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“Or she has her suspicions about us.”
“She might,” Kate mused aloud, “though she hasn’t said anything to me about it.”
“Knowing her, she’ll probably wait until you go home. Nora’s good like that.”
“She isn’t the only one.” Kate gave me a pointed look, then let go of my hand when the hostess returned to take our order.
“There’s a lot of good in this town,” I said once the hostess left, “it just takes a while to find it. Take Ben for example. He’s over seventy years old and still works the front every Saturday and Sunday. He’s as invested in this place as Nora is with her bakery.”
“It shows.” There was a playful lilt in her voice. “So, Friday night. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Kate, stop worrying. Everything will be fine.”
“Because we could always stay around here. I don’t mind. I just thought it would be nice to get away for a few hours.” She dipped her head but not before I noticed the color on her cheeks.
“So long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we go.”
* * *
The days leading up to the concert were as nerve-wracking as the ones before it. By the time Friday rolled around, I could barely stand let alone focus on my work. So after struggling through most of the morning and Dustin calling me out on it, I convinced my folks to give me a half day, then went home.
Asking for time off this close to the full moon wasn’t that unusual. Hell, even my folks would turn in soon. Days before a full moon, wolves had to conserve their energy. For my folks, this meant walking the trails around our house and being as close to nature as possible.
As for me, however, the less time I spent walking in the woods, the better.
My wolf was agitated as it was. If I joined the rest of my pack in the woods, there’d be no reasoning with her until after Kate had gone.
Which isn’t an option,I told my wolf when I felt her fur bristling at the back of my neck.
This was the last night I’d get to spend with Kate, so I planned to make the most of it.
Starting with my outfit.
The first blouse I put on, the tag irritated my neck. The second one wasn’t any better. So after rummaging around in my closet for twenty minutes, I gave up, then went to Dustin for some help.
“It’s going to be hot,” he warned as he removed a t-shirt from his closet. “With that many bodies around, you’ll want to dress cooler than usual. Here. This should do it.” He handed me a large tee with a painting of a red fox on it. “What?”
“You still have this?” I couldn’t believe it. I’d gotten him the shirt as a joke, and yet, here I was, using it.
“It’s the softest one I’ve got. Who cares if it’s of a fox?”
“You aren’t the runt of the litter anymore, either,” I said while ruffling his hair.
“Damn straight, I’m not.” He smiled as I stepped out of his arms. “Have a good time.”
I winced as his voice echoed down the hall, but if my folks heard him, they didn’t say a word.
With my wardrobe picked out and my stomach in knots, I mumbled something about needing to be by myself, then slipped out. I almost made it the whole way to the car when I heard the front door open behind me.
“Liv, wait.” Gravel crunched under my mom’s boots. “Running from this isn’t healthy. You need to talk to us.”
“You know I can’t do that.” I’d tried, but nothing ever came out.
“Then someone else,” she said as she neared the car.
