CHAPTER TWO
~
When Hope got to the bar door, she stopped and eyed Zeke. It took him a moment to turn and look at her with a questioning stare. “Window shopping is not an option,” she said, frowning.
“Amy kicked me out and barred me,” Zeke said, shrugging. “I have no choice.”
“Fine, I’ll get you a bucket and some washers, and you can make yourself useful by cleaning the windows all around, back too,” Hope said, pushing open the door.
“But…”
“You can wash and stare at your mate simultaneously, and if you do a good job, I might get Amy to lift your ban,” she said.
Zeke slowly nodded. “Sounds fair.”
“Get it done by lunch time and I’ll feed you,” Hope said, shrugging as she stepped inside and stopped again, her eyes taking in the surprising sight of Amy, Darcy and Evie dancing on the bar, Coyote Ugly style. “Thank God there are no customers yet; you three would scare the hell out of them,” she said, continuing into the room. “I banned Faith from doing this; what’s your excuse?” She looked up at the trio, who had stopped gyrating to the music and were at a loss of what to do next.
Busted.
“Darcy is a bad influence,” Amy said, throwing her friend under the bus.
Darcy didn’t care, although she did give Amy a little sideswipe and turned her nose up at her. “I am, Hope. I’m the worst kind of influence on a weak witch.” She turned a victory grin on Amy.
Amy placed her hands on her hips and eyed Darcy with a hard glare. “Who are you calling a weak witch?”
“Would you prefer a weak woman and a bad witch?”
“Yes,” Amy said, nodding adamantly.
“Okay then,” Darcy said, looking down on Hope. “What she said.”
“Ugh!” Hope tossed up her hands. “I’m in a good mood, don’t ruin it.”
“We all know why you’re in a good mood,” Evie said, grinning with delight as she climbed down.
“Yep, I got me some, more than some, I got me a lot, more than a lot, I got me a whole lot of loving,” Hope said, lifting her chin high before the effort made her sag. “And I’m feeling it today. I need coffee and energy, lots of energy, coffee with sugar, and a chocolate bar, hell, a whole chocolate cake.”
“With age comes wisdom,” Amy said, climbing down from the bar.
“And all-nighters can be a bitch that shows no mercy,” Hope said, heading for the kitchen when Faith walked in from the other direction; she eyed Darcy and frowned. “Speaking of bitches who show no mercy, hi, Faith.”
“Was she dancing on the bar?” she asked Hope.
“You snooze, you lose,” Hope said, patting her shoulder as she walked by.
“That’s so not fair,” Faith said.
“Go ahead, I’m feeling generous this morning,” Hope said over her shoulder. “One more time with feeling and gyrating hips for the latecomer,” she called back before disappearing into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Hope,” Dani said, holding out a coffee mug and adding the last spoonful of sugar before stirring. All done by the time Hope got to her to snatch it up.
“You know me so well,” Hope said before sipping the reviving brew. “And the ice cream thingy is coming today.”
“Yum,” Dani said. “And yet, I fear it will reduce our dessert profits.”
“Less work for you, and it’s a pack thing,” Hope said, shrugging. “And we get to stuff our faces with ice cream, all sorts of ice cream, including whipped with nuts and strawberry sauce and a flake, and I’m…”
“In need of food, the more sugary, the better,” Dani said, cutting a huge slice of chocolate cake and plating it for her.
“I’m predictable,” Hope said, sighing.
“But in a good way,” Dani said. “Now, take a load off and eat.”
“Got it,” Hope said, walking to the far counter and sitting on a stool. “Ugh! I forgot my…”
The plate appeared before Hope, and she smiled like she’d died and gone to heaven. “You are my favourite witch.”
~
“You missed a bit,” Amy said, standing upwind from the sea breeze but right behind Zeke, close enough to make him jump and turn. “Are you licking them or using the washer?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at him as she folded her arms and lifted her chin.
Zeke wanted to growl; boy, did he. “Where did you come from?”
Amy cocked an eyebrow at him. “I’m stealthy.”
This was the witch that was standing between him and wooing his mate. He’d like to growl, but he knew at the first sign of a rumble, she’d gut him like a fish and mount his head over the bar. “Let me back in,” he said, eyeing her with contempt.
“Not even close until Hope says I have to,” Amy said.
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Jealous?” Zeke saw the smile on her lips drop, and he pulled his head back on his neck, waiting for the punch.
“Notevenclose,” Amy said, drawing out the words with disdain for the man. “In fact, I might just have thrown up a little at the thought.”
“Probably the food,” Zeke grumbled.
“You want me to tell Dani that’s what you think of her food?”
Zeke backed down. “No.”
“So much for the big, bad wolf,” Amy said, mocking him with a grin.
“Then why won’t you let me in?” Zeke said, motioning to the inside. “Darcy is my mate. You know she is, I know she is, and she knows she is. Why are you getting in the way?”
Amy craned her head forward. “Because I don’t like you.”
“Because I sniffed?”
“Yeah, because you sniffed,” Amy said, narrowing her eyes on him.
“That can’t be the only reason; you got a good punch in…”
“It’s not the only reason,” she said, raising her chin and pursing her lips as she gave a little side-eye into the bar, watching Faith and Darcy clowning around.
“Then what did I do to you that is so bad…?”
“It’s not me, dummy, it’s her,” Amy said, nodding at Darcy.
Zeke turned a curious eye on his mate. “What’s about her?”
“She’s dumb enough to be in your bed by tonight or an hour from now,” Amy said, shaking her head. “She believes in that whole true love, fate, mating to-pah-ha!”
“Great!” Zeke said, tossing the window washer over his shoulder and rubbing his hands with glee.
“But I think a man should earn his stripes,” Amy said, narrowing her eyes and stepping forward to glare long and hard at him.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, you need to prove to me and her that you are a good man who deserves her love and attention,” Amy said.
“By doing what exactly?” Zeke asked, feeling a sting in the tail coming. “I don’t like where this is going.”
“No, I don’t think you would,” Amy said with a smirk. “But here’s the thing…”
“There had to be a thing.”
Amy ignored his pouting. “I challenge you…”
“Oh, no,” he said, slapping his hands over his ears and shaking his head. “I don’t trust you not to kill me.”
“Yeah, I can see why,” Amy said, eyeing him with disdain. She lowered her chin and eyed him under her long lashes. “Go ahead, look like a muppet in front of your mate – I’ve got all day for you to drop your hands. Are you going to do the la-la-la thing?”
Zeke held on for another long moment, and then he caved. “Fine, what?”
“I challenge you to prove you’re worthy,” Amy rushed out.
A slow smile crept onto Zeke’s lips, and Amy cocked an eyebrow as she waited. “Done.”
“Not so fast, bumble-boy,” she said. “I challenge you to prove it to me.”
Zeke’s smile dropped faster than a brick from an upstairs window, and her words landed just as heavily on his head. “But…?”
“Not going to be so easy, lickle one, I’m … picky,” Amy said. “But if you choose to accept this challenge, and you will, or I guarantee you are not getting within a wolf’s whisker of your mate for a very long time, good luck.”
“But…?”
“Cos you are gonna need luck,” Amy said, tossing her head back and chuckling as she walked away.
Zeke watched her go as his upper lip twitched, and his wolf rose within him to the challenge. “Dang it,” he spat out, stomping his foot in annoyance and turning fast to look in on his mate. “I hate witches – except for that one,” he said, pointing to Darcy.
~
Hope waited for Amy to walk back into the bar and hooked a finger, beckoning her over. She nodded to Zeke. “What did you just do?” she asked, curious about what was happening there.
“Who said I wasn’t just inspecting the windows?” Amy asked, trying to look innocent but not pulling it off.
Hope waited – Amy gave her a winning smile. “Zeke looks like you just ran over his puppy and then reversed for good measure, and I think we established how evil you are.”
Amy considered it for a long moment. “Okay, fine,” she said, folding her arms and kicking out a hip with attitude for being busted and owned. “You know Darcy and true love, right?”
“You mean, there he is, that guy on the stool, I’m going to marry him and have a football team of babies, oh, wait, that’s him over there at the table, he has a strong nose, he’d make a great baby daddy?” Hope said, scoffing.
“That would be the Darcy we both know and love,” Amy said.
“So?” Hope asked, urging her on. “She finally found the one.”
“I challenged the man who can’t say no to a challenge to prove he is worthy of her,” Amy said.
Hope frowned. “But two minutes alone with him and Darcy will declare he’s worthy…”
“That’s why he has to prove it to me,” Amy said, smirking.
Hope raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh, you are feeling decidedly evil today.”
“Don’t you know it,” Amy said, chuckling. “And that mate is in my line of fire.” She eyed Zeke, who was pacing outside the back window.
“I pity the man who gets in your bad books,” Hope said. “But he did sniff you and therefore deserves all he gets.”
“Just keeping it real,” Amy said. “And having a little fun along the way.”
Hope perked up. “Ooo, ice cream thingy arriving!” she said with glee.
“Oh, man, this is going to be bad,” Amy said. “Nobody is going to get any work done around here until you are all sick of ice cream.”
“Sounds about right,” Hope said, grinning as she headed for the door.
“That’s a bad thing,” Amy called.
“But at least it’s not evil, unlike your meddling,” Hope tossed back.
Amy grimaced, considering it. “There is that,” she muttered, turning for the bar and giving Zeke a little side-eye as he rushed to help Hope out.