“What the hell, Lucas? You’re not supposed to laugh when you look at people’s photos.” I leaned into him and peered at the screen. Looking at the image, I had to admit it wasn’t one of my better portraits. The lighting was soft, and my pink hair fell in gentle waves, but the expression on my face looked horrified.
“I guess you don’t want a new camera,” Lucas handed it back.
I set it down gently. “Yeah, it’s a bit rough. This camera has been with me for twelve years. We’ve been through some serious shit together.”
“Twelve years… you had this while you were human?” he nodded at it.
I bit my lip and then selected the menu and scrolled down to the bottom. As the photos of the bad years scrolled by, a heaviness pressed down on me, constricting my breathing until I passed them by. I selected my favorite photo.
Lucas leaned in, and he glanced back up with wide eyes. “There are two of you?”
“There were.” I touched the photo. “My twin sister Veronica was fighting some pretty serious addiction problems, for a long time. Three months after I was supposedly dragged off by wild dogs, she overdosed. Kane kept it from me for months.” I scrolled through more photos, showing images of Ronnie and me on the Santa Monica pier. An image of me kissing a statue. “We could be such nerds together. I bought this cheap, twenty-buck digital camera because it was all I could afford at the time. Now… it has everything on it… Ronnie, my wedding and honeymoon with the imposter, some of my darkest moments.” I smiled up at Lucas. “Your dimple.”
Lucas leaned his elbows on the counter and looked over at me, giving me the full power of his attention. “And, you don’t want to back those up.”
“Most of these can never see the light of day. I’m not ever going to look at them again. They existed, though. Those moments were real. My human life was real. Ronnie was real. You’re real. I just need that.” I turned the power off to conserve the batteries. I lifted my coffee cup and smiled at him over the steaming liquid. “Clearly, I’m a master of waking you up with lighthearted banter at four AM.”
He shifted his coffee over, and the back of his hand pressed to mine. “I lost someone I loved to addiction too. A long time ago, I was married. My wife would be considered an alcoholic today, though back then, there was a lot of silence around it. She was drunk, and she drove the car off the road.” He paused and closed his eyes. “My son was in that car—he was fifteen years old. They both died on impact. It was… before digital cameras, and sometimes, I’m not sure if the picture in my head is what they looked like.”
Knowing that there was nothing I could say to alleviate pain like that, I pressed my hand into Lucas’ in silent support. We stayed there for a while, sipping our coffee in silence. When our mugs were empty, Lucas stepped away to refill both of our glasses.
“There’s no fancy restaurant in Grayhaven,” he said, and from his tone, I could tell he was ready to change the subject. “If you actually want to see me dress up, I can probably come up with something.”
I bit my lip and leaned into the counter. “Are you asking me out on a date, doc?”
He placed a coffee mug in my waiting hands. “I am asking you out on a date.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “And, are you doing it because you enjoy my company… or do you feel like we’re in some sort of arranged mate-age situation, so you might as well get to know me?”
He rubbed a hand over his beard, and his gray eyes laughed at me. “Arranged mate-age?”
I held up my hands. “I guess.”
He tapped a finger on the counter. “Teagan, we’ve all known about your existence for going on ten years. I accepted that you were probably never going to be part of my life a long time ago. I’m enjoying this.” He leaned in and lifted his brows. “What about you? Are you enjoying this?”
“Yes.” I let out a soft laugh. To say I was enjoying my time with the Grayhaven pack and its sexy veterinarian immensely would be an understatement. “As of right now, I plan to stay and work for the fire station for a hot minute. I want to earn some money and let my hand heal, but I’m not sold on staying here and waiting for Kane to find me. I might stay a few days, I might stay a few weeks, I’m not sure yet.”
“How about this Saturday night, then?” he asked.
I chuckled into my coffee. “Honestly… I don’t even know what day it is.”
“It’s Wednesday,” Lucas said.
“It’s a date… damn.” I shook my head. “I don’t have any dresses. I guess I’ll have to figure something out.”
His brows lifted. “I’ll give you what you need to trade for a dress.”
“Let’s keep that as a last resort.” I reached up and straightened his rumpled collar. “If I fail to get one on my own. How formal are we talking?”
“What you’re wearing is great.” He glanced down at my t-shirt and ripped jeans.
“No.” I rolled my eyes. Turning around I leaned back into the counter. “I love the idea of getting dressed up and going on a date with you, Dr. Wolf. I just need to know how to prepare.”
“Is black tie too much?”
“Black tie is perfect.” I traced a finger over the top of my mug. “I’m looking forward to this, and I don’t even remember the last time I had something to look forward to.”
“Me neither,” Lucas said.
