Fuck... he hadn’t been kidding about shifting.
That stated...
Had they really just gotten themselves off on the living room furniture? Knowing that his Gran obviously had a wolf’s sense of smell?
They really were losing their minds.
She would have to use a lot of baking soda and lemon vinegar... and maybe send up a silent spell or two.
Chapter 22
WherethehellwasRodolphe and why wasn’t he in town on maybe the biggest day ever? According to Ariana and Scarlett, he knew what Wi-Fi and the internet were, so... where was he, on the very day that cable lines were being installed in the town and a freaking paranormal electrician was in his bookshop running the wires into the wall? Where was he?
“Alright, all done on this one,” Luka, the electrician, said hurriedly as he gathered his tools. “I’m heading over to the bakery next. Last stop, right? You said the bakery, the diner, the bookstore, and the bar.”
“To start,” Violet confirmed. “It will probably be a few months before anyone in town is ready to install it in their houses, though, so don’t stick around.”
“Hey, I don’t mind getting called back, and I like being in small towns in the middle of nowhere. Makes me feel stronger.”
She hadn’t asked what kind of paranormal the electrician was before she had received his name and phone number from Harriet, and she wasn’t going to ask now.
“The service provider said they would be finished by tomorrow. Once they’re all done, I can connect the lines to their box. They even set a box of modems out in front of the bar, and I think we both know they aren’t taking them back. Nice job on the spell there, kid. They didn’t even question how fast the job was. Normally, I have to butter them up a little to not blink too hard.”
She hadn’t done any spell, but when the internet service provider showed up, followed by the electrician, things had just startedhappeningpractically, but also literally, overnight...
She would have to make sure the men were all paid extra, seeing as how they had started the job the day after Christmas.
“Thank you for your speed. This town needed the upgrade in more ways than one.”
“Yeah, I heard about Garoureve, back when it happened. Sad thing for a pack. It’s happened to a few others. Met Broderick back when he was a young pup. Strong as ore, that one. Surprised he let this happen.”
The man in front of her looked to be in his early twenties, which had Violet thinning her eyes slightly. Mr. Reeve... when he was young? If he was still alive, Colburn’s father would be in his late fifties. What exactly was this guy, and how—
“Anyways, back to work. Gonna take a look at the power grid while I’m here, too. Soak in some of that as well.”
Time to call Harriet.
“Before you go, I was just wondering. When you passed the town line, how did it feel?”
Luka stared at her, his eyes thinning as he studied her, before he shook his head. “Witches. I don’t know? Like a town line? Felt like any other town line. Geeze.”
Well then. She wouldn’t ask him anything else.
“Thanks,” she muttered, and followed him out of the bookstore.
Where the hell was Rodolphe?
Henrik and Colburn were chatting with Mardoc on the steps of the bakery as they watched the service providers continue to work. They were installing some sort of box, which Luka said all of the lines would run into underground, which somehow connected to the outside world. She didn’t understand it, but she also didn’t need to. That was the beauty of being a witch—not everything needed a full explanation.
She considered joining her soulmate and enjoying a cup of tea, but she had a phone call to make, or ten. Life had been so busy since Christmas, what with the service providers and the diner opening up and meeting Regina, who was amusing and sure to be a future friend, and then the missing Rodolphe, and answering questions about the town line...
It seemed like everyone could come and go freely, or at least, everyone who had tried. A few of the families were still uncertain, but that was to be understood. They had been trapped for so long, what even was the outside world to them but a mystery?
Hopefully, in time and with a lot of therapy, that would all change.
Speaking of therapy, another question to ask on the phone.
It still felt strange to enter her mother’s old house and not see her mother standing in the kitchen or busy in the back office. The only other place her mother would ever be was in the clinic, but the longer Violet was in Garoureve, the more that felt like Scarlett’s space. If she did decide to take up making potions or soaps or candles, as her mother had, she would probably need to find her own dedicated space, or talk to the Healer about how to share it.