his hiding spot. “How many other ways do we have to say it’s only a one-off?”
Choking on incredulous hilarity, I asked, “Please tell me you don’t actually say that?”
They were both silent, and I really laughed.
Ezra grumbled, “That’s not exactly what I say, but it’s close.” He tilted his head to where Jack hid, grumbling, “You need to work on your tack, man. I’m surprised anyone even stays for the main event after that line.”
Jack chuckled cockily. “Oh, they want to stay.” I was still snickering when Jack muttered, “Keep laughing it up, Lily. When you get back on the saddle, you’ll be dealing with this, too.”
My laughter died directly, and I choked a little, an unbidden blush rising to my cheeks.
“Really?” Ezra drawled, watching closely from his hiding spot. “When did this happen?”
“What?” Jack asked, not seeing me. “What happened?”
“It appears Lily’s already climbed back on the saddle.”
“ Oh ,” Jack breathed swiftly, banging against my seat as he almost rose, but quickly ducked once more. “Who was it?”
“Um,” I fumbled, debating internally before deciding to keep it simple, “Antonio said I needed to get back out there. Said me puttering around the house every night for months wasn’t healthy.” Tense throat-clearing. “So, I did. A few times.” I shrugged, playing it down.
“A few times?” Jack banged my seat again. “Alright, who are they ?”
Okay, so it was possible I had gone a little crazy in the past two weeks trying to edge past the infinite pain of loss. It hadn’t exactly worked. I hadn’t forgotten Dominic, but oddly, Antonio had been right. It had reminded me I was still alive. That I was here, breathing, and in the land of the living, not the dead. That I wasn’t in the past.
Opening my mouth to tell them, since we were on that level now, I stalled when a knocking on my window startled me, and my head snapped to the outside interrupter. I blinked at the Shifter staring at me. Christ, he was my latest. Even more awful, he still wore the same expression he had when I had left him two nights ago. Like he was love-struck.
I smiled — kind of — and muttered without moving my lips, “Karma’s a bitch.” He knocked again, his brows rising, so I rolled my window down with resignation, but my tone was polite. “Hi, Jim.”
“Hey, you,” he said softly, reaching inside the car to brush a piece of my hair from my cheek. He smelled like his animal, bear. “I tried calling you last night.” Yeah, he had tried calling seven times. Before dinner. That didn’t include how many after. “I wanted to tell you a group of us are going ice fishing tonight.” Of course he was. He was a polar bear Shifter. “Want to come?” His lips lifted in a private smile. “There’s a cabin there perfect for two.”
Even while hearing Ezra chuckle quietly, I gently took Jim’s hand — it was still lingering on my hair — and placed it back outside my window, saying just as softly, “Jim, that’s very sweet of you, but I’m not interested.” I cleared my throat, trying to be nice, my tone respectful. “I told you I’m not looking for anything serious.” Uh…you don’t say .
Jim’s mouth opened, but he was shoved to the side by a hip covered in pink leather.
It was Elly, her lioness growling low before she muttered, “Get out of here, Jim.”
Through the front windshield, I could see her dad’s limo — he was some high-level Mys official — driving off, having dropped her off for school, but moreover, I saw Jim’s jaw clench before he nodded as he cast me a glance that meant to say he would talk to me later.
I barely kept my groan at bay.
As Jim ambled toward King Hall’s entrance, Elly took his place at my window with a toothy grin. “You can show your thanks tonight with a tub of rocky road ice-cream.”
“I’ll even add pink sprinkles,” I muttered, sighing. “We’re still on for veg night?”
She nodded
Choking on incredulous hilarity, I asked, “Please tell me you don’t actually say that?”
They were both silent, and I really laughed.
Ezra grumbled, “That’s not exactly what I say, but it’s close.” He tilted his head to where Jack hid, grumbling, “You need to work on your tack, man. I’m surprised anyone even stays for the main event after that line.”
Jack chuckled cockily. “Oh, they want to stay.” I was still snickering when Jack muttered, “Keep laughing it up, Lily. When you get back on the saddle, you’ll be dealing with this, too.”
My laughter died directly, and I choked a little, an unbidden blush rising to my cheeks.
“Really?” Ezra drawled, watching closely from his hiding spot. “When did this happen?”
“What?” Jack asked, not seeing me. “What happened?”
“It appears Lily’s already climbed back on the saddle.”
“ Oh ,” Jack breathed swiftly, banging against my seat as he almost rose, but quickly ducked once more. “Who was it?”
“Um,” I fumbled, debating internally before deciding to keep it simple, “Antonio said I needed to get back out there. Said me puttering around the house every night for months wasn’t healthy.” Tense throat-clearing. “So, I did. A few times.” I shrugged, playing it down.
“A few times?” Jack banged my seat again. “Alright, who are they ?”
Okay, so it was possible I had gone a little crazy in the past two weeks trying to edge past the infinite pain of loss. It hadn’t exactly worked. I hadn’t forgotten Dominic, but oddly, Antonio had been right. It had reminded me I was still alive. That I was here, breathing, and in the land of the living, not the dead. That I wasn’t in the past.
Opening my mouth to tell them, since we were on that level now, I stalled when a knocking on my window startled me, and my head snapped to the outside interrupter. I blinked at the Shifter staring at me. Christ, he was my latest. Even more awful, he still wore the same expression he had when I had left him two nights ago. Like he was love-struck.
I smiled — kind of — and muttered without moving my lips, “Karma’s a bitch.” He knocked again, his brows rising, so I rolled my window down with resignation, but my tone was polite. “Hi, Jim.”
“Hey, you,” he said softly, reaching inside the car to brush a piece of my hair from my cheek. He smelled like his animal, bear. “I tried calling you last night.” Yeah, he had tried calling seven times. Before dinner. That didn’t include how many after. “I wanted to tell you a group of us are going ice fishing tonight.” Of course he was. He was a polar bear Shifter. “Want to come?” His lips lifted in a private smile. “There’s a cabin there perfect for two.”
Even while hearing Ezra chuckle quietly, I gently took Jim’s hand — it was still lingering on my hair — and placed it back outside my window, saying just as softly, “Jim, that’s very sweet of you, but I’m not interested.” I cleared my throat, trying to be nice, my tone respectful. “I told you I’m not looking for anything serious.” Uh…you don’t say .
Jim’s mouth opened, but he was shoved to the side by a hip covered in pink leather.
It was Elly, her lioness growling low before she muttered, “Get out of here, Jim.”
Through the front windshield, I could see her dad’s limo — he was some high-level Mys official — driving off, having dropped her off for school, but moreover, I saw Jim’s jaw clench before he nodded as he cast me a glance that meant to say he would talk to me later.
I barely kept my groan at bay.
As Jim ambled toward King Hall’s entrance, Elly took his place at my window with a toothy grin. “You can show your thanks tonight with a tub of rocky road ice-cream.”
“I’ll even add pink sprinkles,” I muttered, sighing. “We’re still on for veg night?”
She nodded
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