Wolfish

Chapter 1

Sweating up a storm, Selena Rivers had an appointment with the pack leaders of Silver Town to open a holiday store.

She didn’t know what the big deal was. She was a wolf; they were wolves.

However, she also had to undergo a background check at the sheriff's office and meet with other business owners to ensure she was a good fit.

Sure, she would design her store in the same style as the old western silver mining town, and she was looking forward to it.

But she did worry they wouldn’t think she was qualified to run a shop.

In truth, she had no qualifications whatsoever.

Surely others who had started their businesses in Silver Town hadn’t either and were doing fine.

One of her reasons for setting up a business there was to write a book about the old Silver Town cemeteries. None of them were documented. This would be her thirteenth book in the series, and she was eager to explore the graveyards after the store was closed for the night.

She arrived at Darien Silver’s home and met with him, his wife, Lelandi, the co-leader of the pack, and a licensed psychologist, his second-in-command, Jake Silver, and his third-in-command, Tom Silver, both his brothers.

She was surprised to smell that Lelandi was a red wolf.

They were much rarer. The Silvers were all gray wolves like her.

For now, she felt she was in the Inquisition.

Lelandi brought cookies and hot chocolate to the sunroom for everyone to enjoy. The sun filled the room with warmth, and a crackling fire in the fireplace cheered things up.

“I’m sorry if this seems like a little bit of overkill.” Lelandi sounded like a psychologist. “We just want to ensure we have the best candidates to set up shop here that will be successful. We don’t like to see good folks start a business and then lose everything.”

“Has that happened often?” Maybe setting up a shop in Silver Town wasn’t a good idea. Selena did worry she might fail. She was a trained forensic anthropologist, an author, not a holiday shop owner.

Lelandi nodded. “Twice. We don’t want anyone to have high expectations and then for it not to work out.”

“Have you had a similar business at a different location?” Darien asked.

“No. But I’m sure I can manage just fine.”

“What is your background?” Jake finished off his cocoa and grabbed another pumpkin-shaped sugar cookie.

“Uhm, a forensic anthropologist.”

Everyone just stared at her.

Yeah, not excellent credentials for opening a shop.

Then Lelandi smiled. “What an interesting job.”

“It has been. Listen, I have the money, and I want to give this a try.” She wanted to have an income and a job, though she had considerable investments, so she really didn’t need the income while she spent her nights sleuthing at the cemetery.

Besides, after testifying in so many trials based on her forensic findings, she was glad the criminals were prosecuted and most ended up in jail, but three of them were released on bail and went after her.

Stalking her, terrorizing her. It didn’t matter that she had restraining orders against them.

She was glad to leave Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the worry that the men stalking her would turn deadly.

After more questions about her financial credentials, Lelandi signed off on her starting up a shop. Then Darien and his brothers did.

“Thank you. I’m sure it will be a success.” Selena hoped.

“I’m sure it will be.” Lelandi sounded sure of herself.

However, Selena still had two more appointments before she was cleared to proceed, pending approval from their end.

She’d already found the empty shop she wanted to use, but she was afraid it would sell before she could buy it, even though the realtor had told her that it had been vacant for several months now.

It was situated between a tea shop and a dress shop, so she figured the traffic from the other shops would help her store get noticed and boost sales.

Next, she went to the Victorian Tea Shop to meet the other business owners. A small brass bell jangled overhead, sending a ripple of a tinkling sound through the entryway as the front door swung inward, announcing her arrival as she stepped inside.

The interior of the Victorian Tea Shop was a dream of romantic Victorian gifts and decorations, with lace doilies covering mahogany tabletops and lace curtains suffused with the buttery light of the sun filtering in.

Along each wall, rows of mismatched plates—delicate bone china, some with hairline cracks spidery across their surfaces—caught the glow and threw it back in soft, iridescent fragments.

Mahogany shelves, scarred by decades of use, groaned under the collective weight of teapots in every conceivable form, from silver-plated to floral and Chinese styled.

All decorated with Victorian-era lace, hot chocolate pitchers, old-time pictures, and Victorian metal signs, the Victorian Tea Shop was charming.

The sweet, fruity, and floral aromas of tea, spicy soups, and grilled sandwiches filled the air, making her stomach growl.

A dark-haired woman came out of a back room, dressed in high-heeled boots, a short plaid skirt in orange and moss green, and an orange sweater.

She greeted Selena with a big smile. “Come in, sugar. We’re back here.

I’m Silva, and I'm the proprietor of the tea shop. Wait, let me get your complimentary order for something to drink and a slice of pie or cake.” She handed her a menu.

All the other ladies there had placed their orders so Selena perused the menu. “Oh, everything looks good. In the spirit of fall and Halloween, I’ll get the Witches Brew Cider Spices Wassail and apple-cinnamon cheesecake.”

“My mate and I also own the Silver Town Tavern, a short distance away,” Silva said, as she delivered the cheesecake and wassail to Selena.

“These are the MacTire sisters, Laurel, Ellie, and Meghan, though they have since mated and taken their mates' names, but we still think of them fondly this way. You’ve probably met them since they own the Victorian Silver Town Hotel where you’re staying. ”

“Yes, of course,” Selena said, greeting them. She liked seeing friendly, familiar faces. She relaxed while she drank her wassail and took a bite of her cheesecake.

“We’re glad to see you want to open up a gift shop here,” the triplets said in unison with a distinctive Irish burr.

“We wanted to be part of this process,” Laurel said.

Selena loved how welcoming everyone was.

“I’m Kayla Wolff, and this is my sister, Roxie. My brothers, Blake and Landon, my sister, and I own the ski lodge, and we have our own gift shop. But it mostly caters to skiers.”

“I’m Bertha Hastings, and I own Hastings Bed and Breakfast. I don’t really sell gifts, but I wanted to meet our new business owner.” She was an older woman, wearing a flowery dress in fall colors, and all smiles.

“I’m Maxine Fox, the cat lady. I only have two, mind you, but it has still become my nickname. I own the dress shop a couple of doors down. I carry mostly clothes.”

“I’m Faye, and my husband, Roger Boatman, and I own the Silver Town Theater. We sell mostly movie-related gifts, but I wanted to meet you too.”

“That’s me as far as selling tea-related merchandise,” Silva said. “And the tavern only sells food and drink. So what experience do you have in running a shop?” Silva asked. Before Selena could say none, Silva continued. “I worked for my mate at his tavern until I set up the Victorian Tea Shop.”

“It’s lovely,” Selena said, trying not to appear conscientious about not having run a shop before.

“We had run a family lodge for years before we came here,” Kayla Wolff said.

“We had been buying and selling small Victorian hotels for years before we settled here,” Meghan MacTire said.

“I’ve run my bed and breakfast for eons,” Bertha said.

“I sold my beachwear shop in Florida and settled down here, changing the clothes I sell for each season and special occasions, like tuxes for New Year’s Eve.

I still have a market for beachwear for visitors staying at the Wolff lodge, which has a swimming pool.

You wouldn’t believe how many people forget to pack a bathing suit for a winter ski trip,” Maxine said.

“Oh, I’ve done that,” Selena said.

“Yeah, me too,” Kayla said.

“We ran a movie theater in Indiana before we moved here. We were glad to be around other wolves,” Faye said.

“The same with us,” the MacTire sisters said.

Laurel said, “We were flipping beautiful, small Victorian hotels and enjoyed doing it, but once we arrived in Silver Town, we were here to stay.”

“I, well, I haven’t had any experience running a shop, but it’s something I really have my heart set on.” Selena figured she wouldn’t have any issues with people threatening her while running a gift shop in Silver Town like she had when she was testifying at court on her forensic cases.

“Well, let me tell you, sugar, we’re all here to assist you. With our combined experiences and the wolves in Silver Town to support new businesses, we’re all here to help make your dream come true,” Silva said.

Everyone agreed, and Selena felt a modicum of relief as long as the sheriff’s department didn’t have an issue with a background check that showed she wasn't qualified to do the job.

“Oh, what do you intend to call the shop?” Laurel asked.

“The Howling Wolf.”

“I love it,” Ellie said.

“Yes, you’ll fit right in,” Roxie Wolff said.

“A perfect name for a shop in a wolf-run town. What merchandise do you plan to carry?” Meghan asked.

“Holiday and special occasions wearables and gifts. So fall and Halloween merchandise for now. And winter items, Christmas, then spring, Easter, and a patriotic theme. Summer holidays. Just a change of seasons kind of shop.”

“Where are you going to set up shop?” Silva asked.

“Between your tea shop and Maxine’s clothes store.”