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"Because it's not at all obvious if I stand in front of you the whole time. And I don't think it solves your problem if my ass keeps rubbing against your rock-hard erection." Sure, eventually, it would lead to a solution, but that was not one he wanted to have happen in front of all these people.
"Just for a few minutes." It sounded like a negotiation.
This was interrupted when the door flew open and Manon walked in. She raised her eyebrows as she spotted Gray and me in an embrace.
"Do you need some privacy, or…?"
I shook my head. "All good. Come in. We were just about to join you at the campfire."
"Yeah… um… I think there's a problem." Manon rolled her eyes, which looked quite dramatic. "Your weird friend over there… he keeps telling me how much fun I would have working at his bar."
"Wilder?" Gray and I exclaimed together.
"It's creepy when you do that," she muttered. "Cut it out. But yes, apparently, his name is as weird as his behavior."
Gray pushed me away from him, evidently mastering his body once more. "You take care of Wilder, and I'll handle the guests."
With a nod, I agreed and extended my hand to Manon, following her outside.
Aside from the starry sky and the fire, there were no sources of light, making the darkness around the edges especially black. The night was filled with casual conversations, the chirping of crickets, and the crackling of the fire.
My path led straight to the bar Wilder had set up each week to offer his services. I wondered when he would go back to sending his employees instead of spying on what was happening up here.
"Wilder!" I greeted him, leaning on the table in front of him. His gaze shifted from me to Manon and darkened immediately.
"You two seem to really like each other," I commented. Had something happened between them? "Tell me, Wilder, are you really upset because Manon doesn't want to take over the bar for you? Should I step in? Do you need to be somewhere?"
"She told you that?" He snorted. "No, everything's fine. I'm managing. But remind me, when is she heading home again?"
What had gotten into him?
"Be a dear and make us two cocktails, will you? Manon and I are sitting over there by the fire." I gave him a charming smile before pulling her along with me.
It seemed Wilder was just having a bad day, and Manon was bearing the brunt of it.
As soon as we sat down, I looked for Gray. He had just served dessert and was now chatting with some of the guests.
"You saw each other less than five minutes ago."
"So what?" I replied, but still turned my head to give her my full attention. "So, what's going on with you and Wilder?"
She snorted just like he had earlier. "Nothing. He just acted like a fool toward me. And you know how much I hate that."
I made a sound of agreement. Manon's patience was wearing thin, especially since half of her mind was already on the fact that she would soon be leaving and returning to her life in Toronto.
Perhaps the break here was as good for her as it had been for me—the prospect of returning to a much faster-paced life was just as unappealing to her as it was to me.
"Wolf Creek is really a lovely place," she shared. We had spent the whole day exploring the surrounding woods, climbing the hiking trails, and making our way through various vantage points. I had also shown her the rest of the town because we hadn't made it out of theBrewtifulcafé yesterday. We had been by the river, to the bookstore, and at the weekend market. We even visited the only museum in the area and, a bit tipsy, learned all about the town and its history.
"At first, I thought, is it really the right decision to come here? But it's clear now that it was the best decision I could have made."
Manon gave me a sideways glance. "Yes. Sometimes, we should all follow a completely strange man into the wilderness of Canada. Especially if he looks ridiculously hot. Screw the fact that people have died doing just that."
"Luckily, this isn't a dark love story."
"You just barely avoided that, if you ask me." Manon's grin was infectious. "Be glad I took a good long look at his driver's license."
"Not that Sergeant Williams would have believed you or helped you out."
