Chapter Twenty-One
Neither of the twins seemed particularly pleased when Freya mentioned having coffee with Jon at the end of the day. Tanya, however, thought it was a good idea, a sign that she was determined to turn the page. Being more outgoing was really what she needed to get out of her shell.
Freya was a bit nervous, considering it had been years since she last saw Jon. She didn’t even have that many memories of him, but she really felt the need to have some kind of link to her previous life.
So when the time came, she clocked out, feeling both apprehensive and looking forward to it. She didn’t count on Declan waiting for her, or Tanya being nearby.
“Hey, baby girl. Leaving already?”
“Yeah, just to grab a cup of coffee.”
“Great, I want one as well,” said Declan, matter-of-factly. Ciaran was still in class, but clearly, he had passed on the information to his twin.
“Declan...” She hesitated, and his questioning look did nothing to reassure her. Dropping down to a whisper, she said, “I think ... I think I’d like to be alone.”
Declan opened his mouth to respond, but Tanya said hurriedly, “Alone in a coffee shop near a gym and a school? Good luck. Okay, baby girl, we’ll be near if you need us.”
Freya took the opportunity to leave, but not without kissing Declan on the cheek. Wrapping her in his arms, he kissed her long and deeply, letting his tongue dance with hers.
“Take care of my girl,” he whispered. Inside his head, his wolf was pawing furiously, but for now, he was still in control. Smiling fondly, Freya left, feeling almost giddy when she reached the coffee shop.
It was a small shop, and the smell of coffee was strong in the air.
Behind the counter, the owner, an older lady with a kind smile, greeted her warmly.
After that disastrous first day at the diner, both Freya and the twins had decided to keep their outings to a minimum and had replaced the diner for the small coffee shop.
They also had a vast assortment of cakes and several kinds of pastries she had never heard of, but that were delicious.
The cake of the day was a small custard tart filling the inside of a puff pastry. Delicious both with and without cinnamon. Freya decided to try one and ordered a latte to go.
Jon was already there, a cappuccino on his right side and, in front of him, a laptop open. His fingers flew on the keyboard, and he only noticed her when she sat.
“You came!” he said, and there was so much happiness in his voice that Freya smiled.
“I told you I would.”
“My God, I still can’t believe you’re here! You wouldn’t believe the stories that I heard after your parents died. Are you really all right?” He rubbed his face in his hands, still looking incredulous.
“I already told you, I’m fine.”
“What happened, where have you been?”
She’d feared that question, but had the day to think about it.
She decided he didn’t need to know the truth.
She was starting to come out of her shell, and the last thing she wanted was to go down that path again.
So, she settled for a half-truth. Not what had happened, but what she’d like to have happened.
“I went away when the house burned down. I was in a bad place. Now I feel much better and I decided to settle here.”
Half-truths or lies concealed that covered all the past three years. She was proud of herself.
“Why didn’t you come back?”
“There was nothing for me there. Not anymore. I needed to start over.”
He was still looking at her as if he was seeing a ghost. She started to feel uncomfortable. Could he see through her lies? Jon shook his head, still in disbelief.
“I can’t believe how lucky I am for having found you. You won’t disappear on me again, right?”
“Of course not,” she smiled, fondly. “This is my home, now.”
“Great. I’m also here to stay, at least for this school year. I have a one-year contract, and if everything goes according to plan, I intend to stay around longer.”
“That’s great.”
They chatted a bit more, and when Freya looked outside, she was surprised to see it was already dusk.
“I need to go.”
“Go? Go where?”
“Home, of course. It’s getting late.”
“Why, your husband at home, waiting for you?”
“Of course not,” she laughed, but then she thought about the twins. They were in a relationship of sorts, although she wouldn’t know how to describe it. “I’m ... I’m seeing someone though.”
“Who, the gorilla at the gym?”
Freya frowned, noticing the sudden harshness in Jon’s voice.
“Actually, yes.”
“What? He’s not your type!”
“And what type might that be?” Now it was her turn to speak harshly, her voice a lot colder than just a minute before.
“Well ... that muscled guy. I never pegged you for a ... cheerleader of sorts.”
“I was never a cheerleader, and my tastes were not public for you to make such a statement,” she said, icily. “Do not pretend to know me well, because you don’t know me at all.”
“Is there a problem here?”
Tanya’s voice echoed calmly for behind her booth, and Freya relaxed instantly. Her gaze did not leave Jon’s, and her voice was considerably colder and less effusive when she stood up and said, “I have to go. It really was a pleasure seeing you again, Jon.”
“Don’t leave on my account,” said Tanya, although her voice had an uncharacteristic harshness on the tone.
“It was great seeing you Freya. We need to do this again, sometime.”
Freya left with Tanya, and once outside, she exhaled, clearly frustrated.
“Do you think I have a type?” she asked, bluntly.
“What?”
“He said Ciaran wasn’t my type. After being with me for five minutes and not seeing me since I was sixteen.”
“Actually, you were there for an hour, which is why I came to see if you needed a ride. I already closed the gym.”
“What? How about the twins?”
“They had to go to my uncle’s; they were invited to dinner.”
“How about you?”
“Me? What about me?”
“Yeah, weren’t you invited?
“I was, but they knew I was leaving the gym later and I decided to stay with Nanna.”
****
In truth, the twins had been summoned to test the cell where they would stay on the night of the rapidly approaching full moon.
Clearly, they wouldn't be able to reveal their true intentions to Freya before then, and they had to restrain their wolves before the animals succumbed to their most basic instincts and invaded Freya’s house.
What a mess this is. They really ought to take their head out of their asses if they want to mate this girl. This is getting them nowhere.
With this grim thought, they both entered the car and left, heading home.