Chapter 7
After a lengthy discussion, Tak and I finalized the plans.
He wanted color without losing the natural light in his room.
I assured him the other windows would compensate and we could avoid dark colors.
After showing interest in one of my designs, he gave me his input, and we came to an agreement.
It was difficult for him to imagine the final piece, and he doubted his artistic vision.
The customers weren’t always right, so I never gave them full control.
I knew colors, the way the light changed a room, and how to pull together the elements.
Luckily, Tak wasn’t a control freak. He remarked he was too busy to babysit my process and be asked a million questions, so he put his trust in me, and once we decided on the basic design, he told me to use my creative genius.
Creative genius was a stretch, but what was the worst that could happen?
I’d waste my time custom-designing a window he wouldn’t want installed.
Because he was my first big client in Storybook, I told him if the first design didn’t match his vision, I would do the second one for free.
I could always sell the original to another buyer who didn’t mind customizing their house.
“You’ve been bouncing in your seat since we left.” Salem chuckled quietly.
“I can’t help it. I’m so excited! He’s gonna love it. I know he will. I’m just not sure if my living room is big enough.” I tapped on the armrest while lost in my thoughts. It was too dark outside to see anything but the faint silhouette of trees blurring by.
“What do you need room for?” he asked, turning a corner.
“Drawing. I have to take the measurements first, but I scale to size on large sheets of paper. Then I have to stress out about transporting the glass on these bumpy roads.” The headlights flashed on a deer off to the side, and I wondered if it was a real one or a Shifter.
“I can’t believe you have a Vampire living in the house. Yours is the pack of the future.”
“People around here give us hell and say we’re not a real pack.”
I fiddled with my braid. “Pack doesn’t necessarily mean wolves, you know.
It’s just a group of people who share interests.
In this case, being a family. It doesn’t matter if you’re all different.
A pack of cards is made up of different numbers and suits.
All you’re missing is a Relic, a Gravewalker, and a Mage. ”
“Tak isn’t creating openings based on Breed.”
I smiled playfully at him. “Oh? So there’s an opening? Maybe I should fill out an application. My animal would get along with you guys.” When I spotted the swing gate up ahead on the right, I pointed. “Pull in here. I’m starving.”
After opening the gate, Salem got back in the car and drove down Juniper Road. “Since you brought it up, what’s your animal?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Though I wanted to tell him, perhaps we could discuss that another day… if he was truly interested in knowing.
The gravel crunched and popped beneath the tires as we pulled into the Rabbit Lounge parking lot.
“Join me,” I said, hoping he’d take me up on the offer. “Unless you have work to do.”
Just as the words left my mouth, Salem’s phone rang. When he answered, it sounded like another emergency.
Hopefully not that deranged Mage again.
Salem ended the call. “Would you rather I drive you home?”
“No, it’s a short walk from here. Sometimes I stop in for lunch.”
He glanced at me and then did a double take. The way he was suddenly fixated on my face made my heart skip a beat. Salem leaned in close and brushed his hand across my hairline, then picked at my face before revealing a green clump.
My eyes widened in horror at remnants of my mud mask. “You did not let me walk around like that all day.” I frantically pulled down the visor and looked at myself in the mirror, the visor light illuminating the interior. “No wonder Tak was grinning! I thought he was just in a good mood.”
A delightful laugh rumbled in his chest. “After what you’ve been through, you’re worried about a little clay?”
Since he was still leaning in, I admired his chocolate-brown cotton shirt and how it brought out his eyes. “That color looks good on you.”
Salem lingered, not drawing back or brushing off the compliment. My heart stuttered when he reached around me, but then the door unlocked and I realized he was letting me out.
Embarrassed that I’d almost leaned in to kiss him, I scrambled for my purse and got out with my dignity barely intact. Salem held up his hand in a wave as he drove away.
Why am I acting so gaga over him? I’ve never behaved this way around a man, like he’s the last cookie in the jar.
It’s not like I want a relationship with anyone.
Must be his cologne. Has to be. Couldn’t be the fact his eyes are the color of dark maple syrup or that he smells like Christmas in a cup.
I walked into the bar just as the jukebox ended a song and started playing “We Belong,” which was my favorite Pat Benatar song. Had it not been for the oldies in Calvin’s jukebox, I would’ve never discovered it.
“Hi, Calvin!” I crossed the bar and stood near the kitchen swing doors while he organized liquor bottles. “When are you going to add new music to the jukebox?”
“Nobody’s complaining. Mercy’s in charge of the entertainment.”
Calvin was an old codger with long grey hair, a missing ear, and a colorful vocabulary.
If his bank account were a swear jar, he’d be the richest man in town.
I’d never seen him without his leather vest and skull rings, and his surly disposition was legendary in Storybook and beyond.
I often wondered if he was a Shifter. He didn’t have the personality of a docile animal, yet he didn’t have the characteristics of a predator either—other than his domineering attitude.
But I guessed it took an iron fist to run a rowdy bar like the Rabbit Lounge.
Dragonfly Bar & Grill was more my scene, but their prices were too high for my budget.
Calvin occasionally knocked a few dollars off my bill, especially if I came after the lunch service and ordered leftovers.
I was grateful that he’d finally hired a real cook.
If Calvin had been the chef on the Titanic, people would’ve jumped long before it hit the iceberg.
“What can I get for you, honey?”
“A light beer. Are there any leftovers back there? I skipped lunch.”
“Bear hasn’t left yet. Hold on.” Calvin disappeared behind the swing doors.
I twisted around and observed the room. The saddle stools were terribly uncomfortable, so I remained standing.
Neon lights and metal signs added character, and sometimes I had fun trying to spot something new.
One time a customer hung a black-and-white picture of himself on the wall, and Calvin didn’t notice it for a week.
Two rows of pool tables almost reached the back of the bar, and every other one had a game going.
Some were seated at the dining tables, but not as many as usual.
A group cheered in the area in the back, probably playing darts, but I couldn’t see.
While the night crowd was livelier, I never got to experience it since I hated walking home in the dark.
“Here you go,” Calvin said, making me jump. He set an open beer bottle in front of me. “Bear should be out with your food in a few minutes. He’s making a plate.”
“A whole plate?” I exclaimed. “I’m not sure if I have enough cash. If you have fries or a few rolls, that would be fine. Whatever you have left over.”
“Don’t worry about it. You can square up the bill next time I see you. I know you’re good for it.”
“Is he off the clock? I hope he wasn’t about to go home.”
“Bear works behind the bar on busy nights, especially when Mercy takes off. He’s not going anywhere for a while with this crowd. Have a seat.”
I lifted my bottle and remained standing. “I’m good.”
“Suit yourself.” He meandered to the other side of the bar and filled a drink order.
I guzzled my beer so fast that the bubbles made me belch.
“Hi, Quinn. How’s your business going?” a woman asked, her Texas accent as familiar as her pink lipstick.
I smiled at a pretty blonde who lived with the coyotes up the road. “Hey, Cheryl. It’s going great! The Arrowhead pack commissioned a window from me. Do you know them?”
“Know them?” She cackled like a woman with a secret.
“I wouldn’t mind mating a couple of them boys.
I’ll take either that dark-haired man with the icy blue eyes or the healer.
Or both!” She smiled and touched my shoulder.
“I’ve been doing everything I can to get their attention.
I’ll come up with something, but maybe you can put in a good word for me.
I’m ready to leave my band. If I can’t find a mate, I’ll just have to live on my own. ”
“Don’t coyotes stick together?”
“Sweetie, wolves and coyotes aren’t that different. I wouldn’t mind jumping from a band to a pack.” She rested her arm on the bar. “Did you notice that new shop opening soon across the road?”
“Yes. I’m so excited. It’s going to be a clothing boutique.”
“Sign me up. A girl can only wander around the hardware store for so long,” she said before leaving money on the bar for Calvin. “Maybe you can open up a shop someday. I love the coyote you gave me. It’s hanging in my bedroom window.”
“Well, if you or your band want a custom-made window or anything else, let me know. I sell panels, medallions, and ornaments, but my expertise is designing full windows.”
“I’ll let the alpha know. It was good seeing you.”
I gulped down my beer and watched her walk jauntily to the exit in her black heels. Just as she reached for the door, it opened, and a man popped into view.
My beer shot down the wrong pipe, and I coughed uncontrollably into my hand. As the man spoke to Cheryl while holding the door for her, I zeroed in on his face to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.