Tightly Held [Werewolves of Hanson Mall 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Cara Adams Page A

inside,” he said.
    There must have been about twenty people sitting in a large open plan dining room when Georgia walked in. The Alpha’s mate took her immediately to a table of seniors and sat her down. Small sandwiches, cupcakes, and coffee were served. The older people introduced themselves and she asked them about the First Seeds Project. For a start, she was genuinely interested in it, but also she wanted them relaxed around her before the formal interviewing began.
    They remained at the table as more people joined in, until the chairs were squashed together even though a second table had been added to the first one. Ethan must have gone out to the car because he returned with her briefcase and laptop, and the discussions began. Women brought out more sandwiches, and mugs of soup, and still people kept talking about their ancestors, the stories flowing fast.
    Only when the food was all gone and the stories finally trickled to a halt, did she ask if they’d ever heard the rhyme.
     
    When two are in the garden,
    A son will soon make three.
    When three are in the garden
    You’ll be blessed with a family.
     
    Several people spoke at once, saying they didn’t know it, but finally one old man said, “Wait.”
    Everyone turned to look at him and he said, “Think about the words of that poem. Don’t just look at the surface.”
    Georgia hid her smile and quoted it again. Had the senior worked out the ménage theory? Did he know of a ménage relationship? Was the pattern of ménages not really something new at all, but a strategy that had been used in the past? Or was the poem not really about ménages? Was a modern generation putting a modern interpretation on an innocent old rhyme?
    “Oh my goodness! Great-Aunt Daisy and William and Thaddeus.”
    “Who?”
    “Old Tad. Remember Old Tad?”
    As unobtrusively as possible, Georgia wrote down the names mentioned, and those of the old man who’d first queried the rhyme and the old woman who’d remembered Great-Aunt Daisy. Certainly it sounded like a woman with two men, but possibly it was quite chaste. Brothers and a sister even. But Georgia found herself crossing her fingers under the table, hoping she’d found a new lead to solve the shape-shifter mystery.
    When more food was served around the table, Georgia’s first thought was that she’d done nothing but eat since she’d arrived, but as she bit into spicy vegetable samosa she realized she was hungry again and several hours had passed while they’d all been talking.
    “Many people will be tired after their long day. Will beginning at ten tomorrow be all right with you?” the Alpha asked Georgia.
    “Of course. I’m very grateful for the time everyone has given me today. I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten,” she said.
    “The cooks didn’t want to bring out the food earlier in case it distracted people.”
    “They timed it perfectly. The conversation had wound down, and I’ll talk to people separately tomorrow, as well as together.”
    “Excellent.” The Alpha lifted his arm in the air and clicked his fingers.
    Half a dozen teenagers, who must have been waiting out in the hallway, arrived and started helping people to their homes. Or rooms, she supposed.
    “Does everyone live in this building?” she asked the Alpha.
    “Yes. When we joined the First Seeds Project it became really important not to track dirt from one area of the property to other areas, so it was much easier if everyone lived in the one place and this house was the obvious building for us all to use. Besides, there were plenty of vacant rooms to turn into bedrooms and apartments. If you want to run there’s a specific area set aside for that. Just tell someone and they’ll escort you.”
    “I’d love to run and perhaps my assistants would, too. Can we do that after we finish tomorrow, perhaps? Unless it’s too late.”
    “Of course. I’ll arrange it myself.”
    “Thank you. You’ve been extremely helpful.”
    He