CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Bianca finished wiping down the tables and took the tray to the back. The lunch crowd had left and the diner was empty. Bianca heard her stomach rumble. She had been so busy she hadn’t stopped to have lunch.
Carly was at the sink, helping Nelson wash the dishes.
“Let me help you,” Bianca said, rolling up her sleeves.
“Nah. I’m all done,” Carly said, drying her hands. “Come on. Let’s go out and sit down. It’s usually pretty quiet in the afternoon. We’ll have around two hours to unwind and catch our breaths before the dinner crowd comes in.”
“Here, I made these for my girls,” Nelson said, passing Bianca a big plate of sandwiches and fries. “Go on,” he said, shooing her out. “I’ll tidy up the kitchen. You go have a cup of coffee outside with Carly. You’ve been working non-stop for hours.”
“But...”
Carly linked her arm through Bianca’s and pulled her out of the kitchen. “Let’s eat! I’m famished!”
The two women sat down at the counter and Bianca poured two big cups of coffee. They chatted as they ate.
“So you just arrived in Wolves Hollow, eh?” Carly said.
Bianca nodded and averted her gaze. She wasn’t sure how much to tell Carly. She didn’t really want to talk about her past, and she didn’t want to relive her harrowing ordeal. Running blindly from a burning car and ferocious wolves was an experience she would rather forget.
When Bianca remained silent, Carly went on amiably, “Nelson and I are relatively newcomers to Wolves Hollow too. We moved here just five years ago. Most of the residents of Wolves Hollow have been here all their lives.”
“Oh. I thought...”
“We’ve always wanted to run our own business,” Carly went on. “So we bought over this small diner from the previous owner and moved here. But...we almost gave up.”
“Why? You’re doing so well,” Bianca said. “From what I’ve seen today, business is great!”
“Well, the first two years were really rough. We humans often got caught in the middle of some turf war or other. I’ve lost count of the times our diner got vandalized and trashed. I told Nelson, maybe we should just cut our losses and get out of this crazy town.”
“Wait,” Bianca held up a hand and frowned. “You said, turf war. What exactly are you talking about?”
“The shifter packs are always fighting over territory,” Carly replied with a shrug. “Every pack wants to be the biggest, baddest pack in town.”
Bianca nodded slowly and muttered, “Wolves Hollow is a shifter town.”
Carly eyed her curiously. “How well do you know Talon Wyld?” Carly asked.
“I just met him last night. He, um, he saved me. My car caught fire,” Bianca stammered.
Carly nodded and chewed the inside of her cheek. When she didn’t say anything more, Bianca swallowed and asked, “Are you and Nelson...shifters?”
“Oh no, we’re human,” Carly said with a short laugh. “There are a few humans in Wolves Hollow.”
“You said you were thinking of leaving Wolves Hollow,” Bianca prompted. “What made you decide to stay?”
“Things got better,” Carly said simply. “Ever since the Sentinels took over some of the packs and became the biggest pack in town, the situation improved. The Sentinels Alpha, Grayson Edge, is a decent guy. He runs his pack well and keeps his eye on the other packs. Shifter politics is a bloody dirty business.”
After a pause, Bianca asked, “How did you get to know Talon? He lives so far away from the rest of the town, in the middle of the forest.”
“Talon happened to witness a shifter brawl in our diner. He saw the other shifters trashing the place, destroying all the tables and chairs. Talon came up to us after those hooligans left and offered to help us with the furniture.”
Carly gestured round the diner. “He built all these beautiful tables and chairs, and he only allowed us to pay for the raw materials. He wouldn’t let us pay him for his labor and skill. I guess he wanted to show us that not all shifters were violent troublemakers.” Carly smiled. “Talon is one of the good guys. And he’s a damn good carpenter. He did all my kitchen cabinets, and I recommended him to my neighbors. Talon does a lot of business in town even though he prefers to keep away from the packs.”
Bianca mulled over the information that Carly had just shared with her. “So there are shifters and humans in Wolves Hollow,” she muttered.
Carly finished her coffee and smirked. “Witches too.”