I pulled out the piece of paper that Ari had given me and sat down at the table, punching in the number. Three rings later, someone picked up.
“Gelphart,” came the brusque answer.
I blinked, unsure of how to respond.
“Hello? Who is this?” He sounded rushed and irritated.
“Right, I’m sorry. I’m January Jaxson and I’m calling about the job with Conjure Ink. Ari Wheeler told me about it. Is it still available?”
There was a pause before he cleared his throat and in a more calmer tone, said, “Yes, actually, it is. When can you come in for an interview?”
I hadn’t expected such a quick response. “Today, if you like.”
“Fine. 1280 Martin Street, three o’clock. Bring your resume. I’ll see you then, January.” And…click.
I stared at my phone. If I didn’t need the job, I’d think twice. But then again, I knew a lot of publishing professionals and most of them were just as brusque. Tad Gelphart might run an odd-sounding paranormal investigations site, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t pressed for time.
What the hell, I thought. It can’t hurt to check it out. A glance at the clock told me I had enough time to go shopping before the interview. I was unpacked, but I had gotten rid of all my mother’s old sheets and linens. Grabbing my keys and purse, I sorted through my briefcase in which I had packed all my important documents, like my birth certificate, passport, deed to the house, and other legal necessities.
“I should get a fire-proof safe,” I said, mostly to myself.
I finally found the copies of the resume that I had printed out before I had left my—scratch that—Ellison’s—house and, tucking them into a file folder in my tote bag, I headed out for the car. It was time to go shopping.
Chapter Four
The town square was bustling. Most of the shops in Moonshadow Bay were in the downtown area, though there were a few tiny strip malls on the outskirts of town. But Bed & Body Unlimited was off of Main Street, on Glacier Avenue. Bellingham, and Moonshadow Bay, weren’t that far from Mount Baker National Park, which housed Mount Baker—one of the most active of the volcanoes that made up the Cascade Mountain Range.
The range split the state in two, with Western Washington temperate and wet, lush and green year round. The eastern side of the state was dry and scorched during the summer, and cold and icy during winter. Eastern Washington was far bigger than Western Washington, but it had a much sparser population, and the only thing the two sides of the state had in common was their name. Over on the east side of the mountains, conservatives ruled over orchards and farms, while here, on the west side, liberals and high-tech moguls ran the landscape—and the economy.
But the Cascades were the real star.
The mountains towered over the land, breaking apart the terrain with craggy peaks jutting their way into the sky. The only way over them were the high mountain passes.
The Cascades claimed five active volcanoes, along with a number of dormant and extinct ones. Mount Rainier, who guarded Seattle with her stately form, was the best known and the most dangerous, given one hundred thousand people lived in her shadow. Then there was Mount St. Helens who had let loose in 1980 with a massive eruption that destroyed over a thousand feet off the top and killed sixty.
But up north, near Bellingham, we were focused on Mount Baker. Still very much alive, the last-known eruption was thought to have been in 1884, but the nineteenth century had seen close to twenty eruptions. The land was alive, and here in Moonshadow Bay, we were well aware of that life. Most of us paid attention to the ebb and flow of energy that worked its way around the area.
I found a place to park—there was a parking lot across from the block of stores that offered plenty of parking and easy access—and headed over to buy new sheets and towels.
Once in the store, I ended up buying far more. I decided I wanted plum and dusky blue sheet sets, and I found a new comforter that was a paisley pattern in vibrant blue, green, and white. I tossed extra throw pillows into the cart and then moved onto the kitchen aisles.
I couldn’t remember if my mother had just the right size of whisks I liked—I loved to bake, while she had made most of our treats from boxed mixes—so I chose a set of four graduated sizes, then moved onto the crystal, where I chose new goblets and drinkware. I also decided that I needed new skillets, and then I picked up an air fryer.
By the time I left the store, pushing the cart across to my car, my credit card had taken a thousand-dollar hit. I packed the bags into the back of my Subaru and glanced at my watch. It was eleven. I was debating whether to stop in at Ruby’s—a small Italian restaurant nearby—when I heard someone calling my name.
“January!”
I turned around to see Killian three cars over from mine. He waved and I motioned him over. I noticed he was wearing hiking boots, which worked well on snow and ice.
The snow was beginning to turn to slush as the temperatures rose above freezing, but they were due to plunge back down into the twenties tonight, which meant everything would melt just enough to create a solid sheet of ice for tomorrow.
“Hey,” I said as he approached. “What are you doing?”
“Same thing you are, apparently. Shopping for new bedding. Everything I owned was burned to a crisp, and I’m not joking. All my family pictures…everything I had accumulated…all gone,” he said, a melancholy look washing across his face.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t realize you had truly lost everything.” I paused, frowning. There was more to his grief than losing possessions. “You lost more than that, didn’t you?”
He nodded. “I lost my dog. I couldn’t get in to save her. It still chokes me up, thinking about it. The only comfort I have is the firemen said the smoke took her before the flames reached her. She wasn’t young—she was fourteen—and I doted on her.”
“What was her name?” I asked. I had wanted a pet for years, but Ellison had argued against it so vehemently that I decided he couldn’t be trusted around a pet anyway.
“Sasha. She was a German shepherd. I wish to hell I had followed my instincts and taken her to work with me that morning. The fire hit my house before it hit my practice. I could have saved her—gotten her out with me.”
I bit my lip, feeling bad that I’d brought up such a sad memory. “You want to grab a cup of coffee?” I asked. “Ruby’s is a good place to eat, and I was about to stop for lunch. My treat, to welcome you to Moonshadow Bay.”
Killian tilted his head, his long curls sweeping to the side as he did so. His eyes softened and he smiled. “Thank you. I’d love to. In fact, I wouldn’t mind some lunch, too. I ate breakfast at six this morning and could use a good bite. But I insist on paying.”
I felt my cheeks color just a little as he offered his arm, but I managed to push down my feelings of awkwardness as we headed into the restaurant. In the back of my mind, Ari’s teasing rang loud and clear. Yeah, maybe I did like him—just a little.
Killian scarfed down his spaghetti as though he hadn’t eaten in days. I was just as hungry, but I suddenly felt self-conscious. I twirled the spaghetti around and around on my fork.