in Mystic Circle wouldn’t know which house was number one. Jenni appeared to be five feet nine or ten inches.
Putting down the fork, Jenni took her hand in a really warm clasp. Kiri hadn’t thought her hands were so cold. Nerves.
“Pleased to meet you,” Jenni said with a penetrating stare. “You do fit here in Mystic Circle.”
“Ah. Thanks.”
“And my colleagues and I at Eight Corp are interested in your background and résumé.”
Kiri’s relieved breath puffed out a little harder than she’d expected. She followed that with a slight smile. “Thank you again.”
“We’ll talk in a bit, so why don’t you relax and get some food. Plenty of it here.” Jenni picked up the fork again and gestured to a steak. “What kind of meat do you want?”
Kiri wanted to resolve the job thing, but that wasn’t going to happen right now. Meat-wise, she longed for a fat hot dog. “I’ll have one of those skinless chicken strips.”
Jenni reached toward the far side of the grill for an empty plate, plopped a chicken strip on the bright red paper dish. The tender meat fell apart.
Kiri’s mouth watered. “Looks great.”
“Eat and enjoy. We’ll talk later.”
A dismissal, though said with a smile that reflected in Jenni’s eyes. Maybe Kiri would pull this off after all.
She shifted tension from her shoulders. She was so nervous she probably shouldn’t eat. Food might have trouble squeezing into her clenched stomach, but she could hardly dump her plate.
“Come and sit, Kiri!” called Amber Davail who lived with her husband, Rafe, in the Victorian house next door to Jenni. Amber gave a welcoming wave and Rafe smiled and lifted his fork.
So Kiri crossed to one of the picnic tables that had been set up in the shade of a box elder tree and sat.
It took a while for her to settle down, and she gave credit to Amber, a genealogist, and Rafe, part-owner of the Denver Fencing Lyceum, for helping her. The couple was easy to be with. They also didn’t seem to be as...intimidating as Jenni and Aric or as intense as Tamara.
Soon Kiri had munched a mixed green salad, raw veggies, chicken and fruit and felt full enough to ignore the dessert table in the corner of the yard. She was glad there were no irresistible potatoes or French fries. She even managed to stay away from the chips and salsa and guacamole, which were a real weakness. She wanted to lose a few pounds before she started her new job.
She would get the job.
“Your brownies were incredible,” said Rafe. He laughed lustily. Now that she’d spent more time with him, Kiri thought he was a man who appreciated every moment of life. “They didn’t last at all. Some folk went straight for dessert.”
“Fine with me.” Kiri drank deeply of a bottle of raspberry sparkling water and glanced around the backyard, a large pretty lawn with lilac bushes edging both side fences. The space wasn’t quite as lush or groomed as the Davails’ own next door, but Jenni’s sunroom was awesome.
“We’re glad to have you join us here in the Circle,” Amber said. “The man who lived in number one before you kept to himself. Didn’t come to the block parties, traveled a lot and disapproved of the rest of us playing together as a team in Fairies and Dragons every Thursday night.” She wrinkled her nose, then cocked a golden-brown eyebrow at her husband. “Even Rafe plays now. We’ve assimilated him.”
Again Rafe laughed and lines crinkled at the corners of his blue eyes.
Amber poured some red wine into a glass and lifted it. A ray of sun slanted through it, and it appeared as if she held a glowing jewel. Smiling, she tilted the rim toward Jenni. “And we’re close here, and want to support each other however we might.”
Kiri leaned forward and low words tumbled from her. “I want that, too.” She wetted her lips. “Jenni’s my hero. I’ve applied for a job at Eight Corp. I’d love to work with her.”
Rafe’s and Amber’s gazes zeroed in on her, one shrewd, the other considering. Kiri flushed. Did she sound like a stalker? She hoped not.
Amber dabbed some bruschetta in flavored oil. “Well, you know what you’re doing in Fairies and Dragons for sure,” she said.
“Thanks.” Kiri grimaced. “Eight Corp said on its website that they’ll be making the decision soon.” She cleared her throat. “Did you see a guy walking around the Circle yesterday evening? He said he was from Eight Corp human resources. He was a little...” Fascinating. “...odd. Might have been practicing for Halloween.” Or her vision had been off.
Rafe’s smile was brilliant. “Kiri, we’re all a little odd here in the Circle.” He pointed his bread at her. “Including you, and thank God for it.” His lips quirked up, then he popped the bread in his mouth.
Kiri smiled. She didn’t mind being different, especially in a way that meshed well with Mystic Circle people.
“We didn’t see anyone,” Amber said. “But bad guys can’t get in the Circle. It stops them.”
“What!” Kiri’d never heard of anything like that in her life.
They nodded in unison. “True.”
“Oh.” Hmm. Nope, didn’t believe that.
“Great party,” Jenni said as she walked up, holding a glass mug of frothy beer and grinning. “Glad that you started this tradition, Amber.”
“I am, too,” Rafe said. “Ancient tradition.” He winked at Kiri. “Seven months, a party a month.”
Kiri tried to keep upbeat. “Sounds fine to me.”
“We’ll move the gatherings inside when the winter comes,” Amber said. She and Rafe rose and cleared their cheerfully colored paper plates and plastic utensils. “Later, Kiri.”
“Sure. See you later.” She wondered if there really would be a later. How humiliating that she’d spilled her guts to near strangers who might repeat her words to Jenni or Aric. What if she didn’t get the job? Would she still feel okay living in Mystic Circle? Hell!
Jenni slid onto the wooden bench opposite. She glanced around the backyard at the clusters of people talking and laughing. “Just great to have neighborhood get-togethers.”
Then she turned her head to meet Kiri’s gaze. “We’ve discussed you quite a lot at Eight Corp. Aric works there, too.”
Here it came.
Chapter 3
KIRI FROZE.
Something in Jenni’s eyes, a downward curve of the corner of her lips made Kiri’s stomach clench. She wasn’t going to get the job.
The sun went behind clouds—wasn’t it supposed to be sunny all day?—drying her sweat.
She
