Page 15 of Shift of Morals
“I’ll stay. Investigating doesn’t appeal to me.”
Moira snorted and ruffled the banshee’s hair. “I love how uncurious you are. It’s refreshing.”
Tess lifted a shoulder, her orange cardigan sliding to reveal pale skin. “Human motives have never been something I’m curious about. Only the immortal world piques my curiosity.”
Everyone fell silent before Moira let out a dry, “Good to know, ghostie.”
Ash chuckled.
“Banshee,” Tess insisted. “We are far more evolved than our ghost counterparts.”
“Regardless,” I interrupted before their banter could turn into bickering, “we may not be back before closing time. Can you handle it on your own?”
Tess looked offended. “I’ve been with you for years. Of course I can handle things on my own. Closing is a simplistic act. I merely must remember to clean up and lock the doors.”
That wasn’t quite everything, but if she managed to do both of those things, it was good enough.
“Alright. Let’s eat lunch and head out. Any preferences?”
And so began the inevitable lunch argument. A smile tugged at my lips. Sometimes things that never changed were a comfort.
We were just about to head out the door to visit Caroline’s office when the bell jingled and Simone breezed in, looking smart in a pair of black trousers and a patterned blouse. She held a large black box in one hand and her trusty tablet in the other.
“Oh!” She stopped abruptly. “Going somewhere?”
No one said a word. “Team building exercise,” I blurted when the silence got awkward.
Simone’s eyes went to Tess who was hunched on the stool behind the register. She offered the shifter a lazy hand gesture. “I do not care for team building since everyone will die soon enough.”
I put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing.
Simone’s jaw dropped and her brow furrowed. I watched as a dozen thoughts crossed her face, before shaking her head and letting out a small, frustrated sigh. Everyone felt like that around Tess at one time or another.
“Do you have time to finalize the details for tomorrow?” she asked.
“Details? Don’t we just show up prepared to take notes?” I asked.
Simone’s eyes flickered. “Not quite.” She juggled the things in her hands before leaning the box against the wall by the door and fished in her purse. A moment later, she produced a scroll and handed it over.
“A scroll?” Moira said. “For real?”
Simone rolled her eyes. “He’s the Shifter Lord. Appearance is everything.”
“If you’re in a video game,” Moira said. “An email usually suffices in the twenty-first century.”
Simone gave her a flat look.
I loosened Caelan’s formal seal and unrolled the scroll, skimming the contents.
It was an agenda of sorts written in a scrawling, feminine hand. Most of it was normal except for one note:
Bride: TBD
My eyebrows lifted. “I thought the wedding already had a bride. Isn’t that the usual order of things?”
Simone’s nostrils flared. “Someone’s idea of a joke.”
“But not yours?” Moira asked.
