Meant to Be Immortal (Argeneau #32) - Lynsay Sands Page 0,53

at the way her eyes narrowed at this news.

“No. Toronto,” Decker answered. “Argentis has offices there too, and it was more convenient to send us than drag a couple guys up from New York.”

CJ relaxed a bit and nodded.

“So, what do your initials stand for?” Bricker asked after another moment of silence.

“My first and second name,” CJ said in a tone that made Mac think she’d given that response so many times she didn’t even think about it anymore. He was disappointed, though. For a moment he’d hoped he’d finally learn the answer to that himself.

“Shall we guess?” Justin asked with amusement.

“Only if you feel like walking the rest of the way to Walmart,” CJ said, and this time her voice was cheerful, as if the thought of that made her happy.

Mac chuckled softly at her response, but was surprised when Bricker showed his amusement too by protesting on a laugh, “Stop! You remind me of my sister with your hard-ass talk. You’re making me homesick for California.”

Mac peered over his shoulder at the man. He had no idea if Bricker had a sister or was just using that line as a way to make CJ talk, but that’s what it did. He saw her gaze shift to the rearview mirror to look at Bricker and then she asked, “How long have you lived in Canada?”

“Oh, years now,” the Immortal Enforcer said evasively, and followed up quickly with, “Where are you from?”

“Who says I’m not from Sandford?” CJ asked rather than answer.

“You’re staying at a bed-and-breakfast,” Bricker pointed out. “That kind of suggests you’re maybe not from around here.”

“Ah, right,” CJ said on a little sigh, and admitted, “I’m from Mississauga.”

“But you met Marguerite and Julius on Pelee Island?” Bricker asked.

Mac watched with fascination as CJ actually smiled. Her voice even went soft as she said, “Yes. I have a cottage there and went down on my vacation. I went to the tavern for dinner the first night and ran into Marguerite, Julius, and their friend Ildaria. We shared a table and had a nice night. When I woke up the next morning their RV was parked on my neighbor’s yard. They were renting space off him while on the island and none of us even realized it when we were talking the night before,” she said with a laugh.

Mac exchanged glances with Bricker and Decker. None of them believed for a minute that Marguerite, Julius, and Ildaria had been renting a spot there before they met CJ. It had no doubt been arranged after Marguerite realized CJ might be a life mate for Mac.

“Actually,” CJ added, “now that I think about it, it’s kind of weird. I never would have even imagined my neighbor, George, would rent space to anyone, let alone allow them to hook up to his power and water. He’s a grumpy old bastard who doesn’t generally even seem to like people, let alone want to have them around.” She pursed her lips briefly and then said, “Not sure how they ended up there. I wonder how that came about,” she added thoughtfully. “I should ask Marguerite.”

“Sounds like you had fun with them, though,” Decker commented, and one look at the concentration on Decker’s face as he stared at the back of CJ’s head told Mac the Enforcer was reading CJ’s mind and memories.

“Oh, gosh, yes,” CJ said with a grin. “We got on like a house on fire. I spent my whole vacation hanging out with them. Took them to Lighthouse Point, showed them Flat Rock, had bonfires, barbecues, went swimming. I even took them fishing. We had a blast. It reminded me of my childhood,” she added, her voice turning reminiscent. “My foster parents originally owned the cottage and left it to me. We used to go down every weekend during the summer, plus usually three weeks to a month straight into June or July. Our trips to the island make up some of my best memories.”

“It sounds idyllic,” Mac murmured.

“Yes,” she agreed with a faint smile.

“Ah,” Bricker said suddenly with understanding, and when CJ raised her eyebrows in question at him in the rearview mirror, he explained, “When you first started talking about a cottage on Pelee Island, I wondered why you wouldn’t have got one up Muskoka way. It’s closer to Mississauga, I think. But if you inherited it . . .” He shrugged.

“Yeah.” Her smile suddenly faded, as if Bricker’s words had made her think of something unpleasant, and then she