Chapter 9 #2
“Guys, guys, there’s plenty of Everly Fletcher to go around,” I state, holding my hands up dramatically. “Let me get Mount
Millie online and see who I can help next, okay?”
“Hey there, stranger,” a male voice states from a distance, interrupting my family laughing at my lame joke.
I push my hair out of my face and look up to see the last person I would have ever expected to see at the Mercantile.
“Hilow,” Trista exclaims as she jumps up from her seat and rushes over to our side of the table. “Nice to see you made it.”
“You invited my ex-boyfriend?” I hiss under my breath to my aunt as she bustles by me.
She smiles through clenched teeth. “Remember, Everly, I told you he’s job-shadowing my vet friend, Avery, this summer. Avery, the vet that comes up to Mount Millie for us all the time—free of charge.”
Wyatt clears his throat, and Trista rolls her eyes at him.
“I guess I forgot about that,” I murmur, suddenly feeling very parched. I reach out to grab my drink and take a long sip.
It’s been years since I’ve seen Hilow. We ended on good terms, but it was definitely one of those one-sided breakups.
“I dropped off that probiotic paste for your alpaca at the shelter,” Hilow says, hooking his thumb back toward the bar exit.
“Oh, good, thank you. I hope it’ll help calm Trumpet down. He weirdly hates the new horse,” Trista says, glancing back at
me.
They both stare at me like I’m supposed to do something, so I stand up and walk over to give my high school ex a hug. That’s
what you do at times like this, right? Hugs?
Hilow’s long arms wrap around my waist as he hunches down to hug me back. He’s easily just as tall as Wolf and my uncles,
but nowhere near as built. He’s more that nerdy-slender sort with a sweet face and a smile that seems almost permanent. When
Trista told me he was training to become a vet, I thought that made perfect sense. He looks like a sweet vet type.
And a sweet, nice first boyfriend.
“You look amazing, Everly,” Hilow says, his eyes sweeping over my whole body and then lingering on my head. “I like what you
did to your hair.”
Self-consciously, I thread my fingers through the front of it and sweep it to one side. “Thanks, it was kind of impulsive.”
“It looks great. You look great. Really, really great.”
“Okay, we get it,” Calder drones, not looking up from his beer. “She looks great. Move on to something else.”
Hilow clears his throat as his eyes dart to my three uncles and my father, who have intimidated the shit out of him at least half a dozen times.
The worst being my junior-year prom—they almost didn’t let him in the front door.
It took some time before they saw him for the harmless, sweet creature he is.
“Um . . . how was Ireland?” he asks, his smile forced as everyone continues watching us.
I flush as I feel one set of whiskey eyes laser-focused in my direction. “It was good. Long time no talk, I guess.”
“Four whole years,” Hilow says swiftly. “Good to have you back for good, finally.”
He says it in a way that feels like it means something more to him than I want it to, but maybe I’m just reading into it too
much.
The thing about Hilow was, there was never anything wrong with him. He was always happy. Always pleasant. Always attentive
and kind. He called when he said he was going to. We were together for two whole years, and he was my first for so many things.
But when I think about the epic love stories or the couples I’ve matched . . . those descriptors I just listed aren’t enough
to convince me two people belong together.
So, I did what I thought was right and ended it before I went away for college, even though he really wanted to do long distance.
One thing matchmaking taught me was that you should never settle for anyone less than your person.
“Hilow is amazing with the animals at the rescue center,” Trista says with wide, eager eyes. “A big help to Avery when he’s
overwhelmed. I’m so grateful. Hilow, why don’t you sit down and join us for a bit?”
He looks to me for approval, and I pause for a moment before snapping out of it. “Of course, yes! Join us.”
Trista yanks the back of Grandma’s chair, dragging her down toward the end of the table without even getting her out of her seat. She then grabs another chair and plunks it right beside mine with a giant, freaky smile. If she’s trying to play matchmaker, her technique could use some serious work.
But, with a polite smile, I lower myself into the chair beside him and do my best to catch up with a guy I would have been
fine with never seeing again.
Wolf
“Why they call you Wolf?” Stevie, Everly’s cousin, asks as she stands beside me with her elbow propped on the table, staring
up at me.
“ ’Cause I’m scary,” I reply curtly.
“You not scary.” She pokes my arm, and I frown because it hurts. Why do her little fingers feel like knives? “Why do you have
a wolf on your leg?”
Poke.
I hiss and glance around the table, wondering when someone is going to come collect this kid who’s bothering me. I’m much
more interested in earwiggin’ on Everly and that lanky prat who’s just shown up out of nowhere. Who the heck is this guy anyway?
Is that her type? Why does she look like she’d rather be anywhere else?
The urge I have to get up and push him out of the building is strong, which is highly concerning, considering she has a table
full of uncles who are much more suited for that level of protection.
But the way this bloke’s presence is triggering me is troubling. This is Everly’s turf. She is fine.
We’re not at Trinity College anymore.
“Hello?” Stevie reaches up and grabs my face with her tiny hands, forcing me to look at her and thereby breaking my focus
on Everly. “Why Wolf?”
“ ’Cause that’s what my nana started calling me as a boy,” I snap with irritation.
“What’s a nana?”
I grumble under my breath. I’m pretty sure they use this word in America. How does she not know it? “It means grandma.”
Her eyes widen. “Can I call you Nana?”
“No.”
Her face falls. “Why not?”
“Because you have a nana right over there.”
She buzzes her lips and glares at me.
I roll my eyes. “Fine, call me Nana. I don’t give a toss.”
I straighten when Everly stands up from the table with Hilow and the two of them turn to walk over to the bar. His hand lingers
behind her, like he’s going to touch her but decides otherwise.
I don’t like it, but when I look around the table to see if any of her psychotic uncles are noticing what I’m noticing, they
all seem perfectly at ease with her talking to this guy with a weird name.
My eyes can’t move away from them. From all my time watching Everly over the last couple of years, I can see how uncomfortable
she is standing rigid next to her ex, who has a smug-as-fuck smile on his face as he leans in way too close to her. She always
lets people get too close to her. She’s too trusting. Too open. She sees the best in people from the jump, whereas I require
them to prove themselves first.
Heat boils up my spine as I clench my fists on the table.
“Where are you going, Nana?” Stevie asks as I move to stand up.
“Don’t worry about it,” I murmur back as I cut across the creaky wooden floor of this run-down pub.
In three long strides, I’m standing directly behind Everly and the tall, scrawny guy, who looks like he pisses sittin’ down, with no idea what I’m doing. This is not what I usually do when it comes to Everly Fletcher.
“Want to introduce me, Stretch?” I ask, my tone harsh and unapologetic.
Everly turns, and her blue eyes blink back at me in confusion as she hooks her thumb to the guy next to her. “Oh, sure. This
is Hilow.”
“Interesting name,” I reply, reaching out and giving him a firm handshake that he winces through. Good.
“It’s a family name.” He smiles at me as his eyes look me up and down. “And you are?”
“Wolf,” I answer with zero emotion on my face.
Hilow’s brows lift. “A family name as well?”
“Nickname.” I lean in close and bare my teeth. “Because I can rip the face off a person for looking at me sideways.”
Hilow blanches, and then his brows pinch together curiously. “Does Ireland have wolves?”
“No.”
“So then . . .”
“It’s a nickname, Hilow. It’s not that deep,” I bite and take a step closer to him. He’s a tall fucker, but I have at least
sixty more pounds on him.
He shoots an apologetic look to Everly, who seems super confused by this entire interaction. I kind of am too, I guess. I’m
not used to strong-arming guys in front of her. Just behind her back when she doesn’t know it.
“Wolf is working at the rescue center for the summer. He’s living above the barn too.”
“Oh, yes, your aunt mentioned having an exchange student or something. Welcome to Colorado.”
“Thanks,” I grit, sick of the small talk. “So, were you two an item or what?” I ask, my eyes flicking to Everly for a moment, lingering on the blush in her cheeks before snapping back to Hilow. I’m trying to determine if this guy is a friend or foe. Stretch here isn’t making it very obvious.
“We were together for two years,” he answers cheerily, like she was a prize he won at a village fair. He once again moves
as though to put an arm around her, and I glare at the motion, tensing every muscle. His arm drops to his side.
I nod slowly, my eyes turning to slits. “So, what happened? Honeymoon phase end when the pints ran dry?” Did you cheat on her? Hurt her? Make her feel like she didn’t deserve love for herself?
Everly turns horrified eyes to me. “Can we not do . . . whatever this is?” I hate how she’s looking at me. But fuck, what
am I doing? I let out a breath, trying to relax the stiffness of my body, and slap a fake smile on my face that feels like
a sneer.
“I was just trying to get to know one of your mates here, Stretch. You don’t mind, do you, Heelow?”
“It’s Hilow. Like Hi and Low.”
“Hiya!” I bark and give him a matey pat on the back before glancing to the bar. “Should we get some drinks? I think we should
have drinks.”
“I’m afraid I can’t stay. I’m on call. But, um . . . Everly, I’m having a party at my new place in Boulder in a couple weeks.
It’s sort of a housewarming party. I’d love if you could come.”
Everly sucks a breath in through her teeth. “Oh, I’ll probably be working.”
“On the weekend?”
“Yeah, lots to do. I have big goals for this summer.”
“Can you come after? There will be people from school there who would love to see you after your travels. So many are home
for the summer and taking a bit of time before starting the real world, you know? Unlike me. I won’t be done with school for
quite some time, I’m afraid. Vet school. Blegh.”
Hilow smiles over at me, and I narrow my eyes to inspect him more. I can’t tell if his niceness is an act or if he’s putting on a front. I have a hard time trusting openly nice people.
However, I am curious about why Everly seems so determined not to go to this party. She’s just returned from Dublin. Surely, our resident matchmaker has mates she’d like to reconnect with.
Maybe not this Hiya goofball, but others, I’d think.
“Please feel free to come as well, Wolf,” Hilow says, turning to me with a smile.
“We’re probably going to be busy,” Everly says, and my chest contracts at the way she lumped me into her we. I watch her inquisitively, noticing that she seems to be refusing to make eye contact with me, like she’s embarrassed about
this guy. Interesting.
“Well, I’ll text you the address just in case. I really hope you’ll change your mind.” Hilow takes a step between us, and
I move to stand beside Everly. “It was nice to meet you, Wolf,” Hilow offers.
“Grrr,” I growl and jump forward as I make a biting motion at him. He shuffles back and laughs nervously. I wave my hand and
force a smile. “Relax, Hiya. I’m just taking the piss.”
Everly rolls her eyes at her ex’s confused expression. “That means he’s joking.”
“Right. Sure. Irish.” Hilow swallows thickly. “Okay then. I hope to see you both in a couple weeks.”
He waves goodbye, and I turn to Everly with a dark look. “Now who has secrets?”