Chapter 3
three
Not since construction wrapped had GSG been this eerily quiet. Not a single woof or meow or squawk to be heard. No dripping sinks, buzzing clippers, or metal latches clicking. A mere two days after I was shot, and the smells had dulled from a constant prickle in my nose to a faint tingle.
“Stop dragging your bottom lip.” Sloane nudged me through the front door. “This is a good thing, remember? An opportunity to deep clean, do repairs, and get that mural you’ve been wanting.”
“I know, I know.” I couldn’t bring myself to step beyond the entryway. “It’s just depressing.”
“You’ll be compensated by the Walsh clan, like everyone else who’s lost business during the transition.”
That was the rumor circulating, but I hadn’t delved into the details. “You say that with such confidence.”
“I turned in GSG’s tax forms for last year to Liam, who is supposed to hand them over to the accountant.
I wanted to make sure you don’t have to live out of pocket until this issue with the Sartoris is settled.
” She leaned her head on my shoulder. “You’re also my boss, so… I can’t have you too broke to pay me.”
Thinking of Marigold and the dollar signs in her eyes, I teased, “You’re definitely turning into a Walsh.”
“I’m not mad about it.” She scrunched up her face. “Except the part where Liam can order me around.”
“You could always challenge him for his position.”
“Not sure I could take out a dragon, and even if I could, do I want that kind of responsibility? Nah. It’s more fun hanging out with you.”
“You’re saying cleaning up dog poop is more fun than Liam’s job?”
“More fun than Liam in general, honestly.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Don’t give me that look.” She hit the storage closet for supplies.
“You’re the one who was cuddling with Mr. Alpha Giraffe this morning.
” She glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, yeah. I saw the illicit snuggling that you tried to hide, but your reflexes weren’t fast enough.
That, and Rían clamped his arms over thin air in an obvious attempt to hold on to someone who was no longer there. ”
“He did?” I hadn’t noticed that. “Um, I mean, he probably dropped something and tried to catch it.”
“You mean like his betrothed?” She cackled evilly while filling two buckets with cleaning solution.
“She was probably slippery from all that hot, wet dishwashing she was doing.” She tossed a rag at my face.
“In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I was totally spying on you after I returned from Fayne’s.
I had to backtrack and fake my arrival just when things were starting to get good to avoid being caught. ”
Pretty sure my cheeks were steaming hotter than the water. “Why am I not surprised?”
“I’m not as bad as Liam. I had to elbow him out of the way to get the prime spot.”
“Sloane.” I fumbled the rag, and it hit the floor. “You were both spying on us?”
“He’s a spy.” She made a rolling gesture with her hand. “That’s what spies do.”
“You’re not, though.”
“I’m your bestie, which gives me a free pass to observe you in your natural habitat.”
“I’m not sure bestie means what you think it means.” I scooped up my rag and claimed a bucket. “And why can I picture you and Liam passing a bucket of popcorn between yourselves while you watch us?”
“Now that’s crazy talk.” She licked her lips. “If I’d had popcorn, I wouldn’t have shared with him.”
“That’s your only problem with that scenario?”
“Um…”
A knock on the door spared her from answering, and I turned to find Jess waiting on the porch.
Reflex had me checking behind her since Rochele and Mindy often tagged along to the salon these days, but she was alone for a change.
“Hey.” I waved her in and got to work wiping down surfaces. “What’s up?”
“I saw the lights were on, and I thought I would stop by and check in.” She lifted a bag of takeout. “I was down the street at Brisket Barn. They’re doing a teriyaki steak topped with grilled pineapple as a limited time offer. It was so good, I ordered a second one to go.”
“Nothing glamourous happening here.” I spread my arms. “As you can see.”
“Do you want some help?” Her chin hit her chest. “I can spare an hour or two.”
“We never say no to free labor.” Sloane swooped down on the food. “I’ll stick this in the fridge for you.”
“Thanks.” She bit her lip, watching Sloane hustle away with her food, and I respected her doubts she would ever see it again. “How can I help?”
“Grab a bucket and get scrubbing.” I indicated the one Sloane had poured for herself.
“We’re going to sanitize the old girl from top to bottom while we’ve got the chance.
There are repairs we need to do too. Nothing major.
Just things I put off because we were too busy or because it might irritate the animals. ”
“Okay.” Jess snapped on rubber gloves and sprang into action. “I can do that.”
A peculiar expression pinched Sloane’s features when she returned from the break room. She caught my eye and shook her head then flashed a smile at Jess only after our volunteer noticed the quiet.
“Since you guys have this part covered, I’ll break out the lawnmower and get the backyard cut.
” Sloane’s posture had gone fluid in a predatory way that someone who didn’t know her as well might mistake as a relaxed gait.
“I’m not sure, but we might be out of gas. Do you have a spare can at your house?”
For a long time, I pushed the mower back and forth between GSG and home because of their proximity. I had a small patch of grass at the house, not worth the investment of a second mower. “Yeah, I do.”
“Cool.” She shoved out the door leading to the kennel runs. “Later.”
A speck of anxiety clung to me like lint, but Sloane wouldn’t have left if I was in any danger.
Jess was one of Rían’s handpicked clanmates, chosen for her vet tech skills to relocate with the first wave of Walshes, and she had bent over backward to pitch in from day one.
Which meant I was being paranoid. Not that it wasn’t earned, but I had to watch that I didn’t let the past few days have me jumping at shadows.
“How’s the apartment decorating going?” As I made polite conversation, I added a mental note of a few spots that could use touch-up paint. “Do you need any help? You’ve done so much for me. I’m happy to return the favor.”
“Oh, I’m fine. I didn’t bring much with me. I wanted to thrift some new items locally, you know?”
“I’m happy to shop with you, if you want company. Just pick the day. There’s a great store in Brentwood and two in Blevens. I’m sure Rían would let me borrow an SUV to haul your finds to your apartment. I bet he would offer to help with the heavy lifting too.”
“Would you mind writing down the store names?” Her cheeks turned pink. “I could scout them out, and if I find anything good, I’ll bring you back with me.” She glanced up, her expression hopeful. “Would that be okay?” Her gaze hit the floor again. “I don’t want to waste your time.”
“Helping a friend isn’t a waste of time,” I promised her, knowing it was what Sloane would say. “I’ll write down the details so you can check out the goods. We’ll go from there, okay?”
“Yes,” she breathed, a glimmer in her eyes. “That sounds wonderful.”
With that settled, and my supply of small talk exhausted, I fell back into the soothing routine of cleaning.
For about five minutes.
Then banging on the door demanded an answer.
“Ana,” a high voice called—loudly—through the glass. “Can I come in? Rían says I always have to ask you for permission first, and that I can’t barge in just because we’re sisters. So, can I?”
After rinsing my hands, I hustled to greet my second unexpected guest, curious what brought her rushing over when she ought to be selling her tartlets to the unsuspecting masses. “Come on in.”
“Here’s your cut.” She offered me a stack of dollar bills. “That ought to cover your expenses.”
Taking money from a child left a bad taste in my mouth, but I was stuck.
Goldie was all business, and she left me with no choice but to accept the cash and her firm handshake.
I would have to consult Rían tonight, get his two cents on what I ought to do.
Maybe I could open a joint money market account or high yield savings account and invest my profit from future ventures to gift her when she graduated high school.
A college fund, if you will. Bake sale profits wouldn’t stretch far in the grand scheme of things, but it would be a good learning experience for me too.
Until the moment Carmichael hit me, I’d had a safety net.
If I had a slow month, I had a parent with the means to help.
If I required a bailout for any reason, I could have asked for a loan.
And, if the worst had happened and GSG failed, I could have gone home.
But even if I could forgive him for raising a hand to me, I would never forget what the Sartoris had done to Sloane, my parents, and so many others.
To protect my future, I needed to get serious about weaving my own safety net.
Maybe Rían could help me with that too.
“Thanks, Goldie.” I tucked the money in the register for safekeeping. “How did it go?”
“I sold out in ten minutes.” She shrugged as if it was no big thing. “Liam is great at juggling fireballs.”
“Liam juggled fireballs?” I gawked at her. “That’s how you drew a crowd?”
“He was trying to impress Sloane,” she informed me. “I told him she thought fire was cool and he ought to show her some of his tricks if he wanted her to pay attention to him.”
This child was diabolical. I loved it. But it did make me wonder. “Why would he want to do that?”
“He’s a boy.” She took stock of her surroundings. “Who knows what they’re thinking?”
I was starting to wonder the same thing about Sloane. The park was on the other side of town from GSG and my house. How had she ended up there? “Did Sloane talk to Liam?”
“Yeah.” She tapped a finger against her bottom lip. “She even bought a tartlet from me.”
About to ask what they discussed, as I was certain she had eavesdropped and probably even taken notes for future reference, I caught myself before crossing a line into Fayne territory. I couldn’t very well hold a grudge when Fayne used me if I turned around and did the same to Goldie.
“That was nice of her.” I gestured for her to follow me into the break room, where I offered her a bottle of water, figuring her throat must be sore from hocking her wares. “What’s your agenda for the rest of the day?”
“I’m going to play at Gran’s.” She drank deep, smacking her lips.
“She set up an obstacle course for us to train on in her backyard. Rían finished assembling everything yesterday, and he promised I can go first.” She picked at the peeling label on her bottle.
“Do you want to come watch?” She rolled a small shoulder.
“It’s okay if you’re too busy. We’re not really sisters yet, so you don’t have to if you don’t want to. ”
Unable to turn down a rare show of vulnerability from her, I took her hand. “I would love to.”
“Rían said not to pester you.” Her fingers were cool in mine. “I didn’t, did I?”
“No.” I drew her against my side like it was the most natural thing in the world, and when she looped her arms around my thigh, I couldn’t swallow past the tightness in my throat. “I’m glad you invited me.”
The moment lasted precious seconds before Goldie released me and bounded into the waiting room.
“Jess?” I hefted my bucket into the nearest sink. “I’m heading out, so let’s dump our buckets and lock up.”
“Oh.” Her gaze followed Goldie, her shifter senses guaranteeing she heard the whole thing. “Okay.”
We worked together while Goldie spun in circles until she got dizzy then hit the floor, giggling like a loon without a single complaint.
Had I smacked down that many times, I would have gotten a bruised tailbone for my troubles.
Granted, I was working with more padding than she had, so there was that.
Maybe five minutes later, I could tell the clock had run down, and Goldie was itching to leave.
“Okay.” Goldie bounded over to me, snagging my hand. “Ready?”
“You were born ready.” I ruffled her hair, amazed to find her leaning in for more. “Let’s go.”
Either how I petted animals translated well to children or…
Oh, God.
A flicker of memory from the time I tousled Rían’s hair and called him a good boy surfaced, and I wanted to find a hole to crawl into before I could repeat the mistake.
Note to self: Do not treat people like pets.
And yet…
No. Bad Ana. I had to scour it from my mind. There must be a steel wool pad here somewhere.
“Are you okay?” Goldie tugged on my jeans. “Your face is all red.”
“Cleaning fumes,” I choked out, waving a hand in front of me. “I should have opened a window.”
With a wave to Jess, Goldie and I hit the sidewalk and began our stroll to visit Fayne.