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With her black hair down against her shoulders and a billowy sage-green dress on, she looked like the epitome of a witch. From the dry, warm grass, she stood and peered into the creek. Annoyed by how much harder it was to search for crystals that way, she huffed and went to dip her toes in the water again.
Her constant hissing from the cold made me laugh as I continued my own search.
Once she finally settled in the stream and overcame the cold, Cora sighed. “Anyway, relationships suck.”
I snorted. “You can say that again.”
“I’m just glad I’m not the only one,” she continued, dipping down to snatch something she thought was pretty.
My mind went right back to Ryan, and I just wanted to drop it. I didn’t want to talk about him.
“Anyone new catch your eye?” I asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from me, and more in her direction.
“Meh. I’ve talked to a few guys here and there, but nobody has wowed me yet,” she replied absently. “I was hoping someone I hooked up with recently would turn into something, but apparently, he couldn’t be bothered to stay in Rose Valley long enough. He was just passing through.”
“That sucks,” I murmured, just as a shiny rock caught my attention. “Was it good at least?”
Cora threw me a suggestive look. “Better than I’d like to admit.”
Her current love life was much more entertaining than my own, and a far better topic than my ex.
“You sure have the fun part down. Why would you want to give that up?” I wondered with a teasing tone.
She gazed through the gently running water and shrugged. “Consistency. Sure, it’s fun and all dating around and hooking up, but I want something reliable. When you get out there that much, it starts to lose its shine.”
“At least you don’t have to worry about things getting complicated. You’re free to do whatever you want,” I said encouragingly.
While I knew she had a point, I couldn’t help but see more benefits than issues with her situation. I had thought the same before, but after Ryan decided he couldn’t make things work despite how I wanted to help him get past losing his wolf, he shattered that perception of stability for me. It made me realize how quickly something good could fall apart so easily.
“That is true. I still have my sanity,” Cora chided as she sifted through some of the rocks below.
I couldn’t deny how exciting Cora’s situation seemed. Getting out there, flirting, and reaping the benefits of dating around. How fun it seemed.
But at the same time, the thought of putting myself in that situation made my stomach turn.
It had been months since Ryan called our relationship off, and while I was certainly in the position to be interested in seeing other people, I wasn’t so sure I was ready for it yet. I didn’t know if it was in the cards for me.
The breakup hit me harder than I ever thought it would, and it took me a while to heal from it. I had done so much work on myself, and the very idea of sacrificing all that progress just to date around didn’t feel right.
As she inspected the small crystals in her hands, Cora threw me a glance. “Maybe you should give it a shot? Even if it doesn’t lead to anything serious, it wouldn’t hurt to remind the men of Rose Valley that you’re single.”
I grimaced at the thought.
It was funny since I never used to reserve myself from having fun. It had always been easy for me to get the attention of someone I was interested in, and to enjoy myself if I wanted to. I dated, I hooked up, and it was never a problem.
But ever since Ryan, something changed in me.
Prepared to shrug Cora off, I nearly jumped as the bushes moved nearby.
On alert, I let go of the adrenaline the moment I spotted someone dressed in the usual Task Force gear. He stepped out of the shade and into the sun, letting us both see his face.
I perked up at how handsome he looked, and I knew Cora had done the same.
He pulled a sheepish smile for us both and put his hands up. “Sorry for scaring you. I’m Noah.”
Exchanging a knowing look with Cora, I returned my gaze to him. “It’s okay. No harm done.”
Noah seemed to ease into the conversation without a hitch. He hitched his thumb in the direction he came from. “I heard some voices and wanted to make sure everything was alright. We’re still on alert after everything that happened.”
