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ARIZONA
What do you say to a procrastinating pig?
It’s snout or never.
* * *
After leaving the beach, Jack drove us to my apartment. He’d taken one look at the size of my bed and told us to pack what we needed because he was taking us home with him. Once we’d finished packing, he’d taken us to his beautiful home nestled at the end of a cul-de-sac down a quiet tree-lined street. It wasn’t far from the park Zon had popped us to the night before, and the tall trees around the property gave the home quite a bit of privacy.
Jack unlocked the bright red front door and stepped back, motioning for us to enter ahead of him. The home wasn’t a mansion, but it was spacious. Jack gave us a tour, apologizing for the sparse furnishings. It seemed he was a workaholic who wasn’t home a lot, and decorating wasn’t high on his list of priorities.
We’d taken turns showering, trying to wash away the sand that managed to be in all the places it shouldn’t be. Collapsing on Jack’s California King, we lay motionless, too tired to do anything but sleep.
“Arizona?” Jack rolled to face me.
Rez was spooning me, while Zon lay across the foot of the bed, his large hand wrapped around my ankle. They didn’t care where they touched so long as our skin remained in contact.
“Yes?” I traced along his jawline, memorizing his face.
“I would love it if the three of you would consider moving in permanently and making this house our home. I understand if you are attached to your apartment, though, and if that’s the case, I will sell this place.”
“Attached to that tiny closet? Not a chance. It was all I could afford. We had already talked about the need to find a house. So if you are sure, then yes, I’d love to begin our life together here.” I scooted forward as much as Rez’s embrace allowed and pressed a gentle kiss to Jack’s lips.
Rez spoke, “Your home is nice, and the privacy is appreciated. The constant noise of the city is unsettling to our beasts. Thank you, Jack.”
“It’s our home,” Jack emphasized.
“For now. I have a feeling we may grow out of it if our little mate starts finding the rest of her gifts.” Zon laughed.
“I’m glad that’s settled.” I sighed, relaxing into the plush mattress.
“I think you should consider quitting your job, Ari.” Rez rumbled behind me. “We need to figure out how to keep your emotions from supercharging your magic. Maybe Tsufnu left information with your other gifts. She always did enjoy a good treasure hunt, so it would not surprise me if that was the case.”
“And how are we going to afford to eat if I’m not working?” I asked. I didn’t hate the idea of leaving my job, but it was scary to think of not having a steady, if meager, paycheck each week.
“I’m financially comfortable, Firefly. I work because I would go crazy just sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Solving puzzles is a favorite hobby of mine, so being a detective allowed me to do it as a profession. Don’t worry about money. Work only if you want to.” Jack brushed his thumb across my bottom lip.”
“If I don’t work, what am I going to do?” All three men wiggled their eyebrows suggestively. I groaned. “Besides having sex! We are not having sex all day, every day.”
Albert landed with a soft thud on the downy comforter. Rez and Zon cursed at his sudden appearance.
Jack chuckled and stroked Albert’s head. “How’d you manage to get up here, little guy?”
Albert oinked in response and marched up to me, carrying something in his mouth.
“What do you have there? Did my invitation to the wizard school finally show up?” I joked, taking the envelope and opening it. Heck, if there was a school for people like me, I needed it.
“Well? What is it?” Jack asked, scooting closer to read along with me.
“It’s an invitation. Not to a school, but to a huge museum in Texas. Apparently, they saw a video on social media of my street performance with my lifelike animatronics. They are having their annual benefactor party, and they want me to come as a special guest and provide entertainment.”
I eyed the paper and then looked over at the tiny pig, who stared back at me with innocent eyes. Suspicion crept through my mind.
“Can I use your phone, Jack?” I asked. Jack grabbed his phone from the nightstand and handed it to me.
Dialing the number, I asked for Claire, the party coordinator. She picked up on the first ring, and was surprised to hear from me so fast. We chatted for a few minutes over the party details, and I promised to call her back the next day with my decision.
“I did have one more question, Claire. When did you mail this invitation?” I listened, my eyes never leaving Albert.
