Page 5 of Triumph of the Wolf
Her parents’ home was in Redmond, not Shoreline, but it wasn’t too bad of a commute for a dating couple.
Bolin opened his mouth, then closed it. At a loss for words? That was rare for the former spelling-bee champion.
“If we get, uhm, serious…” His cheeks flushed red even though, as far as I knew, they hadn’t done more than hold hands yet. Maybe kiss. “Maybe she would like to travelwithme. My parents could even hire her, and she could assist me, er, my family with our real estate endeavors.”
“Werewolves aren’t theassistanttypes. We’re strong and independent and very hard to shoehorn into traditional employment positions.” I didn’t mention Jasmine’s brief flirtation with the idea of a career as a bikini barista. “Especially for our boyfriends’ families.” I didn’t have to ask Jasmine to know that was true.
Bolin sighed. “I suppose I’ve sensed that about her. She’s a free spirit and very independent. Andsobeautiful.” He sighed again, oozing the longing of a Wordsworth poem. “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if this place didn’t sell right away. I could keep working here while we explore our compatibility.”
“That sounds like a good plan.” I sensed Duncan approaching from the woods and nodded across the lawn toward him.
There was no sign of Lykos. Had the boy let Duncan find him?
“Especially the part where I don’t have to find a new home for a few months,” I added.
“You wouldn’t continue to live here? I’m sure a new owner wouldn’t kick out the existing tenants. Though… I suppose your rent wouldn’t be waived if you weren’t working here.” Bolin hesitated, looking like he wanted to ask if I could afford to live here if it wasn’t a part of a compensation package.
“Probably not. The rent isn’t that high, but it would be hard not to… keep working on the place. After all this time, I’m used to being the one on call.”
“You do do…everythinghere.”
“Yup.”
“The new owners might find it odd if one of the tenants started replacing the toilets of the other tenants.”
“I would assume so, yes.”
As Duncan joined us, apparently having heard a portion of the conversation, he asked, “Have you ever considered buying this place yourself, Luna? That would solve a lot of your problems.”
I laughed. “You might not have guessed this from the Goodwill clothes I wear, but I don’t have a family fortune that would allow me to fork over tens of millions of dollars for a real estate investment.”
“Your clothing is lovely—” Duncan smiled as he glanced toward my shirt—or maybe my boobs, “—but I did assume you would need backers.”
“Nobody’s going tobacka middle-aged woman with no college education, no rich connections, and no existing real estate portfolio who gets furry and howls at the full moon.”
Bolin knew about my heritage, but he still raised his eyebrows at the imagery.
“You wouldn’t necessarily need to mention that last,” Duncan said, “though it would earnmybuy-in as a backer.”
“Uh-huh. Would you be putting one or two wheelless, rusty shopping carts into the pot?”
“Oh, five or six, I should think. This is a quality property with an excellent manager. Why don’t we discuss it tonight on our date?”
“Shopping carts do get me in the mood.”
“Ifind them quite appealing.”
“Because you’re odd.”
“A trait you’ve admitted you adore.”
“I don’t think that’s the exact word I used.”
Bolin must have decided we needed our privacy—and that I wasn’t on the verge of submitting an offer for the property—because he slipped away, drinking from the right-hand cup as he continued his walk to the leasing office.
“I was able to get close to Lykos,” Duncan said, growing more serious now that we were alone. “I offered to take him magnet fishing.”
“He didn’t immediately jump at the invitation?”
