“Morning.”
Susie hesitated. “Good morning.”
Barlow was outside the sheriff’s station leaning against the wall, looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Sporting stubble and worn jeans, he looked far too gorgeous for his own good, far too perky as well. She bet his night wasn’t invaded by insufferably sexy dreams of a certain male wolf doing all manner of lip-bitingly satisfying things to him!
“Can I help you with something?” she asked.
“Maybe.” He hesitated, almost as if he was debating something internally. “Just wondered if you wanted to get a drink after work?”
She hesitated. She did – Jiminy Cricket she did! Definitely. But she shouldn’t.
“Sorry, I have plans.”
Which was almost true – she needed to decide what to pack for her upcoming nightmare of a wedding weekend.
Barlow’s smile twitched. “Sure, see you around.”
He walked away with a wink.
Susie exhaled. That was disappointingly easy. She kind of hoped he was going to argue with her. Yeah, she was full of mixed signals. After his kiss the day before, she kind of thought that he was desperate to be with her. Yeah, what the heck had she been thinking! As if he was spending his night mooning over someone like her!
She liked Barlow, and hell knows, she enjoyed their evening together, but she didn’t want to get involved with another wolf shifter. Allen told her it was natural for wolf shifters to behave the way he did, to be so overcome with lust on the full moon that he would try and mate with any available female. Nuts to that! She didn’t want another man in her life like that.
She wasn’t sure she was ready for any man in her life, and definitely not a wolf.
*
“Susie-cutie!”
Susie froze, one hand reaching out for her meatloaf sandwich.
Kira, a member of the pack and now the manager of the town Honeypot Diner grinned, showing all fangs.
“Susie-cutie? Oh, I am not going to forget that.”
“You could try,” groaned Susie snatching her sandwich moments before she found herself being thoroughly hugged by Jules.
Kira walked away chuckling.
Served Susie right for putting her original sandwich in the refrigerator at work – Cain always ate anything that went in there unless there was a specific death threat warning him not to, and that didn’t always work either.
“Hey, Jules,” said Susie, forcing a smile on her face. “What are you doing here?”
She loved her friend, she did. It was just that she was absolutely dreading the wedding.
“I wanted to bring you your maid of honor dress – we just got it back this morning.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t have minded collecting it.”
She was going to visit her grandparents that evening anyway – she easily could have swung by to Jules’ house. Jules had changed her mind half a dozen times about what her maid of honor and bridesmaids would be wearing – hence the last minute alterations.
“Actually, we’re going up to the lodge a day earlier so we won’t be at home tonight. You could drive up with us if you like?”
Susie flicked her hand up and down, indicating her uniform. “I’m on duty until seven tonight. I’m planning on driving up tomorrow morning.”
Jules pouted. “Are you sure? Can’t your boss let you go earlier?”
Actually, Jake probably would if she asked, but another night where she would possibly run into Allen over and over? Hard pass on that one.
“Sorry.”
Jules let out a humph. “Well, what time are you arriving tomorrow?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You are packing your cute green dress, right?”
Susie sensed trouble brewing. “I wasn’t planning on it, why?”
Jules avoided her eyes. “It just suits you, is all.”
“Jules, spill.”
Her best friend sighed. “My cousin can make it to the wedding after all – his game has been postponed. He’s driving up with us today, and I thought that you and him…”
“No.”
“He’s a good guy,” insisted Jules.
Joe was a nice enough guy. Susie had no problem with him or the fact that he obsessively collected vintage train timetables. Or that he lectured people on why showers were killing the environment (his lecture on that still made no sense to Susie, and she’d heard it five times). She could also live with the fact that he spent his Saturdays playing Quidditch – he was in a league, and apparently, they were champions. She just didn’t want to date him. Apart from the fact that he could be mind-numbingly boring, she just wasn’t attracted to him. Something she had told Jules several times now when Jules, in her sweet, bossy way, had tried to set them up after her split with Allen.
“I’m not interested, Jules.”
“But don’t you at least want a date for the wedding? Joe could be your date and if turned into something else…”
Jules gave her a sparkling smile. Her friend would love it if the two of them could become related through a mating. Jules thought that if it happened, it would mean that Susie would have to move back to her town.
It should also be mentioned that the reason Joe didn’t think he would originally be able to make the wedding was because he was expecting to play in the Quidditch world cup – which would be taking place in Canada.
“I really can’t, I…”
Oh no. The frisson again.
She looked up, holding her breath as Barlow made his way into the diner. He was laughing and joking with a couple of other wolves, but he stilled when he saw her and winked. Before she could stop herself, she wet her lips, trying to capture a little of his taste from that incredible kiss. But of course, it was long gone – obliterated by a mixture of toothpaste, coffee and the sugary cereal she ate for breakfast.
Jules frowned and looked around. She let out a surprised growl on spotting Barlow. Apparently, she recognized him from Vegas.
“OMG!” she exclaimed in an excitable whisper. “Your hottie hook-up is here! No wonder you’re not interested in Joe!”
Susie was going to argue that Joe himself was the reason she was not interested in Joe, but decided it wasn’t worth it. Instead, she gave a short nod.
“Wow! No wonder you look tired. I bet he’s been keeping you up all night!” Jules waggled her eyebrows.
Susie frowned and gingerly touched the skin under her eyes. Okay, she was a little puffy but still!
“I can’t believe you’re still seeing him!” gushed Jules.
“Well, I…”
“This is wonderful! I’m so pleased for you. I was beginning to worry you were going to be alone forever.”
“Allen and I broke up less than a year ago,” protested Susie. Of course, she hadn’t dated at all since then. Vegas was the closest thing she came to that, and what happened in Vegas was definitely not a date. No, it was better cooed an inner voice.
Barlow was making his way to the counter to order, and naturally, in spite of Susie’s protestations that he was busy, Jules had to talk to him.
“Hey, Vegas guy!”
Jules beamed at him, and Barlow returned her smile in a bemused way.
“I usually go by Barlow.”
“Barlow, it is amazing to meet you,” gushed Jules. “I’m Jules; I was also in Vegas though I’m sure you don’t remember me. I expect you were too busy to notice little old me.”
Susie rolled her eyes and willed Barlow to just run out of the diner. He didn’t, of course.
“I saw you,” he admitted.
Susie blinked at him. But apparently hadn’t been interested in introducing himself to her, nor her other she-wolf friends.
“Are you coming to the wedding?” asked Jules.
Barlow raised an eyebrow.
“He can’t,” blurted Susie. “He has a thing…”
Both Barlow and Jules stared at her.
“He’s busy, right?”
Susie elbowed him, and he let out a small rumble.
“I’m renovating a house at the moment. Need it finished in a few weeks.”
“There!” cried Susie in relief. “He’s on a tight schedule. Plus he has the thing…”
Whew! Being trapped in a mountain lodge hotel with Barlow would hardly be good for her. How would she keep her hands off him? It was better she just stay away.
Jules pouted in the way she did whenever she wanted her own way and wasn’t getting it. People usually folded when she did the pout. She hoped Barlow wasn’t one of them.
“But you’re dating, right?” said Jules. “Surely you want to be Susie’s date for the wedding.”
Barlow cast a strange look in Susie’s direction. Oh no. He thought she had told Jules they were dating. He thought she was a big fat, loser liar!
“You said you couldn’t accommodate any more guests,” whispered Susie, furiously.
“I could make room for your boyfriend.”
“We’re not really…”
“I really am busy,” said Barlow.
Susie smiled at him in gratitude. Thankfully, he didn’t want to attend any more than she wanted him there. He seemed like a nice enough guy – well, perhaps more naughty than nice – but she was not about to spend the whole weekend with him as if he were actually her boyfriend or something.
Jules all but stamped her foot. “Fine, I guess it is short notice. It looks like you can be Joe’s date, then, after all.”
Barlow let out a small growl. “Joe?”
Jules smiled and Susie detected an evil glimmer. “Yep, my cousin will be there alone, so…”
“I don’t need a date,” piped up Susie.
“And since you’re determined to disappoint me…” Jules let loose the full power of her batting eyelashes and pouty, red lips. Lesser men would already be handing over their cars at this point.
“You know what,” said Barlow, an unexpected look of determination in his eye, “I reckon I can make it after all.”
“But…” spluttered Susie, “the thing! You have that thing!”
Barlow gave her a ‘butter wouldn’t melt’ look. “The thing? It was canceled.”
“What?!” Bastard.
“Yeah, canceled, looks like I can make it.”
Jules squealed in excitement and Susie groaned.