Ava makes up food for Aurora as she looks at me. “You busy daydreaming about Caleb?”
“What? No.” I scowl, and she raises her brows at me.
“When are you seeing him next?”
I shrug. “Don’t know. It’s not easy when he needs to hide it from his father.”
Ava’s lips tilt downwards. “We could go over there?” she suggests.
I twist towards her and shake my head. “We can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s weird, and I don’t want to look like a stalker.”
Ava’s eyes soften. “Well…we could go over there to see Zara. It doesn’t have to come across like you’re doing it for Caleb.”
My heart spikes at the thought. “And why will we be seeing Zara?”
She waggles her brows at me. “Bringing her a cake and Aurora. A friendly drop-by. Get us out of the house. We can do whatever we want today.”
I chew on my lip. “I don’t want to come across as needy.”
“Then don’t,” she says as she hands Aurora her sandwich. “We’re not going to see Caleb, remember?”
My chest tightens. “Okay.”
“Want to help me make the cake?”
“If you want it to be poisoned, sure.”
Ava releases a soft laugh. “Come on, I’ll teach you.”
Three hours later,we’re standing outside Caleb’s pack house with the cake in my hands and Aurora on Ava’s hip. Zara greets us with the brightest smile and brings Ava into an embrace.
“To what do I owe this lovely surprise?” she says with excitement.
“Thought we’d drop by.” Ava grins as Zara turns towards me and gives me a hug.
I clear my throat. “We brought you a cake,” I say as I thrust the plastic box in her direction.
Zara stares down at the lemon drizzle we whipped up in record time. “Oh my.” She beams. “Thank you. Come in.”
We step inside their house, and the air is charged with Caleb’s scent. Ava and I follow Zara to the empty kitchen with no sign of Caleb. I sigh to myself that he’s the first thing I think about.
Of course he is. It’s why you’re here.
“Quiet here today, too?” Ava asks, voicing my thoughts.
Zara turns towards her with a nod. “Yeah, very quiet. Caleb’s busy working, and everyone else is allowed to go and visit family members, have the day off.”
“How has Caleb been settling into his new pack?”
I study Zara as she takes a moment to answer. “It’s taken time for him to build trust, and it’s definitely not going to come easily. But he’s been making an incredible effort. I think they’re starting to realise that he’s nothing like his father. That was their biggest worry.”
Ava hums. “Which is completely understandable. So, is Caleb working here today?”
“Yeah,” Zara says as she points towards the hall. “Working in his office, catching up on things. He never stops, barely gets any sleep. I don’t know how he functions.”
