, but for now it’s definitely the better option. You need the safety of a pack.
I agree. Also, my time here is running out.
Amelia’s answer comes swiftly. Issues with humans or shifters?
Humans. My gross boss wants to pimp me out. I won’t do it, but I asked him for some time to think about it. To give me more time, you know?
Good decision. If you want to do it, I won’t judge you. But you shouldn’t do anything you are uncomfortable with as long as we have other options. And we do have other options!
My thoughts return to the weird vibes I have been getting for a while. Plus, I still have that odd feeling, as if someone is watching me. Might just be paranoid.
Better safe than sorry! I will try to reach out to Maddox to see if something happened in his pack. I can’t contact him all the time, or it will raise suspicion. I don’t want to endanger him.
Her words make me frown. Is he in danger?
I am not sure.
Better not risk anything, I reply. I am trying to hold out for one more week or maybe two maximum. I doubt I can stick around for more than that.
I will definitely have found something by then!
Her words make me feel lighter immediately.
This means I can finally get Faye and Marina to safety, I can also move the pets instead of keeping them in this house, and I can leave this awful job.
When Daniel sent me off to find my own path and to make something out of my life, he certainly didn’t mean for me to stick in a small town and live like this.
My animal refugee idea pops up in my mind again. Maybe it’s a silly thought, and I doubt I would ever be able to make it a reality, but it’s the first dream I’ve had that makes me excited and motivated.
Then suddenly, another image pops into my mind of the young man sitting on the beach.
Funny that I keep thinking about him.
I hum slightly while baking pizza for Faye, Marina, and Donna. The latter is going to stay another evening here to look after Faye. I owe her so much already.
Next week, however, her grandchildren will be visiting for a whole month.
She won’t be able to look after Faye as often.
Even more reason to make sure that I have an exit plan soon.
The thought is still scary, especially because Amelia hasn’t provided me with any details yet, but somehow… I don’t really mind.
There is just something bubbling in my chest that makes me happy, and I don’t understand what it is.
“You are in a good mood,” Donna comments. “Did something happen?”
“No,” I say, but smile at the dough I am kneading. It’s so silly, but I just can’t help the warmth spreading through my chest.
“No reason at all?” Donna smiles knowingly.
My thought suddenly goes back to the young man I saw sitting at the beach.
The way he was gazing at the sea. He looked so longing and handsome.
Just thinking about him gives me a stitch in my chest. The last time I felt like this was shortly after my dad died, and I wasn’t able to truly grasp it.
I used to go home and want to do something with him, just to realize he wasn’t there anymore.
I missed him so much. I still do.
This new feeling is similar, just paired with a longing I have never felt before.
Faye comes jumping into the kitchen. “Pizza,” she exclaims happily.
“Yes, you and Donna can eat it later,” I say before turning to Donna. “I have prepared the dough, but it needs to sit a while. There are plenty of ingredients you can put on the pizza, later.”
“Don’t worry,” Donna reassures me. “Ann and I will have fun decorating our pizzas.”
Faye takes Donna’s hand, impatiently tugging at it. “I want to play,” she complains.
Donna laughs. “Right, I promised you I’d bring a new board game along.” When Faye looks at her expectantly, she smiles before grabbing her bag and taking a game out of it. Faye doesn’t know how to play it, but it has unicorns on it, so she is happy.
I make sure to prepare some snacks for both of them and give Faye a big hug.
The pets are all cared for – I can’t possibly put that all on Donna – but everything else I leave in her capable hands, and head to the club.
I won’t be able to stay a lot longer, so I want to make the best out of the time and earn as much money as possible.
It’s still early evening when I head out for work, meaning I have some time to spare and don’t need to hurry straight to the club.
As if on autopilot, I take a detour to the observation deck like I did yesterday.
I am not sure what I am hoping for; maybe I want to see the young man again. I don’t know.
Obviously, he isn’t there. It shouldn’t matter, but it still makes me feel disappointed.
There is a tug in my stomach, and my mind is suddenly much more on alert. There is a scent lingering in the air that makes my blood rush with excitement. What is this? Cedar? There are no cedars here. There is also a hint of tangerine mixed in it.
It smells heavenly.
The young man pops into my mind again, the way his wet skin shone under the sun. He looked like he was deeply in thought. I wish I’d known what he was thinking about.
“This is weird,” I mutter. “I am being weird.”
Weirder than usual, I add in my thoughts.
But that scent…
The alarm on my phone vibrates, signaling it’s time for me to hurry to the club. Have I really been standing here for an hour already?
Before I turn around to head to work, I take another deep breath of the scent, wanting to inhale as much of it as possible.
My mind suddenly goes in a direction I have never dared to go. A scent that makes my head spin in the best way possible, and my stomach quivers? Either I am going down with the flu, or I am psychotic, or…
“No way,” I mutter. “That is impossible.”
“Elsa!” Jenny exclaims the moment I walk through the door. The tone in her voice instantly startles me.
“Did something happen?” I ask. “Oh no, something happened, right?”
“I am not sure,” she hurries to explain. “But the boss is here, and said he wants to talk to you immediately. Something about a customer who is willing to pay a lot just to talk to you.”
Goddess, no!
My chest clenches painfully as I make my way to the boss’s office.
He has the biggest shit-eating grin I’ve ever seen, and frankly, it looks more than a little creepy.
So, this is it, I guess. I was hoping I could hang on a little longer and postpone this decision for a week or two, at least. This would have given Amelia and me more time.
I guess I can handle the next week without much income by just helping the neighbors, but then we will need to leave.
It's not just the lack of money, it’s also the creepy feeling I have had for a while now. What if someone is going to hurt Faye or Marina? They can’t defend themselves, and if shifters are looking for us, for whatever reason, I might be putting Donna and the whole town in danger.
“Elsa,” the boss says with a bright smile.
“You asked for time, and I gave you some, but now I need your answer.” Before I open my mouth, he raises his hand.
“Just listen first. There is a new customer who approached me last night, and wants to talk to you. He doesn’t demand any other services, just conversation. ”
So, Jenny was right. Weird request.
“He still offered to pay the full price and wants to book you for your whole shift.”
At that, my mouth drops open. This is a lot of time, meaning a lot of money! In my head, my thoughts run wild. If I take this offer, it means I earn enough so that I can take Faye and Marina and leave sooner than I planned to, and we could stay at a cheap hotel for a couple of days!
Fuck, but should I really do it?
I wish I had someone to discuss this with.
“He just wants to talk?” I verify.
“Yes!”
“No dancing, no anything?” I push.
Again, the boss nods.
“Isn’t that weird?” I ask. “Has that ever happened before?”
“No, the customers here are out for an escort service. While I leave it up to the girls how far they go, they usually at least want to see some dancing or flirting, or at least some roleplay. He doesn’t want any of that. He even said you can remain in your normal street clothes.”
“But why?”
He shrugs. “I don’t care. It’s money he is willing to pay, and a lot of it.”
Goddess, this sounds almost too good to be true.
But what if it’s someone shady? What if the eerie feeling I had proves to be true and I have a stalker, and this is him now? It probably would be really stupid to do it.
I am still wondering what to answer when I suddenly take up the hint of cedar again. My heart beats faster all of a sudden. No way!
Is he here?
This can’t be a coincidence!
Do it!
Something inside me pushes me, as if there is a second voice in my mind, but I don’t have time to linger on it, instead I find myself nodding. “Alright, I’ll do it.”