Chapter Eight
Marius pulled up to the sidewalk in front of a large house. Hayley’s apartment was a mother-in-law unit above a garage. The main house was detached, so luckily Marius wouldn’t have to deal with anyone else. He was nervous enough without forced small talk with strangers.
He strode up the driveway and climbed the outdoor stairs leading up to the second-story door. His chest felt tight, like it was encased in shrinking rubber bands. This night felt important, whether or not Hayley thought so.
He wore dark slacks and a button-up shirt, with his North Face coat over that. He didn’t really need the coat, given his shifter metabolism, but people in the mountains tended to stare if he went out in the winter dressed like it was spring or summer. The well-used North Face coat wasn’t really great for dressing up, but it was the best he had.
Tonight could be amazing, or it could be awful. Or perhaps both. Friday night with Hayley had been both.
Without allowing himself to think about it anymore, he knocked.
Hayley’s door opened, and she stood before him in a dark dress that came to just above her knees. Her hair was down in long, golden-brown waves and it looked like she even had some make-up on.
“You look…you look incredible,” he said.
“Thanks. Oh, shit, I forgot I needed a coat. Hang on just a sec.”
He peered past her into the room while she rushed to a closet on the other side. It smelled like Hayley—Red Vines, strawberry. The scent made him lightheaded with want.
Her studio looked like just enough space for one person or for two people in love, with a kitchenette on the far side, and a small couch and a bed on the other. The dark green bedspread reminded Marius of pine needles, and he approved.
Hayley came back to the door, carrying a small black purse and wearing the leather jacket she’d had on Friday night. “I know the jacket doesn’t really go with the dress,” she said, “but it’s all I’ve got. This sucks. I’m not even that cold.”
“It’s all right, we can take them off as soon as we get into the restaurant.” He looked past her and pointed to a large print of the night sky over Mount Rainier. The stars were so detailed, Marius could see the Milky Way. “Who did the art?”
“That’s one of Will’s,” she said. “He took it ages ago, when we lived here before. I had it blown up as soon as I got this place, so I could put it on the wall.”
“It’s really nice.”
“Yeah, he’s talented.” She closed the door and locked it, then walked ahead of Marius toward his car. “And hey, look at us. We’re already getting to know each other. Not bad, huh? Maybe we should skip dinner altogether and share family stats and call it good?”
“Nice try,” he said, reaching for her elbow.
She half-heartedly tried to get away.
“You want to act like a couple, you have to be comfortable with a little touching, right?” he asked.
She stopped fighting him, and he linked their arms together. It felt so right to him. Why did she keep trying to put distance between them?
“Nice car,” she said, eyeing his old Ford.
“I hope you aren’t being sarcastic,” he said.
“Not at all. This is a classic.”
He opened her door despite her, “I don’t need help with my own damn door,” and then slid into the driver’s seat.
“So where is this place?” Hayley asked when he started the car.
“A few miles out of town, close to Lake Michel.”
She nodded and leaned back, her slender fingers fanning over the funky old weave covering the bench seat.
For the first time, Marius resented his older truck. The engine was so loud, it was nearly impossible to have a conversation. After some shouted attempts at small talk, he and Hayley gave up and waited until they got to the restaurant.
The Lodge was a recent development to the area. A wealthy New York chef had wanted to raise her family away from the city, but she didn’t want to sacrifice her passion for creating delicious food. The result was this tiny mountain restaurant. Two sides of the dining room were entirely made up of windows, and a bar took up the other side. The server station and kitchen were at the rear. Marius watched Hayley’s expression as she checked the place out. Her gaze lingered on a group of well-dressed women at a table nearby, and she shrugged off her jacket.
“Can you take this, please?” she asked, handing it to Marius.
Interesting. She had been so self-assured last Friday, but when presented with a group of people in expensive clothes, her confidence seemed to waver.
He took the jacket from her, resisting the urge to sniff it.
The host, standing at a little table by the door, quickly stepped over to take Hayley’s jacket and Marius’s coat, as well, and he hung them up in a closet off to the side. “Do you have a reservation?”
“Yes. Marius Nichols.”
The host led them to a table by the window. The lighting was soft—candles on the tables and dim lights hanging from the exposed beams above.
Seconds later, a server appeared at their table. She recited the menu, which was fixed, and then added, “Would you like something to drink?”
“Do you drink wine?” Marius asked Hayley.
She wrinkled her nose. “Not…usually? But when in Rome, I guess…”
“If you hate it, we’ll get something else instead.” Turning to the server, he said, “A bottle of whichever red you recommend.”
As soon as the server walked away, Marius leaned forward. “What’s going on? You seem uncomfortable.”
“I’m fine,” she said.
He gave her a smile. “That’s a lie.”
“Ugh. All right. I’m just not used to dressing up, that’s all. Everyone here looks so…responsible. And I don’t fit in. So it’s weird.”
“I wish you could see yourself like I see you,” he said. “You’re the most gorgeous woman in the room.”
Hayley raised her eyebrows at him. “Thanks, Casanova.”
He mentally kicked himself. This wasn’t a real date, and he should stop treating it like one. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, we’re here to get to know each other, and get ready for the big meeting. Right?”
At that, Hayley seemed to relax. “Right.”
“Two truths and a lie,” he said. “You go first.”
She laughed. “We can’t play two truths and a lie—we’re shifters and we’ll always spot the lie.”
“You’re right.” He stood up just enough to reach into his pocket, and found an old receipt in his wallet.
Just then, the server returned with a bottle of wine. She opened it in front of them and poured a tiny bit into Marius’s glass. He made a funny face at Hayley while he sniffed the wine and said, “It’s good.”
Hayley looked like she was holding back a smile as the server poured their glasses.
Before the server could go, Marius asked her for a spare pen, which she gave him.
“Okay,” Marius said, holding up the receipt and pen. “You’ll have to write small. Jot down your two truths and your lie, and I’ll guess which is which.”
Hayley rolled her eyes, but she quickly scribbled on the receipt, then handed it to Marius.
My favorite band is the Licorice Fiddles. My middle name is Jasmine. I once crashed Will’s truck.
“Okay,” Marius said, considering her list. He looked up at her, and her eyes were shining in expectation. It should be a crime how beautiful she was. “Is the lie about your favorite band? I wouldn’t have pegged you for the local music scene or bluegrass.”
“No, that’s the truth,” she said with a laugh, “but if you tell Jackson, I’ll kill you in your sleep. I’d never hear the end of it because I always give him such a hard time for working for them. But their music is really good.”
“What do you usually listen to?”
“Everything. I have a soft spot for nineties punk, though. My dad listened to it. NOFX, The Bouncing Souls, The Vandals, Lagwagon…we lost all his CDs after we left, but I bought everything I could remember.”
“I’m sorry about what happened to your parents,” Marius said, trying to ward off the sick feeling that filled him. She’d been through so much, and for what? Territory?
She waved it off. “It was a long time ago. We could’ve run, but my parents wanted to stand their ground, stand up to the Clausens. It was a mistake. Part of the life, right?”
“It shouldn’t have to be. Didn’t an enforcer get involved, try to negotiate?”
“You mean one of those tough guys with the might of a large pride or pack behind them? Or clan? Trying to bring order to the shifter world?” She shook her head bitterly. “There wasn’t anyone like that around. And I doubt they would’ve cared about our tiny pride.”
That certainly answered some questions Marius had been carrying around. These days, enforcers were quick to get involved in disputes over territory. A lot of money could be made from helping the right group with a resolution.
To cover up the guilty feeling in his gut, he returned to her list. “Okay, so the lie is either your middle name. Jasmine? Hayley Jasmine Jaynes. Has a nice ring to it.” He watched her eyes, hoping for a hint, but she wore a little smirk and her eyes gave away nothing. “Or, you crashed Will’s truck. Now, that I believe. So the lie is your middle name. What is it, really?”
“You got me. Hayley Ann Jaynes. But I thought Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin was freaking awesome when I was little. Okay, your turn.”
“Wait,” he said. “I want to hear about Will’s truck.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That’s a story for another time.”
Their first course came, a creamy carrot soup. He thought of pushing Hayley to tell him about crashing Will’s truck, but he was afraid that if he did, she’d close down on him. So he scribbled out his truths and lie.
My middle name is Jeffrey. I’m an only child. I hated kissing you.
He slid the receipt across the table and watched Hayley’s light blue eyes widen as she read it.
“Well,” she said, straightening up in her chair. “I don’t think you’d lie about your middle name after I lied about mine. So that’s a truth.”
He nodded.
She seemed to wrestle with how she’d handle the next part. Either his lack of siblings was the lie, or that he’d hated kissing her. Would she pretend to believe for a second that he’d hated kissing her?
“You’re an only child,” she whispered.
“Truth.”
She crumpled up the receipt. “Well, that was a fun game.”
He looked down at his soup. Then back up at Hayley. She took a sip of the wine, but obviously, she didn’t enjoy it. He’d brought her here to get to know her, not to torture her.
“You wanna get the rest of our meal to go?” he asked.
She glanced up quickly, confusion on her face. “Why?”
He could lie about it, but she’d know. “You don’t seem comfortable, and to be honest, I’m not, either. I never come to places like this. I just heard the food was really good. Let’s take it somewhere else. Somewhere outside, where we belong.”
She was already standing up. “Yes.”
He laughed at how quickly she’d agreed, and flagged down their server.