Page 36 of Plaidypus
“I’ll pack them for you. The slots in the display are large enough for the opals to be wrapped and then put back in their proper spots in the case, and the lid can be locked to prevent the opals from shifting inside. I made a carry case to help protect the glass, which is included with the purchase.”
It took him twenty minutes to pack all of the stones, and in the time it took him to do it, I’d discovered he’d carved animals out of the precious stone, too.
He had a platypus made of Thunder Ridge opal, a moose made of Canadian opal, and a wolf made with opal from Nevada. My wallet winced at the total price, but I snagged all three and waited for him to finish before adding them to my purchase. “I love platypuses, wolves, and moose, so I am going to have to adopt all three of these.”
“I have a few opal wolf rings you might like, as well as some foxes. I’ve never done moose or platypus as rings, but I might have to give that a try one day.”
I spent all of three seconds thinking about that. “Can I give you my email address or phone number if you ever decide to do rings or necklaces featuring moose or platypus?”
“Absolutely.”
Within five minutes, I had his phone number and email in my possession, and I was the proud owner of a new opal collection. While the case weighed a ton, my newfound lycanthrope strength made hauling it around tolerable, and I prowled the rock and gem show for new additions into my new obsession. If my brother checked my account, he’d discover a slaughter.
I found six other vendors with interesting opal carvings, which I bought.
On the way to my car, I called my mother to inform her of my indulgences.
“Causing trouble yet?” she answered.
I giggled. “I spent money.”
“Good girl. It’s about time you let loose a little. What did you get?”
“An opal collection. It started with a display of flowers from all over the world, made from opals where the flower grows. Then I found a moose, a platypus, and a wolf, so I bought those. Then there was a cute horse with a foal, a sea lion, an otter with a starfish, and a few other animals I liked. My bank account said I could afford it, so I bought them. It’s Matthieu’s fault. He suggested I go play at a rock and gem show.”
“That was actually your father’s idea, as he knew there was one in Toronto today. You can thank him with a hug when you get in. Did you take the car or the truck?”
“The car. I’m about to drop the opals off with the truck, though. I don’t want to break them on my road trip. How much space do I have for books? Matthieu suggested I should surf bookstores.”
“More space than you think. The part about living in an apartment is a lie. We have a spacious townhouse now. It’s close to your father’s work. We set up rooms for you and your brother when we bought the place, and I anticipated your love of books, so one of the rooms was turned into a library. Since I usually just check books out, you have more space than what you can fit in your car to work with. You can stay as long as you’d like, and the rent is free since the place is paid off. You can help pay for the property taxes if you feel guilty.”
“I’ll pay my share of the property taxes,” I promised. “You don’t mind?”
“We don’t mind. We wouldn’t have planned rooms for you if we minded. Your father tells me I have to apologize for not telling you about the lottery. Matthieu texted us that you found out.”
Sneaky little brother. “You don’t have to apologize, Mom. The car is really nice, though. I love it. Thank you.”
“Your brother is getting similar treatment, so don’t feel bad. Honestly, his car is more expensive. It needs special windows because he’s a vampire, and his new brood gave us a list of things he needs. Blood is a peril among vampires, so the upholstery has to be easy to clean.”
“Matthieu has a new brood?”
“He’s being taken in by the Chicago brood. It’s the best for him due to his nature.” My mother sighed. “He wants to make sure you’re settled here in New York before he moves to Chicago. As his new brood doesn’t want a fledgling lycanthrope to freak out because her vampire brother is moving away, you’ll have some time to get used to the idea. I thought you should know, as you’re going off on your own for a while. You can go through your various stages of grief.”
I rolled my eyes, dug out the keys to my new car, and unlocked it before pressing the button to open the trunk. “Grief? Why grief? Don’t you mean joy from being free?”
“You’ll miss having him around, just like your father and I missed having you around for the whole five minutes it took us to realize we were free of children.”
“And yet we’re coming home for a while.”
“It’s temporary, which helps. We’re taking the liberty of hiring a real estate agent to help you navigate the market. If you decide you want to purchase a home, we’re prepared to help you with the purchase. You can pay us back at a reasonable rate. We don’t even charge interest, and we’ll forgive the months you’re short and need to eat rather than pay the rent.”
Damn. If I’d been given that offer earlier, I might have been willing to move before my brother’s transformation into a vampire. “That’s really generous, Mom.”
“I view it as my contribution to future grandchildren. Matthieu may have authorized our search for a son-in-law who’ll treat you like you deserve.”
Spanked daily? Scolded fiercely for my troublemaking ways and having hit a moose with my truck? What I deserved varied by day. My wolf enjoyed the thought of a daily spanking—assuming the spanker was a deliciously handsome Canadian wolf who wore plaid well.
My platypus offered no contributions, although I could sense she paid attention to the conversation and my wolf’s opinions on the matter.
