While many of you thought that life moved a little fast, odd, etc... Remember that Vivien is a fan of Urban fiction and has been following the shifter story for a while. On top of that, there are all kinds of relationships. This one just went a little smoother than most. That said, a little bit of chaos is about to erupt in the Davis house. You'll get to see why Vivien didn't want her parents involved.
Once again, Thank you to my dear friends and partner for helping me with the story. Please don't forget to comment and vote!
Jaisen
"Vivien, relax. The house is clean even by my nose and standards," said Andrew as he pulled her into a hug. "I'll finish up the food and you go take a shower."
"Are you sure? I'm nervous. You'll understand when they get here."
"I'm sure. I can handle salad, bread and cheese. I excelled at laying out cookies on a platter at 15. Go shower," he said. "They're due in thirty minutes."
Vivien kissed him and ran upstairs to shower. They'd cleaned every trace of her out of the downstairs. She knew her parents. Dropping her dirty clothes into the basket, she stepped into the shower. The hot water felt good and did help settle her down. Or was it the lavender body wash Andrew had bought her? She didn't care. After she stepped out of the shower, she dried the walls and dropped the towel in with the other dirty clothes.
Fifteen minutes later, she was downstairs, wearing her favorite green dress and a pair of flats. She looked towards the kitchen where heavenly smells were wafting out into the dining room.
"What are you baking?"
"Cookies. Bitty brought the dough by last night and put it in the fridge. All I had to do was bake. They are almost ready," he said checking on them. He closed the door of the oven after pulling the cookies out. "Honey, oatmeal raisin."
Vivien smiled. Her parents had jumped on the Gluten Free bandwagon, so now everything they ate had to be wheat free. She watched Andrew slide the cookies off onto a plate and then quickly wash the pan and spatula.
"Put these next to the salad fixings and then go sit down. I'll get cleaned up and then we can wait in horrid anticipation." He smiled as he kissed her and headed for his bedroom.
"Andrew!" she said shaking her head. Her parents really did worry her and yet Andrew's teasing was helping. She walked out to the front porch and looked around. Yard, clean. Sidewalk, swept. Flowerbeds, watered. Then she noticed the dog dishes. Clean water and a small amount of food. Puzzled, she walked back into the house.
"Andrew, why are there dog dishes on one side of the porch?"
"Just in case they smell 'dog'. Or, if they get too aggravating, I can just shift and scare them," he teased.
"Don't You Dare!"
"What? Shift? Annoy them? Or scare them?" he asked walking back into the living room. He was dressed in what she thought of as 'shop clothes'. A nice shirt, decent trousers, leather shoes and a bit of silver jewelry. It was the kind of thing he'd wear to work.
"Just... just behave okay?" she asked.
"Alright. They're here," he said and walked back towards the kitchen.
"What?" was as far as she got when the doorbell rang. She turned and opened the door to find her parents standing there.
"Oh Vivien! So good to see you!" her mom gushed as she enveloped Vivien in a hug. Her dad hugged her too and smiled.
"Please come in," Vivien said. "I've got lunch ready so we can eat when you're ready." Vivien stepped aside so that they could enter the house.
"Oh I don't want to eat right yet, we just got here. I want to see your apartment and then meet your landlord," said her mom.
"Yes. We want to meet who are little girl is living with," said Vivien's dad.
"Dad, I'm 30, and Andrew is a gentleman. Do you want to tour the house or meet Andrew first?" Vivien said as they walked into the living room.
"Show us your apartment. I noticed that there isn't a separate entrance," said her dad.
"No, there isn't. Just the stairwell, but it works. We share the kitchen and dining room," said Vivien as she took them to the stairwell. They headed upstairs. Her dad stopped on the squeaky step and bounced.
"This stair needs fixed. Can't have you falling," he stated.
"I'll let Andrew know," said Vivien, wondering if she shouldn't have met them at the park. Once upstairs, she showed them her 'living room', the office, her bedroom and the bathroom.
"Smells a bit damp in here," her mom said as they entered the bathroom.
"I just showered Mom."
"Well, you probably should have hung up your towels, and not tossed them in the hamper. They'll mold that way."
"Mom, the climate is much drier here. They won't mold before I wash them tomorrow," said Vivien.
"Watch your tone Viv. Your mother was just trying to give you good advice." snapped her dad who'd been trying to find fault with the whole upper floor. So far the step was the only issue.
"Yes Dad. It's just that this isn't the Pacific Northwest. We're at a much higher altitude and the weather is drier. I wasn't arguing, just stating fact."
"Fine. You seem to have kept this place clean. Shall we see the downstairs?" he said dismissing her.
"Sure. I'll go ahead and find Andrew," said Vivien. She headed downstairs quickly and found Andrew sitting down in the living room. She rolled her eyes and he just nodded and pointed at his ears. It didn't take much to figure out that he'd heard everything they'd said.
Andrew put down his book and stood up when Vivien's parents entered the living room. "Hello, I'm Andrew Davis,"
"I'm Roger Sunbery and this is my wife Emma," said Roger. He shook Andrew's hand, and was surprised by his grip. "Fine hand you have there."
"I'm a silversmith by trade, but I started life as a ranch hand in Calgary. Never lost the grip," said Andrew. He then held out his hand to shake Emma's. It was as light a touch as he could manage and still grip her hand.
"It's very kind of you to rent your upstairs to our daughter," said Emma.
"Oh, no trouble. It was fortuitous for both of us," said Andrew as he gestured for everyone to sit.
"How is that?" asked Roger.
"Well, my last tenant had moved out three months ago. Your daughter walked into my shop in the mall and was chatting with my assistant, Becky. Housing came up and Becky mentioned that I had a place. Perfect timing. I of course checked her references and found things in order," said Andrew.
"Even though she's just lost her job?" Emma asked.
"Even so. I am certain that Vivien will find work before her funds run out," Andrew replied.
Roger nodded and gave Vivien a look that spoke volumes. He was about to start in on questioning Vivien about her job search from the look.
"Vivien, shall we serve lunch? I have an appointment in an hour and would like to eat," said Andrew.
"Oh, yes. Mom, Dad, you must be hungry. I have a salad, hummus, and Andrew made cookies."
Emma gave Andrew a look of astonishment. "Well, we won't be able to eat them. We don't eat gluten anymore."
