“Think nothing of it,” he says breezily, opening the refrigerator.
“What are you looking for?”
“Half and half for the coffee.”
“We’re out, but we can pick some up.”
“Okay… how about milk for the corn flakes?” He nods at the cereal box on the counter.
“Um…”
“We’re out of that too?” he sighs.
“Yeah… sorry. It’s been kind of hectic.”
He takes a swallow of his black coffee and then places the mug on a small section of the table that he’s managed to clear. “If you make a list of what you want to eat, I can run to the grocery store this afternoon. I’m not much of a cook, but I’m happy to be your errand boy.”
“My errand boy?” My mouth tips up at the corners unexpectedly.
Teddy’s ears redden. “That does sound a bit… um…”
“About a century out of date. I do hope Auntie Dragonfly never called you her errand boy?”
“Of course not; Miss Dragonfly was always respectful. But we used to watch a lot of old movies together… and some of the terminology just stuck in my head. I’ll have to work on updating my vocabulary.”
I chuckle. “Probably wise, especially if you want to join the local pack.”
Teddy’s head snaps up. “Did Jake say anything about me joining his pack?”
“Not exactly. But he did show me the SIU report, which had some history about your last pack.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” says Teddy; there’s a note of warning in his voice I’ve not heard before. “It has no bearing on my status as your employee.”
“I’m sorry about your alpha,” I say softly, and I mean it.
Teddy stands abruptly. “I’ll meet you at the bakeryshortly; I need to grab something to eat.” He walks stiffly to the sink, rinses out his mug for another full thirty seconds, and then leaves without another word.
Wow… I’ve obviously struck a nerve… but what happened with his old pack in Michigan that makes Teddy so reluctant to discuss it?
Chapter 10
Simply Doomed
TEDDY
Saturday Morning, June 23
I reach into the back seat of my Caddy and grab a handful of granola bars; they’ll have to do for breakfast. It’s one of those cloudless, perfect, early summer days, the kind that remind me of summer camp and toasted marshmallows and lazy pack meets around the campfire. I can’t resist a quick walk down to the harbor; perhaps if I stare long enough at the sparkling waters of Green Bay, I’ll be able to settle my edgy nerves.
I plunk down on a park bench and break open my first breakfast bar; a pair of seagulls wander hopefully toward me, but I shake my head. “Sorry fellas, but I don’t have anything to spare today.”
There are a few old timers out for an early stroll, and some tourists getting ready for a day of fishing or cruising along the coastline. I sigh, wishing I could join them; of course I’m grateful to Miss Dragonfly for thisopportunity of a do-over, but my new faerie boss is a complication I hadn’t bargained on.
Despite all the ways Sophie and I are incompatible… I’m finding myself increasingly drawn to her… and I know that’s a very bad idea. The sight of Sophie in her tiny pajamas this morning lit a flame inside me that I’m still struggling to squelch. And just now, when she expressed remorse over my old alpha, my heart literally flip-flopped in my chest, and I had to get out of that claustrophobic kitchen.
We’re about as different as two people can be—we’re not even the same supernatural species—which makes it difficult for me to understand why my insides fizzle whenever she draws near, and my head gets wooly like it’s stuffed with yarn.
I’d better figure out fast how to manage this unwanted attraction to my new boss; our work arrangementhasto pan out for me. If I give Sophie a legitimate reason to fire me, then all I’ll have left in the world is Miss Dragonfly’s old car and the clothes on my back. The Cadillac DTS is certainly large enough to sleep in, but I’d prefer not to be homeless and packless.
