“Tupperware,” Iris said. “I know how much Jolene cooks and you can never have too many containers for leftovers.”
“What are these leftovers you speak of?” Jolene scoffed.
“I brought you some furniture,” Jane said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder to a truck I knew had to belong to the Council. “We’ll bring it up in a bit.”
She paused to take in the lack of chairs in the room. “Or maybe we can go do that now.”
I gasped. “I can’t let you do that, Jane, it’s too much!”
“I can. It’s just a bunch of extras we have from redecorating River Oaks,” she told me. “It was just sitting in storage. I’d much rather you put it to good use…unless I’m over-stepping, in which case I will never speak of it again, because I realized I’m being very pushy and unintentionally repeating some unhealthy patterns. Sorry.”
Seeing someone with all of Jane’s influence and power feeling bad for trying too hard to help me just made me love her more. The corner of my mouth lifted. “The couch isn’t plaid, is it?”
She grinned. “No, it is a sturdy and comfortable plain blue. We got it when Jamie was going through a ‘didn’t know his own supernatural strength’ phase. There are chairs to match and a couple of end tables. And a dinette set. And I’m, like, ninety percent sure there are no elderly ghosts attached to any of it.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Gigi, Iris, you want to give me a hand?” Jane asked brightly, ignoring the question.
“Thank you?”
As his wife and sister-in-law filed out, followed by Alex, Cal approached to press a brotherly kiss to my forehead.
“What was that for?” I asked.
“Making my friend happy. Keeping him here in the Hollow, where we can keep an eye on him. You don’t know how much that means to me and Nik, Tylene.”
“Happy to help.”
Uncle Lonnie stepped into the doorway holding a cooler. I could smell the meat inside: steaks and chicken and mmm, Hank’s applewood smoked bacon. I barely withheld my drool. Hank’s bacon was one of the few things I missed about living on the compound. Aunt Mimi was at his side, holding several bags of groceries, far more than even Dick and Andrea had brought for me. They were re-stocking my kitchen. It was the ultimate sign of werewolf acceptance—making sure I was fed. Some little crack on my heart that I didn’t even know was there sealed back together.
“Uncle Lonnie.”
“I’m not here as your Alpha,” he said, shaking his head.
“Former Alpha,” Jolene murmured.
Uncle Lonnie shot a look at her and she just grinned.
“I’m here as your uncle, who loves the heck out of you. I want to make sure you’re fed and that your home is safe.”
“Thank you, Uncle Lonnie. Please come in.”
He cleared his throat, looking around the apartment. “It’s a nice place.”
“I might not understand it, but I think you’re very brave,” Aunt Mimi said, kissing my cheek. “And I have ideas for curtains.”
“I’m sure you do,” I acknowledged.
They opened the fridge and saw the donor blood Alex had left inside. They paused and I froze. But instead of staying anything, they just stocked my fridge with half a cow. Jane and Gigi trooped in with some very attractive furniture. It was probably nicer than anything I’d ever had. And now my friends had a place to sit, so even better.
Erik and Meadow placed some potted herbs by my window. When Meadow looked around, obviously searching for the plants she’d already left for me, I crossed to them. Where was Iris when I needed her? “Hey, not-quite-neighbor! Is it weird, being in an apartment that used to be yours?”
Meadow nodded. “A little, especially with new stuff in here. But it’s going to be great for you. This was the first place I called home and meant it. Jane told me a little about your parents. And I can definitely relate. Living in a new place, I think you’ll find it’s not the place that’s home, it’s the people.”
Alex approached, carrying all four dinette chairs on his shoulders, as only a vampire could. He paused and kissed me. I growled lightly and nipped at his earlobe.
I looked around the living room, at all the people who were there for me. It was almost too much happiness for me to bear. I had people in my life who loved me for me, who sought out ways to make me happy, who made me feel safe. That was