“My grandfather’s.”
Ew, I really didn’t like that old man, but it didn’t matter. I wanted to see Jake, make sure he was fine. Though there was more. I was ready to tell him everything.
“How did you manage to beat Blake?” Jake asked, sounding confused.
“I’m coming to see you. I’ll tell you all about it when I get there.”
“I’m okay. Don’t worry. I can see you Monday.”
“No, I have to see you today.”
“It’s all right. Today, I—”
“Be there in a few.”
I clicked the “off” button. I wasn’t taking “no” for an answer. I needed to tell him everything before I lost my courage.
Fearing he might call to try to dissuade me, I put my phone in silent mode and slipped it into my back pocket. I quietly left the house and got in my Camaro.
Fifteen minutes later, I parked in front of Walter Knight’s house and jogged up the walkway. The house was just as beautiful and grand as I remembered it. The sweet perfume of roses tickled my sniffer, drawing my eyes to an array of well-tended bushes full of blooming pink buds. The plants made me wish I didn’t have such a black thumb and killed everything I tried to grow. They were so pretty.
Inhaling deeply and rolling my shoulders, I rang the bell.
The first thing I heard was the barks of a dog. Bones, I presumed, the Giant Schnauzer that Jake had introduced me to the last time I was here. Steps quickly followed the dog’s barks.
“Get back, you,” a male voice said as the door cracked open.
Walter Knight appeared at the threshold, wearing a welcoming expression that quickly morphed into a frown when he recognized me.
“Ms. Sunder, what a surprise to see you here this early,” he said, holding Bones by the collar. The dog seemed to wear an expression as mean as his owner’s, though the effect was due to his eyebrows and whiskers needing a trim.
“Hi.” I wiggled my fingers lamely. “I came to visit Jake, see how he’s doing.”
He made a disapproving sound in the back of his throat. “My grandson is resting. He was injured last night.”
His brown eyes narrowed, scrutinizing me with hostility, as if he blamed me for what had happened. If he did, he had it all wrong. Jake could get into trouble entirely on his own.
“Maybe you should come back another time,” Walter said.
He’d started closing the door when Jake appeared behind him.
“It’s okay, Grandpa. I’m up.”
Walter’s face tightened with annoyance. So... it seemed my first impression had been correct. Walter Knight didn’t like me. I wondered why.
Reluctantly, Walter moved away from the door, pulling Bones with him. “C’mon, you stupid dog.” He jerked the collar and shooed the dog away. The animal lowered his head and slunk out of view. The old man followed after him, not bothering to give me a second glance.
“Come in, Toni.” Jake limped in my direction, holding a hand to his side. He was barefoot, wearing a gray, crumpled T-shirt, and a pair of frayed jeans that hung low on his narrow hips. He gestured toward a closed door.
I smiled nervously, opened the door, and shyly walked into a small sitting room. Jake closed the door behind me, then shuffled toward a cream-colored sofa with silky upholstery. It was flanked by two ornate end tables and fronted by huge windows that let in the morning sunlight and allowed a view of the magnificent front lawn.
“Sit.” He gestured toward the sofa.
I stood frozen, my heart beating out of control, feeling like it was about to give out.
Maybe telling him here is a bad idea. Maybe I should wait.
Clearly, that was the wimpy side of me talking. Red wouldn’t chicken out from anything, especially a simple conversation. I inhaled deeply, taking in Jake’s pine and rain scent and drawing courage from it.
Groaning a bit, Jake took a seat next to me, accommodated a cushion behind his back, and reclined. “I feel like a fucking old man,” he complained.
“Are you healing all right?”
“Yeah, all the wounds are closed. I’m just sore.”
I smiled. “I’m glad. I’m really glad. I was worried about you.” I held his gaze, hoping it conveyed how relieved I felt.
Without thinking, I started biting my thumbnail.
How should I start?
Jake, that promise you made your father, I can help you fulfill it.
No. Too forward.
Jake, I’m ready to bear a litter of werewolves for you.
Too exaggerated, and not necessarily true.
Jake, I’m a werewolf.
Yeah. Clear. Direct. Succinct.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Jake beat me to it.
“So you never saw the second wolf?”
“Uh, no. Just Blake, but—” I was about to tell him that I wasn’t here to talk about last night, but he interrupted me again.
“And you’re not hurt?”
I shook my head. “I already told you. I’m fine.”
He frowned, puzzled. “I’m impressed, Toni. It’s not just anyone who can take on a werewolf. Poisoned bullets or not.”
“Well, um, it wasn’t just the gun.”
He leaned forward, wincing a little. “No?”
“No. There’s something else, something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
“And what is that?”
“Jake, I’m a—”
The door to the sitting room swung open, and Bones bounded in, wagging his tail. Walter appeared next, a woman by his side.
“Look who just got here, Jake,” the old man said.
I recognized the newcomer immediately as the blonde Jake had taken as a date to Eric’s party. She wore a sundress with a sweetheart neckline to enhance her ample boobs and a pair of blocky, rattan wedges that brought her to my height. Her silky straight hair fell past her bare shoulders and shone with perfect highlights.
Jake sprang to his feet, his eyes wide, the soreness on his side forgotten. I remained seated, unable to move, my mind reeling with possibilities. What was she doing here? But more importantly, why did Walter look like the cat that ate the canary?
“Allison,” Jake said, “I didn’t know you were coming.”
The blonde seemed reluctant to come in at first, but with an encouraging nod from Walter, she
