Comforted, he swooped off the roof and glided through his room, flowing into his human form with an ease born of familiarity. It was chilly, so he dressed quickly and closed the window. Once, he’d considered simply living as a hawk and letting Liz administer his worldly goods in a philanthropic fashion. Now, though? Eli wasn’t ready to let go.
He heard footfalls, so the knock didn’t startle him. He found Sally outside with a hot cup of tea. Chamomile, which was the kind he’d asked her to make the night after the first dance lesson. It touched him that she recalled his preferences, looking out for him as soon as she got home. “I brought tea and Bundt cake. Can I come in?”
“Absolutely.” He stepped back to allow her access.
Sally paused, glancing around the space with a surprised expression. He followed her gaze to the black bag by the wall. “Your room is so tidy. Are you still living out of your suitcase?” she asked.
A pang of guilt stabbed him. “I’ll put things away sooner or later.”
The older woman eyed him, but she didn’t verbalize her doubts. “Hmm.”
“Did you need something?”
“It’s more that I had a question. Iris told me that you ran into my ex at the community center recently. And I…”
“What?” he prompted, sipping at the delightfully warm and lemony drink.
Though Sally had her own reasons for popping in, it still felt incredible to come back to a hot beverage after a long flight. Plus, there was cake. Maybe this was even why hawks and falcons let humans tame them to some degree. They don’t get reward cake. I’m sure it’s mice or raw meat.
“Did Howard make things awkward?” she asked in a rush. “Or suggest that you should talk me out of this ‘nonsense’？”
“Not even slightly.”
“Oh, thank goodness. For a while, that was all I heard from the family. They even tried to get me checked for dementia!”
Eli nearly dropped his teacup. “Really? Just because—”
“Because I wanted to make big changes. Because I wanted to live my last years as I choose. I had a husband. Now I want a girlfriend! But not a life partner. I don’t want to be responsible for anyone else. I want to be able to go home to my own bed. I want to travel and learn new things and—”
“Do it,” Eli cut in, sensing that Sally was getting upset. “Do it all.”
“Bless you. I’m so glad. I was afraid that Howard was up to his old tricks again, but it seems he’s finally realized this isn’t a phase.”
He wondered if this info would make things better or worse, but he decided to loop Sally in anyway. “Full disclosure, he was on a date with someone named Hazel.”
“That’s good news,” Sally said with a relieved smile. “She’s a nice person, so maybe she can put up with his quirks.”
“Maybe. Thanks for the cake.” Eli lifted the spoon.
“My pleasure, dear. I hope you enjoyed the flight.”
Sally breezed out, leaving Eli staring after her. He didn’t think Iris would’ve told anyone, so how…？
How does Sally know? He followed her, unable to refrain from asking. “How did you find out?” Eli called.
Sally laughed and answered without breaking stride. “Eli, you silly goose. I’ve seen a bird flying into your room so many times when I was coming home from Ethel’s. You don’t own a bird. No pets allowed, remember? Ergo, you must be the bird. Most explanations are simple when you let go of your preconceptions.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
A couple of peaceful weeks passed with Iris’s store slowly getting more orders and Mira settling in.
Since Mira preferred having things formalized, everyone got together and agreed on a work schedule for basic cleaning in the common areas. If they stuck to it, there wouldn’t be a problem, and so far, Henry Dale was the most finicky of residents. The man turned up his nose at a dust mote, let alone a dust bunny. Sally sighed a little over being assigned to the first rotation of kitchen chores, but she didn’t complain. As for Eli, he seldom revealed his true thoughts.
Man of mystery, that’s you. Iris gazed at him wistfully while trying not to reveal just how intrigued she’d become in the time they’d been living together. The dance lessons granted her his attention one night a week, and she’d started looking forward to those evenings, doing her hair carefully, picking out the cutest dress.
It’s not a date, she’d told herself, more than once. We’re not dating. But her reckless heart wouldn’t listen. Anyway, there were two more days until the next lesson.
“Any other business?” Sally asked.
The house meeting was wrapping up; they got together on Sunday nights to discuss matters relevant to those sharing space at Violet Gables. Such a cute name. Honestly, Iris wanted to get a plaque made—something adorable and vintage—to post next to the house number, but so far, she hadn’t seen anything that looked exactly right.
“Actually, I do have something,” Mira said tentatively.
“What’s up?” Eli asked at once.
He was always a bit more forthcoming with Mira than with most people, and the other woman shot him a grateful smile. Iris restrained another flicker of…something. It’s fine. It’s great. We all get along. That’s flipping fantastic.
“You have the floor,” Iris added.
“You have one last room, right? I wasn’t planning to say anything, but I guess things got worse this weekend.”
At hearing this, Sally frowned in concern, her knitting needles at a rare pause. “Worse for who?”
“Tell us from the beginning,” Henry Dale put in.
“Right. Let me back up. I used to be Rowan’s big sister in a volunteer mentor program. They’re nineteen now, and we’re still friendly. Evidently, things have gotten scary at home. I mean, it wasn’t great before. Evangelical household.”
“Oh no,” Iris breathed. She could easily imagine what “scary” entailed under those circumstances.
“Before what?” Eli asked.
Henry Dale was frowning, and Sally set down her knitting bag. Both of the older folks seemed focused on the story now, worried for someone they’d never met. I have the best housemates.
“The gist is Rowan’s cousin screenshotted their locked socials and outed them to the rest of their family.”
Iris drew in a sharp breath. “Are they safe?”
“Things were tense last time I talked to them. But they stopped answering my messages last night, and the texts have been left unread.”
“Does Rowan usually take a while to respond?” Sally asked.
“I forget that my phone can even get texts,” Henry Dale said. “And it takes me forever to send one.”
Iris tried not to laugh. That was because Henry Dale had a “classic” flip phone and he used his thumbs on the numeric pad. Anyone who wanted a quick answer should call him or ask face-to-face. She’d learned not to message the old man if she needed a fast turnaround.
Mira shook her head. “They usually reply within an hour.”
So it had been almost twenty-four hours since Mira had heard from Rowan? Iris didn’t like the sound of that. Not at all. Maybe she was overreacting, but she’d read about people being shipped off to conversion camps or getting locked up by their families. Unease jabbed at her insistently.