Page 31 of Dragon's Golden Mate
“The place is all yours,” Robert said. “We’ll just be in those front rooms, cleaning out some more junk from the last resident.”
They headed downstairs, but Kendrick went systematically through the building. He looked around for any glaring issues, made notes of what could feasibly be salvaged and what couldn’t. Some of his connections would be very happy to get this kind of work, especially for people like the Suttons who truly cared.
Eventually, he made it up to the third floor. It wasa little stuffy, but new ventilation throughout the building would fix that. He admired the view, briefly thinking about how much the new tenants would like it. Anyone who rented there would be set up with a great situation.
That made him think about Cassandra and what Robert had said about her. She’d seemed to Kendrick like any other real estate developer, someone who was after the fastest dollar and the biggest impact. That wasn’t unusual at all, and in fact it’d been going on much longer than anyone these days might realize. The fact that Cassandra specialized in the method didn’t necessarily say anything about her, either.
What the gargoyles had said about her, though, made him wonder if there was more to the story. No one else apparently knew about this portal under the church, or at least no records of it existed. According to the images the stone guardians had shared, however, Cassandra definitely knew about it. Was she actually drawing power from it, as they’d indicated, or was that symbolic?
More importantly, what the hell was he going to do about any of it?
12
“Oh, good!”Chelsea said as she stepped in through the front door of the covenstead, with Corbin in tow. “You’re here!”
“Which one of us are you referring to?” Maeve asked from her seat in the armchair near the fireplace.
“Well, all of you, really!” Chelsea put Corbin down next to Arden, who had already surrounded himself with a colorful blizzard of toys on the floor. “I’m glad Erin and Arden are here, so the boys can play. I’m glad you’re here, so you can spend time with your grandson. And I’m glad Tina and Jamie are here because I just need some adult, female company.”
“What about Lilith?” Jamie asked.
“Oh, she’s great.” Chelsea plopped down on the sofa and relaxed into the cushions. “She’s just not home.”
“Having trouble adapting to life in a clanhouse?” Tina asked. She had a notepad and a pen in her hand, but she hadn’t written anything down yet.
“I wouldn’t say it’s that, exactly. The Alexanders are wonderful. They’ve quite literally taken me in as one of their own, even though I’m a wolf. I’m not treated any differently. I think it’s just that after having so many years of living almost solely among women, I miss it a little.”
“That’s understandable,” Maeve told her. “We’re always here for you.”
“What are you making?” Chelsea asked, gesturing at the fabric and thread in her mother’s lap.
“Oh, nothing really. I came across this old embroidery project in the back of my closet. I thought maybe I should finish it thirty years later, but I can’t concentrate today.” Maeve needed something to clear her mind, and having something to do was often a good tactic. Her mind refused to be cleared, though. All it did was get heavier and heavier until it felt like it was clogged with concrete.She scooped up the materials and set them in a pile on the end table.
“What about you?” Chelsea asked her sister.
Tina was tapping her pen on her notebook. “Trying to come up with my marketing plan for Halloween this year.”
“What do you have so far?” Erin asked.
“Zilch.”
“I’ve always admired that you’re a determined girl,” Maeve told her daughter, but maybe you’re thinking about this too hard. Your shop does really well all year round. Why pressure yourself?”
“Because the tourist season is what keeps me going the rest of the year,” Tina replied. “It’s hectic, and sometimes I wish the customers took things a little more seriously, but I’d be crazy not to take advantage of it. I’ve just got to make sure The Crystal Cauldron stands out among other shops like it.”
A crashing sound had them all turning. Corbin had just emptied a plastic bucket of building blocks onto the floor. He looked up and saw that all the adults were watching him. “Oops!”
Arden picked up the bucket that Corbin had just set aside. He examined it for a minute before turning it upside down and putting it on his head.
Corbin giggled and pointed. “Bucket head! You have a bucket head!”
“Buckah head!” Arden repeated. He was a bit younger than Corbin and not yet as well spoken, but he was no less enthusiastic. He wiggled around in a little dance as he held onto the edges of the bucket. “Buckah head!”
All the women laughed, which only drove the boys on. Now they both danced and sang, each in their own ways.
“There you go,” Erin suggested to Tina. “The bucket hat is back. That’s what you need to stock at your store this fall.”
“I think I’ll pass!” Tina wiped a tear from her eye.
