“Ms. Maxwell! How have you been? The children ask after you often!”
“Oh, I’ve been fine, thank you,” Riley said. “I’m pleased to hear that!”
“Oh, they adored you. Sometimes, I wonder if they even liked you more than they liked their father and me!”
“Oh, Mrs. Greer, I highly doubt that,” Riley said, chuckling. “Children are prone to the vice of novelty, that’s all. Nannies are fairly novel, wouldn’t you say? Fleeting.”
“Oh, quite right,” Mrs. Greer said, a light, delighted laugh escaping her lips. It made Riley smile. She had always really liked working with the Greers. They were kind-hearted and fair people. She knew how snobby some of the shifter royals could be, and they always seemed to turn that truth on its head and act in ways that continually surprised her.
“Mrs. Greer, I’m actually calling because I have a favor to ask of you,” Riley said, glancing around the kitchen nervously. She could see the girls in the living room from where she was sitting, and she hoped they would stay put so nobody could hear what she was about to say.
“Oh? Most people come visit in person if they want a favor,” Mrs. Greer said, her voice a little more serious now. “It would be awfully good to see you.”
“I would love to! It’s just, right now isn’t such a good time…”
“Well, when it’s a good time, then I promise you I will listen to your favor and, if it’s within my power, grant it for you. But you must understand. There is a proper way to conduct such matters, you know. An official invitation to a lunch, and then chatting afterward. It’s just more civilized, you know.”
“Yes, I agree,” Riley said, feeling the crushing weight of her entrapment. She wanted, so badly, to explain to Mrs. Greer just how precarious her situation was, but there were some things you just never said to a royal; things like troubling them with your problems unless you were imploring them for help. And she would never even think to implore them about Luthor. Walker was taking good enough care of things in that regard.
“All right, dear. Well, then, I would like to invite you officially to a dinner. Can you attend tonight?”
Riley stammered. “I…I would love to.”
“Perfect! Then let us just get everything prepared. Can you arrive at a quarter to six? That would be just perfect.”
“Of course, Mrs. Greer. Thank you so much for your invitation!”
“Absolutely!” she said, her voice light and airy again. “It will be such a pleasure to see you again! I think you will be shocked by just how much the children have grown! Oh, they are going to be so excited to see you again! Their regard for you is nothing but the highest!”
“I’m looking forward to it! See you tonight!”
“Yes! Take care!”
The line went silent and Riley hung up the phone and slumped down in her chair, her face contorted in regret. What had she just done? Walker had told her explicitly to stay in the house. To stay put. But what she wanted to do seemed to outweigh any potential for danger toward herself.
“Hello?”
“Tara, hi,” Riley said, trying to keep the nervous waver out of her voice. “I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Yes?” Tara asked.
Riley cringed. She was asking for an awful lot of favors today. She didn’t really like it. “Can you come over and watch the girls for about two hours today? I have an appointment I forgot about and I just can’t miss it. I can’t get a hold of Walker, but I don’t think he would mind.”
“Oh, no problem. What time?”
“Can you be here by 5:30?”
“Sure. See you then.”
“Thanks!”
Riley peeked in at the girls one more time. Erin was draped on one of the couches, staring down at Lily, who was “reading to her” about a princess from a book that was clearly centered on a male protagonist. Erin was mesmerized by the story, and Riley chuckled softly to herself before heading to her bedroom.
It had been a long time since she had attended an event with the royals. She had been dressing casually ever since she had gotten this dream job with Walker and Erin, but now it was time to look into the rest of her wardrobe.
She opened the small trunk full of elegant clothing that had been donated to her by Mrs. Greer herself. She had seen a need to make sure the human was fit with exquisite attire in the event of company arriving, and she had worn these outfits, mending and replacing some of them with her own savings, in order to keep up appearances while minding the shifter pups of the royal families.
She looked through all the gowns fondly, wondering what was in fashion these days in the Greer household. Working with the Lewinskis had given her some idea, so after going through the gowns quickly, she chose one that was the most contemporary and studied the beautiful, intricate patterns on it. The shifter seamstresses seemed to have a special knack for making clothing beautiful. In fact, everything shifters created had a special little something that made it pop and set it apart from the human world. She felt lucky to have been included in any of this culture over the years, even if she was a human and knew humans were looked down upon by the shifter royalty, whether the Greer family treated her well or not.
She had forgotten just how complicated it could be to put on those gowns, though, and found it nearly impossible to get herself zipped up. Fortunately, the doorbell rang just as she was finishing and she hurried downstairs to let Tara inside, hoping maybe she would be able to get the help she needed to finish her transformation.
When she came downstairs to answer the doorbell, the girls gasped and rose from their position in the living room, hanging in the doorway to gape at the way she looked in the elaborate gown. It was beautiful, even Riley, who had simple, scientific tastes had to admit. The gown itself was a deep maroon, with beautiful vine patterns creeping up the material in gold. It was a full bodied gown that rivaled those of the Victorian era, and she usually felt ridiculous putting it on. And yet, there was something magical about it.
“Wow, look at you,” Tara exclaimed, clearly shocked by the transformation. “What kind of appointment did you forget about? A ball?”
“No…well, maybe something like that,” Riley said, sighing deeply. “Do you think you could help me zip this up?”
“Of course,” Tara said with a small laugh. “I never expected to see you in something like this. You’re always so…practically dressed.”
Riley laughed. She had seen Tara off and on over the past few weeks, and it was true, she hadn’t had the need to dress up in Walker’s house.
“Trust me, I don’t dress like this by choice.”
“Well, where are you going?” Tara asked, just as she finished up with the zipper.
“That is confidential,” Riley said, glancing at the girls and winking at Tara. “You understand.”
“I bet it’s a date,” Tara whispered to the girls, who giggled, though Lily looked concerned.
“When are you coming home, Mommy?” she asked, clearly not liking the idea of her mother going out alone. She knew the rule that Walker had made. No leaving the house. “Walker is going to be mad.”
“Walker won’t be mad because nothing bad is going to happen,” Riley said, kissing her daughter’s cheek. “You two be good for Tara, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Riley left, a chorus of “bye” following her to her car. She felt wrong about leaving like this, but what other choice did she have? Some things she just couldn’t do on her own, no matter how independent she happened to be, and this, unfortunately, was one of them.
And so, with presentiment building in her chest, Riley turned the engine on the car and took off toward the royals’ part of town.
***
“Dinner was absolutely wonderful,” Riley said. And it was true. The Greers had the best cooks of anybody in the entire city, and she had just been able to dine on a meal that would have cost any other human thousands of dollars even just to look at. “Thank you so much for the invitation.”
“Of course, dear,” Mrs. Greer said, closing the door to the sitting room so it was just Riley alone with her inside. “The children were so pleased to see you again. As I mentioned, they speak so fondly of you so often. You really made their lives a delight.”
“They are wonderful kids,” Riley said. “I can’t believe just how much they’ve grown!”
“It is a wonder,” Mrs. Greer agreed. “But then, many times, shifter pups grow quickly; a little more quickly than human babies, I would think.”
“Yes, it’s true,” Riley said. “Though, not by much. It’s almost the same.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Greer said, smiling. “Now, go on and tell me what it is that you wanted to ask of me. I know this couldn’t have been easy for you to do. You were always such a proud woman. You wouldn’t even ask for extra pay when you had no heat.”
“You knew about that?” Riley asked, startled.
“Of course! Who do you think made the call to the electric company that got the heat back on?”
“I had no idea…thank you!” Riley stammered. “You have always been just too kind.”
“There is no such thing as too kind,” Mrs. Greer said, shaking her head. “Now, you must tell me what is on your mind, you proud thing. How is it I can help you? I have wanted, so badly, to be able to do something for you that is meaningful; you meant so much to my children! Money just didn’t seem enough. I’d be happy to honor any request you might have, providing it is reasonable.”
Riley was surprised to hear this, and swallowed hard. “Thank you so much,” she said. “It’s important to me that the man I’m with, who I…there’s someone who really deserves a chance to shine in Stonybrooke. He’s a genius with motors, and he truly cares about people.”
“So, this isn’t even a favor for yourself?” Mrs. Greer asked. “You would humble yourself for someone else?”
At first, Riley thought that Mrs. Greer was angry, but then her face broke out into a broad, beautiful smile and she relaxed. Everything was going to be okay.
“Yes. He’s such a good man, and a great father. He deserves some amount of success. There are too many human businesses taking business away from him, and since you are a woman of influence, I was hoping you might be able to help his business thrive.”
“I understand,” Mrs. Greer said, the smile still lingering on her lips. “You are a most peculiar human.”
“Do you think this is something you would be able to do?” Riley asked. “He works so hard…”
“Of course, my dear, anything for you,” Mrs. Greer said. “Honestly, it’s just a matter of one phone call and the ball would be rolling. He’s a lucky man to have you.”
Riley looked down at the floor, embarrassed and confused by the words. She cared so much for Walker, but did that actually really amount to anything? They didn’t technically have each other. Not really.
“Is there anything else?” Mrs. Greer asked, peering into Riley’s eyes. “Something that would help you, for example?”
Riley smiled nervously and shook her head. “No, ma’am. I just want to see this man succeed. He has so much potential.”
Mrs. Greer narrowed her eyes. “I see. Well, in that case, I suppose it is time to bring this evening to a close. What is this man’s name?”
“Walker Abrams. He owns…”
“Ah, the Howler’s Motors man,” Mrs. Greer said with a nod. “That little Marcus chats me up about it whenever he gets the chance, but my husband has always taken care of the family vehicles so I’ve never had a need of him. Don’t worry. We’re going to take care of your friend. And you have a safe trip home.”
“Thank you,” Riley said, a broad smile creasing her face. She was so relieved she nearly started crying right then and there. And that would have been a major social faux pas. The shifters were not emotional people, especially not in public. “It was great seeing you again!”
“Absolutely. Take care of yourself, Ms. Maxwell!”
As Riley drove away, elated, she couldn’t help but think of Walker. As much as he was going to love what she had done for him, Lily was right. He was going to be mad about her leaving the house. He had been gone a while at that point, and the hum in her engine made her feel even more guilty. She would have gone to visit him at the garage if she wasn’t so nervous about admitting she had broken the rules despite his very strict cautions against it.
She rounded the curve on Mountain Street, and a sudden billow of smoke began to pour from the engine.
“What the hell?” she muttered, slowing the car to a stop at the side of the road. She turned it off and got out, stumbling over the deep drop from her seat to the ground. The earth was on an incline here, right at the edge of a forested area.
“You’re never going to believe our luck, boys!”
Riley’s blood turned to ice at the sound of Luthor’s voice, and she whipped around just in time to have someone’s dirty hand clamped over her mouth and to catch sight of Luthor and two other men grinning at her from the tree line.
“Looks as if today is going to be a good day after all,” Luthor said, his eyes shining with malice. “Get her in the truck and let’s go tell the boss. He’s going to be pleased.”
Riley tried to scream and fight with all her might, but the man behind her was brutally strong. Nothing she did seemed to make a difference, and soon, she was being thrown in the back of a blue truck and bound to an anvil, with the biggest of the men sitting in front of her with a sickening grin on his face.
She should never have left the house. Walker had been right. And now, she was probably going to die and there was nothing anybody would be able to do about it.