“Sorry. I’ve just had a crappy fewdays.”
“Crappy? Try my life right now. I had the pleasure of being convened to a Creek assembly yesterday. Lori, who’s apparently her mother’s spokesperson, commanded us to fraternize with our new packmates and learn the fifty or so rules of the Creek way oflife.”
“I broke up with August on Monday,” I blurtedout.
Sarah’s brown eyes broadened. “Okay, your crappy trumps mine. But only by a fraction . . .” She followed me over to the couch and sat daintily while I just dropped onto the seat cushion. “Spill.”
“Both Liam and Evelyn think I shouldn’t date a guy who’s a decadeolder.”
“Liam’s your ex, and Evelyn isn’t ashifter.”
I glanced at Sarah, at the wild blonde corkscrews framing her delicate face. “What does that have to do withanything?”
“He’stotally biased, andshedoesn’t understand the importance of matinglinks.”
“What she doesn’t understand is what a twenty-seven-year-old man sees in an eighteen-year-oldgirl.”
“Did you tell her about thelink?”
“I did, but that’s not why I’m with . . .waswith August in the first place.”Ugh.
“I know, but maybe you could’ve used it to convince her that you’re incapable ofnotbeing withhim.”
I snorted. The sound reminded me of August, which made my heart feel black and blue. “Like she would ever have fallen forthat.”
“She’s not a werewolf. She doesn’t know how itworks.”
“I don’t want her to think I’m with him because I’m incapable of being without him.” I burrowed deeper into the couch. “Doesn’t even matter. I got in a fight with him this afternoon because he found out I shared a cabin with Liam when I was out East, and he’s convinced somethinghappened.”
“Did somethinghappen?”
“No!”
She raised both her palms in the air. “I was just fact-checking. I like to get all my info before doling outadvice.”
I leaned back into the couch and threw one arm over my eyes a taddramatically.
“Just explain something. If you broke up with him on Monday, why are you having a jealous row two dayslater?”
“Because something almost happened between us thisafternoon.”
“I think I might be more confused now than a couple seconds ago. Start from thebeginning.”
And so I did. I told her everything in such detail that when I was done, the food in the little white takeaway cartons wascold.
“You do realizeyou’reridiculous, andhe’sridiculous. Just fucking call him and tell him you lied, and tell Evelyn that you love August, graying hair andall.”
“His hair isn’tgraying.”
She smirked. “Life’s too short, hun. You know this better than anyone else. You’re here today, but you might be gone tomorrow, so just focus on making yourself happy instead of pleasing everyone else around you.” She toyed with a diamond ring that looked a lot like the one which used to grace her uncle’spinkie.
“But I don’t want people to pass judgment onAugust.”
“He’s a big boy. I’m sure he can handle it. I’m sure he’ll behappyto handle it if it means getting youback.”
I wasn’t so sure he wanted me back after this afternoon. “I asked him to dinner tomorrow night, and he said he wasn’t interested.” I didn’t clarify that I told him about it before inviting him because that would’ve won me an eye-roll, and I didn’t want an eye-roll.
I wanted ahug.
