He groaned. “Cathy was that serious, huh?”
I nodded, laughing around a mouthful of pastry.
The bell over the door chimed softly as another customer stepped in, and for once, it didn’t feel like an interruption.
8
MARK
I’d been pacing my room for the past ten minutes, checking the clock every thirty seconds like it might change something.
The family cabin was quiet except for the sound of the wind rattling the trees outside. I should’ve been relaxed. Heck, I was supposed to be happy.
The audition with Zack had gone better than I could’ve hoped. We’d managed to not screw up too badly with our songs. The crowd loved us.
Perfect match. Yeah, I was still turning those two words over in my head.
Thank god the audition had been a success, or I wouldn’t even be here, trying not to mess up my first real date with Zack. My chest tightened at the thought.
A date. Not just a coffee catch-up or rehearsal. An actual date. The kind where people look each other in the eye too long and try not to trip over their own feet.
Of course, there had to be one complication. Theo. That damn lion shifter.
I scowled at my reflection in the mirror, running a hand through my hair. What was his deal anyway? He’d been hanging around Zack ever since the auditions started.
In my opinion, Theo smiled too wide, stood too close to Zack. and acted like he had some kind of claim on Zack.
Theo wasn’t even from Pecan Pines. He probably rolled in from some city and happen to chance upon the New Year’s Eve event, and decided it was a good opportunity.
Right. More like Theo came here to chase Zack. My gut and my wolf were convinced of it.
Why else would an outsider go all the way to a remote little town like ours? Pecan Pines wasn’t exactly a tourist destination.
My wolf gave a low, irritated growl beneath my skin, and I couldn’t blame him. I’d like nothing better than to drive that smug cat right back out of town.
But Zack probably wouldn’t appreciate that. He didn’t need another territorial shifter causing a scene in front of him.
It didn’t matter. I’d win him over the right way, slowly and honestly.
I exhaled and turned back to the mirror, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. If I couldn’t fight for him physically, I’d damn well make sure tonight went perfectly.
My reflection stared back. I wore black jeans, a button-up shirt that brought out the color of my eyes, and a leather jacket. I frowned.
It looked fine, too fine maybe. Like I’d put too much thought into it. I tugged the hem of my shirt down, then yanked it back up again.
“You look like a guy going to a job interview,” I muttered.
There was only one person I could turn to for help fortunately. I left my room and knocked on Chris’s door. He was home, thankfully.
His muffled voice came through after a second. “Yeah?”
“It’s me,” I said.
“Door’s open.”
I pushed it open and found him lounging on his bed, TV flickering faintly in the background.
He was scrolling through his phone, wearing a lazy grin that told me he already knew why I was there.
