Chapter Two
Destiny Young watched the werewolf stride out of Copper’s. Even from where she waited for Mom to unlock her car, the man’s eyes were bright glowing blue, and completely unnatural.
He was the most striking man she’d ever seen.
“We could’ve waited for him,” her mom said from where she dug around her purse on the other side of the car. They were parked on the street, but there weren’t any cars coming right now.
“He didn’t want to talk,” Destiny pointed out.
“He bought you a beer.”
“He bought you a beer too. What is taking so long?” she asked, rubbing her hands together. It was freezing in Coeur d’Alene today.
She tracked the werewolf as he jogged across the street. He had to be six foot five at least.
“You can’t stop looking at him,” Mom pointed out.
“Mother,” she gritted out. “Find your keys, woman, before we get frostbite.”
“I just can’t seem to find them. Heyoo!” she called.
The werewolf froze, his hand on the handle of a giant truck, and his eyes drifted right to her mom, and then to Destiny.
“Mom,” she ground out.
“My daughter just wanted to thank you again for the beer. We will be here tomorrow night at eight pm to have another one of the exact same beers you bought us, because they were delicious.”
“I’m so sorry,” Destiny called to him, her cheeks on fire.
A smile flashed across his face for just a split second before he yanked his truck door open and climbed inside. The engine roared to life, and Destiny stood there frozen as he pulled out onto the road and drove past them without looking over.
“Mom,” she gritted out. “Why?”
“Because you will never move on if I don’t push you.”
“I don’t need pushing and I don’t need to move anywhere. I’m fine where I am.”
Mom was currently making obnoxious snoring sounds.
“You are in the street,” Destiny griped. “Here, I’ll find your keys.”
Up the road, the big charcoal gray truck pulled a U-turn and now the werewolf was headed back this way. He came to a stop right behind her mother, and the passenger’s side window rolled down. “Are you locked out of your car?”
Her mom turned around, and to Destiny’s mortification, she admitted, “No, I was just pretending to lose my keys so we could see you come out of the restaurant. Hi.”
The werewolf ran his hand down the scruff on his face and amusement danced in his frost-blue eyes. “I think the two of you are probably trouble in a bar.”
“We are no trouble, and don’t party,” Destiny assured him.
“We are new to partying,” her mother said. “She is looking for a boyfriend.”
“Oh my gosh, Mom!”
The werewolf was staring at Destiny like she was prey. “What’s your name?” he asked.
She wrung her hands nervously and barely resisted the urge to duck down and hide behind her mom’s car. This was seriously the hottest man in the whole town. Maybe the county. Hell, maybe in the whole world. “Destiny,” she told him.
“Destiny, huh? Well, that’s a problematic name.”
She didn’t understand what he meant by that. “Um, what is your name?”
“Dodger. You looked me up on the registry, remember?”
“Oh. Right. I forgot. Dodger, huh? Like the baseball team?”
He nodded. “My dad was a fan.”
A smile stretched her lips. She liked that. Her stepdad was a baseball fan too.
“Um, thank you a lot for the beer.”
“I’m glad you liked it.”
“So, was that your mate in there?” she asked, trying for nonchalance.
His smile looked amused. “Friend. She’s in my Pack.”
Oh. Right. She was really pretty. Maybe they were in the early stages of talking or something and he didn’t feel comfortable calling her more than a friend yet. She was gorgeous. She matched him well.
“I’m headed back to work. Maybe I’ll see you two trouble-makers around,” he said, eyes still boring into Destiny.
“At eight pm tomorrow night,” Mom said. “We will be here at the same table.”
“I’ll probably be at home in my pajamas watching murder documentaries,” Destiny said. “My mom is talking about plans that have not been made yet.”
“Sounds like you are making them now. The murder documentaries can wait, ya serial killer. Maybe I’ll see you here at eight, Destiny.” The way he formed her name with a mixture of gravel and velvet in his voice was almost hypnotic.
She couldn’t even think of a single clever response before he had rolled up the window and driven away.
Click. Her mom took a picture of her with her phone.
“Mom!”
“I wanted you to see your face right now,” she said with a giggle as she poked buttons on her phone.
Destiny’s phone vibrated with a text. “I’m not looking at that picture. Please get in the car, you are still in the street.”
Her mom magically and immediately found her keys and unlocked the Corolla. Destiny pulled the door open and sank down in the passenger’s seat and stared ahead at where Dodger’s truck had disappeared down the street.
Mom was connecting a call, and suddenly said, “Hi, we were just in your restaurant. Yes. Yes we were the ones by the window. I was wondering if we can make a reservation for that same table tomorrow night at eight? Oh, you don’t make reservations?
” She paused and listened. “Can I talk to the bartender?”
“Oh my gosh,” Destiny gritted out. Her mother was relentless and was so cute and knew exactly how to get her way. She’d always been like this.
“Hi, we were just in your restaurant, and we wanted to come back in tomorrow and sit at the same table, but they said you don’t do reservations.
Yes. Yes, we were wanting to sit at the same table and possibly meet that werewolf that was just in there.
The big tipper? Yes, we invited him. Okay, thank you!
We will be here at seven-fifty-five. You have a good day too. ”
Mom hung up the phone and beamed at Destiny.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting you a date, since you failed to secure that fine man’s number. He sure is a looker.”
“Secure his number? You and Dad are the ones who taught me to let the man make the first move. And now you’re daring me to go talk to him, and setting up a meeting, and making table reservations, and getting on me about not asking for his number.”
“Well, I have a good feeling about this one.”
Destinay puffed air out of her cheeks. “Why?”
“Because I saw the way you watched him.” Her mom’s voice softened. “I haven’t seen that look on your face in a long time.”
“He probably won’t show up tomorrow,” she warned. “Don’t go getting your hopes up.”
“He asked for your name and said maybe he would see you later.”
“Mom. I’m just saying I don’t want you to get disappointed.”
“So, you’ll have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
Destiny closed her eyes and prayed for patience. “I will have dinner here with you and will have zero percent expectation for Dodger to show up.”
“Deal. Wear that shiny black skirt I got you for Christmas.”
“Mom,” she ground out.
“I’m just saying, you look really pretty in that,” she murmured as she pulled out of the parking spot along the curb.
Destiny looked out the window and remembered the way Dodger’s eyes had glowed when he’d looked over his shoulder at her, while he was at the bar. He had been at least a little curious about her. She could tell. But also? Werewolves were a tricky species.
She knew that much from experience.