Page 42 of The Tracker's Secret
Rosalina looked up from her laptop and beamed up at me. “That’s my girl,” she said and got up to give me a hug. “It’s a great feeling, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. I had to sign a gazillion papers, but it was worth it. I can’t wait to go and check it out, even if it doesn’t have any furniture.”
“They’ll deliver it in just a few days.”
“Gah!” I jogged in place like a little girl.
“Once you’re all settled in, we’ll throw a housewarming party.”
That sobered me up a little. I always imagined my mom there, celebrating with me. When Daniella got her place, part of the event was for Mom to do her protection spells and test them to make sure everyone who was welcomed could get in the house. We had such fun following Mom around in single-file and chanting silly tunes while she tried to concentrate on the spells. I would also love to have my brother there, but who knew when I would see him again.
Rosalina rubbed my arm, her eyes growing sad. “I’m sorry. Maybe we can wait until you and your mom...”
Man, Rosalina knew me so well. It was as if she could read me like a book.
I shook my head. “That might be years, and by then, there would be no point in having a housewarming party.”
“Don’t say that. Things will change. You’ll come around.”
“Fat chance.” I walked away from her, wishing to change subjects. “Did you find out Aaron’s mate’s schedule?”
Rosalina sighed, abandoning that side of the conversation reluctantly. She turned toward her desk and reached for a piece of paper. “I did. He’ll be there this afternoon. His name is Josh Rice.”
I nodded in appreciation for her detective skills. She always had a way of getting information out of people. I didn’t know how she managed, but after I located the mates, one of her jobs was to do research to get their names, addresses, and any other relevant information to get in touch with them and make a meeting between them and our customer happen.
“Okay, that’s great.” A nervous thrill ran through me at the possibility of Aaron meeting his mate today.
Since I’d been doing this, I had never seen two matesnotfall for each other right away. As soon as I brought them together, the attraction was immediate and inevitable, and it was both physical and emotional. But with these two I feared that their prejudices about werewolves and vampires might be too ingrained and more powerful than whatever else they felt.
I checked the time on my phone. It was almost 10 AM. “Aaron will be here anytime now.”
“Actually, he’s here.” Rosalina pointed through the window at the black Jaguar parking across the street.
Aaron got out of the car and headed our way, a swagger in his step, and a slight smile on his lips. I told him I’d found a mate for him, but I hadn’t gone into any details. I had invited him here this morning to explain.
“Good luck,” Rosalina said, sitting back at her desk, a frown going across her forehead.
She seemed worried, too. If Aaron decided he didn’t want to meet Josh, we would have to give the deposit back and forget about receiving the rest of the payment. We had already gone over our finances, taking that money into consideration, and the numbers had looked really good for our business’s future. We would certainly breathe a lot easier if we could set aside some money for our monthly loan payments.
I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders as Aaron walked through the door. Today, he wore baggy jeans, a pair of unlaced military boots, and a red, yellow, and blue gym jacket. He took off his diamond-studded shades and greeted us with a warm smile and a happy “good morning.”
Rosalina and I greeted him back, and I invited him into my office, my heart skipping around restlessly.
After we sat down, Aaron said, “Give me the good news, Toni.”
I gave him a tempered smile, which caused his excitement to die down a little.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“There is a slight... hitch.”
He heaved a heavy sigh. “What? He doesn’t want to meet me?”
“Actually, we haven’t talked to him yet. I wanted to talk to you first. His name is Josh Rice. He’s about twenty-one years old and very good-looking, but he doesn’t meet all the requirements you specified.”
“He’s not a werewolf,” Aaron said, guessing where I was going with this.
“No, he isn’t. But that’s not all, he’s actually a vampire.”
