Chapter 13
Clare yawned as she walked into town. She had once again slept for maybe an hour, if that. Malcolm had dropped her off, waited for her to step inside and then took off like his ass was on fire. Clare snorted at the memory. She had barely shut the door before he was zooming away.
She decided in the wee hours of the morning that she would forget about the kiss, chalk it up to an experience, and move on. It obviously didn’t knock his socks off, which in truth, hurt her womanly pride just a little.
“Asshole.” She mumbled, then rolled her eyes. She really needed to control herself and get over it. It was only a damn kiss.
As she made her way into town, she noticed the lights at Roxy’s were already on. Quickening her step, she rushed toward the door which was locked. Using her key, she opened the door then shut and locked it behind her. The aroma of coffee filled her senses making her sigh. Man, she needed a whole pot to get this day.
Walking toward the kitchen, she opened the door to see Deb rushing around. “Hey.”
Deb, who was at the sink, jumped as she turned with her hand to her chest. “You scared the crap out of me.” Deb squealed then laughed.
“Sorry.” Clare smiled as she walked toward the small office to put her bag down. “You’re here early.”
“Haven’t been sleeping very well.” Deb turned back around to the sink to continue washing dishes. Deb had volunteered to help out around Roxy’s until after the baby was born. At first Clare was against that plan, but the few times she had worked with her she had noticed the change in Emily’s sister. “Figured instead of tossing and turning I’d come in and get a head start. What’s your excuse for being here so early?”
There was no way Clare was going down that road. Explaining to Deb, who she only recently started getting along with, that she laid awake most of the night because of a kiss that meant nothing to the man who kissed her was out of the question. She was having a hard time admitting it to even herself.
“Must be something in the air,” Clare said with a shrug. “Sleeping is overrated anyway.”
Deb chuckled as she turned around, drying her hands on a towel. “I would give anything to have a full night’s sleep. I can’t remember the last time that happened.” She tossed the towel and then walked over to help Clare roll out dough. “I heard what happened to you the other night.”
“Oh, so my blind date drama is making the rounds in the gossip circle.” Clare snorted, not surprised. “I bet Sadie, Linda, and Darla are enjoying that.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Deb said as she continued to knead the dough. “I don’t talk to them much.”
Clare glanced up at Deb to see her frown and wished she had kept her mouth shut. She and Deb had never really gotten along. Seeing how Deb treated other people, especially her sister Emily, Clare had disliked her. But in the last few months, she noticed that Deb had changed. It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing a gentler soul that had been obscured by bitterness. Deb was a beautiful woman, but her nastiness had made her ugly. Clare wasn’t seeing her like that anymore. She noticed Deb had stopped and looked up at her.
“What’s wrong?” Clare frowned, hoping she hadn’t said anything while she had been lost in her thoughts.
“I’ve apologized to a lot of people for my behavior over the years,” Deb replied, staring straight at her. “I treated people in this town horribly, my sister taking the brunt of my unforgivable treatment.”
“Anything can be forgiven, Deb,” Clare said as she rolled out the dough. “Have you made it right with Emily?”
“I hope I have.” Deb replied, with a sigh. “But the things I’ve said to her were just plain evil. I’m sickened that I behaved so badly.”
Clare stopped what she was doing and really looked at Deb. The truth of what she was saying showed in her glistening eyes. “We’ve all said and done things to others, Deb. As long as you make it right with Emily, nothing else matters.”
“That’s not true.” Deb shook her head. “I mean, you’re right, but it’s deeper than that. I hurt a lot of women in this town. I’ve said things about you, Clare. And I’m so sorry.”
Clare nodded and then smiled. “I know you have, but I didn’t care.” She replied with a shrug. “I never cared what you, Sadie, or Darla said about me. What I did care about was how you all treated Emily and Roxy. As long as you’ve made it right with them, I’m golden.” Clare meant what she said. She had heard the rumors of what they said about her, but it didn’t affect her like it affected Emily and the other women.
“Whether or not you cared, I still apologize,” Deb said, her voice a little shaky.
“I forgive you, Deb.” Clare walked around the table and hugged Deb. If Deb needed to hear forgiveness from her, then she would give it to her. “I’m just happy that you and Emily can be true sisters. That is something that should be cherished. I’ve always wished I had a sister.”
Deb hugged her tight and then pulled back. “I will share Emily.”
Clare chuckled with a nod. “I’ll take it as long it includes you too.”
Biting her lip, Deb nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” Clare smiled, heading back to her place. “I’m the one that should be thanking you. Two sisters are way more than I ever wished for.” Clare really hoped this new and improved Deb was not a fluke because she liked her.
“I’m really glad you didn’t get hurt. I saw your car.” Deb went back to working on the dough. “That could have ended very badly. Is this guy insane or what?”
“Yes, it could have, and yes, he is.” Clare agreed, her stomach rolling at the memory she was trying so hard to forget. She still hadn’t gone to the Sheriff”s department to fill out a formal complaint. She hoped the officer who had taken her statement did the right thing and filed it for her.
“I’m glad Malcolm was there.” Deb continued as she began to cut out the biscuits, placing them on the large baking sheet. “I don’t know him very well, but I worked with Jamie while you were on vacation. She’s really nice, but I can tell she’s had it hard in life before she came here.”
Even though Deb seemed to be a totally different person, Clare was careful what she said around her. The trust wasn’t there yet. “Jamie is great.” Clare agreed but didn’t add anything more.
“And Malcolm?” Deb said with a half grin as she peeked up at her. “He’s very handsome, and he did save your life.”
Clare chuckled, shaking her head as she took her full baking sheet to the oven. “Malcolm is very nice, and yes, he did save my life, which I’m very grateful for.” Again, that was all Clare said because, well, that’s all that needed to be said since she was trying to forget about last night’s kiss and the way he pulled her into his hard body.
Seeing Deb head her way, she held the door open as she placed the other baking sheet on the bottom rack. “Okay.” Deb gave a nod with a knowing grin. “I’ll stop asking uncomfortable questions and go unlock the door. Some habits are hard to break, but I’m working on it.”
“Deb,” Clare called out before she could walk out of the kitchen.
“Yeah?” Deb turned to look at her.
“I’m really liking this version of you,” Clare said, then gave her a huge smile.
“So am I, Clare.” She replied with a huge grin of her own. “So am I.”
Clare watched her walk out the kitchen door with a smile. Heading to the table she started wiping it down as the biscuits baked. Humming to herself, she kept her mind on her duties and off a certain Shifter. She knew her talk with Dell was going to take place, which made her a little nervous, but she was going to speak her truth. There was nothing else she could do. Clare was a fighter, and fighting for women who couldn’t fight for themselves was a calling that she took very seriously.
“I went to your house, and you weren’t there.” Malcolm’s voice abruptly took her out of her thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, she continued to wipe the table, dumping bits of dough into the garbage can at the end of the table. “That’s because I’m here.” She said as pleasantly as she could.
“I told you that I would pick you up.” Malcolm walked around the table to face her, but she refused to look up. The damn metal table was almost spotless, but she would rather continue to clean a completely clean table than face him.
“Actually, I don’t remember you saying one word when you dropped me off.” Clare frowned, still not looking at him.
“That was the deal.” Malcolm’s growl had her looking up at him. “There are dangers out there, Clare.”
Clare’s head snapped up as she glared at him. “I never made a deal with you, Malcolm. And as for dangers, I know well what monsters are out there and have dealt with them alone for quite some time. I’m not stupid, and I take precautions. Whatever Dell has ordered you to do, I will tell him myself I am not in need of your services. You don’t have to worry about upsetting your Alpha.”
She noticed the more she talked, the narrower his eyes became. It was quite a sight and if she was being honest quite...sexy...dammit. Ignoring that the best she could she stood her ground. This was her safeguarding her heart. Whether he despised the kiss or not, she had wanted more and knew if she didn’t distance herself, heartbreak was in her future. She refused to do that to herself.
They continued to stare at each other until Malcolm started to say something but was stopped when Dell walked in the back with a cup of coffee. “You got time to talk?”
Relief at the interruption flooded her as she turned from Malcolm. “Yes, just let me check the biscuits really quick, and I’ll be out.”
Clare felt Malcolm’s eyes burning into her back as she walked away from him. She couldn’t focus on him right now. That’s what her head kept telling her, but her heart was saying something totally different.