Chloe
Sneaker-cladfeetpoundedthe pavement, lungs on fire with cold air and exertion, and Chloe’s breath came out in puffs of vapour like she was a tiny dragon. She skidded to a halt outside Crowley Lake Realty, frozen fingers fumbling for her keys.
As she turned her keys in the lock, her phone began to buzz in her pocket. Frowning, she really hoped it wasn’t a client. She didn’t want any clients to hear her wheezing and puffing.
“Hi,” Chloe managed to say between intakes of sweet, warm oxygen in the safety of her office.
“Hey, you,” Julia sounded amused. “Been out for a run?”
“Yeah,” Chloe pounded her aching chest. “It’s bloody freezing; I’m starting to think I need a treadmill.”
“You could try something else, you know,” Julia said. “Like yoga at Tamara’s studio. I hear it can be nice to relax.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Chloe said, starting up the stairs. “I think I’ll stick to running.” Tamara, who ran the yoga studio, was fae. And while the fair folk were far less likely to steal your first born or suck you into the fairy realm than popular culture would have one believe, Chloe couldn’t deny that something about Tamara, with her unblinking violet eyes, kind of freaked her out. She certainly wouldn’t be able to relax with Tamara as her yoga instructor, that was for sure.
“Fair enough,” Julia sounded unconvinced. “What are you up to, anyway? I was going to ask if you wanted to drop around and say hi to the kiddos.”
There was a babble of noise, confirming the presence of said kiddos.
“I’ve got to work,” Chloe admitted, a little disappointed. As much as she loved her job, she always tried to make time for Julia and her preteen charges.
“In the evening?” Julia sounded appalled. “Seriously, I’m sure it can wait. I’ve got a sneaky bottle of prosecco and some cheese from the market that honestly tastes like angels making love to my tongue.”
Chloe let out a pained sound. She did love cheese and prosecco; Julia knew her well. “It can’t wait,” she said, kicking off her sneakers and wriggling out of her leggings. She set the phone down, switching Julia to speaker as she changed back into her neat navy slacks and sensible pin-striped blouse. “I’ve got to show some places to this new client tonight. Remember that guy who emailed, saying he wanted a ‘grand residence'?”
“He wants to see the houses at night?” Julia asked. “Well, that’s weird.”
“I thought so,” Chloe agreed. “But the commission will be… Well, a lot, anyway. And I can’t turn down a client like that.”
“But why at night?” Julia pressed. “Will you be safe with some strange guy? Do you need someone to go with you? Maybe Jesse could—”
“I don’t need a chaperone!” Chloe insisted. “I’ll be perfectly safe. You know I always keep that protective charm Jesse made me in my bag, and nothing bad has happened to me yet. Except for the time I was showing a renovator’s dream to that Sydney couple, and the floorboards rotted underneath me.”
Julia suppressed a chuckle. “I’m sorry,” she said ruefully. “I shouldn’t laugh, but I can just imagine you falling through the floor and still trying to look professional.”
“My pride was definitely more damaged than my body,” Chloe said. “Though I did ruin my favourite black skirt. I’m still recovering from that loss.”
“What time are you meeting this guy, anyway?” Julia said. “I’ll call you afterwards, just to be sure.”
“You don’t need to,” Chloe said. But a rush of warmth went through her at her friend’s concern.
“Someone has to look out for you. If this weird rich dude is some kind of sleaze or something, I’ll—”
“We don’t know that he’s weird,” Chloe pointed out.
“He wants to do showings at night!” Julia said. “That’s weird.”
“Maybe he’s a vampire,” Chloe suggested, joking. But now that she thought about it…
“Actually, that’s a fair point,” Julia sounded like she was seriously considering the idea. “I mean, it is Crowley Lake. The place does attract a lot of…”
“Your people,” Chloe finished.
“Vampires aren’t my people,” Julia scoffed. “I mean, I’ve got nothing against them, but vampires and shifters don’t have much in common. We’re just human, with a little something extra. They’re a whole different thing, with the blood, the sunlight, and being literally immortal.”
“Maybe I should just hope he’s a weirdo then,” Chloe said. As the sister of a warlock, and the best friend of a shifter, it wasn’t that she didn’t know about vampires. She did. She had even met a few in passing. It was inevitable, living in Crowley Lake. But she certainly didn’t consider herself an expert.
“I’ll call you later,” Julia decided. “Good luck, get plenty of commission, and don’t, you know, get stabbed.”
“I’ll do my best,” Chloe promised, stepping into pointy black high heels. Her feet, swollen from running in the icy weather, complained bitterly, but Chloe was determined to look nothing less than her most professional self. No matter who this Maxwell guy turned out to be.