Page 4 of Shared By My Neighbors

“We have mice,” he agrees with a frown. “The exterminator put out traps the last time he was here, but I took one or two out because there were mouse corpses inside. It also meant that the remaining mice have been running rampant for two weeks because I disposed of the old traps ages ago. Maybe we should get some new ones as back-up from the hardware store.”

Tanya looks ill.

“Oh gross. I’m going to be sick.”

“Do you need some water?” I ask quickly, alarmed at the greenish tinge to her face. “Here, I’ll pour you a cup,” I say, reaching for a glass jug filled withagua.

“No, I’ll be fine,” Tanya says in a small voice. “Thanks for bearing with me. Just the thought of any rodent makes me … ugh, gross.”

“Maybe we could get Misty to go down there,” James suggests with a twinkle to his eye. “Catching mice should come naturally to your cat, right?”

Tanya’s face goes an even deeper green.

“Oh eew,” she says. “No, definitely not. Misty is refined. She eats premium cat chow and has never hunted in her life. She gets vitamins, cholesterol pills, and I’m even thinking of taking her to the vet for an ADHD diagnosis.”

“Sweetheart, your cat sounds practically human at this point,” I say in a dry tone. Tanya nods, her expression serious.

“Misty is my family,” she says. “It’s a big world out there, so I take care of her, and she takes care of me. In the meantime, absolutely not. Misty’s not hunting down vermin for us. We’ll have to find another solution.”

“Okay, okay,” Carl says, holding up one big hand as he tries to stifle a smile. “We’ll figure it out, no problem. The next time the exterminator’s here, I’ll have a talk with him about alternate methods of attack. I’m sure we’ll be able to think of something, seeing that rodents are common in this city.”

“Thanks,” Tanya smiles, looking obviously relieved. “I appreciate it, gentlemen. Yeah, my cat isn’t much of a huntress. She’s more of a pampered pet.”

“No worries,” I drawl in a casual tone while exchanging glances with Carl and James. “Should we move to the next item on the agenda?”

“Oh, does it have to do with the church next door?” Tanya asks, her fingers flashing at the cactus again. “They’re so freakin’ pushy, I swear! I stopped by for a service three months ago, and they keep calling me non-stop. It’s really annoying. Sometimes I try to sneak into our building without them seeing me because it inevitably means a twenty minute conversation about why I haven’t come around recently.”

The three of us share another look.

“No, it’s not the church,” I say in a slow tone before fixing the pretty blonde with a look. “But itdoeshave to do with religion, actually.Yourreligion, Tanya.”

The curvy girl looks mystified.

“My religion? I’m not really religious. I’m more spiritual. I only popped into the church next door once, and that was ages ago, so I wouldn’t say that organized religion is really a part of my life.”

“Right,” Carl says in a smooth tone, his handsome features giving nothing away. “We’re talking more of a pagan religion, actually. Wiccan perhaps? Or a personal practice that you follow late at night?”

Tanya’s fingers go still as she stares at us. Her face goes sheet white, and her pretty pout drops open a bit.

“You know,” she whispers.

Carl grins, his blue eyes flashing.

“We know,” he confirms. “And we’d love to discuss it with you, sweetheart. Now tell us—whatexactlyare you doing with the fruits and vegetables you grow on our roof?”

Tanya’s mouth opens, but no sound comes out … and yet we’re going to get an answer, come hell or high water.

4

Tanya

Oh shit, what do I do? I stare at the three men surrounding me. They’re gorgeous, but right now, their good looks are no relief. Instead, Chris is looking at me with a smirk on his handsome features, while Carl and James wait expectantly, broad forms still. Oh shit, oh shit, what have I gotten myself into?

After all, I thought my moonlight rituals were private because they were taking place at 3 a.m. I also thought I was safe because I only considered the surrounding high rises – namely, that there are none. I never thought that somehow, my downstairs neighbors would catch on!

But now, here we are. Chris, James, and Carl look pointedly at me, their blue eyes never deviating from my features, and I feel boxed in. Should I lie? Should I pretend that they’re hallucinating? But clearly, that’s not going to work because they know about my private ritual, somehow or other, and now, it’s time to explain.

“Well, you see, I’m a very spiritual person,” I begin in a stammer. “Nature speaks to me.”