Chapter Six
Her mom gave her a tight hug before they got out of the car. They’d just parked across the square from city hall. The curbs up and down the street had plenty of parked cars.
“Looks like a crowd tonight.”
Aimee reapplied her lipstick and gave herself one last look before she sighed and looked to her mom. “No need to emphasize that.”
“Why not? You’re going to do great. You’re good at public speaking. People like you.” Her mom paused. “I’m proud of you, sugar bear.”
“Yeah?” Aimee squeezed her mom’s hand.
“Even if you did cut off all that pretty hair and then dyed it blue like I don’t know what.”
Aimee laughed. “No one gives a compliment like you, Trula Faye.” Trula Faye was better known as TeeFaye and she had a great sense of humor and was fierce as hell when she wanted to be. Which was pretty often.
She’d been lucky to have grown up with such a great example of what it meant to be the best person you can be. Aimee had been raised to understand her gender and her magic were gifts rather than the curses others might try to make them out to be.
Her mom tugged the ends of her hair and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “It’s cute hair. Suits you. I just wish you’d tell me what it is that prompted it.”
As if she’d tell her mother she’d been having sex with a married guy for three years. It was bad enough that she knew it; there was no way she’d dump that on her mom. Shame still soured her stomach from time to time. She had this empathic magic and it never told her he’d been lying or had ill intentions!
“I wanted a change.” After a week, she’d begun to get used to the way the cold felt at the back of her neck. And it gave her an excuse to wear scarves to work so that was a plus.
She was careful not to avert her eyes from her mom as she spoke. TeeFaye knew when people lied to her.
“You just know that I know you’re avoiding the subject. Don’t think I didn’t notice how you sidestepped my asking you to tell me what happened. And don’t insult my intelligence by saying you wanted a change. Well, sure you did. We all do when something big happens and we need to cut our hair or buy a ridiculously expensive purse you have to work overtime for the next month to afford. Are you okay?” This time she was all concerned mother.
Aimee swallowed back a knot of emotion. “Yeah. I am. I don’t want to talk about it right now. Not with you. I don’t... It’s embarrassing.”
Another thing about TeeFaye was that she was a big personality. A lot like Katie Faith, when Aimee thought about it. No question as to why she loved her best friend so much.
TeeFaye would have slashed some tires or set some clothes on fire in a driveway. She’d have been at Katie Faith’s side punching buttholes.
Aimee though, she just wanted to get the hell away from that horrible, ugly moment when Bob had told her the truth and made her part of his grotesque pantomime.
Her mother brushed her hair out of her face. “You have nothing to be embarrassed for. Not if I know you as well as I think I do. And if you do, well then you’ll be embarrassed, you’ll earn your forgiveness and we’ll all move on. Because nothing will change who you are to me.”
“I needed to hear that. Thank you.” She took a deep breath. “Right now I have to go in there tonight and be an adult. Take on the weight of responsibility as the voice of the witches in this town. When I tell you what happened, it’s going to wreck my calm, and I really need that tonight.”
Not because she was weak. But damn if she’d let any of them see her stumble even for a moment.
Her mom’s face tightened and then she sighed. “All right. All right. Come on then. I’m even more proud of you now.” Her mom got out of the car before she could say anything else.
And right out front was a whole gaggle of Pembrys and Dooleys, already getting loud, all that shifter magic biting at her skin, and instead of the usual pine-tree-bark-warm-in-the-sun scent, it was acrid.
With a growl of annoyance, Aimee stomped over, pausing at Katie Faith’s side. “What the heck is going on?”
“JJ and Dwayne started arguing about something. I don’t know what. Jace, along with Mac, broke them up. Patty and I got pushed to the side. Scarlett’s over there somewhere, thank God. They’re having some sort of heated argument done in fake pleasant tones.”
“Jeez Louise. Do they ever stop to remember the rest of us in this town might want to go about our day-to-day lives without all this stuff? It’s like a terrible soap opera.”
“They’re better than the Housewives though. At least you’ll be sure to get lunch before punches get thrown around Diablo Lake.”
Aimee and Katie Faith laughed for a moment until they turned back to the situation near the front doors.
Jace stood with his grandfather at his back as they had an exaggeratedly calm discussion with Mac and Dwayne.
“We gonna have this meeting or what?” someone called out from the crowd. “I have to get dinner on the table and some laundry needs folding.”
“This is wolf business, you aren’t needed here,” Scarlett said as she bustled forward to get in the face of the woman who’d spoken, which pushed Aimee’s buttons in a big way.
“Excuse me?” Aimee demanded. “This should be wolf business, yes, but you’ve all made it town business. You can’t just hold the town hostage because y’all can’t run your own families. Last I checked, this wasn’t a pack meeting, it was a city council meeting. Remember there are many in this town who aren’t Pembrys or Dooleys and who like to, you know, have moments in their lives when it’s not all about y’all.”
“Oh, look at you, badass,” Katie Faith whispered to her.
“Whatever. I am so over all this nonsense. It’s getting so you can’t do anything in this town without some sort of shifter bullcrap ruining it. No offense to those who married into the pack.” She winked at Katie Faith.
Scarlett put her hand in Aimee’s face and said to Katie Faith, “You better tell your little doggie to heel.”
Magic surged up from the soles of her feet until the air crackled between her and Scarlett. Enough that the older woman stepped back just a smidge.
“I know you did not just put your hand in my face and risk me ripping it off your arm,” Aimee told her.
Several more witches bunched up at her back, lending support.
“You think you can threaten me? This is my town! You’re just a nobody.” Scarlett’s face sheened with sweat as guilt and nervousness seemed to come off her in waves.
Aimee lassoed up her power and flexed it just a bit. Wanting Scarlett to feel the wall of magic heat she could—and would—use to defend herself. “That’s not a threat, old woman. That’s a promise. I’m done with you trying to intimidate us all. I’m not defenseless. If you need a lesson, just let me know.”
“Jesus.” Dwayne hustled over. “Ladies, let’s take a breath here.”
“I’ve taken plenty of breaths, Dwayne. But your wife is out of line—as usual—and we’re all pretty done with it. And you too,” Aimee said. “She needs to get her hands out of people’s faces and keep her attitude to herself or risk the consequences.”
“What consequences?” Scarlett sneered but before she could say anything else, Billy, one of Darrell’s brothers, pulled her aside, putting his arms around her and talking to her quietly.
“You can’t talk like that and not expect a reaction,” Dwayne said using his reasonable voice.
“Go suck an egg, Dwayne.” Aimee only barely resisted giving him the finger.
A few people gasped, some laughed. But Dwayne just stared at her for long seconds. “There’s no call for that talk.”
For real?
“You know what, you self-righteous hypocrite? There’s all the call in the world for it. You’re not doing your job. Control your wolves. Control your wife. Control your kids! Don’t you stand there and scold me for finally saying what the rest of us have been dying to say for years now. She comes at us with threats and anger and thinks we’ll just let it roll off? Fuck you.”
Under her breath, Katie Faith snickered but didn’t interrupt because Aimee was on a tear.
Dwayne’s face paled just a little at the curse.
Aimee continued while she had the chance. “The fact is, this town is home to more than you and your kids running up and down the avenue causing a mess. Your constant fighting is affecting everyone here. You never even consider that, which makes you a terrible mayor as well as a terrible Patron.”
Dwayne sneered. “You don’t know a damned thing about it. You just plant some flowers and take meals to the elderly and leave the governing to those who know what to do.”
Did he just tell her the equivalent of get back in the kitchen?
“I will when I see someone who does know. You act like we owe you the mayor’s office or something. We’ve been waiting on you to govern and we’re all still here. Waiting. And what do you give us? Lectures about how we should stick to planting flowers and let you do the decision-making? Oh, ’cause it’s hard and that’s all we can manage?”
“Girl’s got a point, Dwayne,” Avery called out. “Take your lesson like a big boy.”
“This is wolf business. She’s got no point because it’s not about her. You neither.” Dwayne pointed Avery’s way.
“Like a broken record.” Aimee waved a hand at them. “Every damned day we get pulled into it. And every damned day one of you tells the rest of us it’s not our business when you go out of your way to make it our business. I don’t want it to be in my face. I don’t want to have tomato plants getting frostbite because this tension is eating away at the magic in the earth here. But it’s happening. And you’re making excuses and doing nothing. Months and months this has been going on. Your wife is all over town stirring the pot, getting in faces, starting fights. Darrell and his friends are acting like drunk frat boys.”
“You think it’s so easy, why don’t you do it then?” his voice was sullen and defensive. Not a good look.
“Run your pack, you mean?” Of course that wasn’t what he meant at all, but she didn’t care.
Thing was, Dwayne Pembry wasn’t a totally bad person. Back when she’d been younger, he’d been a decent enough mayor. Until Darrell dumped Katie Faith and his pettiness had led to him getting booted from office the first time. Just then she sensed his fractured feelings of responsibility for everyone. But he wasn’t strong enough, or whatever, to follow through by ensuring his wolves did the same. He had a problem at home, so to speak, and it was screwing things up everywhere else.
He needed to be confronted with this so he could accept it. Own it and then make his changes. He’d been on the verge of losing control of his pack and the town for years and had survived more than one battle.
He couldn’t win the way he was going now. Worse, Dwayne seemed all too willing to let everyone suffer rather than make the changes he’d need to. Why, she had a feeling was more complicated than his own desire for power. But at that point, a mess was a mess and it needed cleaning up.
“You goddamned witches!” Scarlett yelled out and that time everyone gasped, turning to face her and that angry expression she wore.
Scarlett had a lot of energy. She was a polarizing force in town and had been, from what Aimee understood, her whole life. Plenty of folks had stories about some terrible thing she’d done or said over the years.
But this was just so totally out of proportion, even for her. The guilt and anguish spicing her anger was what caught Aimee’s attention, reminding her that people had lives no one else could see from the outside.
A wild light in Scarlett’s eyes only made things more tense as she kept hollering. “This is all your fault. Everything was fine until Katie Faith Grady came back to town and now look! Dooleys reaching above themselves all because of a witch. A witch flapping her gums at the mayor as if she has a right.”
Aimee held on to her temper by her fingernails. “I totally have a right. It’s in the Constitution and everything. I don’t know what your problem is, Mrs. Pembry. Whatever it is, you’re clearly in pain and I’m sorry to see it. But you can’t act this way. I’m not going to allow it.”
She was angry, yes, but she didn’t want to hate anyone. She felt bad for Scarlett. She didn’t have to like the other woman to know some kind of something was going on with her. But it wasn’t going to stop Aimee from saying what needed saying. For the good of everyone.
So she took a deep breath and continued. “I’m also over and done listening to you take your bad mood out on Katie Faith. In the market. In the town square. At the Founder’s Day dance. As far as I can tell, you’re the one who’s been the problem in the months since Katie Faith has returned. Diablo Lake is her home. It’s mine too. It belongs to everyone here. If you don’t like witches, that’s your right, I suppose. But we aren’t your hired help and we’re done with you acting like we are. This town and the way things are run should be about all its citizens.”
“Who knew you had all that in you, girl?” Jace said loud enough for people to hear.
Katie Faith raised her hand. “I did.”
The squabbling at the edges grew louder until finally, Mac whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention. “I’m going to suggest that given tempers right now we adjourn until Wednesday. That gives us all two days to cool off and we can get back to it,” he called out.
Aimee looked to Miz Rose, who nodded her agreement. It would be better done when things were less tense.
Hopefully.
One thing was clear though, things could only get worse if they kept on the way they were. JJ looked pale and drawn, Jace worried about his grandfather as well as the general pulse of the town and his wolves. Darrell had shown up to shove at Mac, who manhandled his brother away, back down the steps and off to the side in a heated conversation.
Good luck to him trying to talk sense into that dumbass.
“Let’s get out of here. I’ll give you a ride home,” she told her parents.
“We’re headed over to Nadine and Avery’s so we’ll go with them.” Her mother hugged her. “I want you to tell me, but I’m guessing you aren’t ready after that scene.”
Her mom got her. How lucky she was.
“Yeah. I’ll talk to you soon. It’s not like you’re going to let me not tell you now.”
“Glad we’re clear.” Her mom gave her one last hug, followed by her father and they all headed out.
“You should come over,” Katie Faith told her.
“Your house is going to be full of wolves all worked up about stuff. You have to be their mommy.”
Even though her friend rolled her eyes, there was truth in what Aimee had said and she couldn’t deny it.
“You kicked butt tonight.”
“I will always get your back. Especially when that crazy bitch makes yet another pass at you. Did you piss in her Wheaties or what?”
Katie Faith’s sadness rolled from her in a soft wave. “I don’t know what her thing is. It’s not like I left her son at the altar, hello. Also, have you noticed the way Mac keeps looking over at you?”
“Mac Pembry? Nah, he’s just trying to get a lay of the land. Jace does the same thing.” And wishing otherwise was dumb.
“Liar, liar, pants on fire.” Katie Faith snorted. “Sure, he does that too. Wolves do that. But he’s been looking at your boobies and that isn’t necessary to get a lay of the land. He’s totally cute.”
“He’s a werewolf. A Pembry. Jesus on a skateboard, Katie Faith, Scarlett is his mother. I said good day.”
“He’s so cute, though. And I can highly recommend werewolves as romantic partners. If you know what I mean and I know you do.”
Aimee laughed. Not that she hadn’t thought about Mac’s romantic partner potential several times since he’d come back to town. Especially since that day he’d hauled her up and away from the fight the week before.
So strong. Damn. He smelled good too. Threw out testosterone like crazy, which left her a little loopy and slightly defensive every time.
“It’s not like you’d be smooching her.” Katie Faith broke into her thoughts.
“You just got married. A body’d think you had better things to do than trying to arrange my dating life. Go home, weirdo. I love you and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Don’t hide your light under a bushel, Aimee,” Katie Faith said.
“Laws,” Aimee muttered as she turned to head away from the scene. She’d been all worked up and ready to speak her mind and the whole night had gone sideways in the worst fashion possible.
Darrell stepped into her path with an ugly look on his face and in the background she heard Katie Faith swear.
“You got a big mouth on you.” Darrell’s body language was aggressive. He invaded her personal space on purpose. Tried to crowd her.
Wanted to cow her. Oh. Hell. No.
“Blue ribbon for your clarity.” Aimee fake smiled at him as she attempted to dodge around his bulk. But he adjusted so she couldn’t.
“One witch tossing your worthless ass out into the street not enough for you?” Katie Faith’s voice bristled with antagonism as she stormed up to Aimee’s side. “Fuck off, Darrell. Why aren’t you home harassing your wife instead of out here trying to scare people?”
“Says the dumb bitches attacking old ladies like my mom.”
Aimee stepped in between them. Jace kept a very close eye on his wife as it was. If he got it into his head that Katie Faith was upset or felt threatened things could get bloody.
In fact, she noted Jace stalking their way already and there was probably little chance of avoiding an incident.
But before she could say anything, Mac shouldered up, putting an arm around his brother and bringing him to heel.
Loathing crawled over Darrell’s features for a brief moment and Aimee took note of the discord between them.
Mac said, “Darrell, you left our discussion early. I still have some things to say. You and I need to let these fine ladies get about their evening. So much excitement already I’m sure everyone would regret it if anything bad happened.” There was a lot of emphasis there on getting Darrel to knock it off. A lot of power in the words and plenty of compulsion too.
“Did you hear what she just said to me?” Darrell bellowed like a man-baby.
Aimee rolled her eyes. “Just in case you didn’t, we told him to fuck off. And you can too if you think we’re going to take abuse from any more Pembrys tonight. Or, quite frankly, any other time.”
Mac shook his head. “No, ma’am, I’d never think such a thing.”
“What the hell is going on over here?” Jace growled on approach.
Mac turned his focus on Jace as he held Darrell in place. Like he was showing another pack that he was handling the situation.
“Just getting on our way and letting Katie Faith and Aimee do the same,” he told Jace in a serious tone. “Y’all have a safe drive home.” Nodding, he press-ganged his brother away.
“Close one,” Katie Faith muttered.
Jace eyed them carefully. “What went on?”
Aimee flapped a hand quickly. “Darrell was a dingus. But that’s not news. You two get on home. That’s where I’m headed too.” Where it would be quiet and no wolves would be anywhere. And she could change into pants without a zipper and rid herself of her bra.
Like the Lord intended.
“You want to stay at our place a while?” Jace asked.
“Thanks for the offer. But I’m good. I’m not worried about anything that shithead can do to me. I think Mac is going to slap him upside his head though.” She hoped it would be more than once.
“He’d better or he’ll have an even bigger problem on his hands.”
Katie Faith gave her a quick hug before she and Jace headed off toward home.
Once she got across the street and headed to her car, she heard Mac call her name so she stopped with a sigh loud enough so he’d better understand how close she was to going off.
“What?” she demanded. “Haven’t you and your family done enough tonight?
He put his hands up in defense and even in the light of the street lamps he was beautiful. “I haven’t done anything.”
Aimee harrumphed. “Again, I ask, what?”
“Just making sure you were okay.”
“Keep your jacked-up family away from me and mine and I’ll be perfect. If you can stop a war from erupting because your brother and father have such small dicks, that’d be icing,” she told him as she got into her car.