Blending In

by RJ Blain

  “Fortunately not, but her monitor and electronics were trashed. I think the glass broke after it bounced her into the screen, but that’s only a guess.”

  “Well, I have no doubt someone doesn’t want Miriah to learn who is behind your discrepancy. You should move her into your office. Do you want me to come over to help take care of her?”

  “No, I can handle this. I’ll need to know where she lives so I can take her home.” Something about Chase’s tone promised he refused to compromise.

  “I don’t have a spare key, and until she transforms again, she can’t access hers. Her son is with his father, so why don’t you take her home with you? There’s one issue, though. She’s been planning to volunteer at one of the shelters.”

  “That’s not a problem at all. Do you know which shelter?”

  “I’ll forward her email to you. It has her volunteer schedule in it, but there’s an issue.”

  “What issue?”

  “She’s planning on adopting a dog for her son for Christmas.”

  Maybe Tiana enjoyed yanking my chain whenever possible and drove me to the brink of insanity, but she understood what mattered.

  It was a good thing chameleons couldn’t cry, or I’d bawl and humiliate myself in front of Chase.

  “That’s going to be hard while she’s stuck as a chameleon, Tiana.” Chase clucked his tongue. “I’ll figure something out.”

  “Expect escape attempts. She’ll try to find a way. By herself.”

  “While a chameleon?” Chase blurted.

  “I never said it made sense, but she takes her boy’s Christmas seriously, and she planned on getting him a dog.”

  As always, I couldn’t tell if Tiana helped or hindered, but from that moment, I decided to enjoy my warm location in Chase’s shirt. I’d—maybe, eventually—ask her what she thought she was doing. I could thank her and yell at her at the same time for making my Christmas plans more difficult.

  “All right. So, she’ll need help with her shelter work and finding a dog for her son. I can work with that. Anything else I should know?”

  “She gets cranky when startled awake, frustrated when she can’t talk, and eats a lot while a chameleon. Fried chicken calms her. It’s her favorite, but it’s special occasion food because the kind she likes is expensive.”

  “What kind?”

  “There’s a Ma and Pa joint near her house. Why don’t I meet you there after work? I’ll try to get a key for her place, but I wouldn’t leave her alone if someone’s already started throwing things at her just for evaluating statistics.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it.”

  “I’ll email you with the address.”

  “Perfect. Thank you for your help, Tiana.”

  I wiggled, poking my head up to peek out of Chase’s shirt. He reached across his desk and pressed a button on his phone. “You’ve been taking a glass-induced nap for three hours.”

  Ouch. I’d spent three hours unconscious in Chase’s shirt, cuddled against his warm, smooth chest?

  I didn’t like someone smacking me with a glass full of ice and water, but I clung to my new favorite silver lining: Chase’s perfect chest.

  A chilly, wet lizard couldn’t have been comfortable for him. Careful to avoid scratching him, I climbed to his shoulder. Before I could settle, Chase picked me up and placed me on the electric blanket folded on his desk. Heat seeped into me, and I plopped, stretched out, and basked in the warmth.

  He stroked a finger along the length of my back. “Your job for the rest of the day is to rest. I’ll work to figure out who threw a glass at you and why. I can guess at to the why: word of your presence spread, and someone told someone else why you’re here. There are only three people who knew you’d be here starting today, and only one is aware of your species. I’d asked for confidence. Everyone will learn soon enough this is unacceptable.”

  As I didn’t want to be the target of Chase’s displeasure, I made a mental note to avoid betraying his confidence. Without a task to do, my head throbbing from a close encounter of the glass kind, and no desire to stir Chase’s ire, I took a nap.

  Chase’s idea of lizard sitting involved taking me everywhere he went, even the men’s bathroom, which was a lot cleaner and nicer than I expected. I hung out at the top of the stall and covered my eyes.

  While tempted to peek, I behaved.

  Long after normal people ate lunch, he ordered delivery. The lack of fried chicken saddened me, but he shared his Chinese without complaint, bringing me a plate and cutting mine into bite-sized pieces.

  Lazing about annoyed me, and I took my temper out on my food rather than Chase’s hand. Normally, I would’ve nipped Tiana and run the high risk of losing my tail to her wrath.

  A steady stream of people invaded Chase’s office, and I observed from the heated blanket, matching the gray of the blanket while fighting the urge to hiss. Most stared, likely wondering why their boss had a lizard on his desk.

  One girl screamed and ran away, returning a few minutes later to continue the conversation from the doorway.

  Determined to stay on Chase’s good side, I feigned sleep whenever I wasn’t dodging my headache through actual naps. The warm blanket helped. All wise lizards napped when opportunity—and a good heat source—knocked.

  Sometime after six, Chase put his work away and poked me in the ribs. “Ready to go?”

  No. I would never be ready to leave my warm, cozy nest. To indicate I would, with minimal fuss and protest, I stood and stretched. He picked me up and placed me on his shoulder. “You’ll have to ride in my jacket when we get to the restaurant.”

  How terribly tragic. Coping would test me.

  Not.

  The office seemed empty, but an older, gray-haired man sat at the receptionist’s desk fiddling with his phone. “You’re leaving earlier than I expected.”

  “Going to get dinner for Miss Cox and take her to a doctor’s appointment,” Chase replied, halting beside the mahogany desk.

  “Harvey called to say you’d be stopping by his place.”

  Chase plucked me from his shoulder and handed me over to the man. “I want to do a round of the office, and I’d rather leave her here if I run into any trouble.”

  “Sure. If you do find any proof who caused you problems today, hold your temper.”

  “If I find proof, I’m calling the police.”

  I hissed at the thought of anyone calling the police about someone throwing a glass at me.

  Chase arched a brow and stared me in the eyes. “I already called them, Miriah. Dispatch was the one who suggested I stuff you into my shirt to warm you up. You were still out when they were here, and as you seemed to be alive and comfortable where you were, they instructed me to keep an eye on you. I only called Tiana because it’d been three hours and I was getting worried.”

  Damn. I sighed and bowed my head.

  “I’m sorry for embarrassing you, but I need the paper trail.”

  I understood. As I understood, I cooperated with Chase’s wishes, wrapping myself around the older man’s wrist, careful of my claws.

  “Go do your round and satisfy yourself. I’ll keep a close eye on her.”

  “Thanks.”

  After Chase vanished through the door, my new lizard sitter lifted his arm. “You’re interesting. It’s not like Chase to willingly keep company with a woman. It’s definitely not like him to take work home with him. Well, the kind of work capable of talking back.”

  I hissed and added a few soft clicks and growls to the mix, although the effort made my throat ache.

  Normal chameleons could barely handle hissing.

  “In English.”

  Foiled.

  “He’s paranoid at times, and for him to leave you with me, he’s not taking any chances—again, a little unusual. He tends to meddle with more subtlety.”

  Interesting. I wondered who the old man was, settling on a family member of some sort—or the CFO Chase had mentioned. Leaning back in the cha
ir, my lizard sitter used his phone and ignored me.

  I contemplated making an escape to discover how Chase would react. If the walls weren’t too smooth, I could climb to the ceiling out of reach.

  Chase returned while I contemplated the best way to dodge my lizard sitter. He picked me up and returned me to his shoulder. “No trouble?”

  “Only an idiot would start something with me. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to put someone in timeout.”

  “No.”

  “Would you please stop ruining my fun?”

  “No, Dad. You’re not putting any of my employees in timeout.”

  “I really don’t see why not.”

  “Unless you’re restraining someone posing a risk to someone else’s safety, keep your magic to yourself.”

  I had no idea what they meant by timeout, but I’d had enough of magic for one lifetime, and I hissed my dismay that the pair could use offensive powers.

  They ignored my complaints.

  “You’re being unreasonable about this. I visited to help.”

  “You visited because you like to annoy me, you’re not convinced I can do your job, and you’re bored. If you’re tired of retirement, get a hobby that doesn’t involve pestering me at work.”

  Chase’s father pouted. “You’re being unreasonable.”

  “Get out of my office, Dad.”

  “How rude.”

  “Don’t make me deactivate your pass.”

  “You wouldn’t do that to your old man.”

  “I really would. Are you convinced I’m hale and hearty yet?”

  “I’m thinking I should tag along for a while just to be certain.”

  For the first time in my cursed life, I was grateful to be a chameleon. Laughing at Chase wouldn’t earn me anything, but the father and son seemed so normal. And funny.

  I missed normal. My parents did normal well enough for resolute Catholics clinging to the hope magic would disappear. Add in my status as a single mother, and I made Christmas Eve Mass entertaining for the resident gossips.

  Caleb enjoyed attending Mass. The ritualistic structure appealed to him.

  “Please don’t,” Chase begged.

  I wished Chase well. I recognized the tone Chase’s father used. I used it when I refused to change my mind.

  “If anyone tries to hurt your lizard again, I can put them in timeout. I’ll enjoy it.”

  “First, she’s an employee of Price Financial Industry Solutions. Second, she’s a woman. Her name is Miriah Cox. Third, I won’t say no if you decide to visit during working hours until Miss Cox is finished with her work. She’ll be sharing my office starting tomorrow.”

  “That should limit potential incidents.”

  “That’s the idea. It also confirms someone modified the data.”

  “But who?”

  “I’m hoping Miriah can help us figure that out.”

  “I could figure it out.”

  Chase sighed and shook his head. “No, Dad. You may not put any of my employees in timeout and interrogate them without just cause. Where’s Mom?”

  “Preparing an ambush in case I don’t report to her with satisfactory news.”

  If Chase kept sighing, I worried he’d break something in his brain. “Can’t you take anything seriously?”

  “No. I’m too damned old for that shit. So, where are we going?”

  “To eat fried chicken. You’ll hate it.”

  “I refuse to listen to your lies and blasphemy.”

  “Don’t whine later that I didn’t warn you.”

  Chapter Five

  Chase’s solution to protecting me from the winter chill involved his jacket and chest, and whoever had thrown a glass at me took a temporary top spot as my favorite enemy. I kept warm and cozy for the hike between Chase’s car, a surprisingly sensible albeit luxury family car painted red, and the restaurant. Once inside, I griped the collar of his coat and poked my head out.

  “Mom!” Caleb pounced, plucking me out of Chase’s coat. “You always get into so much trouble. Sorry, mister! She really doesn’t like the cold. I’m Caleb. This is Miss Tiana, and this is my dad.”

  The inevitable ruination of my outing strolled over and eyed Chase. “I’m Gavin. Who, exactly, are you?”

  So much for divines knowing everything. I stuck my tongue out at Caleb’s father and added a hiss for good measure. An unrepentant Tiana waved from a table near the swinging kitchen doors.

  No matter how I looked at the situation, my life was over. I’d either die of embarrassment, Chase would pick a fight with Gavin because that’s what men did when given an opportunity and a motive, and my son would witness it all, learning bad habits I’d be hard-pressed to change.

  “You’re the one who cursed Miriah.” According to Chase’s tone, the temperature in the restaurant should’ve dropped by twenty degrees. “I’m holding you partially responsible for the current situation. She was fortunate. That may not be the case if there’s another incident.”

  I reached for Tiana to rescue me from hell. My son tightened his hold to keep me from wiggling off.

  My best and worst frenemy refused, grinning from ear to ear while shaking her head.

  “I am,” Gavin confirmed.

  Jerk divine. Since I wasn’t escaping from my son, I hissed at Gavin to make it known I still hated him.

  Caleb cradled me against his chest and ignored my temper tantrum. “Dad just doesn’t want Mom to like someone stupid. She has malfunctions.”

  Yep, Gavin had been teaching Caleb bad habits. To be fair, I supposed a tendency to have crushes over bad boys with few redeeming qualities counted.

  “Yes, it does,” Gavin confirmed, arching a brow and staring at me. “Maybe if you did things logically, you wouldn’t be in your current situation. Alternatively, you could just agree to marry me.”

  Technically, chameleons didn’t have thumbs; bilateral hands made for climbing could still manage a thumb down with some work. I regretted my lack of a middle finger, as I would’ve enjoyed flipping him off.

  In the grand scheme, teaching my son one extra bad habit wouldn’t hurt much.

  My son sighed and rolled his eyes. “We’ve talked about this already, Dad. You’re no good for Mom, either.”

  “That’s not at all fair. I’m totally good enough for your mother. I’m a god.”

  “And?”

  Ouch. Caleb’s tone implied he was less than impressed with his father. He carried me to the corner table and set me down beside Tiana. “I’m sorry my dad’s annoying, Miss Tiana.”

  “He’s fine this time. He’s just worried about your mom in his twisted way. Come sit, Chase. Who’s that with you?”

  “My father. If you ignore him, he might go away. After dinner, I have an appointment with our family doctor for Miriah. I want to make sure nothing’s wrong. As far as I can tell, she’s fine. She spent most of the day basking on my desk.”

  “Mom loves basking, but she’s going to be upset if she falls behind on work. Really upset. Like more upset than if I reorganize the apartment without telling her I’m going to do it first. It’s not my fault she doesn’t understand where things should go.”

  Chase took the seat nearest to me, and I liked how he ignored Gavin’s presence. “Your mother has nothing to worry about. She’s already confirmed a few invaluable things for me. Thank you for the invitation, Tiana.”

  “Not a problem. How was Miriah the rest of the afternoon?”

  “She seemed to like the nest I’d made for her.”

  I wondered if Chase meant in his shirt or on his desk. I’d liked both, but in his shirt had been my favorite of the two.

  “Cranky, cold lizards like warm places. I got the key for you, but Gavin insisted on tagging along and being annoying. He claims he wants to check on her in person.”

  At the rate everyone kept rolling their eyes, they’d develop headaches.

  Chase relaxed in his seat, and while most of his attention stayed on Tiana, I caught him
sneaking peeks at me. “She seems fine now. Someone threw a glass of water and ice at her. While she got cold, I think she escaped generally unscathed. I’m handling the matter personally.”

  I expected Gavin to protest or complain, but he took a seat on the other side of the table and nodded. “I trust you won’t permit something like that to happen again.”

  “She’ll be working in my office and generally staying with me until the culprit is identified. The doorway of my office is always monitored, so she should be safe even if I’m not with her, which won’t be often.”

  “That should suffice.”

  I gaped at Gavin. Alien? Imposter? Inflicted with some form of mental illness? Under the influence of an odd drug? The Gavin I knew never cooperated with anyone I liked.

  Gavin arched a brow. “No to all of that, Miriah. Really. I’m not that bad.”

  Like hell he wasn’t. Damned, nosy mind-reading divine.

  “That part is true.”

  Caleb sighed. “Dad, be nice. I’m sorry. Dad picks out Mom’s surface thoughts when she’s a chameleon. He’ll translate if needed.”

  “She’s just giving me a piece of her mind as usual. It’s nothing to worry about,” Gavin reported.

  “If you’d stop annoying her, she’d stop lecturing you.” Caleb grabbed the menu and offered it to Chase. “You want the quarter chicken special unless you eat like a horse. Mom eats like two horses, so she gets the whole bird.”

  Chase arched a brow, and his mouth twitched. He lost the war, grinned, and accepted the menu from my son. “Thank you, Caleb. I’ll order for her. Thank you for telling me what she likes.”

  “She probably won’t eat it all,” my son confessed. “She really likes the chicken here, so she wants leftovers to take home. She’ll eat more than usual today, though. The transformations really tire her out.”

  I had the best son, and I even gave Gavin some credit for how Caleb had turned out.

  “Just get a bucket to go,” Gavin suggested.

  For that suggestion, I’d cut off a day of being cranky at the divine for cursing me in the first place.

  Chase fought his smile, finally won, and nodded. “Consider it done.”