Chapter Six #2
“I wouldn’t know.” Jude lifts his chin a little. He holds Caleb’s gaze without flinching, which I respect. A lot of wolves can’t do that with an alpha, especially one from a pack they don’t belong to. “Haven’t been back there in years.”
“No?” A line appears between Caleb’s brows.
Evan steps forward, arms crossed, positioning himself at Caleb’s shoulder.
He doesn’t offer his hand. “Are you saying you’re not affiliated with any pack?
” I suspect he knows the answer already.
Evan does his homework on new wolves that come to Golden Peak.
Plus, he’d have known from Jude’s scent.
An unaffiliated wolf smells different. No layered pack markers. Just his own.
Jude meets Evan’s stare without blinking. “That’s right.”
“By choice?” Evan presses.
“Does it matter?”
Evan’s jaw tightens, but before he can respond, Caleb raises one hand slightly — barely a gesture, but Evan backs off.
“It doesn’t matter,” Caleb says simply. He picks up the whiskey Jim has placed on the bar for him. “Liam trusts you. That tells me enough for now.”
I smile, proud that Caleb values my judgment. Jude registers the remark too and some tension leaves his shoulders. He trusts I have his back which makes me feel even more protective of him than I already am.
“I’m not here to cause trouble,” Jude says. “I just want to do my job and live a peaceful life.”
Caleb nods slowly. “Then we won’t have any problems.” He takes a drink of his whiskey, and when he lowers the glass, there’s something almost warm in his expression. “Sara told me how you two handled things at the drugstore.”
“She told you about that?” I widen my eyes, then immediately feel guilty.
Caleb laughs. “Were you going to keep it from me, Liam?”
My face warms. “Well, if it were something serious, I wouldn’t have.
But she’s a good kid who slipped up and gave into peer pressure.
The drug store owner didn’t want us to do anything but give her a warning.
I don’t think she’ll do anything like that again.
She looked mortified. She’s learned her lesson. ”
He nods. “I’m glad she came to me and told me. I know it’s hard because I’m her dad and the pack leader. But I don’t want her to be afraid to come to me when she’s in trouble, just because of my position.”
“She respects you, she doesn’t fear you,” Jude says.
Caleb considers this. “I hope that’s true.”
“She wouldn’t have told you what happened if it wasn’t.
” Jude shrugs. “To be honest, she didn’t want you to find out, so the fact she volunteered what happened is a good thing.
She’s a teenager, so she’s going through some things, but it’s obvious your respect is what matters most to her.
” Jude hesitates. “By the way, I’m… I’m sorry about your loss. ”
Caleb drops his head and sighs. “Yeah, losing my wife has been the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. It’s been rough, but I have my kids and the pack to protect, so I have to keep going.”
Evan frowns. “You’d better keep going. We don’t want any other alpha but you.”
Caleb laughs gruffly, looking at his enforcer. “Don’t worry. I’m not stepping down anytime soon.”
Evan doesn’t speak, but he looks relieved as he throws back his shot of whiskey.
“Anyway,” Caleb says. “I appreciate you boys giving Sara a break. You two enjoy the rest of your evening.” Caleb smiles and turns to walk to a table in the back.
Evan hesitates, his measured gaze still on Jude. But then he turns and follows Caleb to the back table.
Once they’re out of earshot, Jude lets out a slow breath. “That wasn’t stressful at all.”
I grin. “Caleb liked you, I could tell.”
Jude laughs dryly. “I don’t think Evan liked me much.”
I glance back toward where Evan is settling into his chair next to Caleb. “Evan’s protective. It’s his job to be suspicious of outsiders. Don’t take it personally.”
“I don’t.” Jude picks up his beer. “I’d expect no less from a good second.”
“Caleb accepted you so Evan will follow his lead.”
His gaze holds mine for a beat, then he looks away. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “Wonder if I’ll be here long enough for that to happen.”
“What does that mean? Are you sick of us already?”
“Nah.” Jude smiles. “But maybe I won’t fit in. You all seem to be a very social group.”
“Oh, be quiet,” I grumble. “You already fit in just fine.”
He frowns. “Do I? Even though I’m threatening to bail the minute your girlfriend and her pals arrive?”
“You just started a new job.” I shrug. “It’s reasonable you’d be tired at the end of the day. Eventually, you’ll grow to love hanging out with us. You won’t be able to get enough of us.”
He laughs. “I don’t know about that.”
The door to the bar opens and Kara walks in, boisterously laughing with her friends. Jude’s face doesn’t change but his body tenses as they approach. However, he doesn’t retreat into his shell like I expect. He greets Kara and her friends and even helps get Jim’s attention so they can order drinks.
“Hey, babe,” she says, coming over to kiss me hello. When the kiss ends, she tugs off the scarf around her neck, and smiles at Jude. “How are you, Jude?”
“I’m doing great,” he says.
“Gosh, you look absolutely exhausted.”
“Do I?” He frowns at his reflection in the mirror over the bar. “I don’t feel exhausted.”
Her expression is empathetic. “It must be so hard starting a new job and moving to a new state at the same time.”
“It’s been okay so far.” He glances at me. “Liam’s a great partner. He’s made the transition easier.”
She sighs. “Liam has such a soft heart. He’s the absolute best at making outsiders feel welcome.”
Jude’s cheek twitches, but he says nothing.
I frown. “Jude might be new in town, but I wouldn’t call him an outsider. He’s already fitting in wonderfully. He’s a great, experienced cop and GPPD is lucky to have him.”
Kara widens her eyes. “Oh, I didn’t mean anything by that comment. Sorry if I misspoke, Jude.”
He lifts one shoulder. “No worries. I am an outsider.”
“No, you’re not,” I say firmly. “An outsider implies you don’t belong here. You do belong here.”
He smiles at me. “Okay, if you say so.”
“I do say so.”
Kara watches out interaction with a strange expression, but then Jim serves her a martini and she’s all smiles again. “Boy do I need this.”
“Did you sell any real estate today?” I ask, pulling a stool over for her.
Kara nods as she takes her seat. “I did indeed. Remember that old two story monstrosity up on Jacob’s Road?”
“I sure do.”
She grins and says excitedly, “Well yours truly signed a contract on it today.”
“That’s great, honey.”
“I know, right? It was a challenge, let me tell you.” She launches into an animated story about what a grump the buyer was and how hard she had to work to make the sale. When she finishes that story, she jumps into another one.
Kara has a vivacious, cheerful energy, similar to my own. Maybe that’s why we hit it off when we first met. But tonight, the way she breezes in and takes over the conversation irks me a bit. The chill vibe Jude and I had before she arrived is completely changed.
As her group settles in, Kara does the majority of the talking.
She doesn’t seem to notice or care when she talks over Jude.
He’s soft-spoken, so he’s easily drowned out by her.
Jude doesn’t react though when she bulldozes over his comments.
He simply stops talking and sips his drink.
But I can see the tension in his jaw, and notice the way one of his hands is clenched against his thigh.
My heart aches oddly as I watch him. I appreciate that he didn’t immediately leave when they arrived. I suspect he did that for me, not himself. He’s trying hard to be sociable when it isn’t in his nature.
At one point he glances up and our eyes meet.
I smile at him, and his uneasiness seems to quiet.
He gives the tiniest smile back, and my chest warms and tightens.
I’m not sure what it is about him that makes me feel so protective.
Jude isn’t frail. He isn’t weak. He’s outspoken when he wants to be, and I know he’d handle himself just fine in a fight.
Still, I sense a vulnerability about him, and it stirs my wolf.
When Kara suddenly leans over and puts her hand on his thigh, he jumps and she laughs.
“Sorry,” she says, removing her hand. “I was just wondering if you’ve decided yet if you’re going to buy a house?”
Jude rubs the back of his neck. “Umm, no, not yet.”
One of her co-workers, a guy in his twenties named Terry, laughs. “Geez, Kara, let the guy figure out if he likes Golden Peak first before you saddle him with a mortgage.”
She laughs. “Well, I only ask because there’s that great two-bedroom, two-bath up on Quail Lane. It’s the perfect house for a single guy. It even has a hot tub. Nothing wrong with taking a look at it.”
“Pfft, yeah, sure, Kara.” Terry grins. “My guess is you’re trying to get salesperson of the month again.”
Her smile is coy. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind getting the highest sales numbers again this month. Maybe Jude can help me get there.” She winks at Jude. “What do you say, Jude. Would you like me to show you the property?”
Jude grimaces. “I… I think it’s too early for me to start looking at houses.”
“It’s never too early to look,” she presses. “What could it hurt to go see the place? Who knows, you might fall in love with it. Wouldn’t it be nice to get out of that apartment building?”
“It’s been okay so far,” he says, avoiding her gaze.
“Gosh, I’d hate living in an apartment.” Her tone suggests there’s something wrong with him for also not hating it.
Jude scratches his jaw, looking uncomfortable. “Maybe I’ll hate it after a month, but for now it’s fine.”
Ignoring him, she leans closer. “You’re concerned you might not stay in Golden Peak, right?
And then you’d have a house to worry about.
But you shouldn’t think like that. Owning a house here is a wonderful investment opportunity.
Even if you leave Golden Peak, you could rent the house out during the busy season.
Trust me, you’d make bank. Housing here is scarce once the ski season really kicks in. ”
“She’s not wrong,” Terry chimes in. “A friend of mine wanted to come up to stay next week but he couldn’t find any accommodations. The apartments, rental homes, and motels are all full already.”
“I’m sure you guys are right.” Jude grimaces. “It’s just, I don’t have a ton of money saved up and I’m not really excited about the idea of taking out a loan at the moment.”
“Oh, we can help you with the financing,” Kara says brightly.
Terry nods. “Absolutely. We have great connections with a bunch of the local banks down in Silver Creek.”
Jude squirms in his seat. “I see.”
I can’t take the way they’re tag teaming him one second more. “Hey, guys, why are you pressuring him so hard? Personally, I think it’s way too soon for Jude to think about buying a house.” I turn to Kara. “Let him get settled in first, honey. He’s got a lot on his plate already.”
Her cheeks pink. “I wasn’t trying to pressure him. I just love helping people find wonderful homes. The house I have in mind for him is a great property. I’d hate for him to miss out.”
I pat her leg. “Oh, I know. You’re just trying to help.”
Plus, you see dollar signs when you look at Jude.
That ungracious thought catches me by surprise. It’s true she’s being pushy, but I’m sure she means well. Feeling guilty about thinking such uncharitable things about her, I lean in and give her a kiss. “Thanks for looking out for Jude,” I say softly.
“Of course, babe.” She laughs, slipping her arms around my neck. “Now, give me some more of that sugar.”
Before I realize what she’s doing, she jumps up onto my lap.
I grab her hips so she doesn’t fall as her work friends all hoot and whistle.
Unfortunately, since Jude and I are sitting close to each other, one of her elbows bumps into Jude’s glass on the bar.
The glass falls over, spilling his beer down the front of his shirt.
He grunts and quickly rights his glass, but it’s too late. The damage is done and he’s soaked in beer. His face is flushed as he stares down at his beer drenched shirt and jeans.
“Oh, shit,” Kara says, laughing. “I’m sorry.” Despite her apologetic words, she makes no attempt to offer him napkins or help him dry off.
He stands, looking embarrassed as he wipes at his wet clothing with his hands. “It’s okay. Accidents happen.” I grab some cocktail napkins and hand them to him and he gives me a grateful smile. “Thanks,” he says. “I think that’s my cue to leave.”
Kara says half-heartedly. “Don’t leave. I’ll buy you another beer to replace that one.”
“Nah, that’s okay.” His smile is strained. “I’d rather get out of these wet clothes.”
“Oh.” Kara grimaces. “I guess that’s true. Sorry again.”
“No worries. I don’t mind an early night. Maybe I’ll watch some hockey when I get home.” He meets my gaze. “I’ll see you tomorrow, partner.”
“You bet.” I want to walk him out and apologize for Kara’s behavior, but I’d have to dump Kara off my lap to do it.
He turns to leave and Kara yells, “Hey, everyone, say goodnight to Jude!”
Her group of friends and some strangers in the bar shout, “Goodnight, Jude!”
He winces, looking like he’d love the floor to open up and swallow him. Head down and shoulders tight, he exits the bar.
Watching Jude leave, my frustration with Kara grows.
She has absolutely no instinct for how to handle him.
Why would she think a guy like Jude would appreciate the attention of a bunch of drunk strangers while he’s walking out of the bar soaked in beer?
How does she not know that’s something he’d hate?
The minute she showed up, Jude’s evening was ruined, and that’s on me.
Kara was obtuse and dismissive to him the whole time.
And to top it off, she doused the poor guy with his own damn beer.
Next time I meet up with Jude for drinks, I’m not inviting Kara.
She can be mad if she wants. I have a right to hang out with Jude off the clock, alone, if I want to.
How come I never noticed these things about Kara until now?
I have no answer to that question.
I only know that I’m still irritated enough that when we’re all leaving The Fox & The Kettle a few hours later, for the second night in a row, I turn down Kara’s invitation to spend the night at her place.