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Something about her appealed to me and drew me in, even if she seemed odd.
If I was truly desperate to know her name, there wasn't anything stopping me from checking out the local paper and asking around. And yet, I didn't want to seem too forward or spare what little time I had to do exactly that.
My phone ringing in my pocket tore me out of my deep thoughts, and I quickly accepted the call to stop the noise. I managed to catch a familiar name on the caller ID beforehand.
"Joey, how's it going?" I asked, laughing to myself at the thought of him wasting no time checking in on me.
"I was about to ask you the same thing, big shot," he said, chuckling. The familiarity of his voice brought me a sense of comfort. "The city's not the same without you."
"Miss me already?"
"I'm man enough to admit it," he returned, light-hearted as usual. "How are the old stomping grounds?"
"Nearly how I left it," I replied, glancing out the shop window. "There are new businesses and new faces, and the alpha around here has fixed things up. Other than that, it feels almost the same."
"Ah, right. You're so normal; sometimes I forget that part about you. What am I supposed to do without my guard dog now?"
I snickered. "Sorry, pal. You're on your own to figure things out. Which is an incentive to stay out of trouble."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Speaking of, have you gotten any suspicious calls or messages lately?"
Feeling a slight shift in tone, I sighed to myself. "Fortunately, no. I think the guys have finally left me alone. Since I changed my number, got a new phone, and moved back here, I think I'm in the clear."
"Good," Joey murmured, and I could picture him nodding on the other end. "They won't be happy you left the city, but you need to look after yourself and your best interest."
"I don't have any interest in that line of work anymore, and I don't want any ties connecting me to them. This is my fresh start, and I don't need the triplets finding me."
Dutifully, Joey continued, "I'll do whatever I can to keep the heat off you and to make sure they don't find out where you went. Better to seem like a ghost in the city than to be found by those goons."
"Thanks, Joey. I appreciate it," I murmured, sifting through another box.
"Of course. I'd never rat on you, not after you did me a solid by letting me crash at your place, along with giving me that job. I'll do whatever I can to repay you for that," he said, sincere with every word.
It had been straining for me to have another mouth to feed at that time, but Joey quickly became a good friend of mine, and I couldn't stand to see him struggling. He was held true to his word, and he did start contributing once he was getting paid. Plus, I gained a loyal friend in my corner.
He was like a brother to me, and it meant a lot to have someone like him on my side.
"You're a good man, Joey."
"You aren't getting sentimental on me, are you?"
I cracked a small smile. "Of course not. But I am telling you to stop by the studio whenever you get the chance. I think you'd like it here."
"You can count on it. But for now, worry about getting that place into tip-top shape. I expect an entire experience when I get there."
"Beggars can't be choosers," I retorted.
Joey laughed. "I suppose you're right. In any case, I hope things are going well for you. I know you'll blow it out of the park over there."
"I sure hope so."
Before long, we wrapped up the call, and I appreciated hearing from him. It was always hard moving somewhere and not knowing very many people, even if that meant going back home.
While Rose Valley felt the same as it had, there was no denying how different it was. Everyone had grown up, and there certainly was a boost in the population. Between shifters, witches, humans, and others, there were a lot more people to contend with than when I was a kid.
Regardless, there were opportunities here, and I planned on seizing them.
Tossing my phone to the side, I tried to return my attention to the many boxes that still needed to be sorted, but the door opening broke any concentration I could've mustered.
