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Wild Wicked Mate

Page 34

by Laurie Gilmore

We’ll let you know when we get there.

He pocketed the phone.

“I’m gonna go pay up. We should get going.”

He’d managed to pull up the GPS this morning, and he was determined to get to the damn resort and back home today.

He didn’t know how much longer he could spend with Fee and not do something insane.

Like confess his feelings.

He wanted to make her happy but telling her everything that was roiling around inside of him was sure to only lead to disaster.

He had to get them to this elusive Maine vacation spot and back home so that he and Fee could retreat to their own corners. So, they could take a break and reset to friendship mode.

But all his plans went right out the dingy diner window when he returned to the table and found an unwanted guest.

“Runa, to what do we owe the pleasure?” He pasted on his most charming smile.

Phoebe’s mother narrowed her eyes at him. What the hell was she doing here? Where had she even come from?

Nymphs didn’t have much magic, but they did have the uncanny ability to just show up places. In Runa’s case, like an unwanted weed.

They had only met a few times over the years—she didn’t tend to stay in one spot for very long—but she’d made her opinion of him quite clear. Actually, Phoebe’s mother’s dislike of Theo had very little to do with Theo and more to do with Phoebe’s attachment to him.

It was unnatural, according to Runa. Nymphs weren’t meant to be tied down. At least not to anything other than the trees. And she’d had no problem telling him that.

“Theo.” Runa nodded, pasting on a charming smile of her own. She wasn’t known for luring men into the forest for nothing. “So lovely to see you.”

Fee’s gaze flicked nervously from one to the other. “So, what are you doing here, Mom? I didn’t even know you were in the state.”

Runa turned her attention back to her daughter. “Well, you know me, Fifi.” She waved her hand in the air and Theo knew exactly what she meant. Runa was like dandelion fluff. She floated to wherever the wind took her. As long as there was an oak grove nearby. “I was in the Adirondacks for a bit. Beautiful there. Actually, I met a group of hikers, and we had quite the night in their cabin…”

“I’m sure it was great.” Phoebe cut her off before she could elaborate. Thank God. The only topic Theo wanted to avoid more than his own shortcomings was Runa’s sexual escapades.

“Anyway,” Runa wrapped her arm around Fee’s shoulders. “I can always sense when my little girlie is nearby. What are you doing here?”

“Uh … well…”

“We’re looking for someone,” Theo said. If Runa was going to crash this party, he could at least get some information out of her. Maybe she had heard something on her travels.

“Right. We’re looking for a human named Lena. Have you heard anything?” Fee asked.

Runa twirled a long blonde curl around her finger. She had flowers woven into the strands, despite everything out the window being dead and barren.

“Hmm … Lena?”

Fee caught her mother’s gaze, and Theo could swear something passed between them, but it was so quick he couldn’t be sure. Nothing more than the blink of an eye or a lift of her brow, so subtle Theo wouldn’t have been able to point it out if asked.

“Nothing springs to mind,” Runa said. “But did you hear about the wolf attack?” She gave Theo a pointed look and he flashed her a grin.

“Wasn’t me.”

“The one in Brownville?” Phoebe asked, disregarding Theo’s comment.

“No. Another one. Not too far from here, actually.”

“Another one?”