Chapter 3
Jackson Whelan pulled his truck into what seemed to be the last available parking spot in the flooded yard across from Cam’s Diner. Pulling the hood up on his rain poncho, he growled and trudged through the driving rain.
“Hey, Jackson, shake yourself off outside before you drip all over the diner!” Cam said, her laughter nearly drowned out by the diner’s usual cacophony of clinking dishes, utensils, and chattering patrons.
“So ungrateful! I was just bringing you some liquid sunshine, Cam,” he replied, not even turning to face her. He hung up his poncho and took a seat at the counter.
“Here you go, Jackson. Fresh pot,” Callie Dupree said, pouring him a cup.
“Thanks, Callie. I’ll take a piece of apple pie, too,” he replied, drying his face with a napkin. He knew he probably didn’t share his true gratitude with everyone who worked at Cam’s, but on days like the one he was having, he appreciated all of them.
“Everything okay with you today?” Callie asked, setting a generous slice of pie in front of him.
“It’s just this damn weather. We’ve had three full days of rain with no sign of it letting up. It wouldn’t be a big deal, except I finished my last job over the weekend. I figured I could get in some excavating work on the side until I pick up another contract, but not with this rain.”
“Ah, the life and times of a one-man construction contractor. Sounds like it’s feast or famine.”
“Sounds about right but working for myself and by myself makes it all worth it.” He scooped up a forkful of apple pie.
There was a rare lull in the background noise, and he caught a sliver of Cam’s conversation with another customer. “If you need someone to get that place fixed up, I know just the guy.”
Jackson tried to tune in and figure out what Cam was saying. It seemed to him she was recommending him for a job.
“Just in case your day isn’t bad enough,” Callie said without further explanation. She quickly moved on to another customer as if she wanted to avoid a conflict.
“Damn it,” Jackson grumbled, spotting his ex-girlfriend, Sherry walking towards him.
“Hey, Jackson. Hard at work, as usual, I see.”
Ignoring her, he turned his attention to the slice of pie in front of him. If he didn’t have respect for Cam and her business, he would have told Sherry to fuck off and that he didn’t owe her an explanation about jack shit.
“You should’ve taken me up on my offer and came over to Red Fang. At least you could make a decent living without having to do odd jobs like some sort of lowly beggar.” Her words dripped with her usual toxic, condescending tone. She just had to do it. She knew exactly the thing to say, and how to say it to push his buttons.
“Go to Hell. Better yet, go back to your pack of derelicts and misfits at Red Fang. By the way, does Calder know you’re here?”
“Listen to you, big bad wolf. Do you really need to run to Calder to handle me?”
“What are you doing here anyway, Sherry?”
“I came to see you. I wanted to let you know that their offer still stands, Jackson. They could use a good soldier like you—someone who does what he’s told. And I could use some of your other skills.”
“Just get the hell out of here,” he growled, feeling his wolf push forward in his mind, wanting to take command and force Sherry to leave him alone once and for all, but he knew how dangerous that was. Not to mention the fact that he was pretty damn sure Calder would not appreciate him wolfing out in Cam’s Diner during rush hour just to stick it to his ex.
“I’ll check back on you soon. I’m sure you won’t be too busy,” she said, strutting out of the diner.
Callie returned and refilled his coffee cup. “That woman is poison.”
Jackson answered with a nod. Callie was right on the mark with her observation. Sherry was poison. To Sherry, all the work he’d done to straighten out his life and to repair his reputation had meant nothing. In fact, she felt it made him look weak. To make matters worse, she actually wanted him to embrace his troubled past and join her and the criminals at Red Fang.
Remembering what he overheard Cam talking about, he met her at the cash register. “Did I eavesdrop on you correctly? Were you recommending me for some work?”
“Sure was. And I would’ve introduced you, but I think she got spooked by Sherry’s little interaction with you. Hell, I thought our diner was about to have a video go viral on social media.”
“Who was it?”
“A woman named Hayley Adams.”
“Adams? Do I know her?”
“You might remember old Henry Adams? He was her great-uncle.”
“Huh, I had no idea he had any family left. I thought Henry was the last of them, after all the shit with Griffin. He had it out for that poor family.”
“I know. Henry kept his mouth shut about Hayley. He didn’t want anyone to know she survived. Hell, even Hayley didn’t know whatever happened to Henry. She ran off when Twisted Tail was a total wreck under the old Alpha. I think Henry found a way to get her out of here. She was smart. She never looked back. Henry didn’t come back until after Calder took over and straightened things out. I guess you could say they just missed meeting each other again by a few years. It’s a tragic story.”
“What brings her back here now?”
“Calder. He went out of his way to track her down so he could let her know she inherited Henry’s house and whatever else he left behind. All I told her was that you”d be a good choice if she was looking for someone to do some work over there. But then Sherry had to drop in like the wicked witch and ruin the moment. I was going to introduce the two of you, but she didn’t seem to want to hang around once the drama started.”
“Well, I could sure use the work. Thanks for giving her my name, at least. I’ll probably take a drive up there. Maybe I’ll catch up to her and get an idea of what her plans are for the cabin.”
“Well, I wouldn’t wait too long before heading over there. She’s only planning on staying a week, just long enough to make any arrangements and get the property listed for sale.”
“Thanks for the lead, Cam!” he replied, donning his rain poncho and heading back out into the rain.