Page 5

Helping Sydney took longer than Adam had anticipated, but once he got home, he showered and went back to bed, managing a few more hours of sleep before he had to head into work. He warmed up a big piece of the lasagna he’d made the day before, then sat down to eat it at the breakfast bar.

He wasn’t sure why he’d felt the need to tell Sydney he was so happily single except that his first thought had been that she was about to set him up. Now, of course, he realized the odds of that were pretty slim.

She’d just moved here. How many eligible women could she know?

Didn’t matter, because he really wasn’t interested. He was in no shape mentally or emotionally to get back into another relationship. They were so much work, and he was so tired of doing all the heavy lifting. Metaphorically speaking.

Even so, Sydney had to think he was anti-woman to have given her such an answer. He hoped that wasn’t the case.

Sydney was nice. Really nice. And incredibly beautiful. So much so that he wondered if she didn’t have a little touch of supernatural bloodline in her family tree somewhere. Maybe a little Greek goddess or, more likely with that fiery red hair, some Celtic witch or fairy.

Regardless of all of that, he hoped he hadn’t come off as such a weirdo that she wouldn’t want to be friends.

Friends would be all right. Having a woman to talk to, without the pressure of something romantic between them, would be nice.

Then again, was that even possible? With a shake of his head, he started cleaning up so he could leave.

When he arrived at the fountain entrance in the Basement, a part of the town that amused him by its cleverness alone, he found Nick coming off his shift.

The base of the fountain operated on hydraulics so that it could be raised to street level and dropped back down to the Basement when it was time for the next gargoyle on duty to take his place. The platform was descending now, and Nick was on it, still in his gargoyle shape.

He leaped to the floor and shook himself, returning to his human form. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Adam said. “How was it?”

“Good. Getting busier. You can tell summer is nearly in full swing. How was your day?”

“Busy, too. Helped a neighbor move.”

“That was nice of you.”

Adam shrugged. “Seemed like the thing to do.”

“I guess you’re settling in all right, then.”

“Yeah. Everything’s good.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Listen, I need a favor. A big one. Willa is helping to organize this fundraiser for the local animal shelter, and one of the participants had to drop out because of a family emergency.”

“Oh? And you need me to take their place?” Adam didn’t mind. Doing charity stuff wasn’t always fun, but a good cause was a good cause. And he liked animals, even if he didn’t have a pet of his own.

Nick nodded. “Desperately.”

Adam shrugged. How hard could it be? Nick had helped him a lot by offering him this job at a time when he really needed to get away. “What do you need me to do? Man a booth? Sell raffle tickets? I can help.”

“It’s a little more … involved than that. Willa needs you to be an eligible bachelor.”

Adam squinted at his friend. “I’m going to need you to explain that.”

“It’s a bachelor auction.” Nick’s tentative smile spoke volumes.

“Seriously? Why can’t you do it?”

“Because I’m not a bachelor.” Nick laughed. “Look, it’s one night and one date. That’s it. And you don’t have to pay for it. The date’s at a local restaurant, and the meal’s already been donated by them. You just have to be there, make some conversation, and that’s it. No strings.”

Adam took a deep breath and let it out again, frowning. “Women who spend money on men have expectations.”

Nick shook his head. “It’s already been made clear this is just for fun. You’ll probably get bought by some old lady in town. You might not even end up going on a date.”

Adam rolled his eyes.

Nick laughed. “Come on. Please. I’ll owe you one.”

“Fine.” He owed Nick for getting him this job. Helping Willa would go a long way.

Nick slapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you. You’re going to make my wife very happy. You have a suit, right?”

“Yeah, in Chicago.” He hadn’t brought much with him, not that he’d had much to start with. The few things he’d left behind were in boxes in a storage unit.

“Could you get Veronika to?—”

“No.” Anything that involved Veronika was a nonstarter. “But I’ll find something decent to wear.”

“Great. I’ll email you the details.” Nick was grinning way too much. “Have a good one. Thanks, bro.”

“Yeah.” A bachelor auction. What was he thinking? He shifted into his gargoyle form, the rush of adrenaline through his body like a few seconds of a good thrill ride. He rolled his shoulders, settling into the big, rock-hard frame with ease.

He climbed up onto the base, got into a comfortable position, something that was totally up to his discretion, and settled in. He tapped a hidden button on the platform, and it began to rise, the access panel above sliding away to allow him through.

His job was to not only be the gargoyle on duty, but to occasionally interact with the tourists who came by and to move often enough to create the illusion that he was animatronic. That was the brief. It was exceptionally easy, even fun at times.

Being in his true form was a welcome thing. Living and working in Chicago had meant few opportunities to spend time this way. At least once a month, he’d tried to get out for a flight. Mostly, that had entailed shifting to this form, then taking off from their balcony.

But Chicago, much like any big city, never completely shut down, meaning he had to be careful not to be seen. Worse still would be allowing himself to be captured on video, something that to his knowledge had never happened.

This kind of freedom, to be himself in front of the world, was incredible. Of course, he knew that the whole thing was possible because none of the tourists knew the truth. The locals did, though, and that just added to the enjoyment of it.

It was like he’d become a member of a super-secret club. It gave him a feeling similar to being a Ranger. He was one of the few who could belong to this elite group.

Which made him feel sort of … sad for Sydney. She had no clue what was going on right under her nose. No clue about who he was or who any of her neighbors really were.

As much as Sydney was on his mind, there were tourists aplenty to interact with, and his night really didn’t slow down until after midnight. Even then, there were still occasional passersby who made the time fly.

By the end of his shift, at 3 a.m., he was starting to drag a bit and was ready to go home and get some sleep.

A subtle vibration ran through the base he was on, indicating that the shift was over. He pressed the button, and the platform descended into the Basement.

His replacement, a gargoyle named Justin, was already there.

Adam jumped off the platform and shifted back into human form. “Evening. Or morning, I guess I should say.”

Justin gave him a nod. “Morning.”

“Have a good one.”

“You, too.” Justin shifted and took up his position.

Adam headed home. It was about a twenty-minute walk, but he didn’t mind it. Being in a small town, which was really what Nocturne Falls was despite the tourists, still held a fascination for him.

It was almost like a movie set with the tree-lined streets, manicured lawns, and nicely kept houses. Which reminded him that his lawn was due for a mow.

That would have to wait until it was daylight, after he’d slept. What wouldn’t wait was making dough. He loved homemade bread. There was nothing like it, to be honest. And he was out.

He’d make the dough as soon as he got home, then he’d have something to eat, get a shower, and get ready for bed. By that time, the dough would have rested for about half an hour, and it could go in the fridge, to be ready for baking when he got up.

Just the thought put a smile on his face. Maybe he’d do a nice beef stew to go with it. He didn’t have work for the next two days, which was convenient because he had to find himself an outfit for this auction.

That took the smile off his face.

He was not good at shopping. That had always been something Veronika had done with him. Actually, for him was more accurate.

How hard could it be? All he needed was a nice pair of trousers and a dress shirt. Even though Nick had suggested a suit, that seemed like overkill when he was only going to wear it once.

He turned onto his street, getting closer to home. It was impossible not to look at Sydney’s house as he went up his steps. The lights were off, so he assumed she was sleeping. It was no business of his, but he couldn’t help but imagine her snug in her bed.

The bed he’d help put together.

Once he was in, he went straight to the kitchen, washed his hands and got to work on the dough. It came together in no time, a simple mix of flour, water, olive oil, and yeast. It was the same recipe he’d been making for years.

The same bread Veronika never ate because carbs never crossed her lips.

He put his frustrations into the kneading and soon had a beautiful ball of dough. He plunked it into a large bowl, covered it with a clean kitchen towel and went to shower.

After that, he ate the last piece of lasagna for dinner. He cleaned up, got a chuck roast out of the freezer to make beef stew with later, then checked the time. Long enough. The dough went into the fridge, and he went to bed.

He fell asleep right away but woke to a strange chime. He kept his eyes closed, hoping it would stop.

It didn’t. He glanced at the time. Was that right? He sat up. Could it really be eleven already?

The chime continued chiming. His doorbell.

He pulled on sweatpants and a T-shirt and went to see who it was. He opened the door and found Sydney standing there, smiling up at him.