“Dinner’s ready in an hour. You guys need to come out and help me chop some vegetables. You can go back to your plotting later.”
They’d just sat down to eat when a rap on the door made them all jump.
Dakota sniffed at the air as she stood up. “Anthea’s here.”
“How do you do that?” Naomi asked her. “It’s freaky. It’s like you’re some kind of Alpha Prime’s spawn.”
“Or I’m just a freak,” Dakota said, and walked to the door.
Anthea was standing there with her customary expression of annoyance, and she shoved several three-ring binders into Dakota’s hands. “Lesson plans for Monday. Study them. Show up half an hour early the first day. 7:30 a.m. sharp. I don’t tolerate lateness.”
“You’re the head schoolteacher?” Dakota said, trying to hide her dismay. Anthea would be a tough taskmaster.
“Do you always state the obvious?”
Dakota raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess. You’re like one of those Hollywood movie kind of schoolteachers. You’re tough but fair.”
“Nope, just tough.” Anthea turned abruptly and walked off before Dakota could invite her to join them for dinner. Which was kind of a relief.
* * * * *
Dakota spent the day poring over the study guides. That evening Hazel came to invite Dakota and Naomi and the kids to eat with the rest of the pack, so they headed over to the fire pit. There were a couple of dozen pack members there, sitting on folding chairs or standing by the grills where barbecue ribs were being cooked.
There were a group of female shifters there as well, some from the shuttle bus, some Dakota didn’t recognize. They were flirting and laughing, clustered around the men. Dakota couldn’t see Miles through the crowd, but she could feel him, and she knew exactly where he was standing, which unnerved her. She was far too tuned in to his presence.
She picked up her folding picnic chair and turned it around so her back was to the crowd, and faced the cubs. The younger cubs dove into their dinner with their usual enthusiasm. Sarah was sulking as usual, but at least she was clean, and so was her clothing.
Dakota felt that prickle of awareness again and twisted around to look at the crowd by the grills. She didn’t see Miles, but she saw Baldwin sitting in a folding chair by himself, eating a burger and pretending he wasn’t watching them.
“You should go talk to him,” Dakota said to Naomi.
“What? Who? Sailor, your face is dirty, come with me so I can wash it,” Naomi said, her cheeks turning red.
“Is not! I just washed it five minutes ago,” Sailor protested.
“Baldwin, that’s who,” Dakota said.
Naomi’s voice went up a notch. “Why would I want to talk to him?”
“Because he’s good-looking and seems like a really nice guy and I can tell that he’s checking you out.”
“Yeah, in case I attack him again. He doesn’t like me. He thinks I’m crazy. And every time I get near him, I start talking like an idiot. I’ll tell you what,” she added, as Dakota started to argue. “I’ll go talk to him if you go talk to Miles.”
“But I’ve already talked to Miles. Ha. I win.”
“Go talk to himagain.”
Sailor started singing, “Jamie and Miles, sittin’ in a tree…”
“You could not be more wrong,” Dakota informed her.
“Yes, that’s true,” Naomi said. “You would saysitting. You forgot to pronounce the G.”
“I thought you had my back.” Dakota scowled at her friend.
“I do. That’s why I want you to talk to Miles.”
“Jamie and Miles…” Sarah started singing louder. As she did, Dakota felt Miles’s presence, but she refused to turn around and look.
