he’s… perceptive.”
Allie’s eyebrows rose. “Like Bear?”
Jena’s youngest boy, Aaron, was called Bear, even though everyone suspected he’d shift toward his father’s clan, which had been wolf. The boy also had an uncanny way of perceiving things that he shouldn’t have known.
“Maybe a little,” Sean said. “He said we’d have visitors today and one of them would be a bear.” He winked at Allie. “And the other one would be a fox.”
Allie smiled and took the arm Sean held out. “You’re making that up.”
“Only a little. He mentioned the bear. And I’m taking note of the fox.” He nudged her shoulder with his. “You look gorgeous today.”
“That’s ’cause I got dressed up for church, you heathen. You should try it sometime.”
“Quinns get struck by lightning if they enter that chapel anytime Father Heney isn’t in residence,” he said. “Everyone knows that.”
“Lying’s a sin, Sean Quinn.”
“Good thing I’m not lying about how pretty you are.” He looked over his shoulder. “Hey, Ollie.”
“Oh, am I here?” the man growled.
“Yeah, but you’re not as cute as Allie.” He grinned at her. “Where’re the kids, gorgeous? You finally leave them with their grandpa so we could run away together?”
“Sure. Right after we question your uncle about what my cheating, lying ex-husband was up to and why my son started beating up your cousins over it at school.”
Allie heard Ollie stop behind them, and she turned her head. “What? Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out after you decided we needed to come up here? I know my son, and I know what sets him off. Those boys were talking about his dad, right?”
Ollie pursed his lips together. “I can’t say.”
“I can,” Sean said. “I already talked to them. Uncle Joe had them cleaning out their grandmother’s attic yesterday. Hot. As. Hell. They won’t say another word to any of your boys.”
Allie hugged his arm. “Thanks, Sean.”
“Now, let’s go get some sweet tea and talk to the old man.”
OLLIE had been right. If Allie hadn’t been with them, Old Quinn probably wouldn’t have let them through the door. There was a natural animosity between the bears, the largest and most protective of the shifters, and the Quinns, the smallest in shifted form and also the most frequent troublemakers. The fact that Ollie and Sean had remained friends through high school was considered something of a miracle. And a scandal.
“Okay,” Old Quinn settled into his seat with a mason jar of sweet tea in his hand. “What do you want?”
Ollie said, “Be polite, old man.”
“Why am I interested in doing your work for you?”
“Please.” Allie leaned forward. “Uncle Joe, if you know anything about what my ex was doing, I really need to know.”
Old Quinn looked kindly at her. “You’re better off without him. You can start over. Bright young thing like you—”
“He’s my kids’ dad,” she said. “We need to know what happened.”
The old man scratched his chin, thinking. “It’s not good, Allie.”
“You think you’re gonna surprise me at this point?”
He frowned. “Probably.”
Allie sat back in her seat, knowing that yeah, there was probably stuff she didn’t want to know about her ex-husband, especially if it involved what he’d gotten up to after he left her, but that didn’t mean she didn’t need to know.
“You think I’m gonna break down or something?”
Old Quinn leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “You? No, you wouldn’t break down. Still hate being the one to put that burden on you. There are some things a woman doesn’t want to know about her man, even if he isn’t her man anymore.”
She glanced over at Ollie. “Would you tell Ollie?”
Old Quinn sneered.
“Please?”
Old Quinn tapped his foot. “You should let things lie, Campbell.”
Ollie said, “I know you don’t like me, but Allie came to us for protection. You know that means we’re looking out
Allie’s eyebrows rose. “Like Bear?”
Jena’s youngest boy, Aaron, was called Bear, even though everyone suspected he’d shift toward his father’s clan, which had been wolf. The boy also had an uncanny way of perceiving things that he shouldn’t have known.
“Maybe a little,” Sean said. “He said we’d have visitors today and one of them would be a bear.” He winked at Allie. “And the other one would be a fox.”
Allie smiled and took the arm Sean held out. “You’re making that up.”
“Only a little. He mentioned the bear. And I’m taking note of the fox.” He nudged her shoulder with his. “You look gorgeous today.”
“That’s ’cause I got dressed up for church, you heathen. You should try it sometime.”
“Quinns get struck by lightning if they enter that chapel anytime Father Heney isn’t in residence,” he said. “Everyone knows that.”
“Lying’s a sin, Sean Quinn.”
“Good thing I’m not lying about how pretty you are.” He looked over his shoulder. “Hey, Ollie.”
“Oh, am I here?” the man growled.
“Yeah, but you’re not as cute as Allie.” He grinned at her. “Where’re the kids, gorgeous? You finally leave them with their grandpa so we could run away together?”
“Sure. Right after we question your uncle about what my cheating, lying ex-husband was up to and why my son started beating up your cousins over it at school.”
Allie heard Ollie stop behind them, and she turned her head. “What? Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out after you decided we needed to come up here? I know my son, and I know what sets him off. Those boys were talking about his dad, right?”
Ollie pursed his lips together. “I can’t say.”
“I can,” Sean said. “I already talked to them. Uncle Joe had them cleaning out their grandmother’s attic yesterday. Hot. As. Hell. They won’t say another word to any of your boys.”
Allie hugged his arm. “Thanks, Sean.”
“Now, let’s go get some sweet tea and talk to the old man.”
OLLIE had been right. If Allie hadn’t been with them, Old Quinn probably wouldn’t have let them through the door. There was a natural animosity between the bears, the largest and most protective of the shifters, and the Quinns, the smallest in shifted form and also the most frequent troublemakers. The fact that Ollie and Sean had remained friends through high school was considered something of a miracle. And a scandal.
“Okay,” Old Quinn settled into his seat with a mason jar of sweet tea in his hand. “What do you want?”
Ollie said, “Be polite, old man.”
“Why am I interested in doing your work for you?”
“Please.” Allie leaned forward. “Uncle Joe, if you know anything about what my ex was doing, I really need to know.”
Old Quinn looked kindly at her. “You’re better off without him. You can start over. Bright young thing like you—”
“He’s my kids’ dad,” she said. “We need to know what happened.”
The old man scratched his chin, thinking. “It’s not good, Allie.”
“You think you’re gonna surprise me at this point?”
He frowned. “Probably.”
Allie sat back in her seat, knowing that yeah, there was probably stuff she didn’t want to know about her ex-husband, especially if it involved what he’d gotten up to after he left her, but that didn’t mean she didn’t need to know.
“You think I’m gonna break down or something?”
Old Quinn leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “You? No, you wouldn’t break down. Still hate being the one to put that burden on you. There are some things a woman doesn’t want to know about her man, even if he isn’t her man anymore.”
She glanced over at Ollie. “Would you tell Ollie?”
Old Quinn sneered.
“Please?”
Old Quinn tapped his foot. “You should let things lie, Campbell.”
Ollie said, “I know you don’t like me, but Allie came to us for protection. You know that means we’re looking out
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