“I hope you know how to cook when you get your own place, or you’ll go hungry,” I teased. “Or marry someone who can cook like your mother.”
I paused in lifting my cheeseburger to my mouth when I saw the pained expression that crossed his face.
I lowered my voice. “I guess I said that wrong. You mate, right?”
“Yes,” he said in a strained voice.
His reaction told me this wasn’t a subject he liked, so I let it go. I took a bite of my burger, chewing slowly as I wondered why talking about mating made him uncomfortable. It was natural for werewolves to take a mate.
I felt a little dejected at the thought of him with a mate, but I quickly brushed it off. Roland had a way of slipping past my guard and making me forget we could only be friends.
“Will you move to Portland when you finish college?” I asked in an attempt to get back to our light conversation.
He shook his head. “I used to think I’d move away after school, but all that stuff with Sara gave me a whole new appreciation for home. I’ll get my own place, and I’m hoping to eventually work full-time with Paul and save enough to buy half the garage. He and I work well together.”
“Sounds like you have it all planned out.”
“In my head, anyway.” He smiled. “Not the most exciting life, but I’m going to give it a go.”
“I think it sounds great, living near your family and doing something you love. I’d take simple small town life over the city any day.”
He gave me an appraising look. “I guess you can paint anywhere, if that’s what you plan to do for a living.”
“I hope to.” I didn’t mention that I had enough funds in my bank account to live off for many years as long as I didn’t live too extravagantly.
“Do you plan to stay in New Hastings then?” he asked as he picked up his second burger.
“At least until I finish high school. Sara said I can use her apartment as long as I want, so I don’t have to decide right away. She tells me I might feel differently about this place after I’ve survived my first winter.”
He let out a laugh. “I admit, New Hastings doesn’t have a lot to do in winter, unless you like the outdoors and don’t mind snow.”
“I love snow. I’ll need to buy some really thick coats, though.”
“And a good car that handles well in winter.”
I sipped my drink. “You just want to go car shopping with me.”
“Guilty.” He didn’t try to hide his grin.
By the time I finished my burger and half my fries, he’d cleaned his plate. I think I got full just watching how much he put away. When he eyed my plate, I chuckled and pushed it toward him.
“Now, how about one of those ice cream floats?” he asked when he was done eating the rest of my fries.
I gaped at him. “You can seriously eat something else after all that?”
“Yes, and technically, it’s a drink.”
“Smartass,” I retorted, surprised by how much I was enjoying our day together. “I’ll try one, but you’ll probably have to finish it for me.”
“Deal.” He looked around for our waitress, who was nowhere in sight.
His phone vibrated, and he looked down at the screen. Chuckling, he held up the phone so I could see the text from his cousin Paul.
I’m up to my elbows in grease while you’re spending the day with a pretty girl. We need to rethink this business arrangement.
I toyed with my napkin. “I hope I’m not keeping you away from your work.”
“No. Paul always jokes around like that.” He typed a reply and laid the phone down. It immediately rang, and this time his brow furrowed when he saw the caller.
“One sec,” he said apologetically. “It’s Maxwell. I need to take this.”
“Go ahead. I’ll order our floats. What flavor do you want?”
“Chocolate.”
He answered the phone as he stood and walked a short distance away. It must be pack business if the Alpha was calling him.
I flagged down our waitress and ordered two chocolate floats to go. As soon as she walked away, my own phone let me know I had a text message. It was from Scott.
Hey. Feel like hanging out tonight?
Scott and I hadn’t seen each other outside of the diner since our outing, but we’d become good friends at work. I helped him in the kitchen whenever the restaurant got slow, and I enjoyed talking to him.
Doing what? I texted back.
Party at the lighthouse. Nothing crazy. Bonfire and music.
I bit my lip because I wasn’t exactly a party animal. But I had fun with Scott, and it might be nice to do something on a Saturday night other than painting. Besides, I didn’t have to stay if I didn’t like it.
Sure. What time?
Great! Pick you up around 8?
I almost said yes, but I decided it might be better if I took the scooter. That way it would be less like a date and I could leave whenever I wanted.
I’ll meet you there, I said.
LOL. You love that Vespa, don’t you?
Yep.
Ok. See you there.
I laid my phone on the table, amazed at how far I’d come in the weeks since I’d moved here. My first day in New Hastings, I’d been afraid to leave the apartment and terrified of werewolves. Now I was spending the day with a werewolf and planning to go to a party tonight.
I looked for Roland, who had strolled away from the table, and I spotted him standing a dozen yards away, still talking on his phone. His muscled form looked good in the shirt and jeans he wore, and the sun added warm highlights to his short, black hair. He made a striking figure, and yet he seemed oblivious to the women and teenage girls checking him out as they passed by.
My gaze wandered over the surrounding stores and landed on a small coffee shop across the street with a few tables out front. At one of the tables, the lone occupant drew my eye. There was nothing special about the thirtysomething bald man sipping his coffee, except for the object of his attention. Me.
Chapter 9
Emma
The hair on the back of my neck stood up at the intensity of the man’s stare, and I looked away from him. He wasn’t familiar, but there was a hint of recognition in his expression that unnerved me.
A cold lump formed in my stomach. I’d betrayed a lot of vampires in Vegas and some who worked for Eli, and I had a deep-seated fear that one of them would find me and make me pay. Or worse, make me one of them again. I would die before I went through that hell again.
My heart began to race and sweat broke out on my brow as the edges of my vision blurred. I gripped the edge of the table and forced myself to calm down. Look at him. He’s sitting in the sun. He’s just a man.
I picked up my phone with trembling hands and pretended to play with it while I peeked at the man, who was now writing something in a small notebook. I took the opportunity to study him and found nothing out of the ordinary. He wore dark-blue pants, brown loafers, and a lighter blue button-up shirt – not exactly the attire of a criminal. He probably worked at one of these stores and was having his coffee break.
I let out a puff of air, feeling ridiculous for overreacting. Maybe I hadn’t come as far in my recovery as I’d thought.
The waitress brought our ice cream floats and the bill. I handed her some cash and told her to keep the change. I figured the least I could do was pay for Roland’s lunch after he’d driven me around Portland and lugged my purchases to the car.
I shivered when I felt eyes on me again, and I looked up, my gaze once again meeting that of the strange man. This time, there was no doubt he was interested in me. He wasn’t a vampire, but they weren’t the only predators who would single out a teenage girl.
He stood, and fear shot through me, even though I was in the middle of a busy shopping district and surrounded by people. For a moment, I forgot to breathe as I watched him to see what he would do.
“Sorry about that.” Roland sat across from me, blocking my view of the man. He pulled his chocolate float toward him. “Just in time. Have you tried yours yet?”
I blinked, surprised by his sudden return. “I...”
He frowned and leaned forward. “Are you okay? You look pale.”