Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Setting up the party took hardly any time, since Cindy had both Tasha and Jonas helping out.
And she had her lists. The other two fought over who would get to climb the ladder to hang the banners and lights, but in the end, they both shared the job.
She rolled her eyes at their antics, but loved seeing how quickly Tasha seemed to be opening up and losing some of her shyness.
Myra had asked everyone in the pack to come about half an hour before the guests were to arrive, so they gathered in the library. Cindy sat in Jonas’ lap and looked to her alphas.
“I know we just had our pack meeting last week, so we don’t need to go over everything again, I just wanted to take a minute to say I’m really happy with how this pack has pulled together so far.
Everyone taking time to help each other get settled in has been awesome.
We’ve got a great group going, but we need more people.
Try and talk to everyone who comes today and let someone in the hierarchy know your thoughts on them. ”
She paused to take a sip of her wine. “It’s probably impossible that we’ll have one hundred percent agreement from everyone in the pack on all the potential new members, so please don’t be hurt if someone you like gets rejected or someone you don’t like gets accepted.
We value your opinions and impressions and need to gather all of them to make an informed decision. ”
Adam put his arm around her shoulder. “And remember that while first impressions are critical, and instincts are a part of who we are, there are people who can surprise you, so don’t make the mistake of locking in your opinions on someone too strongly.
Everyone knows I was a cantankerous hermit when Myra met me, and look at us now. ”
“Now that you’re a cantankerous busybody?” Cindy asked demurely.
Everyone laughed, and they all chatted easily until Adam looked up. “We have visitors, people. Let’s do this thing.”
They followed him to the door and greeted their first guests, the Chang family from Toronto, who wanted to escape the weather. Parents, teenage girl and middle-school boy. Cindy put her arm around Tasha and nudged her towards the girl.
“Hi, Blaire, I’m Cindy, and this is Tasha. Tasha just started at the school you would be going to, last week. She said so far it’s pretty okay. Have you been to the States before, or is this your first time?”
By the time she’d maneuvered the girls to the snack table, they were deep in conversation. Cindy glanced to the parents and met Sofia Chang’s gaze. The woman gave her a happy smile and a nod. Pleased, Cindy moved to Jonas, who was talking to an older woman who’d just arrived.
“Latisha Bogan, meet my mate, Cindy. Cindy, Mrs. Bogan is visiting from Peachwood Pack, near Atlanta.”
Cindy was gentle taking the elderly woman’s hand into her own, but had to smile when the woman’s strong grip surprised her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Bogan.”
“I’ve already told Jonas to call me Latisha, and you will to. The young ones can call me Miss Latisha. I was a kindergarten teacher for thirty years, so that’s what I’m used to.”
“What brings you to New Mexico?” Cindy asked.
“My George passed on a couple of years ago. He wasn’t the healthiest wolf around, and wouldn’t listen to a word I said about diet and exercise. Overweight wolves are the exception, I know, but that was George.”
Jonas’ fingers twined with hers and she squeezed. The pain in Latisha’s voice was obvious.
“I’m sorry.” Jonas’ voice was gruff as he laid a hand on the older woman’s shoulder.
She smiled at him. “I suspect you two are newly mated, so don’t let this get you down.
He had his faults, as do I, but I loved that man for most of my life.
I sort of lost a year of myself when he passed.
I existed without really living. My children came to visit, tried to talk me into moving in with them, but I couldn’t bring myself to make any changes to the life we’d had together. ”
Cindy’s throat burned at the love and grief she witnessed. She couldn’t even let herself think about the possibility of losing Jonas.
“Finally, after a while, I started to come back to myself. To look around. I realized I was still living, and there was nothing to be gained by my acting otherwise. My children had lost their father, they didn’t need to lose their mother, too.”
She paused. “Jonas, would you mind fetching an old lady a beer?”
“Not a bit, Miss Latisha.” He brushed his lips over her cheek and hurried off.
“Oh, he’s a smooth one all right.”
“I don’t know, you’re the one who’s already made him fall in love with you,” Cindy pointed out with a grin.
Latisha just winked at her as Jonas returned with a beer for her and a hard lemonade for Cindy.
When she’d taken a couple of sips, Latisha sighed. “My kids were asking me to move in with them, or at least nearby. But they’d both joined other packs, one in Northern California and one in Florida. How was I supposed to choose?”
“No favorites, huh?” Jonas asked.
Latisha backhanded his arm lightly. “They’re both good kids.
Both have good mates. Good packs. Well, one I had no interest in joining, truth be told, but the other…
it’s a good pack, but it just wasn’t meant to be my new home.
I knew it. Just like I knew it was time to move on.
I didn’t want to be in the place we’d raised our family together.
Be there alone, I mean. Even though my pack is great, and I have some family out there, it’s too easy to lose myself again, in the day-to-day habits I’m so used to. ”
Jonas stiffened beside Cindy, enough that Latisha noticed and paused.
He looked at Cindy, who assumed that meant that Brenda had entered the room. How he’d known it was her, she couldn’t guess, but it didn’t matter.
She touched the other woman’s arm. “Please, we want to hear the rest.”
Latisha eyed them speculatively, then nodded. “Well, when I heard about this new pack, I thought why not come and take a look?”
“And what you do think so far?” Jonas asked.
“Well, so far I’ve really only talked to you two, so I’m not quite ready to judge yet.”
The twinkle in her eye said differently, and Jonas grinned. “Aw, come on, you know you want to join us. Let me introduce you to my parents. They’ll convince you to stay.”
“They don’t want the honor of being the oldest members of the pack?” Latisha guessed.
“Exactly.”
Cindy shook her head, amused at their byplay. “First, why don’t we check out the food table. There’s some good stuff there, if I do say so myself.”
“Jonas said you put this whole thing together,” Latisha said as they made their way to the food. “It’s beautifully done. So colorful and cheerful.”
“Thank you so much. I had help getting it all put up. And help with the food. You have to try these cranberry and brie crostini. They’re a new recipe I was trying and they turned out really well.”
She didn’t have to try to track Brenda through the house, all she needed to do was watch Jonas, as he kept an awareness of the woman. She tugged on his sleeve, then gave him an exasperated look. “Leave it alone.”
Bill and Joe came up to the table to get plates of food, and Cindy introduced them to Latisha.
She needed to meet more people, and give the rest of the pack a chance to get to know the wonderful woman.
She glanced around the room to see Adam and Thomas talking to two young ladies, and Olivia and Tasha talking to a woman who appeared to be about Cindy’s age.
Candace and Robert were chatting with the Changs.
Jen and Myra were talking to Brenda, so Cindy nudged Jonas.
“Why don’t you go talk to her, see what you think?
I’ll save her for later, and you can get an idea of her without me there to color it. ”
He frowned at her, but didn’t reply. Trying to decide what was best for her, she knew.
“Seriously, I think that would be smartest. I’m going to go see who’s talking to Olivia and Tasha.”
“Fine.”
She pulled lightly at his shirt, drawing him down to her. “Open mind,” she whispered almost soundlessly.
He kissed her. “Fine.”
Letting him go, because this time he sounded like he meant it, mostly, Cindy headed over to the Keoghs.
They introduced her to Janet, a banker from outside of Boston. It only took about three minutes for Cindy to decide that Olivia and Tasha weren’t fans of Janet’s, and two more to decide she felt the same. But she determined to give it more time than that, to try to see past her instinctual dislike.
Olivia excused herself and Tasha to go meet more people, and Cindy asked Janet about her career.
She managed to keep one eye on Jonas, and was pleased that he seemed to be relaxed and genial as he talked to Brenda.
It was also great to see the pack doing exactly as they’d been asked, flowing around the room, taking time to meet with each visitor.
Adam came to meet Janet, and Cindy moved along to meet Becky and Soo Park.
“I hear you ladies were just mated recently as well. Did you meet my Jonas?” She pointed him out, getting a small wave from him and Tasha, who had joined him.
“We did, and not yet,” Soo said, her excitement shining in her eyes. “Isn’t being mated the most amazing thing?”
“It’s awesome,” Cindy agreed. “You know it will be—your whole life, you know—but then it happens, and you realize you had absolutely no idea.”
Becky laughed. “That is a perfect description. What is it that you do, Cindy?”
She told them about her blog, and Becky was excited to check it out.
“Now that we’re mated, we feel like we should probably get around to figuring out that whole adulting thing.
I still have some student-loan debt I should have buckled down on, and Soo is driving a car that’s about to fall apart, and we have no savings. ”
“Hey, I love my car!”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t love you back, and it’s going to kick the bucket within a year, I guarantee it.”
“Hmph.”