Home > The Siren Saves The Billionaire (Nocturne Falls #13)(5)

The Siren Saves The Billionaire (Nocturne Falls #13)(5)
Author: Kristen Painter

Weirder things had happened than being required to take her shoes off in a client’s home. This was Nocturne Falls, after all.

She hesitated. Was this client a supernatural? She had no idea, and merfolk weren’t always so great at telling who was what. Human, sure. But other supernaturals? Not so much. She’d just have to watch for any telltale signs.

And if she wasn’t sure, she’d ask. Not the client, but one of her friends who was a supernatural. Like Bridget Merrow, who was the wolf shifter who owned Howler’s, or maybe Mattie Sharpe, the Celtic witch who kept bees that made the best honey around.

Mattie’s mead wasn’t too bad either. And she was one of Undrea’s besties.

That reminded Undrea that she still needed to see if everyone was up for Friday girls’ night at Insomnia.

Undrea had a feeling after this week, she was going to need it.

She drove to the address the client had given her. It was up in the hills like she was, but farther up. Where the big houses were. Like where Van, the dragon shifter, and his Will-o’-the-Wisp wife, Monalisa, lived.

All of the houses in this area were big. This one seemed to be no exception.

She wound up the driveway, but she could already see the tip of the home’s chalet-style roof through the trees. And when the rest of it came into view, it was hard not to stare.

The entire front of the home seemed to be glass. She parked and got out, trying not to gawk.

It looked like a small ski resort. Minus the lift. And the snow. And the crowds. Okay, it only looked like a ski resort because of the building. Nothing else. But still. It was very impressive.

She felt underdressed, but there was no helping that now. She grabbed her portfolio and the folder she gave to all potential clients and walked straight up the steps to the front door.

She pushed the doorbell. She could hear the chimes playing in the house. The tune sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn’t place it.

A woman in a body-hugging black knit dress and tall black boots answered the door. Her hair was cut in a short, modern shag and dyed an impossible shade of plum that made her green eyes seem to glow. Chunky silver earrings and a matching bracelet completed the look. “You must be Andrea. From the fish store.”

“Undrea from Tanks A Lot, yes, that’s me.” She stuck her hand out. “Are you the one who called?”

“I am.” The woman stepped back without shaking Undrea’s hand. Maybe she hadn’t noticed. “Come in. I’ll show you where we’d like the tank.”

We. She’d used that term on the phone too, but Undrea wasn’t clear if that “we” referred to her partner, her child, her parent…no idea because she hadn’t specified. “Great.”

Undrea followed her through the house. It was spectacular. Simple, clean lines with a kind of post-modern fifties vibe that felt both retro and space-age new.

Undrea suddenly wanted to redecorate her entire house in the same style. “Groovy place. I really love it. A tank would look awesome in here.”

She meant that too. Tanks added life and color and interest to spaces like nothing else could.

The first floor seemed to be the main living area with the kitchen, dining room, maybe some guest rooms, and who knew what else, with more rooms upstairs, all set around a balcony that overlooked the big center room. A light was on in one of the rooms upstairs, but from Undrea’s angle, she couldn’t tell if there was anyone in there.

The woman stopped and gestured to a space on the floor. “Right here.”

Another yard or two, and the floor descended a few steps to a sunken sitting area with a large stone fireplace and chimney breast that went all the way up to the vaulted ceiling. It was a beautiful spot. But Andrea already knew the tank the woman wanted wasn’t going to work.

“The garage is under this space, isn’t it? Which means there’s no crawlspace where piers can be added.” Undrea opened her portfolio to the notebook and slipped the pen from its loop so she could jot things down.

The woman made a face like she hadn’t understood the question. “Piers?”

Andrea nodded. “I’ll need to know how much load these floor joists can hold. I’m sure your builder can tell me. Or whoever built this house. How tall did you want this tank to be?”

The woman raised her hand up, keeping her palm flat towards the floor. “About here.”

Undrea wrote down six feet. “And about how long?”

The woman glanced at one side of the room, then the other, took a few steps out and stopped. “About to here. People have to be able to walk around it, obviously, to get to the seating area.”

Undrea wrote down eight feet. Then did a quick calculation. “Yep. Definitely going to need to know more about this floor.”

“Why?” The woman’s groomed brows arched.

“Because you’re talking about a nine-hundred-gallon tank. Approximately. That’s almost seventy-eight hundred pounds for just the salt water. Add the acrylic or glass surround, the base, the fish, coral, sand, and equipment on top of that and…” Undrea gestured like the rest was obvious.

Maybe it wasn’t, though, because the woman kept staring at her.

“Just saying,” Undrea added. “It’s going to be very heavy.”

“I see. Well, maybe the floor can be reinforced?”

“That’s what we need to find out. I have an engineer on my team who can help us make sure everything is sound, but we’d definitely need to talk to the builder too.”

“How soon can you have all of this done?” She smiled. “I’d like it to be ready for our engagement party.”

“Oh, I see.” Undrea smiled. So the we she’d spoken of was her partner. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“When is the party?”

The woman’s smile faltered. “It’s, uh…” She glanced upstairs. “Soon.”

“Can you give me an actual date? Just so I know what the time frame is. A week? A month? A—”

A man walked out onto the balcony and looked down. “What’s going on now?”

The man was incredibly handsome. And except for his glasses, dry clothes, and dry hair looked exactly like the tourist who’d tried to save her life earlier.

Undrea’s pinkie toe on her left foot began to ache.

This was not a good sign.

 

 

Ethan stared down at Nina, but a second later his entire being focused on the woman beside her.

The very beautiful, living, breathing, dry woman beside her. Could she really be the same woman he’d tried to rescue at the lake? The one who’d just disappeared into the water? He wasn’t sure.

At least he couldn’t be until he’d had a closer look. But then how many women could there be in this town with that spun-copper hair? He jogged down the steps. Bowie, his Sphynx cat, ran down after him.

As soon as he hit the ground floor, he knew. It was her. He’d never forget that mouth. Or those eyes. But he didn’t want to say anything. Didn’t want to embarrass her. He’d just pretend this was their first meeting. It would be weird to explain to Nina anyway, especially since he’d hidden the fact that he’d come home wet, knowing how she’d freak out.

Nina had a fear of open water because of a childhood incident. That was as much as he knew and as much as she’d ever said.

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