AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He closed a door to the office clamor, and with it, changed his tone. “Getting cozy at home, are we? Here I was thinking you’d learned your lesson.”
“We’re having a working dinner, thank you very much. I’ve got a lot on my plate and none of it is food, so by tonight I’ll be near ravenous. Pizza would be a godsend.”
“What kind?”
“Well, I’m always up for sausage, meatballs, and—”
His voice was an amused rumble. “Oh, you are?”
“Shut up! I’ll text you.” I tapped ‘end call’ about five times, but still wasn't fast enough to cut out his laugh.
chapter 13
WORKING DINNER
“I’m so nervous I might throw up," I told Lisa, phone in hand and on speaker as I paced the porch. As the clock ticked toward seven, I stopped to watch a spider craft its web between posts. “Did you get my selfie?”
“Not yet. And I never got your texts the other night. Maybe you’ve got a service issue, Marcy.”
The sunset had retained the day’s heat but ever deepening shades of night had softened its strength to a warm radiance. It had been hot enough earlier that I had actually debated whether or not to uncover the air-conditioning unit. Normally, I’d have popped the windows, but, knowing now what the forest contained, I’d opted for the AC.
I rubbed my arms, wishing I'd ironed a sweater. Cal had advised soft, feminine fabrics to draw out Caelan's protective instincts. I'd chosen the sleeveless cream dress I’d purchased for this year’s Waves in Watercolor summer gala in downtown Mystic: floral lace, a comfortable dressy, with a tapered knee-length hem line and a substantial plunge to give my gals their share of the spotlight. A thin bar necklace dangled between them.
Devin skated wide loops as his mother stood outlined in the glow of their front door yelling for him to come inside. Arm in arm with his grumpy, silver-haired wife, Jaz and Mina passed the teenage skateboarder and rounded the bend near my driveway. Jaz raised his hand. Mina directed her attention toward the street sign where Tammy’s poodle was marking his territory. Ignoring her ignoring me, I waved to Jaz.
Behind me in the hall leaned the plywood barrier. To prevent mosquitoes, Cal and I had rigged one of those cheap, pet-friendly screens connected by a strip of pull-apart magnets along the center. Later, I'd go full on apocalypse mode and nail the plywood on, then ask the sheriff to walk me out the garage and to the Vilkas household.
Of tonight’s available housing choices, none were ideal: room with a pack of upper-class werewolves, endanger Lisa; Wyatt; and the cats, or waste money on a hotel filled with strangers who probably wouldn’t rush to save me if I screamed. Reluctant though I was to sleep in Mina’s vicinity, Cal’s offer seemed most prudent for my short notice stay.
Plus, when Caelan learned of my decision, he might even light a fire under the contractor to finish the work on my house a couple days early.
“Oh! Just got the pic! You are fire tonight, girl! I'm digging the headband; super delicate. New?”
“Borrowed from Stephen’s sister, Cal. She invited me over for lunch today to talk about what happened. I’m staying at her place tonight. She’s got a spare and needs help setting up for the memorial service.”
“Comfier than my couch,” Lisa agreed. “Tell Cal I feel awful for her and her fam.”
“Will do. I was planning on sending an arrangement. I’ll add you to the card.”
“Perfect, thanks. Let me know what I owe you.” She sighed. “Man, it’s scary to think in this day and age someone so well-connected could disappear. Makes you wonder how easy it’d be for us nobodies.”
“Yeah,” I said with an eye toward the main road. Jaz and Mina had turned for home, subjecting me to the full force of the pregnant werewoman’s glare. “How’s the apartment hunt?”
“That’s tonight’s game plan. Hopefully you’re offered the apprenticeship soon and we can do some touring together.”
Shit. Forgot I hadn’t told her. “Fingers crossed. I do have some good news: the front door’s being installed tomorrow, so the cats are one step closer to coming home.”
“They’re no trouble at all, Marcy. Seriously. I love those fluffy buggers. Wyatt can survive with ‘em for weeks if need be. Now, before you go, tell me you snapped a skimpier selfie for our sheriff?”
“Lisa!” I chided, fidgeting with my neckline. “I’d never!”
According to a certain alpha werewolf, that was exactly the action I should be taking if I wanted to cement a bond with Caelan, but there was only so much abject humiliation I could suffer in a single day.
Lisa snorted. “Please. You didn’t even come home last night.”
“We. Just. Talked.”
“Yeah, nonstop since you met. He’d love it.”
