Page 26 of Shifters Reckoning

Riley: Sure! Would be great to see you two.

Me: See you then.

I checked the time. Ten o’clock. One hour to kill.

A glance around the room reminded me of all the housekeeping chores that I hadn’t been doing. At least I’d cleaned the place before I’d gone on my camping trip. However, my search for “normal” only went so far. Housework was my least favorite thing, and I had planned to contract it out once I hit an income threshold goal.

“So I’m not going to bother,” I said.

I jogged out to the garage. Dust covered everything in there, too, even my cherry-red imported Ducati sports bike. How sad.

That settled it. A ride around Willow Creek had to happen.

I opened the garage door. The saddlebags I had ordered were probably sitting in the stack of Amazon boxes in my foyer. However, I didn’t want to spend the next hour figuring out if they worked for the sporty Ducati or not. My current bag could double as a backpack.

After stuffing it with some makeup, hair supplies, and some paperwork, I slung it over my shoulders. Everything else could wait. After a last double-check of all the locked windows and the front door, I grabbed the garage door clicker and my helmet, then settled over the bike.

It started right up, and I grinned as I lowered the visor.

Once the garage door closed behind me, I zipped away.

Shannon’s and Riley’s cars were already at Vixen’s by the time I arrived. The ride had been great. Perfect weather for it. I tucked my helmet under my arm and strode in.

Sheila mixed a drink behind the bar, and she nodded toward me as I crossed the dining area.

Shannon laughed at something Riley said, and Riley’s face split in a smile I hadn’t seen since we’d saved her from Acheron. It did my heart good.

I placed my helmet on the table, shaking the surface enough so that the ice clinked in our three water glasses. One for each of us.

They both stood and threw their arms around me. “Emma!”

Their enthusiasm spread to me, and laughter bubbled up and out. “Gah. I’ve missed you two.”

“We’ve missed you,” Shannon said as they both took their seats.

I turned to the younger woman. “How are you, Riley?”

“Better than I was a few weeks ago,” she said. “I don’t know what kind of funk I’d gotten into. Oh, I haven’t seen your friend around either.”

“Who’s that?”

“The sus peachy redheaded Viking. Though he had lost the beard jewelry by the last time I saw him.”

“Oh, Flynn?”

If Flynn wasn’t still coming around, then he probably thought Riley was doing well enough to not need checking on… or he was doing a better job of hiding his keeping track of her. I’d ask him when I made my way to Red Tail.

Sheila stopped at our table. “Y’all ready to order?”

“I want whatever you think’s good,” I said.

“Make that two,” Shannon agreed.

“Make that three,” Riley added.

“You three are going to be my best table of the day.” Sheila beamed at us, the star tattoos around her eyes crinkling.

“How’s Sully-Boy?” I asked her.