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And still, despite it all, the part of him that loved Micah still wished the man could love him back. He really was fucking hopeless.
“Talk to me,” Micah whispered, and for once, it sounded more like a request than a command. “Tell me about your life in Tulsa. Are you…” Trailing off, he cleared his throat and suddenly became quite interested in his water glass. “Are you seeing someone?”
“I have a loft apartment downtown close to my work,” August began, giving the Cliff’s Notes version of his life. “I share the top floor of the office building with one other therapist, but she only works two days a week. No pets, no mortgage, no debt.”No roots. No commitments. No risk.“How about you?”
He refused to give Micah the satisfaction of knowing he hadn’t dated or taken anyone to his bed since he’d left. The only thing worse than being that pathetic was being that pathetic with witnesses.
“I left for a while. Did some travelling. I even took some classes at Notre Dame, but you know how it is.” His lips twisted into a grimace, but he didn’t elaborate. “Anyway, then Dad died, so I came home. It’s okay, though.” He didn’t sound like it was okay. He sounded bitter as hell. “Ian’s been great. I probably couldn’t do it without him.”
“Ian? Ian Conner?” A half grin stretched his lips as he thought about Micah’s long-time best friend. “How’s he doing, anyway?”
“You can ask him for yourself when you come over tonight.”
The fondness in Micah’s voice tore at August’s heart. He’d wondered once or twice about the person who’d taken his place, but he’d never considered it might be someone he actually knew. Somehow, that just made it so much worse.
Chapter four
“Okay, don’t hate me,”Meredith said when she walked into the foyer later that afternoon. She juggled two boxes of pastries from August’s favorite bakery and a couple of plastic bags from Boston Market.
Bouncing up from the sofa, August rushed forward to lift the boxes from her hands. “How could I possibly hate you when you bring such delicious gifts?”
“They’re a bribe,” she answered bluntly. Meredith dropped the bags onto the counter in the kitchen and ducked her head. “I have a date tonight.”
“Since when?”
“Since about an hour ago when Mr. Tall, Dark, and Totally Fucking Hot came into the shop, and I nearly creamed my panties.”
“Okay, okay,” August said loudly. Taking a scone from the bakery box, he shoved it into her mouth to silence her. “I get the idea. No need for all the gory details.” The woman had no damn filter, and there were some things that even best friends didn’t need to know. “Actually, that works out since Micah asked me over for dinner tonight.”
Meredith bit off the corner of the pastry and tossed the remainder back into the box. “I take it lunch went well, then?” A tint of pink brushed the tops of her cheeks, and her baby-blue eyes sparkled in the overhead light of the kitchen. “Tell me more.”
“It’s not a big deal,” August hedged. Discussing his non-date with Micah would likely lead to more serious topics, but he didn’t know how to broach the subject of the devil’s ivy. “We’re going to talk pack business, that’s it.”
He expected her to giggle and tease him, but instead, Meredith leaned back against the counter and tilted her head to the side. “What’s wrong?”
“Why does everyone keep asking me that?”
“Because you look like you swallowed a slug. So, tell me why.”
He didn’t know how to be delicate or diplomatic about it, so he didn’t even bother. “Do you have devil’s ivy in the house?”
“What?” she gasped. “Of course not. Why would you ask me that?”
He’d expected the reaction, but her denial didn’t prove her innocence. “Because I spent a good portion of my morning puking my guts up and feelings like I was hit by a train.”
“Oh, Auggie, honey.” Rushing around the center island, she took his cheeks between both hands and looked him up and down. “How are you feeling now? Can I get you anything? Maybe I should cancel my date.”
“Meredith, stop.” Taking her wrists, he pulled her hands away from his face and held them gently. “I’m okay, but I need to know where the devil’s ivy came from. I searched the whole house, but I couldn’t find it.”
“August Nicholas Tucker, I told you there isn’t any devil’s ivy in this house. Hell, I don’t even have a freaking lucky bamboo stalk.”
She certainly sounded convincing, but with the safety of the pack—not just his own ass—on the line, August couldn’t afford to take her word for it. Of course, he wanted to believe her. The Meredith he knew would never hurt anyone purposely, and she certainly wouldn’t lie about it.
As a general rule, humans weren’t permitted to know about his kind, their laws, their traditions, and especially not their weaknesses. By bringing a human into the loop and telling her all the secrets of theLobos, August had claimed responsibility for his friend. If she ever blabbed, ever put the pack in danger, it wouldn’t just be her head on the chopping block.
Giving his friend the benefit of the doubt, August began searching for alternative explanations. “Has anyone been in the house lately? Did anyone else know I was coming to town this weekend? Maybe someone strange came into the shop.”
“Everyone who comes into the apothecary is strange,” she countered with a huff. “No one has been in the house, and no one knew you were coming to town. I didn’t even tell Micah.”
