Sidewalk argumentsnever seemed to escape their day-to-day routine. They’d fallen into the habit of Flora walking on the ‘inside’ of the sidewalk and him on the outside, but she still liked to tease him. The pair walked up to the restaurant and, upon seeing her mom, Flora smiled bigger than she had in a while. She was incredibly close with her mom. Today they had matching dark hair and blazer suits. While the women exchanged hugs, Dylan offered a polite handshake, and Flora could tell he was unsure of what formalities he should take, unaware of her mother’s animal. Different animals had different behaviors and manners, so Flora felt guilty that Dylan came in underprepared. She didn’t even think about it before that moment.
“This gentleman doesn’t know your animal, I see. Looks like you were listening to me all those years.” Flora’s mother laughed, taking Dylan’s hand and giving it a shake. “I’m Lola Larkspur.” Taking her seat, Flora’ s mom pulled on the end of her blazer, looking polished as she always did.
“You know, some things stick,” Flora agreed, as Dylan pulled out her chair and pushed her in before taking his own seat.
“How is Dainty Rebel? It’s the closest thing I have to a grandbaby,” Lola joked as they placed their orders.
“Great — profits are higher than ever despite everything going on. We got a huge investment pushing our projects forward,” Flora said, sneaking a glance up at Dylan. His focus remained split between her, her mom, and their surroundings. Without a glance back at her, he lightly laid his hand on her shaking thigh under the table. Startled at first, she quickly recovered, sliding her hand over his. They were still testing boundaries around each other. With one phone call, they went from complete strangers to seeing each other 24/7.
“Always straight to the point. My loving Flora, what’s going on?” Lola smiled, reaching a comforting hand on the table. Lola’s tight smile made Flora hesitate to tell her everything. She didn’t want to stress her mom out yet her warm hand reminded her of her mother’s strength.
“I thought it was a one-time thing. A guy from Lust Lane following me home hoping to get lucky. Then it happened again, except I was going to work. Then recently...” Flora started, pushing around the fries on her plate with a fork. “Soon after I met Dylan, this stalker attempted an attack, or kidnapping, I’m not sure which. He couldn’t get close enough before Dylan took care of the situation and got me out of there.”
“He killed him?” Lola asked, eyeing Dylan.
“No, the attacker ran off. Dylan's top concern was getting me to safety,” Flora said, hoping to remove any doubt her mother could have about Dylan. Flora trusted him completely; in fact she needed him. No one could replace him, and she needed her mother to know that. Lola was a woman on a mission. She could be cutthroat when she needed to be and wasn’t afraid to fire anyone. Her hardheaded teenage daughter included. Working beside her mom as a seamstress in her teen years was a hard-learned lesson on doing what you have to do. Flora didn’t prioritize her duties of sewing up buttonholes, so her mom cut her loose. Little did teenage Flora know she’d hate a fast food job even more than her seamstress job.
“Why didn’t you just kill the attacker?” Lola questioned Dylan. While the Council laws of the paranormal community were loose, they were still laws. If Dylan had killed the attacker on unclaimed land, meaning no alpha ruling the land to decide if to punish him or not, he’d be sent to The Council. Unclaimed land is more dangerous than claimed land; dealing with Alphas or Lunas was easier than dealing with The Council. If Dylan was sent to the Council and he provided a justifiable reason for the kill, he would go on without punishment. If the reason was anything less than acceptable, then he'd be sent to Shifter prison.
“There was someone hiding behind the nearest building. If I went off to chase after attacker number one, potential attacker number two would have a wide opening to do whatever they wanted to Flora. As she said, keeping her safe and alive is my top concern,” Dylan explained, staring directly at Lola.
“Could Flora not have fought attacker number two?” Lola asked, a challenging spark in the upward turn of her smile.
“Mom —”
“She could’ve. I don’t know her animal, but after the few weeks I’ve spent with her, I know she can defend herself," Dylan said, leaning back into his chair. “But that doesn’t mean she has to.”
Flora bet he could feel Flora's searching eyes on the side of his head.
She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel about his words.
“Well, with that being said, you have my stamp of approval. And with the look Flora is giving me, it doesn’t seem you need it.” Lola giggled as her daughter looked away, the tiniest blush appearing on her brown skin.
“Where is daddy dearest these days?” Flora diverted, sipping on her straw.
“You know how he is, darling, off on another work trip,” Lola said. Her mom was obviously hiding the truth from Dylan, but Flora wasn’t sure why she was making it so obvious. Flora watched him interact with her mom. His shoulders relaxed, and by the end, he was actually smiling. To think he was so nervous before lunch.
Lola was a gem, and Flora was grateful for her company. She’d missed her family more than she wished to admit. They talked for hours about anything: Flora’s favorite reality TV show to the spring-cleaning Lola had planned seven months in advance. It was just what Flora needed to ground herself amid all her problems.
“Alrighty mom, thanks for coming out,” Flora said, pulling her mom into a hug.
“Dylan, you take care of my baby,” Lola said.
“Of course, Mrs. Larkspur. It's not just me, though; it's a Pack effort as well,” Dylan confirmed, taking Flora’s hand in his.
“Please, call me Lola, but Pack effort?” Lola asked, glancing towards her daughter.
“Yes, I’ve yet to be introduced to them all, but after meeting their Alpha, Jackson, and knowing Dylan and Luxe trust them, I can tell loyalty and a sense of family run deep.”
Flora gripped Dylan’s hand just a touch tighter.
Dylan’s chest puffed out in pride at Flora's praise of his Pack. Smiling, he looked down at Flora, teasing her.
“Alrighty darlings, I’ll be on my way,” Lola laughed as they parted ways.
Turning toward Dylan, Flora shined her smile up at him. “So, how was meeting my mom?”
“Just as expected."
