by Hailey Storm
“Still, it doesn’t explain why he ran from here looking like he was about to barf all over the place.”
Erica shrugged and reached for the next basket in the stack between us. “Yeah, I’ve got nothing when it comes to that.”
“Me either.”
“So, do you think Bret will leave you alone after what happened with the sexy cowboy? Or do you think it will intensify things with him all over again?”
An answer formed on my tongue right away, but I refused to let it slip free without thought behind it. While Erica was a good friend, I didn’t want her to worry. She’d never been a fan of Bret and she was even less of one now that we were legally separated. Scratch that. Her dislike for him had hit its peak when I came to work with a swollen and bruised jaw two days after I left him. She’d threatened to kick his ass. While she might be a tiny thing, she wasn’t someone you wanted to mess with. I’d seen her go bat-shit crazy over sexist asshole customers before.
Telling her exactly how I thought Bret would react probably wasn’t the best idea. While I didn’t blame her for how heated she became when it came to him, I still chose not to feed into her aggression toward him further.
“I’m sure he’s not happy about it—I also don’t think it’ll be the last I hear of it—but it will probably be a couple of days before he says anything. He tries to call Izzy most weekends, so I’m sure he’ll mention something then.”
It was a lie. He’d be calling me tonight. Hell, I’d probably start getting text messages in a few minutes.
“You still let him talk to her?” Erica asked, her eyes widened at the thought.
“No, not really. He’s talked to her a couple times, but only because he wasn’t hammered and it was a holiday.”
I wasn’t sure if keeping Izzy from him was the best idea for her in the future. I didn’t want her to have daddy issues as an adult, but it seemed like a good idea for now. Later, when she was older, if she decided she wanted him as a regular part of her life she could. Not right now though.
“Right. So, what are you doing this weekend? Better yet, what are you doing tonight? Want to go out for a drink with me later? I’ll buy your first one.” She flashed me a cheesy grin and wiggled her a perfectly arched eyebrows. “I could use some girl time.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have to head to Dr. Brenner’s after my shift. I need to finish the mural I’ve been working on in his second patient room.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot you were painting his office. How’s it been going?”
I fished my cell phone out from my apron and opened up my pictures to show her what I had done with the first room, and where I was at with the second. “It’s going good. Here are some pictures. I’m not finished with the second room yet. I still have to put in some details on the trees and add in another monkey. That’s what I’m hoping to finish tonight so I can get paid.”
She took my cell and scrolled through the pictures. “How much is he paying you?”
“Two fifty for each mural.” My face heated as I said to the amount out loud. It seemed like too much for what I was doing, considering it only cost me about eighty bucks in supplies. It would have cost less if I hadn’t thrown away all of my painting supplies while I’d been with Bret. I shouldn’t have listened to him when he told me painting was a stupid hobby. “Initially, I was going to charge him one fifty, but my mom said I should charge more.”
“She was right. Hell, you could probably charge more than that if you wanted.”
Erica handed me my cell back and I slipped it into my apron pocket. “I don’t know about that.”
“Why not? You’re talented, Lilla. You could charge four hundred for a mural or more without someone caring. Your work is that good.”
“Thanks,” I said as I reached for the basket I’d been wiping out.
“I’m serious, if I had the money lying around I would totally have you come do a wall at my place. You’re so freaking talented I don’t even know why you’re wasting your time waiting tables. You could make a living solely off of your paintings if you wanted.”
I laughed, but didn’t say that I continued to wait tables because I needed the money. The night Bret hit me was the night I packed my things, as well as our daughter’s, and left. We’d been staying with my mom since. It had been almost eight months now.
While I was grateful she allowed me and Isabella to move in with her, I didn’t want to overstay our welcome and I felt as though we might be coming to that point soon. My mom had her own life. This was her time and I hated we were encroaching on that even if she didn’t say so. I’d been able to earn a little extra money from working doubles at the diner and the side gig at Dr. Brenner’s office, but it hadn’t been enough to get our own place yet. Soon though. I’d made a promise to myself.
“You should think about it. Seriously,” Erica said as she wiped out the last plastic basket.
“I have. I need steady income and I don’t think painting would bring it in,” I said, hoping she’d drop the conversation. She was all about people following their dreams and passions. It was why she’d enrolled in cosmetology classes a few months ago.
“You’ll never know unless you try. I have a feeling once people start seeing your work at Dr. Brenner’s office you’ll have more clients booked.”
A little piece of me hoped she was right. Living a life filled with passion, comfort, and happiness was a lifelong dream of mine. Then again, wasn’t it everyone’s? Look how many people actually got the lifestyle they wanted. Not many.
At the end of the day, we still had to deal with the cards we’d been dealt. Unfortunately for me, that involved having to wait tables to bring in a steady income for myself and my daughter because the guy I chose to be her father was a piece of shit.
I was just trying to get by and make lemonade out of the lemons life kept chucking at us.
Chapter Four
Tex
I couldn’t sleep for shit the entire night. The scene where Bret grabbed Lilla’s arm kept replaying through my mind. I could see each finger as it wrapped itself tightly around her delicate wrist, digging in. Her beautiful green eyes would appear front and center in my mind, filled with shock and fear. Next they would shift to show how confused and hurt she’d been by my denial of her thank you offer to pay for my meal.
It made for a nauseating night.
Maybe I’d been too harsh, too quick to say no, but it was how things had unfolded and there was nothing I could do to change it. It was what it was.
I blamed my wolf.
After all, he’d been the reason I rushed from the diner afterward like a Hellhound was biting at my heels. My lips twisted into a deep-set frown. Lilla was sure to have taken notice to my hasty departure. Who knew what she thought of me now.
Why should it even matter?
I rolled out of bed and grabbed some clean clothes before heading for a shower. I’d barely let the water run before my mind was consumed with ways to make Lilla see I wasn’t some out-of-control asshat like her ex. I couldn’t shake the way she made me feel. There was an incredible desire burning inside me to make this right, but I didn’t understand why.
By the time my shower ended and I’d gotten dressed, I decided to head to the main house and see if there was anything for me to do before heading back to Gilbert’s Diner for lunch in the hopes that Lilla would be working again today. Maybe by then I’d have figured out a way to smooth things over with her. I didn’t want her to think she’d done anything to make me leave in such a damn rush.
Before leaving my house, I added another log to my fire and stirred the embers. I buttoned up my flannel shirt and pulled on a jacket before stepping through my front door, purposely leaving my hat behind this time. Lilla had said she didn’t see my eyes enough; maybe leaving the hat behind would be a way to get conversation rolling.
I grabbed my boots from the porch and slipped them on, contemplating how such a conversation might pan out. A smile tugged at the corners of my mou
th as I crammed my hands into the pockets of my coat. I dropped my gaze to my boots as I descended the stairs and started to the main house.
The distance between my cabin and the main house wasn’t long, but today I felt like it took forever. It was freezing out. While wolves were known to run a little hot, that didn’t mean we couldn’t feel the cold.
I glanced up at the main house as I neared it. While it was early still, I knew someone would be up. Gabe was always up early. He was a workaholic. Then again, so was I. It was why I checked in, even on my days off, to see if there was anything at the shop he might need done.
As I entered the main house through the sliding glass door, the scent of bacon hit my nose. It was rare to see someone cooking in the kitchen. I wondered what the occasion was as I closed the door behind me.
Amber stood in the kitchen at the stove. I wasn’t surprised to see her there; she was the more culinary-inclined one out of all of us. My stomach grumbled as the scent of everything she was making wafted to my nose, but I knew better than to ask if I could have some. A half-empty pot of coffee caught my eye and I headed toward it.
“Morning,” I muttered as I slipped past her to retrieve a mug from a cabinet.
“Hey.”
“Where is everyone?”
“I don’t know. Still sleeping I guess.”
I poured myself a cup of coffee, not caring how old it was. It was hot and that was all that mattered. “You making all that for you?”
I couldn’t help myself; the words flowed passed my lips, eating up the awkward silence we were stuck in. Did she still think I was upset about the other night and her teasing me about my love life, or better yet, lack thereof?
“Ae you calling me fat?” She arched eyebrow, but I could see the corners of her lips twist upward in amusement.
Apparently, things were okay between us. I was glad, because getting on Amber’s bad side was never a good thing. The shit I’d seen Ryan do just to get himself out of the doghouse was unbelievable. The woman loved grand gestures, and unfortunately I wasn’t the type to create them by way of apology, or anything else.
I tossed her a lopsided grin. “How hard would you hit me if I said yes?”
“Asshole,” she muttered while stirring her scrambled eggs. “I was going to offer you some breakfast, but now…”
I laughed as I stirred into spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of cream into my coffee. “You know I’m only teasing,”
“I know. Get yourself a plate.”
I grabbed a paper plate from the stack set out on the counter. As I reached for a couple strips of bacon, Gabe entered the kitchen. He had his leather-bound agenda tucked underneath his arm and a ballpoint pen behind his ear. It was only a little after seven in the morning and yet he was already all business.
Amber scooped some eggs on my plate and my mouth watered. Her eggs were the best. She added just the right amount of salt and pepper to them plus cheese and some sort of green herb. I never could decide whether it was parsley or basil. It didn’t matter, though. It gave the eggs extra flair and made my taste buds go wild.
“I didn’t make any toast, so if you want some you have to make it yourself.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine without it.”
“Gabe, do you want some breakfast? I made enough to go around.” Amber asked Gabe as he reached for a coffee mug from in the cabinet.
He shook his head. “No, I’m all right for now. Thanks, though.”
I took my plate to the dining room table and sat. Gabe brought his coffee over and instantly opened up his agenda to view the tasks for the day. I thought Amber would join us at the table, but instead she left the kitchen carrying two plates with her. I figured one was for Ryan. They were always doing lovey-dovey stuff like eating breakfast in bed.
“So, what happened the other night? Why were you angry when you left the main house?” Gabe asked the second Amber was out of ear shot.
I crammed a forkful of eggs into my mouth, deciding what to say before blurting anything out. “It was nothing, really.”
“Don’t even. I know you better than that. If it was nothing you would’ve hung around later than you did. You wouldn’t have stormed off.”
Sometimes it surprised me how well this kid knew me. It shouldn’t though, considering we’d known each other since he was about nine years old. Hell, growing up I’d often thought of him as my little brother. I’d sure as shit treated him like one. Which was why it was strange for me some days to realize he was my Alpha now. Hell, this was the same kid I’d given his first dirty magazine, conned one of my old girlfriends into flashing him her tits, and even given him his first taste of whiskey.
“There was some Valentine’s Day talk going around and some of the others were razzing me about my love life,” I muttered while chomping on a slice of bacon. “Like I said, it was nothing.”
“Oh,” he said as his brows pinched together with concern. “That sucks, man, but I can kind of see their point. You haven’t dated anyone since Beth, and we all know how bad she broke you. Maybe they just want you to be happy again.”
“By telling me they’re going to put up a profile on MatedMatch.com?” I growled.
“Oh, shit! They didn’t really do it, did they?” Gabe chuckled.
“No, not that I know of.” If they had, I’d be kicking some ass though.
“Well, would it be the end of the world if they did? Who knows, maybe you’d be able to find a companion. At least one who would be okay with what you are.”
I forced a whole piece of bacon into my mouth and refused to answer him. What did he know about it? He’d been able to find his mate when he was a teenager. Sure, they’d spent ten years apart because he’d turned down the old coven leader’s offer of a position in the Midnight Pack, but still. At least he knew he’d found her. There had to be some good in that.
“All right, I’ll drop the subject,” Gabe insisted before going back to skimming over the tasks he’d jotted down in his agenda.
“Anything you need me to do at the shop today?”
“Actually, yeah. I’m sending Gavin for the first time without me. Do you think you could head over with the crew and kind of keep an eye on him for a little while?”
“Yeah, I could do that.” Plus, it would give me an excuse to head to Gilbert’s Diner for lunch since I’d already be on that side of town. “Why are you sending him on his own?”
“Ava insisted I give him a chance, even though I’m not one hundred percent sure he’s ready.”
I finished the remainder of my breakfast and coffee while Gabe continued to make notes in his planner and check emails on his phone. When I was done, I rinsed my plate in the sink and headed to gather the others. It was time to get to work.
Chapter Five
Lilla
It was a little after one o’clock and I was already exhausted. I’d stayed at Dr. Brenner’s office until almost ten last night touching up and adding more to the mural I’d been working on. It was all in an effort to get paid today. After my shift, I planned on stopping by to see what everyone thought of the finalized product and hopefully pick up a check from the doctor. With any luck, he’d ask me to do the last patient room. I sure could use the money.
My cell vibrated in my apron pocket, startling me. My breath hitched in my throat as I worried it might be Izzy’s preschool calling. She’d complained her throat was sore this morning when I woke her up, but since she didn’t have a fever I opted to take her in anyway. All day I’d been second-guessing the decision, worried she might be sitting in her little chair at school feeling like crap.
I pulled my cell from deep inside my apron pocket and noticed it was Bret’s name that lit my screen. A long sigh slipped past my lips.
He’d been texting and calling me nonstop since last night. I thought if I ignored him he would eventually stop pestering me, but apparently not responding had only irritated him worse. At this point, I was seriously considering heading down to the police station after wor
k to file a restraining order against him like my mother said I should in the beginning. The only thing holding me back was the fear Bret might dip into a serious rage fest once he learned I did something so drastic. Just like he’d done when I had our separation papers served to him.
I think what I was most afraid of, though, was what he might do in the case of our daughter. According to the system, we had joint custody at the moment. This meant if he wanted to be a real ass he could pick her up from preschool and take her away. The fear of never seeing Izzy again had me playing nice until our divorce was finalized and I had sole custody.
The bell above the diner entrance jingled as a new customer walked through. I shoved my cell back in my apron pocket and glanced up. A certain cowboy strutted through the door.
“Well, look who it is,” Erica whispered as she slipped past me to pick up one of her orders. “Looks like someone couldn’t wait to see you again.”
“I highly doubt that,” I said as I rolled my eyes.
“I don’t know, he sure is staring at you hard.”
I risked a glance in his direction to see for myself. Sure enough, Tex was looking at me, but it was probably because he was waiting on me to take his order. I grabbed a menu from the rack at the edge of the counter, even though I knew he wouldn’t use it. There were only three things off the menu I’d ever seen him order. Since he’d gotten a cheeseburger yesterday I was willing to bet he’d order a Philly cheesesteak today. The fact I knew this about him startled me.
When had I started paying so much attention to Tex?
The next thing that popped out to me about him was that he wasn’t wearing his hat. Had he decided against wearing it today? Why? It was the first time I’d seen him come into the diner without it. My heart pinched with worry as I wondered if he’d lost it.
“Hey, no hat today?” I asked once I reached his table and handed him the menu.
“No. Decided to leave it at home.”
