“Yeah. Well, I could tell you weren’t ordinary, but I also knew you didn’t feel like a wolf. I’m so happy you came back. I’ve been so isolated, for so long—it’s nice to have someone to talk to.”
“I know what you mean,” I say. “No matter how close I’ve gotten with people, I always feel like I’m being judged. I ran away from my pack. It must have been horrible for you, trapped here all alone.”
“Yes,” Grace answers. “I don’t have your bravery. I couldn’t leave.”
“It’s not bravery,” I mutter. “It was desperation and stupidity.”
“They could be said to be one and the same,” Grace whispers.
We both sit in silence for a while, sipping water and watching the birds play in the air around us. A low chirping sound from the bushes outside as insects begin to sing in the midday heat.
“I’m jealous,” I say, finally. “You get to spend all day, every day here. Maybe if I’d had a refuge like this, I wouldn’t have had to run away from my pack.”
“It has been a refuge.” Grace nods in agreement. “But there’s no reason why you can’t share it.”
“Excuse me?”
“I can offer you a part-time job here—as many hours a week as you like!” Grace says, smiling mischievously. “I’m supposed to ask for council approval before spending city funds, but I don’t think the alpha will mind.”
“Really?” I ask, full of disbelief but also hope.
“Really! I could use the help. I’m not just doing this so I have someone to talk to.”
“But that part certainly helps,” I say, laughing.
Grace laughs, too, and we give each other a brief hug.
It feels like I’ve just gained a sister. Almost like being parted from her now is something I could never recover from, and I couldn’t bear to let her down.
The feeling of closeness and responsibility frightens me. For such a long time, I’ve only worried about myself, and my deep distrust of others stopped me from ever being vulnerable.
But I’d protect Grace with my life…and I know she’d do the same for me.
“I don’t know if I’ll be here…permanently,” I admit, a lump forming in my throat. “So, the job better not be a long-term commitment.”
A look flashes through Grace’s eyes, too fast for me to catch. I worry that I’ve hurt her, but she just gives me a slow nod and a smile.
“Whatever you need,” she says. “We can make it work.”
Grace takes me over to the hyacinths, and I spend a few hours helping her with the indoor garden and nursery. As the sun starts to sink in the west, I tell her I should get going so I can be home before Brad, and take off on his bike back to the little cottage.
When I get there, the place is still empty, so I busy myself in the kitchen, tossing a salad and mixing up a pasta sauce. I feel slightly edgy, and I expect to feel surprise and maybe even worry when Brad gets home. But when I hear his call as he comes through the front door, all I feel is a surge of joy.
I’m getting way too comfortable here. It’s dangerous territory, but I don’t know how to turn back. This could be the home I’ve always dreamed of…
“What are we having?” Brad asks, gesturing to the stove as he comes into the kitchen.
“Sweet tomato sauce and gnocchi, I think. Don’t ask me what the sauce is called because I made it up—and I’ve never cooked gnocchi before.”
“Let’s take a look,” Brad says, going past me to examine the bubbling pots. He reaches for a nearby spoon and takes a small mouthful of sauce.
“Hmm, that’s really good. Just enough pepper.”
“I remembered how you like it.”
Brad smiles at me, and I see surprise shimmering in his eyes. He looks at me for so long, I start to blush and look away.
“You look so cute when your cheeks color up like that,” he teases.
