She was also half in love with her landlady, a spry seventy-three-year-old widow who rented out the house she used to share with her husband, while she lived with her daughter and son-in-law, helping them care for their kids.
Myra and Adam had found a place outside of town, deeper in the forest, that would work well as a pack house, and had been able to rent it. The owner had indicated a desire to sell, which might prove handy if they decided to stay in Alicante. Two weeks in and they had a solid idea of what it would take to support a small pack, and how they could expand and grow that pack in the future. It was time to start meeting potential members.
They had decided to throw a party. Well, okay, it had been her suggestion, which Myra loved and Adam balked at. But she’d asked him whether he’d prefer one party over in a few hours, or many meetings with many people, over the course of days. He’d seen the logic of her option, then.
Of course, she couldn’t just throw a party and not make it part of her work. So she had to pick a theme and run with it, take lots of pictures, blog about the results. She also needed a signature drink for the party, which had amused Adam to no end, but he’d helped her out and they’d settled on a Full Moon Mash, a take on a margarita with muddled cactus pear. Adam had been skeptical, but had enjoyed the testing, as well as the results.
She’d helped them get the house pulled together quickly, so that they could host the party there. The living room, dining room, kitchen and library/office were set.
The full moon was tonight, which made it extra fitting. They would mingle, eat, and then go for a run together, exploring the woods. She was pretty sure that would be enough to have a solid idea about most of the guests.
It had been a long time since she’d been anxious about a party, but she wanted to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. She wanted their tiny pack to present well, and while intellectually she knew that had nothing to do with whether or not people liked her subtle decorations or her signature cocktail, emotionally it was all tied together and she wanted it to be perfect.
Adam opened the door for her and ran his hand up and down her arm, soothing the nervousness she hadn’t realized had increased so much. She took a deep breath and tried to shake it off. She trusted Myra and Adam. No one who didn’t fit well with their group would be asked to join, she was sure of that. There was no reason to be jittery.
Actually, there was one reason. Two of the people coming to the party were from the original Mesa pack. Well, one was a teenager, but her mother, Olivia, had been part of the pack that had allowed the rogue Phoenix pack to exist. Adam had told her he was willing to meet the woman and give her a chance, but she and Myra were both ready to reject the pair if Adam felt the least bit conflicted about them joining. Still, he didn’t seem worried, so she tried to put it out of her mind.
She put the final touches on the decorations and took a look around. The large dining room was what had sold them on the house. It was big enough to hold a table that could sit twelve comfortably, a few more if they got cozy. The landlord had painted it a pretty dove gray, and they’d bought chairs upholstered in a soft mauve that looked perfect in the room.
As might be expected in a house with such a dining room, the kitchen was excellent, boasting lots of cabinets and plenty of counter space. The appliances weren’t top of the line, not what she would buy for herself, but they were decent enough for a rental and had handled the party needs handily. If the pack ended up buying the house, she supposed they’d upgrade over time.
The living room was open, with enough room for a couch, love seat and two chairs near the fireplace, and a smaller sitting area by the back door, which led to a spacious patio.
She helped Adam haul the meat to the barbecue outside and get it fired up, and tasted the guacamole that Myra was putting out as the first guests arrived. She took a deep breath and went out to meet her potential new packmates.
An hour later, she was laughing with Jen, the fourth from Los Angeles, who was telling her a story about getting stuck in a strange city, naked. She glanced over at Adam to see how he was doing, but he seemed completely at ease as he spoke to a couple from Florida. It amused her that her alpha had ever thought he wasn’t a people person, when he was such a natural leader.
She’d opened her mouth to respond to Jen when a scent hit her. Something about it was so intriguing she forgot what she was about to say and turned her head to find the source.
A man was standing at the door with an older couple, the group obviously having just arrived. Myra was introducing herself and leading them into the house. The man looked around, met Cindy’s gaze—and stopped walking. The woman with him grabbed his arm impatiently and tugged him along, out of the room.
Cindy blinked, turning back to Jen, who simply raised an eyebrow at her.
“Know them?” Jen asked.
“No, you?”
“Not a clue. He’s hella handsome, though.”
“Yes, yes he is.”
“I need another drink,” Jen said, holding up her empty margarita glass. “You want anything?”
“I’m still good, thanks.” She turned to see who she should talk to next, to find a woman and teenager walking up to her.
“Excuse me, are you Cindy? I’m Olivia Keogh, and this is my daughter, Tasha. We were led to believe the new pack was going to be in Arizona, but you seem to be settling here, in New Mexico.”
The words were just shy of being argumentative, which Cindy thought was a bit cheeky, but she just smiled. This was the woman she’d been concerned about meeting Adam.
“The territory for the old pack was all of Arizona and half of New Mexico. That’s a lot of territory to choose from, and to see what works best for the new pack.”
“So you’re not intending to let the old pack members of Mesa, the ones innocent of any wrongdoing, go back to their homes?”
“Mom,” Tasha mumbled in protest.
“The innocence—or lack thereof—of the pack members has already been decided by the National President at that time. That has nothing to do with settling a new pack. Any wolf in the country interested in joining the new pack is welcome to make their interest known. That’s why you were invited to this party, Olivia. Your email didn’t make any mention of wanting to return to a specific area.”
The woman’s lips pursed tightly. “We had to sell our house.”
