Chapter Six #2
Nory pushed her into an open door, and they stomped their snow crusted boots off at the welcome mat and then made their way into the small bar.
“We have forty-five minutes before we need to start walking to the salon. Let’s banish that moment from your mind, shall we?”
“I don’t know if I want to banish it,” she said softly as she set her wares onto a chair by the big front window.
She looked up and from here, she could still see him. Bridger looked so serious as he was talking to Nate, and Nate’s muscular back looked tense. “He saw that guy talking to me,” she told Nory as she sat down. “I would bet money on it.”
“You know what that’s called?” Nory asked.
Delta shook her head.
“Instant Karma. That man tried to throw you away yesterday, and then had to watch another man be interested in you? A hot man who buys flowers for his daughter and drives a fancy car. Karma worked fast for you, girl.”
“I don’t want to hurt him,” she said. “I don’t really know how to do this.” She glanced back out the window, and Nate was on his phone now.
“Hey,” Nory said, leaning over the table. She grabbed her hands and beseeched her with her eyes. “Everything happens for a reason.”
“What possible reason could any of this be for?”
Nory gave her a sympathetic half-smile. “I don’t know yet. Maybe he needed to see you being capable of moving on. Maybe it’ll move him on faster too.”
“He was moved on from day one,” she muttered. God, why couldn’t she stop looking at him through the window. “I don’t even know why he signed the stupid Arrangement contract.”
Nory shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know if he even knows. I think he has a lot to work through before he is good for anyone.”
Delta looked up at the bartender, but she was busy making drinks. For whom? She hadn’t a guess. She and Nory were the only ones in here drinking at twelve-thirty on a Wednesday.
She’d never seen him wear a beanie before. His eyes looked even brighter against that color. Never in her life would she forget the way he’d looked at her, and the way his eyes had softened with sadness, or perhaps acceptance. She would never forget his wave to her. Back to being strangers.
“Here you two go,” the bartender said, pulling two drinks off of a tray in her hand.
“What are these?” Delta asked, confused.
“Compliments of some guy named Bridger. He ordered you fried pickle spears too and is paying for whatever else you want. These drinks are called peach perfections. They’re the special today. They’re doubles this round. I’ll have those pickle spears out in a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Delta murmured, stunned.
Why would Bridger…
But as she looked back out at the boys, it hit her. Nate had been the one on the phone.
He’d called here and ordered her favorite appetizer. He must’ve peeked at the menu when he saw them duck into here. He’d called this bar. He’d put in an order. He’d paid attention to all the peach teas she’d ordered. Peach was her favorite flavor.
He turned his profile and stared at the empty parking space beside him with a slight frown on his handsome face.
“What is his game?” Delta asked quietly.
“I don’t know but I like this game,” Nory said as she sniffed her double shot of peach perfection. “I hope he plays it more. Let’s text him the number of the hair salon next. I’m getting highlights.”
An unexpected laugh escaped Delta. She lifted the glass and said, “To boys who don’t know what they want.”
“Oh hell no. To our new hot girl haircuts. I’m not toasting to boys.”
“We could toast to Liam. He’s a good one.”
“He’s the best,” she agreed. “To boys who do know what they want, and bombshell haircuts that will have all the boys asking if you are single.” Nory gave her a wink and a tink of her glass, and then they tossed the peach perfections back.
By the time the second round of drinks and the fried pickles arrived to the table, Delta had looked at Nate’s back a dozen times.
She was getting annoyed with herself, but she was so curious about him in the wild. He was out there living. He was hanging with Bridger, and though they weren’t laughing or joking, they seemed to be deep in conversation. She wondered what they were talking about.
“We can invite them over here,” Nory offered, watching Delta’s face.
Delta shook her head though. “I’m not ready for that. It’s all fresh and I haven’t sorted through all of my feelings yet.”
“You still like him.”
Delta sighed and swirled a fried pickle spear in the ranch.
“I still feel hurt.” Yeah, she was avoiding deep conversations on her feelings for Nate.
Truthfully, she’d fallen hard for a distant man, and she was feeling so dumb over how hard this all was.
They didn’t feel the same about each other.
Delta was pretty sure that would hurt for always.
The server came back with a sandwich and fries, and as Delta stared at the BLT, a wave of frustration took her.
“The Bridger guy said he knew what you would order, but he had no idea about you,” she said, pointing to Nory.
“I’m easy. Burger basket, sweet potato fries, and can I have a side of the potato salad?”
“Absolutely.”
The server left and Delta sat staring at the sandwich, her hands clenched in her lap. “Why is he doing this?”
“To be nice?” Nory guessed. “He seems to be carrying some guilt.”
“So, he paid attention to all the food I like, but you know what he actually did? Avoided going out to eat with me. Every hotel we stayed in, he would get away from me as soon as he could. He would leave me in the room with some excuse on why he needed to go out, but I knew what it was. He wanted to get away from me. He would go eat by himself somewhere and bring me food back. I would sit in the hotels wondering why the hell I wasn’t good enough, or interesting enough, or fun enough to be able to go eat with him.
And now he does this?” she asked, shoving the sandwich away.
“What is it? Showing me he knows me so well now? Now that it’s done?
” Tears of anger burned her eyes, and she blinked hard.
She was tired of being a crybaby. “Stupid boys. He’s just messing with me. ”
“I don’t know that he has bad intentions,” Nory said sympathetically.
But Delta was already getting worked up. She pulled her phone out of her purse and texted Bridger. Tell Nate thank you for the drinks and for dropping off the furniture this morning, but I don’t need anything else from him. Not ever. Send.
She watched Bridger relay the message, and then watched Nate link his hands behind his head as they talked.
His back was all tense again, and he shook his head with whatever Bridger was saying.
Nate leaned over and gave Delta his profile again and then twisted around enough to lock eyes on right where she was sitting.
“Eeep!” she squeaked out as she ducked under the table.
“I don’t think they can see us,” Nory told her. “The window has really dark tint.”
“Oh. Right.” Delta scrambled back into her chair and when she looked out at Nate again, he was paying for their food. He stood, and without looking at her, shoved his hands into his pockets and walked down the street to his truck. Bridger was still sitting at the table, watching him go.
The roar of Nate’s engine was loud, and then he was gone, speeding down the road, exhaust fumes blasting behind him, and Delta felt empty again.
“I can’t wait until all of this is over,” she blurted out.
“Until what’s over?”
“Feeling betrayed. Feeling hurt. Feeling anything at all for that stupid man.”
Nory pursed her lips into an understanding smile. “I don’t think the heart works like that.”
“Well, I would cut my stupid heart out if I could,” she muttered dramatically.
Nory shrugged, unshocked. “You could probably grow it back with your werewolf healing.”
And just like that, the electricity of the moment dissipated. Delta huffed a small laugh and slumped forward, resting her face in her palms. “I’m a disaster.”
“All of your reactions are normal. Break-ups are fucking hard, and yours was bigger than just a break up. You were paired. You thought you were in it for life. You could burn down a building, and I would tell you it was valid. None of this is fair.”
God, Nory was so awesome. She made Delta feel seen.
“What if I’m still a mess in a year?” she whispered feeling the weight of the world on her weary shoulders.
“You won’t be. In a year, you will be settled in a home.
The Rogue Pack will hopefully be freaking friends by then.
I won’t be camping in a tent just to stay near the woods where Liam can Change.
You won’t be crying. You and Nate will be settled into a friendship, whatever that looks like.
He’ll be dating or Arranged. You’ll be dating or Arranged, or maybe just killing it still at the single life.
Everything will steady out. It’s just the volatile part where everything is up in the air right now. ”
But Delta hadn’t like her talking about Nate dating or being Arranged to someone else.
“What if I can’t stand him moving on?” Delta whispered.
Nory grabbed her hands again and squeezed. “There is going to be someone who falls for you, Delta. Someone who doesn’t fumble you. Someone who figures out what you are.”
“What am I?”
“You’re the one a man builds a life with. Nate wasn’t ready. Someone else will be.”
But she didn’t like hearing that either. She couldn’t imagine building a life with anyone else. She’d imagined it with Nate too much.
Her attention drifted to the road where Nate had disappeared. Maybe she should’ve given Brian her number and forced herself to move forward. Maybe he would’ve helped.
No. She frowned at her thoughts. That wouldn’t be fair, not to her, and not to any man who paid attention to her right now. She wasn’t ready for a relationship.
She would never admit it out loud, but she’d fallen in love with Nate, even as distant as he had been. She’d tethered her wolf and her heart to him. She couldn’t go all in with another man until she got over her failed pairing.
She felt like all her life she would pine for him, and that was the hardest part of this.
He would move on, and she would be stuck in this purgatory for always.