Page 109 of A Light in the Dark
“I’m really not! He just happens to be one of my neighbors, we get along, and we decided to become friends. Becoming friends with benefits is a potential option.”
My father sighed. “Will you be bringing him home to see us?”
“That depends on if you can keep the town harpies at bay.”
“With you as the mayor, the odds of that happening are slim. Everyone is curious.”
Ugh. That was the last thing I needed. I’d make a point of taking the long way into Joel’s hometown to avoid the risk of being spotted at the gas station in my hometown. “How about you and Mom come to me? There’s plenty of room in my house for you. I’m sure I can find someone willing to give you a ride to Stonecreek on my behalf so I’m not ambushed. I do not want to be ambushed by a bunch of gossiping busybodies, most of whom dislike me for not staying in town like a good girl.”
“I suppose we should come see your place at least once.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll figure out how to get you to Stonecreek, and you can come see my house and meet my neighbor. Remember: I have no luck with men, and I’ve managed to lure one into my web. Please don’t scare off the sole man I’ve managed to lure into my web.”
“You’re not a spider, Valerie. How many times do we have to go over this?”
“With my luck with men? Clearly, I’m a praying mantis, and the men know I’m going to rip off their heads and eat them to feed our children.” I snorted a laugh, shook my head, and said, “Tomorrow, I’ll call you back to talk more about figuring out when you can make it over to visit, all right? I should have a better idea of my schedule by then, too. We’re about to cross the border into Stonecreek.”
“You’re not driving and talking, are you?”
“No, Dad. A friend from Moonriver is driving us. Anyway, I don’t have a car.” I suspected I’d have a place to park one if I wanted, not that I cared to have one.
I would be making use of my hostage and his vehicle in the future if I had my way.
“All right. Please be careful. Not that I don’t think you weren’t being careful in the first place…”
“Dad, I was eating poisoned cobbler because I was too nice to tell my neighbor I didn’t want to eat poisoned cobbler. Let’s just be honest about the situation. Worse, I’ve developed an enjoyment for strangleberry because of her.”
My father heaved a sigh, the kind that warned me I tested his patience. “I had hoped that part of the rumors hadn’t been true.”
“For someone as brilliant as I am, I’m sometimes not really the brightest. But, thanks to her, I’m still alive and kicking, so I guess participating in her poisonous cobbler diet plan was good for my health at the end of the day. Also, you’re getting an educational course on what berries are toxic, and you will not be receiving it in poisoned cobbler format unless you’re very brave and quite possibly a little stupid.”
“I’m unfortunately curious,” my father admitted.
“I will arrange for a doctor to be on hand so you can try a small piece should you visit me at my home in Stonecreek.”
“We have a condition.”
Uh oh. When my parents came up with conditions, they liked to go for my throat. “I’m listening.”
“We want to see the luna moths from the next door town. The ghost ones. We’ve seen glimpses of them through the trees, but they never come over the river.”
While I understood that the trip to Stonecreek was an inconvenience, it irritated me that my parents would pull that card—a card that was in the domain of my hometown’s gossips and busybodies, the exact people the luna moth shifters didn’t want sniffing at their doorstep. “I can inquire about some ghost luna moths, but I can’t promise anything.” Well, I could, but I’d be the ghost luna moth, and I’d stay well out of catching range. “They might be Stonecreek ghost luna moths, though. It’s not like I’m going to be running around the woods looking for ghosts.”
I had a lot left to learn about the luna moth shifters, and I wasn’t going to expose their secrets.
“That’s all we could ask for. I’ll talk to your mom, but I expect she’ll be ready to come to Stonecreek as soon as you’re ready to have us.”
“Let me get back into the city-state first, but I don’t think you’ll have to wait long to come visit. I’ll have to catch up on work, but I won’t be working overtime. I just won’t be able to take days off. But you can do me a favor and keep my neighbor company, as I don’t think he’ll be able to go to work quite yet. His employees take his health seriously.”
“He’s liked, I take it?”
“Let’s just say he has a loyal following keeping an eye on him when I’m unavailable to contain him. He’s not liking being restrained so his injury can heal. I got clobbered, but he got whacked with a bat.”
“Ah. That sort of head injury is touchy.”
My father could be trusted to apply common sense when needed, at least for the most part. “Right. I got observed for longer than necessary because if I was being observed, he tolerated being observed. It worked out. For me? It was paidtime off. I’m not sure if he’s paying himself, but I’m sure he can afford some unpaid time off.”
A light snort from the back indicated my neighbor had woken up and listened in on the conversation.
