Werewolf Upstairs (30 page)

“Do you want to give Dottie one more thing to complain about?”

“Good point.”

The three of them lifted it fairly easily. With Konrad walking backward and Morgaine and Roz on the opposite side, they managed to walk it into the only bedroom.

When they had set it down, Roz asked, “Is Chad here?”

Morgaine laughed. “He’s been chattering away, telling me where to place things. He said if Gwyneth wants to live with him, she has to make the place appealing, but not girly. I can hardly wait to see what he thinks of her flowered bedspread.” She paused. “Oh, he says he’s seen it.”

“Hey!” Morgaine stuck a fist on her hip. “That means you’ve been in our bedroom. You promised you’d stay out of there.”

Roz’s eyes widened, and she stared at Konrad.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, Morgaine, can you please ask Chad to stay out of our bedrooms too?”

She listened a moment. “He wants you to say ‘pretty please.’”

“Oh, for God’s sake.”

Roz piped up. “Pretty, pretty please, Chad?”

She glared at Konrad.

“Oh, all right. Pretty please?”

Morgaine paused. “That’s enough out of you, Chad. Now, excuse us while we go back to playing musical apartments.”

***

“I guess I’m stuck in a job I hate.”

Roz picked at her food as she sat across from Merry. They had decided to go out to a nice restaurant for lunch. Finally they could catch up without any drama from the other residents in their building interrupting them.

“Don’t give up. You never know what may happen next. Six months ago I’d never have predicted that Jason and I would be married.”

Roz swallowed. “Sure, it’s almost exactly the same thing as me getting involved with an unemployed teacher slash ‘security expert.’” She made air quotes with her fingers.

Merry’s brow knit. “What do you mean?”

Roz sighed.
Should I tell her? She’s my best friend, but she’s also the landlord’s wife.
“Merry, whatever I tell you is in strictest confidence, right?”

“Of course…well, except for Jason. I have to be able to talk to my husband if it comes up. I won’t outright lie to him, even for you.”

“Oh.”
Better not tell her their tenant is, or was, a thief.

Roz must have paused a little too long, because Merry cocked her head and stared at her.

“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”

“Look, Roz, you can tell me anything. I won’t repeat it. I just won’t lie
if it comes up.
So ask yourself how likely Jason is to ask me what you want to tell me. Especially the day before Fenway’s opening day. Unless the building is on fire, he won’t be thinking of anything besides baseball.”

Roz took a few moments to think it over and decided she could talk about her job situation. That was a safe topic, for now.

“Well, Konrad and I made a list of all the possible jobs we might like and could train for quickly. Then we tried each one to see if anything clicked with either of us. We made these experiments into some of our dates.”

Merry brightened. “What a good idea! What did you try?”

“Oh, boy.” Roz shook her head as she recalled some of their more spectacular failures. “Okay, first we tried ballroom dancing. We figured if celebrities could do it in a few weeks, anyone could.”

“That sounds like fun. Didn’t you enjoy it?”

“Unfortunately I’m a klutz and Konrad’s two left feet are really heavy, so when he stepped on my foot, I had to be rushed to the hospital.”

Merry gasped. “Oh, my God, are you all right? Why didn’t you call me?”

Roz shrugged. “It was only a minor sprain. I used ice, Arnica gel, and stayed off of it for a few days.”

“How’s the foot now?”

“It was my ankle, and it’s all better. See?” Roz stuck out her legs so Merry could see them without the tablecloth in the way. “They’re both the same size and everything.”

“Well, you were lucky. Some sprains can be worse than breaks. A bad sprain that isn’t treated properly can take two or three months to heal. Cute shoes, by the way!”

“Spoken like a fashionista nurse. But like I said, it wasn’t that bad.”

“What else did you try? To find new jobs, I mean.”

“Well, we tried some career counseling online. We even tried to divine the future with a tarot reading.”

Merry laughed. “I did that too. With Morgaine and Gwyneth reading my tea leaves.”

Roz raised her eyebrows. “Really? How did that go?”

Merry shuddered. “Not good. But I think the danger they predicted is over now. I’m pretty sure it had to do with Lila Crum, the paparazzi that tried to blackmail Jason. But anyway, what did your readings show?”

“Just that we were only good at our old jobs, the ones we wanted to leave.”

Merry grimaced.

“Yeah, that’s how I felt too. Anyway, we tried a few more dates. Bartending was a disappointment. My klutziness got in the way again. I broke a bottle and a glass, and Konrad almost busted up the place defending me from some angry goon. Then we tried a cooking class and almost burned the place down. We even tried to skydive.”

Merry sat up straighter. “You skydived?”

“Yeah, Konrad made a tree landing and almost got killed. But he was completely healed the same night. I mean, no cuts, no bruises, not a mark on him. That’s when I knew there was something very…um…different about him.”

“You mean that he’s a—”

“Shhh!” Roz cautioned. “The first rule of supernatural club is you never talk about supernatural club.”

Merry snickered. “I get that. But how are you adjusting? I remember when you called me you were pretty shocked.”

Roz nodded. “I still wonder about my sanity sometimes. Am I a complete idiot to think I’m safe with him? Or with the rest of his kind?”

“Have you met others?”

“Oops. I almost forgot the first rule.”

Merry waved a hand. “Whatever. If you need to talk about it, I’m here. I might have an inkling of what you’re going through.”

Roz snorted. “Yeah. Again, there’s a teeny bit of a difference between finding out you’re in love with a bird versus a wolf.”

Merry lowered her voice. “Look, a predator is a predator. But you can trust the human half that loves you. I was afraid Jason might get confused and think my pet rabbit was dinner. But he says he knows the difference, even in his other form.”

“I hope you’re right, because I don’t have a pet, and dinner might be
me
!”

The waitress came over to their table. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

Roz shook her head. “No thanks.”
Get out of here, blondie.
“We’re fine.”

When the waitress left, Roz took another bite and let Merry talk for a while, except it looked as if Merry just wanted to ask more questions.

“What happened after the skydiving accident? You said he healed too fast. Did you confront him?”

Roz nodded and swallowed. “Hell, yeah. We had a big fight. I knew he was keeping a big secret from me, and then he gave me a partial truth, so I thought that was all there was to it. I was really mad that he misled me, and I called him a liar.”

“Oh, that must not have gone over well.”

“We broke up for a short time. Then he was arrested again and needed my help. I learned that no matter how much I wished I didn’t love him, it was no use. I had to try to help him.”

“Arrested? Again? Wait a minute. You never told me about this.”

“Oh, yeah. It must have slipped my mind. Tiny detail.”

“Yeah, right.” Merry frowned. “Come on, Roz. Spill it.”

Roz took a deep breath. “Okay. The day after I moved in, Konrad was arrested. He said he had no real job and couldn’t afford an attorney, so I was appointed his public defender. I got him off, then we went back to his place, and he got me off. Don’t judge.”

“I wasn’t going to.”

“Good. Anyway, I believed in my heart of hearts that he was innocent. No excuse.”

“No need to explain. Go on,” Merry prompted.

“Okay, so everything’s swell. Then on the way home he kisses me, and guess what.”

“You kissed him back?”

“Besides that. Never mind. I’ll just tell you. He nicked my tongue with his fang, and presto…we have telepathic communication.”

Merry’s eyes rounded. “You what? Did…did you just say—”

“You heard me. We can read each other’s minds.”

“Christ on a cracker, Roz! That’s…well, that’s—”

“Crazy? Nuts? Impossible? Yeah, but for some reason it happens when a werewolf finds his mate.”

“No, I was going to say wicked inconvenient!”

Roz chuckled. “You’re picking up the Boston vernacular.”

“Yeah, the nurses at work say it, and it seemed appropriate for the occasion.”

Roz added, “It only happens when we’re talking loudly, in our heads. Usually when something surprises us or something. We can do it on purpose too.”

Merry scratched her head. “I’m speechless. I don’t know what to say. Congratulations?”

Roz grinned. “That makes as much sense as anything.”

“I’m really glad you found a wonderful man, even if…well, you know.”

“There’s one silver lining in all this mate business. I think you’ll understand and appreciate it, since you have the same blessing.”

Merry tipped her head and hesitated. “Blessing? Are you pregnant?”

“Huh?” Roz’s jaw dropped. “No. Are you saying that you are?”

Her best friend grinned. “We haven’t told anyone yet. I thought maybe you could read my mind too.”

Roz whooped and jumped out of her chair. Hurrying around to the other side of the table, she grabbed Merry and hugged her. “Holy crap! Congratulations.” She held Merry’s arms and leaned away so she could see her face. “Are you happy about it?”

Merry grinned. “Very. We both are. We want you to be the baby’s godmother.”

“Then I’m over the moon.” She glanced around the restaurant and noticed people were staring at them. “Hey, it’s not every day you find out you’re going to be a godmother.” People smiled and returned to their own conversations. “Can you teach the baby to call me Auntie Roz?”

“Well, not right away. Maybe when he or she learns to talk.”

Roz laughed and went back to her chair.

“What were you going to tell me? What’s the blessing we share?” Merry asked.

“Oh, yeah, in all the excitement I almost forgot what we were talking about. Well, apparently wolves mate for life just as falcons do, so no more losing the latest guy to someone skinnier than me.”

Merry looked at the ceiling. “Hallelujah!”

Roz grinned. “Let’s raise our water glasses in a toast.”

“What shall we toast to?”

“To apartment 1B,
the love shack
! It seems as if anyone who moves in there finds the love of their lives.”

Merry laughed. “To apartment 1B.” They clinked glasses and took a sip of water. Suddenly Merry’s eyes widened.

“What are you thinking?” Roz asked.

“I know who should move in there next.”

“Hey, I haven’t even moved out yet.”

“You will. Konrad will probably ask you to share his larger apartment instead of the other way around, don’t you think?”

Roz shrugged. “He hasn’t asked me anything yet.”

“Then why don’t you ask him?”

“Boy, you really want me out of that apartment, don’t you?”

Merry chuckled. “Not at all. It just seems inevitable. But I wonder if he’s afraid to ask you right now. He needs help with the rent, and if his pride is anything like most men’s—”

“Oh, God. You’re right. I didn’t even think of that. If anything, he’s prouder than most. But we’re really getting ahead of ourselves. We have a preliminary hearing to deal with first.”

“When is that?”

“Next week. It was supposed to be today, but because of the full moon, I postponed it.”

“Probably a good idea. What happens to him when the moon is full?”

“Uh… I don’t know, and I’m not sure I want to know.”

“You should probably ask him. Maybe if you’re better prepared than I was, it won’t be such a shock.”

“Did you see Jason shift?”

Merry laughed. “Oh, yeah. And the timing couldn’t have been worse. Believe me, it’s better to know what you’re in for.”

Roz heard herself gulp.

Dottie and Ralph had called everyone to their apartment. When Konrad arrived, he was nearly the last one.

“Hello, Konrad,” Dottie said. “It looks like all the chairs have been taken, so I guess you’ll have to stand.”

“Nonsense,” Ralph said as he sprang out of his chair. “Here, Konrad. Have my seat.”

Dottie glared at him.

“No, thanks,” Konrad said. “Standing is fine.”

Roz patted her armrest and gave him a come-hither look. He balanced on the arm lightly as he pictured upending Dottie’s couch, Roz rolling into his lap, and launching a couple of witches into the air.

Gwyneth asked, “Where’s Nathan, y’all?”

People murmured, but no one seemed to know. Dottie checked her watch. “Well, I guess we’ll have to start without him. You snooze, you lose, as they say.”

Nathan walked in at that moment. “I wasn’t snoozing. I was watching TV. I hope this is important.”

Dottie folded her arms. “I’m glad you could join us. It’s very important.” She turned to her husband. “Ralph, do you want to tell them?”

“Me? This is all you, dear. I thought you’d want to make this announcement.”

She huffed. “Oh, all right. Ralph and I are leaving.”

Nathan voiced what most were probably thinking, “That’s great. Happy trails. Can I get back to my apartment now?”

Jason held up one hand. “Whoa. I knew you guys were thinking about a change, but when is this happening? I thought you’d give me some time to find a replacement superintendent.”

Ralph clapped Jason on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. We wouldn’t leave you in the lurch. I found someone interested in taking over the maintenance job. And we won’t leave until you find someone else, if he isn’t exactly what you want. He sounds perfect though. Loads of experience.”

“When can I meet him?”

Dottie glanced at her watch again. “In about five minutes. I asked him to come by.”