“Glad you like it.”
I like you too, she almost said, but that would be too much. They were housemates, right? He’d never indicated he saw her as more, and she shouldn’t read into his kindness. She’d gotten in trouble being impulsive and making assumptions before.
Don’t ruin this. Things are going well. Just…be happy.
* * *
Everyday magic.
If someone asked Eli to describe his current life situation, he’d choose those two words. Because there were small wonders every day, new things he learned about Iris just from being around her. She had a sweet tooth, and she had a habit of putting whatever was handy in her hair to keep it out of her face. So far, he’d seen her use pens, pencils, chip clips, a chopstick, and once a wooden spoon. From what he could tell, she hated shoes and she only wore natural fabrics, none of which helped him figure out her true nature.
He hadn’t been able to get those colors out of his head. Because he was so baffled and fascinated, he’d even asked on a shifter forum—about how a psychic vampire’s aura looked. Most commenters hadn’t even run across them, but those who had? Described something bleaker than the incandescent beauty Iris radiated.
Who are you, Iris Collins?
Absurd how happy he was, simply washing dishes with her. She liked the scrubbing better than the drying, and he enjoyed putting things in their proper place. If he believed in fate, he might imagine they matched.
In time, Henry Dale brought out his empty bowl and insisted on washing it himself. Eli loved the warm feeling in his chest when Iris shot him a conspiratorial look, assuming they’d be on the same page. And while he did share her amusement at Henry Dale’s prickly tendencies, he also understood the man.
Henry Dale felt alone. He’d lost everyone who mattered, and he was maintaining emotional distance to protect himself. Eli had grown up solitary despite Gamma’s best efforts. He…just wasn’t good at connecting to people either. So Henry Dale’s emotional retreat made complete sense, even if Iris just saw him as a grumpy old man. But Eli saw a man who was hurting and needed friends.
“Do you think you could give me a ride tomorrow?” Henry Dale asked.
Eli nodded. “Did they finish the teardown?”
“Yup. They said I can take whatever’s fit to haul away. I’m sure we can pick up enough lumber to repair the porch.”
“Name the time,” he said.
Soon after, Sally came home, but she’d already eaten with her friends. She hung around the kitchen to drink a cup of tea, however, chatting with Iris while they tidied up. Eli kept quiet and mostly listened to their conversation.
During a natural break, he asked, “Are you settling in all right?”
“Definitely! It’s homier than home. I even have an old man to bicker with, so what could be more familiar than that?” Sally flashed Eli a smile.
Iris chortled. “Howard wasn’t that bad, was he?”
“I suppose not. But…I just wasn’t happy. Back in the day, they said we should stay together for the children, but my kids are thirty-nine and forty-seven. I figured I’d done my bit. I married young, and I’ve been taking care of someone else for my entire life.”
Is that how Gamma felt?
He’d tried not to be a burden, but maybe Gamma had been waiting to cut loose all this time too. Iris touched his hand lightly. The woman might not be a natural at running a business, but she seemed attuned to his every flicker of expression. Maybe he shouldn’t like that as much as he did.
“I don’t blame you,” Iris said in a supportive tone.
She glanced at Eli as if for confirmation. Quickly he said, “There’s nothing wrong with choosing to pursue your own happiness.”
Sally sniffed. “From what I hear, Howard’s doing the same. He went after Gladys as soon as our divorce was finalized!”
Eli had no idea who that was, but he supposed it must be someone from their circle, so he made a sympathetic noise. “Did he start…” What was the right word? “Dating her?”
The older woman shook her head. “Nope. She ended up with Leonard. Howard is single and ready to mingle, just like I am.”
Before Eli could reply, a sharp rap sounded at the front door. Iris hopped up, and he heard multiple voices coming from the foyer. Unable to stifle his curiosity, he went to see who’d arrived on their doorstep. He didn’t recognize any of the new arrivals, but they felt…cold in a way he’d rarely experienced, radiating a bone-deep chill that threatened to suck away all light and joy. Three women, all dressed in fashionable attire, immaculately coiffed and each wearing expensive shoes while carrying designer bags.
This has to be Iris’s family.
It didn’t seem like an improbable conclusion, given her tight expression and the way her shoulders rounded. He stepped to her side instinctively, as the older woman said, “Aren’t you planning to invite us in, Iris?”
“Mom. Lily. Rose. The front room is through here,” she said, her whole body radiating tension. “I’ll make tea.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Eli felt the sharp slice of the older woman’s gaze as it roved past him; he’d never felt more inadequate or insignificant in his life. And this is the woman who raised Iris? It’s a wonder she didn’t freeze to death.
“Fine. What’s this about?” Iris asked.
He didn’t follow them into the living room, but he couldn’t make himself walk away, even if they required privacy. Their relationship wasn’t such that he could offer moral support, but he had the unshakable impression that she needed it. Sally came to the foyer and glanced around the doorway to the front room.
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
Silently he shook his head, and she motioned to the kitchen and mimed pouring a hot beverage. Though they’d said no, if Sally made drinks, he could bring them in. Maybe Iris would want him to stick around.
“This wasn’t something we could discuss over the phone,” another woman said in a careful tone, the kind people heard in hospitals before bad news was delivered.
Likely one of her sisters, Lily or Rose. It definitely wasn’t her mother’s voice with its diamond chill. Yeah, I’m definitely eavesdropping. This doesn’t involve me. I should—
“Let’s cut to the chase,” a third woman added. “We’ve learned something completely startling, but it makes so much sense. In time, you might even be relieved. I know I am.”
“Lily!” the older woman said sharply.
So the first speaker must be Rose.
“What?” Sulky tone. “I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”
“Iris is having her world upended. There’s no reason to be cruel.” Strange how the words didn’t match her tone.
“What is it? Why are you here?” Iris asked.
Her mother paused, so much weight in that stillness that Eli’s forearms prickled. “Iris…there’s no easy way to say this.”
Rose offered, “Should I…？”
Iris’s mom took a deep breath. “No. I will. You got some mail at the house, a card asking you to donate blood, and it reminded me to pick up your medical records. I was planning to send them. I thought you’d need them here, in case something happened.”