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‘It’s good.’ Molly rested a hand on Sophia’s shoulder. ‘I’m glad to meet you. And I’m glad you kissed Wolf. Is that weird? Am I weird?’
Sophia laughed. ‘No. No to both.’
Molly crossed her eyes. ‘What about now?’
‘Okay, yes, now you are definitely weird.’
‘Wolf’s a good guy, you know?’ Molly said, suddenly serious. ‘I know that sometimes he’s a bit of an arrogant jerk, and he probably drinks a little more than he should, but he’s got a good heart. He’s… been through some stuff.’
‘Haven’t we all?’
‘I guess we have,’ Molly said, absentmindedly touching the large scar that covered most of her arm. Sophia wondered what had happened to her. ‘But Wolf more than most.’
One thing confused Sophia. Molly had said that Wolf was a drinker, but she didn’t think she’d ever even seen him have so much as a swig of alcohol since the first time he’d come into the bar.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. A moment later, Wolf pushed it open. ‘Hey, cuties,’ he said, looking at the bricks scattered on the floor. ‘Looks like I missed the match.’
‘We can reset?’ Molly asked.
‘Thanks, but no thanks. It’s getting late, and I wanted to tuck this young lady in.’ He gestured at Sophia. Her pulse quickened. He was going to tuck her in?
‘It’s not late!’ Molly complained moodily.
‘Well, it’s not quite bedtime,’ Wolf admitted. ‘But I want to talk to Sophia first.’
‘What about?’ Sophia asked.
‘A whole bunch of stuff.’
‘Gah, I didn’t even have time to show Sophia my stuffies! I wanted to get her opinion on some cosmetic damage on Squirt.’ She held up a little narwhal soft toy that was very cute. There was a little wear on his fabric. Definitely fixable.
‘There’ll be plenty of time for that later,’ Wolf said. ‘That okay, Sophia?’
‘Sure,’ she said.
But if she’d known what they were going to talk about, she might have thought twice about her answer.
CHAPTER 8
Baron’s place was bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside. He had a spare room near the forge. Out of the window, she could see that the place was surrounded by trees, and as the sun started to dip, the branches made inky shapes against the pale sky.
‘You’ll sleep here tonight,’ Wolf said.
The room was simple but comfortable — there was a small single bed and a lava lamp on a bedside table. Like every other place in the house, there was a mild, smoky aroma in the air. It was pleasant — like the smell of bonfires in the fall.
Sophia walked over to the lava lamp and switched it on. The liquid glowed orange.
‘Ofcourseit’s a lava lamp,’ Wolf said. ‘Trust Baron.’
Sophia felt as though she’d been pulled in about a million directions. The attack, the ride to Albany, the play session with Molly. It was a lot to take in.
‘So,’ she said, tucking her fingers anxiously into the waistband of her jeans, ‘what did you want to talk about?’
Wolf grimaced, then sighed. ‘Honestly, I don’t even know where to start.’
‘That much, huh?’
‘I’m going to be honest with you, Sophia. I don’t really know any other way to be. Is that okay?’
