The Nymph Next Door Read online

  The Nymph Next Door

  J. L. Farey

  Published by Jennifer AlLee, 2017.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  A Note from Kristen Painter

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  A Note from Kristen Painter

  Dear Reader,

  Nocturne Falls has become a magical place for so many people, myself included. Over and over I’ve heard from you that it’s a town you’d love to visit and even live in! I can tell you that writing the books is just as much fun for me.

  With your enthusiasm for the series in mind – and your many requests for more books – the Nocturne Falls Universe was born. It’s a project near and dear to my heart, and one I am very excited about.

  I hope these new, guest-authored books will entertain and delight you. And best of all, I hope they allow you to discover some great new authors! (And if you like this book, be sure to check out the rest of the Nocturne Falls Universe offerings.)

  For more information about the Nocturne Falls Universe, visit http://kristenpainter.com/sugar-skull-books/

  In the meantime, happy reading!

  Kristen Painter

  THE NYMPH NEXT DOOR

  A Nocturne Falls Universe Story

  Copyright © 2017 by J. L. Farey

  Cover design by Rebecca Poole

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.

  This book is a work of fiction and was made possible by a special agreement with Sugar Skull Books, but hasn’t been reviewed or edited by Kristen Painter. All characters, events, scenes, plots and associated elements appearing in the original Nocturne Falls series remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Kristen Painter, Sugar Skull Books and their affiliates or licensors.

  Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or Sugar Skull Books.

  Published in the United States of America.

  This is dedicated to my mom, Rose-Marie, who watched Dark Shadows with me, let me build cemeteries in the sandbox, and never doubted that one day, I’d be a real author. I miss you every day!

  1

  As a rule, Laurel Barker tried to keep a low profile. But that was difficult to do when towing an eight-foot tree on a flat-bed trailer hitched to an ancient VW Bus. In a town that celebrated Halloween 365 days a year, folks expected to see the unexpected. Vampires, werewolves, gargoyles and their ilk weren’t a big deal. But even the people strolling the sidewalks of Nocturne Falls looked at her bizarre caravan as if it had come from another galaxy.

  Pulling up to the curb in front of the real estate office, she muttered a quick thank you to whatever deity had arranged for an empty area big enough to park in.

  “Must be our lucky day, huh?”

  She looked over at the black and white lump curled up on the passenger seat. Bailey – part pit bull and part mystery dog – lifted his head and responded with a whine. Then he flopped back down and exhaled a sigh so long it sounded like air escaping a slashed tire.

  “I knew you’d be thrilled.” Laurel grinned as she shifted the bus into park. After rolling the passenger side window halfway down, she hopped out, slammed the door, then looked back into the vehicle. “I’ll just be a few minutes. You stand guard, okay?”

  Moving nothing but his eyes, Bailey acknowledged her existence before expelling another sigh and letting his head flop over the side of the bucket seat.

  Laurel shook her head as she stepped up the curb and made for the real estate office. She liked to think that if she was ever in real trouble, Bailey would snap into action and protect her. Hopefully, she would never have the need to find out if she was right.

  The bells above the office door were set a-jingling as Laurel walked in. A young woman sat behind a desk on the other side of the room.

  She looked up from the phone she’d been bent over. “Are you Laurel?”

  “I am. Are you...Pandora?”

  The girl laughed and shook her head, sending her ponytail swishing back and forth. “No, I’m Kaley. Pandora had to take a client to look at properties, so she asked me to wait here for you.”

  “Oh. Well, I guess I can come back later, if–”

  “No, it’s all good.” Kaley stood and snatched a manila envelope off the end of the desk. “Everything you need is right here.”

  Laurel sighed with relief. She’d already communicated at length with Pandora through emails and phone calls, not to mention exchanging and signing all the necessary documents electronically. Although she’d been looking forward to meeting the friendly realtor in person, it could wait for another time. Right now, Laurel just wanted to go to her new home and get everybody settled as soon as possible.

  “I appreciate you being here to give this to me,” Laurel said. “Do you need to see my ID? Just to prove I’m really me?”

  Kaley held the envelope against her chest and cocked her head to the side, considering Laurel. “Nah, you’ve got an honest aura.” She grinned and held out the envelope. “Besides, if you turn out not to be who you say you are, we know where to find you.”

  “Good point.” Laurel smiled in thanks. “So, I’ve got an honest aura? Let me guess...you’re a witch.”

  The girl nodded. “Yep. And you must be...give me a sec. You’re very green, earthy. A nymph?”

  “A wood nymph, to be exact. Speaking of wood, I’ve got a tree and a dog outside to take care of. Thanks again.” Laurel headed for the door, but did a quick turn on the way to offer one last sentiment. “See you around.”

  Kaley was already on the other side of the desk. “No doubt.” She gave a casual wave of one hand while she picked up her phone with the other. “Later!”

  With the envelope tightly clutched against her side, Laurel felt a warm seed of hope sprouting to life. Things were finally going her way.

  “Is this your vehicle?” A hulk of a man stepped in front of Laurel, bringing her up short and wiping the smile off her face.

  Two things registered right away. One, he was drop-dead gorgeous in a scruffy kind of way, his sandy-blond hair short and spikey, eyes like drops of honey, and muscles that seemed none too happy being confined by his uniform shirt. Two, that shirt was part of a police uniform and the pad in his hand was probably for writing her a ticket. It was like the entire concept of yin and yang was summed up in this one guy.

  “Yes, it’s mine.” Laurel did her best to be bright and upbeat, hoping a sunny disposition would win her points with Officer Hunk-O-Licious. “I know I shouldn’t have left my dog, but it was literally only for a few minutes while I ran into the realtor’s office. But I rolled the windows down and he has food and water in the back, just in case.”

  The man blinked once, then shook his head. “You’re in a no parking zone.”

  He motioned behind him, and for the first time Laurel noticed that the back tire of her trailer was mere inches away from a fire hydrant. Oops.

  “I’m sorry, Officer. I didn’t see it. I’m new in town.”

  His mouth quirked to the side. “So are half the people on the street.”

  Did he think she was a tourist? What kind of tourist towed a tree into town with them? “I won’t be new for long, though.” She shook the envelope as if it explained everything. “I’m settling here, at least for a while.”

  “Welcome to Nocturne Falls.” The pleasure of his words didn’t match his flat, uninterested tone.

  �
��Thanks.” Maybe she’d pegged this guy wrong. No matter how hot he was, he was definitely coming off as more of an Officer Grumpy-Pants.

  He glanced over his shoulder. “You’ve got a dog in there?”

  Oh brother. “Yes.”

  “You should never leave an animal alone in a car.” He frowned and stalked over to the bus.

  She hurried after him, trying to explain as she went. “I know. And I never do. Except this once. Besides, it's a beautiful day. The temperature’s what...low seventies?”

  “Seventy-two.” He was standing by the passenger side door, looking in the window. “Are you sure this dog is okay? He’s not moving.”

  Laurel laughed. “That’s just Bailey. He’s very chill.”

  At the sound of her voice, Bailey raised his head, his tongue lolling out in a doggy smile. Then, he noticed Officer Grumpy-Pants. Extending his head, Bailey sniffed the air. He gave a yelp and a moment later, he was off the seat and scurrying into the back of the bus.

  “I’ve never seen him move that fast,” Laurel said. “I think you scared him.”

  “Me? Why would I scare him?”

  Oh, maybe because your sparkling personality was too much for him. Sarcasm aside, Laurel trusted Bailey’s judgement. If he didn’t like someone, she probably shouldn’t either.

  “Look, Officer Gr–sorry, what’s your name?”

  “Aiden Morris.”

  “Officer Morris. I apologize, and I’d really love to drive away without a ticket. But if you’re going to give me one, can we speed this up? I have things to do, and I’m sure you’d like me to move my vehicle in case something spontaneously combusts and you need to crack open that hydrant.”

  The ghost of a smile made his face a bit less severe and even more attractive. With a nod, he flipped the pad shut and tucked the pen back in his shirt pocket. “I’ll cut you some slack, since you’re new and all. But just today. If I catch you illegally parked again–”

  “I know. You’ll throw the ticket pad at me. I won’t forget.”

  Before he could change his mind, she hurried around the bus and hopped in behind the wheel. After several pumps on the gas pedal and two cranks of the key, the motor chugged to life. She took a last look at Officer Morris, now sporting a full-blown look of amusement as he stood on the sidewalk watching her.

  As she pulled away from the curb, she waggled her fingers at Officer Too-Hot-To-Be-Legal and expelled a long, slow breath. A whine sounded behind her and Bailey made his way back up to the front seat. Once he was settled, Laurel shook her head as she scratched behind his ear.

  “You’re probably right about him, but that’s one fine looking peace officer. Times like this I wish you could talk and just spell it all out.”

  Bailey grunted and closed his eyes. Hoping for a distraction, Laurel pushed the button on the radio, filling the car with country music by a singer she didn’t recognize. She had a lot to do before committing to making Nocturne Falls her permanent home. It was best to concentrate on that. Later, when her life was less complicated, then she could think about making friends.

  Or making something else.

  * * *

  Aiden scratched the back of his head as the mysterious stranger drove away.

  “I thought the Panic Parade was last week.” The voice behind him carried a hint of amusement.

  “Huh?” Aiden asked as he turned.

  Jason Raza came up beside him, bringing the vendor’s cart he was pushing to a halt. He jerked his chin in the direction of the street. “As long as I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen anybody drive a tree through town. And believe me, I’ve seen alotta things.”

  “She’s new in town,” he parroted the woman’s words to his friend. “And she has a dog. I didn’t get far enough to ask her about the tree.”

  “New in town, huh? Sounds like she’ll be around for a while.” Jason chucked him in the ribs with his elbow. “You can put your big-city detective skills to use and track her down.”

  Aiden huffed out a please-be-serious breath. “I don’t think Sherriff Merrow would appreciate me tracking down people for fun.” No matter how pretty they were. Or how good they smelled, like lemon grass and sun warmed earth after a spring shower. To heck with his abilities as a detective. All he had to do was shift and he could sniff her out, no doubt about it.

  “Okay, I get it.” Jason laughed. Then he sighed and his expression turned serious. “Do you ever miss it?”

  “Miss what?”

  “Your old life.”

  “Nope.” Aiden winced. Even to his own ears, that answer came way too fast. “A little. Sometimes. But I enjoy my life here. What made you ask?”

  The young man shrugged. “Dunno. I was just thinking, even though you’re not a detective anymore, you’re still a cop. It’s like you found what you’re good at. Where you belong. Must be nice.”

  Aiden had met Jason through a mentor program set up to help people who had problems dealing with their powers. It was similar to the national Big Brother program, except that the mentees weren’t always kids. Jason was in his mid-twenties, but still hadn’t discovered what powers he had, if any. It was a source of concern for his parents, both highly respected in the supernatural community, and a matter of discouragement for Jason. That feeling of not belonging was something they talked about often. It was the reason that Jason was one of the few people in Nocturne Falls who knew everything about Aiden’s past.

  “Professionally, yes,” Aiden said, “I know who I am. But it didn’t happen overnight. It took a long time to get to this point. And I’m still figuring out a lot of other stuff.”

  A grin lifted the corner of Jason’s mouth. “Like whether or not to track down hot babes towing trees through town?”

  Aiden forced a stern look and leveled a finger at Jason’s nose. “Hey, show some respect. She’s a woman, not a babe.” Then he dropped his hand and laughed. “But yeah, stuff like that.”

  It had been a while since Aiden let himself think about pursuing anything more than friendship with a woman. He stayed so busy with work and volunteer projects, there wasn’t time to dwell on the lack of a female in his life. But every now and then, when he was alone at home, it would hit him. When he sat in his den watching the fire, he imagined putting his arm around someone special, instead of slinging it carelessly over the back of the empty couch. And when he climbed between the cool sheets of his bed, he longed to feel the warmth from another human being, someone to tease about stealing the covers, and hold in his arms until they both drifted off to sleep. How amazing it would be to share his home with a mate.

  Aiden shook his head sharply. He was in sad shape if a few minutes talking to a beautiful woman had him thinking about a mate. Determined to change the subject, he looked at Jason’s cart with exaggerated interest.

  “What are you hawking today?”

  Jason’s salesman persona clicked in and he went into an entertaining shtick about the various doodads and geegaws meant to delight the tourists. Aiden picked up one of the stuffed animals. It was a bear with soft, golden fur and a red satin heart sewn to its chest. It was the kind of silly, romantic token he’d be inclined to give to a special lady.

  Not that he had anyone in mind.

  2

  The realtor hadn’t been kidding when she told Laurel the cabin was secluded. After driving through residential streets and past a pretty impressive gated community, she’d turned onto a road that led to the edge of town. Just when she expected to see a sign proclaiming You are now leaving Nocturne Falls, the pavement made a hair-pin turn, then zigged and zagged its way to the base of the foothills. She eased up on the gas, not just because the pavement had given way to gravel, but to take in the sights along the way.

  There were so many trees. They lined the road, stately sentinels guarding whoever passed by. From her window, Laurel glimpsed the glint of water beyond the sturdy trunks. She took a deep breath, inhaling the clean smell of pine and oak, the pungent tang of mildew from the bottom layer
of fallen leaves, and the wild and wonderful mingling of scents that only came from a thriving forest community.

  In the passenger seat, Bailey had exerted an uncharacteristic amount of effort to sit up and stick his nose out the open window.

  “What do you think?” Laurel asked.

  He lifted his nose higher, sniffed the breeze, and gave a short bark.

  She laughed. “I agree. It’s amazing.”

  After driving another five minutes, the cabin came into view. It was one story, made of rough, blond wood planks. On either side of a faded red door, two grimy windows looked at her like unblinking, hazy eyes. The porch seemed sturdy enough, unlike the remains of a deck chair heaped in one corner. The cabin needed more than a little work, but its condition, combined with the fact that it had been on the market for well over a year, had helped her negotiate a deal to rent with an option to buy at a rock-bottom price. So far, everything felt right about Nocturne Falls, but she had to be sure before putting down roots, figurative or otherwise.

  Laurel cut the engine, got out of the bus, and went around to open the door for Bailey.

  “Welcome to your new home.”

  Gingerly, he stepped from the seat to the floor and then slid his stocky body to the ground. He walked in a circle, then looked up at Laurel as if asking permission.

  “Go ahead,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Explore. Just don’t go too far.”

  Tongue lolling out in a happy doggy smile, he trotted off, smelling anything that didn’t move.

  Once she was sure that Bailey was secure in his new habitat, she went around to the trailer and hopped in the back.

  “We made it, Horatio.”

  The branches of the tree shook just enough to rustle the leaves, speaking in a way only Laurel could recognize. She checked the tie downs securing the huge container, then she hopped up onto the dirt, pulled her knees beneath her, and leaned her cheek against the rough bark of the trunk. Life affirming warmth infused her.

  She sighed. “Ah, I needed this.”