I noticed Thea had drifted closer to their table, abandoned coloring book forgotten. Her little face was scrunched in concentration as she listened.
“Have you seen wolves?” she asked hopefully, tugging on Mrs. Patterson’s sleeve.
The older woman looked scandalized, as if my daughter had asked about her sex life. “Wolves? Child, these are beasts. Monsters.” Her eyes found mine across the shop. “Your mother should know - she was attacked right here!”
Thea’s face crumpled in confusion. “But wolves aren’t monsters,” she protested. “They’re like big puppies. I saw on TV today-”
The bell chimed, cutting her off. Tyler walked in with his mother, because of course he did. The universe’s timing was impeccable as always.
I quickly scooped Thea up before she could launch into a defense of wolf-kind. “Sorry about that, Mrs. Patterson. You know how kids are with their animal phases.”
“Can we go see them, Mama?” Thea whispered urgently in my ear. “Can we go see the wolves?”
“Later, baby,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “Now let’s try resting in the nap corner, okay? It’s been a long day. Let’s sleep a little while I finish closing and then we’ll go home.”
“But I’m not tired,” she protested even as she rubbed her eyes.
“Come on,” Rowan said, already heading to the little nook I’d set up for them a year ago when they’d started needing afternoon naps during long shop days. “I’ll read you the wolf story.”
His “reading” involved totally inventing a new story based on the drawings, since he couldn’t actually read yet, but it was a sweet gesture. At least it got them settled while I dealt with Tyler and his mother.
“Poor little things,” Tyler’s mother stage-whispered, watching the twins curl up together in their corner. “No father to protect them when the beasts return.”
I gritted my teeth and smiled. “Can I get you folks anything?”
“Just checking if you’re coming to the town meeting,” Tyler said, running a hand through his hair. “Mom thought we could go together. For safety.”
“Safety in numbers,” his mother added, eyeing my children. “Young mothers shouldn’t be out alone after dark. Not with what’s lurking in those woods.”
Twenty fucking minutes of Tyler’s mother listing his virtues while I cleaned around them. Yes, he had his own car. Yes, he owned the grocery store. Yes, he’d be happy to escort us anywhere because apparently I needed a penis-haver to navigate the dangerous world of Pine Valley after dark.
After many, many negatives about going to the meeting, Tyler and his mother had left with promises to “check in” tomorrow. Mrs. Patterson and her crew had shuffled out still muttering about beasts and the good old days when monsters stayed in the forest where they belonged.
I was finally alone to scrub the already clean tables, lost in thought.“They’re just going through a phase,”Vivi had offered before leaving, but even she’d sounded doubtful. Though it was true, wasn’t it? Kids obsessed with things when they were this young, it was normal. Totally normal. My kids just happened to be obsessed with the one thing that had tried to kill me five years ago. No big deal.
I glanced at the nap nook, checking on my little wolf enthusiasts. Rowan was curled on his side, one arm thrown protectively over...
Empty space.
My heart stopped.
Thea’s blanket was there, her stuffed unicorn abandoned, but no Thea. The back door hung open, sunset light streaming through.
“Thea?” I called, already moving. “Baby, where are you?”
No answer.
I raced through the shop, checking behind the counter, in the bathroom, the storage room. “Thea!”
Rowan sat up, blinking sleepily. “Mama?”
“Stay there,” I ordered, panic clawing at my throat. “Don’t move from this spot, understand?”
He nodded, gray eyes wide.
I burst through the back door, and my worst fear materialized. Small footprints in the dirt, heading straight toward the tree line. Toward the forest.
“THEA!” I screamed, already running.
