Jo Jo put his hand on my shoulder, and my anxiety eased. “Do we walk or drive to the restaurant?”
“We can walk,” Doc said. “It’s not that far.”
After a bathroom break and a couple of splashes of water on my face, we headed out of the cabin. Once we got out of Wolf House Row, I could see the lake. The glossy blueish-green water reflected the late afternoon sun. The closest I got to nature these days had been going to the Knob Noster State Park on full moons. I missed being near a lake. The picturesque view of Grand Lake was a balm to my soul. “This place is gorgeous. Too bad this isn’t a real vacation.”
“There’s the restaurant,” Chav said. “The Howler.”
The building had a full moon cut out with a howling wolf on its roof. Again, a bit on the nose.
Jo Jo held the door open for me, and I walked inside. The tables and chairs were as mismatched as if the owners had bought all the dining sets at garage sales. A gray-haired bearded man, his face lined with age, greeted us when we walked in. “Hello, folks. Welcome to The Howler. A table for four?”
Doc smiled. “Thanks. Near a window, if you have it?”
“You’re in luck,” the man said jovially as he gestured to the empty restaurant. “You’ve missed the lunch rush, and it’s early for dinner. Which means you can have your pick of tables.”
We sat in a back corner by a window. The farthest from the Kitchen and bathrooms, I noticed. Was it strategic? Probably. Doc wasn’t stupid. I’m sure he picked this table because it was the easiest place to see the parking lot and all the entrances into the room. Made it hard for someone to sneak up on us.
The old gentleman brought some napkin-rolled silverware and menus to the table. “I’m Henry,” he said. “My wife Bette will be with you folks in a moment to take your order.”
Jo Jo opened a menu and began to read it out. “The Hungry Like The Wolf Burger is half a pound of ground beef, four strips of bacon, two slices of cheddar cheese, and topped with Howler special sauce. The Werewolves of London is a battered fish sandwich, stacked with steak fries, and served with lettuce and Howler’s lemon and garlic aioli.”
“Fancy,” Chav commented. I could tell she was trying not to laugh. “Oh, look, they have a Little Red Riding Hood salad. It's big for wolves with an appetite.”
“They are really leaning into the wolf theme.” I shook my head. “This is weird, right?”
“Little bit,” Doc agreed.
A statuesque woman with dark blonde hair glittered with bright white highlights sauntered toward us. Humans aged about twice as fast as therians and lycans, so I would have guessed her in her mid to late fifties, early sixties at the most. With wide cheekbones, full lips, and eyes the color of whiskey, the woman was stunning. She wore blue jeans, tan cowboy boots, and a black t-shirt that showed off her muscled arms. Bette obviously worked out.
“Good afternoon, folks,” she said with a bright smile.
“Good afternoon,” Chavvah replied cheerfully. “The food smells good in here.”
“We try our best,” she said. “What can I get you all to drink?”
“I’ll have a Coke,” I ordered.
“Ice tea for me,” Chav added. “Sweet.”
Jo Jo smiled at Bette. “Water is good.”
She turned to Doc. “What about you, sweetie?”
He gaped at her, and his face went impossibly pale as if he’d seen a ghost.
The woman’s smile faltered, and she took a step back. “Billy Bob?”
His gray eyes darkened as he stood up and walked brusquely past her without stopping until he reached the door. There, he only stopped long enough to open it and walk out.
“You know my husband?” Chav asked.
The woman, her eyes shining with tears, nodded. “He’s my son.”
Holy crap. With a conjuror, a psychic, and Brother Wolf, how had no one seen this coming?
Bette walked over to a table with trays of silverware and stacks of napkins. She collapsed into a chair as if her knees had given out. Her pained watery gaze lingered in the direction of the large window as Doc strolled out to a dock by the lake. His hand was on the back of his neck, and my heart broke for him. He’d been told his mother died, but to find out that she’d abandoned him, and she was living her life as if he’d never existed. That was a nail too far.
In an incensed furor, I stormed over to the woman. “How could you have abandoned him?” I shook my fist at her. “He thought you were dead. How could you leave him with William? You had to know what it would do to him. What it would do to any child that man had a hand in raising.”
