Chapter 31 #2
Cleo’s smile never faltered as she marched forward and bravely stroked the tiger’s nose.
Eden sniffed her before licking her arm and letting the girl stroke her head.
Krys snatched Cleo’s sweatshirt and jerked her back. “Jesus, kid. Are you crazy? You can’t just walk right up to an animal and start petting it.”
“What’s the big deal?” She gave him a smug grin. “Don’t you trust your new packmate?”
“Just stay away from my wolf. He’ll rip your face off.”
Cleo cackled at him. Like magic, her stiff posture and withdrawn demeanor was replaced with a teenager who was bouncing on her toes and smiling.
Tak stroked Eden’s head. “Better shift back before your kitty tears up one of the clothing racks. Join us, Cleo. We have another surprise.”
Upon entering the break room, everyone cheered and clapped before giving her a warm hug.
Cleo stiffened, not used to all the affection we had been mostly withholding to respect her boundaries.
Bear lifted her off her feet in a tight hug and then playfully rocked back and forth so her legs were swinging like pendulums. It made her giggle after the giant set her down.
Lakota rumpled her hair. “Welcome to the pack, kiddo.”
When Cleo spotted the large cake on the table, she gasped. “Is that for me?”
I laughed softly. “Well, it has your name on it.”
The abstract colors on the cake swirled in a pretty pattern around the edges. The center of the cake was white, and I’d written Welcome, Cleo with candy hearts below it. My handwriting wasn’t the best, but she seemed to love it.
Cleo picked off a piece of the icing and licked it. “Isn’t it too early for cake?”
Virgil rested his elbows on the table next to her and stared at the dessert. “It’s never too early for cake.”
Salem joined my side and hooked his arm around my waist.
“Good job with the cake,” Tak said privately. “Didn’t mean to spring that on you last minute, but Bear needed to set up the smoker and prep the food.”
Food was another way we were going to lure people to the store.
Bear planned to cook bratwurst and burgers at the side of the building, and since Calvin wouldn’t be serving lunch, the smell would entice hungry families.
They had set up picnic tables, each with a bowl of business cards for the new store.
There would be a raffle at three thirty with prizes, including free meals at Dragonfly’s, free drinks at the bar, gift cards for both the hardware store and Book Haven, and I’d donated two of my larger stained glass panels.
Everyone stood or sat around while gobbling up their slice of cake.
Virgil handed Tak a plate. “I spotted one of Hamish’s men on our land this morning while my wolf was out for a run.”
Tak frowned as he took the cake. “Sounds like we need to mark the territory again.”
I smiled. “If you need our territory marked, I’m your girl. My wolf has strong-smelling pee.”
Virgil pointed at me. “So that’s what it was. I caught a whiff of it by one of the trees and thought someone was smoking weed out there.”
“Do you want some cake?” I asked Salem.
He shook his head. “If you don’t mind, I’ll save the sugar crash for later. I’m still on call.”
“Oh, come on!” Melody complained from the table. “Just wear it today.”
Archer shoveled more cake into his mouth. “That’s a hard no. I’m not wearing your spandex shorts in public.”
Virgil’s sneakers squeaked against the floor when he pivoted. “Did someone say spandex? Look no further. I’m your man.”
Salem jerked his head toward the door. “Let’s take a walk.” After lifting his brown coat off the coatrack, he led me through the store. Then he stopped at the window.
“So what did you need to see me about, Mr. Lockwood?”
He rested his hands on my waist and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “You did great on the cake.”
“Thanks. Sorry for all the cursing. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.”
“You’re always entertaining to watch.” Amusement danced in his eyes. “Have you picked a day to visit your mom? I’ll need to know in advance so I can reschedule any appointments and let Milly know.”
“She wants us to visit on Valentine’s Day and stay the week after. It’s coming up soon, but I don’t know how far in advance you need to plan. Does that sound good?”
“Sounds perfect. I just hope she likes me in person.”
“She’ll love you. But if you want a head start, surprise her with donuts one morning. My dad used to do that sometimes. He’d wake up early and sneak out to get her donuts and coffee.”
“Done. Is a week long enough?”
“Trust me, it’s plenty. She gets stressed out easily when her routine is messed up. It got worse after my dad’s passing. You’ll get used to it. I’m thinking about flying up in the summer and staying for a few weeks, if that’s okay.”
“You don’t have to ask my permission.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him softly on the mouth. Every time our lips touched, my belly tingled. Kissing him never got old.
My fingers grazed his nape. “Maybe we can invite a few packmates and they can stay in a hotel. We can all have dinner with my mom, and then I’ll show them around town.”
“Tak would like to meet her. But they’ll probably want to drive up. Planes and Shifters don’t get along.”
“Nothing happened on your flight from Cognito.”
“Yes, but imagine Virgil getting hold of the drink cart.”
“Say no more.”
“How are you feeling?”
I gave him a chaste kiss. “Like a new woman.”
Since the treatment, I hadn’t experienced a single relapse.
My eyes were green again, my energy was through the roof, and Salem tested my blood so regularly that I finally had to make him stop.
He used a special pair of glasses to look deep in my eyes in search of any abnormalities but found nothing out of the ordinary.
It had been a month since then. No more balance issues, no fainting or weakness in my legs, and best of all, my wolf was finally free.
An engine revved outside and snagged our attention. Scott’s white Mercedes rolled into the parking lot, and he parked it next to Krys’s bike.
“What’s he doing here?” I jerked away from Salem and knocked over a purse sitting on a display.
“He was supposed to leave. He said he was going home. Do you think he went to the higher authority?” I glanced toward the back of the store.
“Everyone’s celebrating, and the store’s opening soon. He’s going to ruin everything!”
Salem braced his hands on my shoulders and offered a reassuring smile. “He’s not going to ruin anything. Take a deep breath.”
I inhaled, held it, then blew it out.
“Better?”
I nodded.
“You’re mine, remember? That means no one can take you away. I won’t let them.” Salem led me to the door. “Let’s go see what he wants.”
We stepped into the sunshine and watched Scott’s automatic convertible cover closing. He stepped out and slammed the door before flashing a bright smile. He looked dapper in his tan slacks and blue polo shirt.
“It’s too cold with the top down.” Scott approached and came in for a hug.
I returned it with hesitation.
Then he nodded at Salem. “I didn’t want to ride up on the property uninvited again, but I figured you’d all be here this morning. People say it’s opening day. Congrats.”
I tucked my hands in my long green sweater jacket. “What are you doing here? I thought you left town weeks ago.”
“Well, I did. Sort of. I figured I might as well enjoy my vacation and drove up to the Dallas area since I’ve always wanted to check that place out.
Looked around Arlington, Richardson, Wylie, Plano, and finally decided Frisco is more my scene.
We should go hang out there sometime. They have this one bar—”
“Scott, what are you doing here? Is this about the favor?”
He scratched his head. “Yeah. You’ve been avoiding my calls. I thought we were cool again?”
I considered our last interaction. After shifting back at Milly’s, I was so exhausted that I barely remembered anything. He said he was leaving, and I honestly couldn’t recall our conversation in detail.
“Well, how cool we are depends,” I said in all honesty while crossing my arms.
He gave a wistful smile. “Mind if I speak to Salem for a minute?”
I nodded at Salem, who ignored Scott’s cue to walk to the side of the building.
Scott shrugged. “I’m not coming after Quinn. I just wanted you to know that so you’re not always looking over your shoulder.”
Salem tilted his head to the side. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch.” He put his hands in his pants pockets.
“I know Quinn pretty well, and she’s always worn her heart on her sleeve.
She’s a gem, and I blew whatever chance I had, which was probably none.
I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Quinn’s never looked at anyone that way.
” He flicked a glance between us before his cheeks got ruddy.
Then he adjusted his shirt as if it had a wrinkle.
“You two are meant for each other. Besides, he saved your life. I can’t compete with that. ”
Scott didn’t seem broken up about the situation, and I could tell he genuinely wanted to mend things between us.
I reached out and took his hand, allowing him to feel my gratitude. “Someday you’ll find your other half, and you’ll be thankful you didn’t tie yourself down with me.”
His emotions were a mixture of shame and regret. “You wouldn’t be alive if you had come home with me. I’m glad it worked out this way. You should ignore me more often.”
“Do you want to come in? We’ve got cake.”
He shaded his eyes and directed his gaze at the smoker and picnic tables off to the right.
“Nah. I’ve got a long drive ahead of me.
I came down yesterday so I could rest and head out this morning.
I just wanted to see you in person and set things right before going back to work. Don’t be a stranger.”
I gave Scott a tight hug. “Thank you,” I whispered. “And we’re coming up to see my mom on Valentine’s.”