“It’s fine.” I know he means well. I know he’s not thinking about how it’s probably Richard who will fulfill her desires, should she develop any. But also, a part of me I don’t want to acknowledge would really like it if Julia got horny and fussy. If she got so frustrated that she texted me in the middle of the night when her husband was out of town. I want her to crave me like I crave her.
“Maybe, if I’m really good to her, she’ll look to me when her husband inevitably fucks up,” I muse out loud.
Conall points a finger at me. “Now you’re talking like a Lyall. You are going to charm the hell out of her. And so am I. The whole family’s goingto woo her until she can’t resist us, just wait.” He tosses my keys in the air and catches them. “Easy as huckleberry pie, you’ll have your mate.”
It’s not going to be that easy, but I can’t help but be grateful for his unwavering support, especially right now. His hope gives me hope.
“Be cool when you meet her,” I warn as he starts back toward the Jeep.
“When am I not cool?! I’m always cool,” he says over his shoulder. And then he does one of those leprechaun heel clicks.
This was a terrible idea.
Her address is on the registration in the glove compartment.
That’s all I can think about as I’m driving Julia’s Volvo to Heidi and Nicole’s house, Conall following me in my Jeep. I could pull over and check. Find out exactly where she lives.
And then what, you dumb dog? Show up at her house to piss on her porch and warn away my human rival, who just happens to be her actual husband?
No, I have to wait until she tells me. Until sheinvitesme. Otherwise I’m going to end up with a restraining order instead of a mate.
Conall’s right. It’s not enough to hang around and hope. I need to charm her.
I make a sudden right turn that I know will have Conall griping and pull up in front of Holy Dough. He parks next to me and gives me a thumbs-up when I come out of the shop with a box of fresh-glazed doughnuts, including a couple with cherry filling. I wasn’t sure if Julia would like it if I turned up with fish, but I’m positive she likes cherries, because she must have put away two dozen of them last night.
Maybe I got lucky and cherry is her favorite. Maybe someday, I’ll be her favorite.
Chapter 12
Julia
“Juliiiiaaaaa,” Nicole singsongs from the front door. “It’s foryouuu-ouuuuu.”
“Owww,” I groan as I roll off the sofa, where I’ve been nursing the same cup of coffee for a half-hour in a failing attempt to chase off my hangover. I feel like absolute garbage. Turns out I can’t drink like a twenty-two-year-old at forty-five, go figure. I don’t know how Heidi dragged herself out of the house at 6:30 this morning to go teach kidsall day.
Last night was so much fun, though. I can’t remember the last time I really let loose like that. I’m usually the designated driver, the one who has to get up in the morning and drive the carpool, so it was a rare treat. I have Ian to thank for that.
The same Ian who’s standing in the doorway of Heidi and Nicole’s house, holding a pink box. I’m suddenly way too conscious of my bedhead and the fact that I’m wearing cow-print PJs I borrowed from Heidi over yesterday’s undies that thankfully I located in my purse. My first impulse is to hide so he doesn’t see me looking like this.
Silly. Who cares what he thinks about how I look? “Um, hi,” I fumble. “You’re back.”
He nods.
“Are those doughnuts for us?” Nicole asks, eyeing the box in his hands. When he nods again, she snatches them with a gleeful goblin noise and bolts for the kitchen, leaving me hanging.
I puff out my breath, unsure what to say. “Uh…what are you doing here?”
He jerks his head, indicating the cul-de-sac behind him. “Returning your car,” he says, holding out my keys. I take them, feeling a little wobbly because I thought my keys were in my purse. “You don’t remember?”
I shake my head. I don’t really remember much of anything after we left the bar except that Iandrove us home. How mortifying. I hope I didn’t say anything weird while I was drunk. “Thank you. For the car. And the doughnuts. You really didn’t have to do that.”
“Um, my brother wants to meet you, if that’s okay?” He winces, probably because I look like a rodeo clown in these jammies. I glance over at his car and see a wulver with even redder fur than Ian’s waving at me, a huge grin on his face. I tentatively wave back. Could this get any more embarrassing?
“It’s okay if you’d rather not right now,” Ian adds. “I made him wait in the Jeep for a reason.”
What reason? My head throbs, my thoughts thick and fuzzy due to my hangover. The only reason I can come up with is that he’s not sure what his brother will think of me. I’m sure his family is not going to be thrilled when they hear that I’m ten years older and human, not to mention married. That’s definitely not what they dreamed of for him.
“Maybe another time?” I offer, crossing my arms over my bra-less, no-longer-perky boobs. It’s a good thing, because the chilly fall morning has made my nips harden into acorns. No wonder I’m not fit for company. “Like maybe when I’m wearing clothes? I don’t want to embarrass you.”
