Page 9 of Wolf's Midlife Baby

“Not for a while,” he admitted with a grin.

“Fine. Then categorically, I’d have to say I’m not enthusiastic about team-building exercises.”

He flicked on his turn signal. “That’s very specific.”

“I know, but that’s what I’ve been doing all day. These annual meetings are a good way to distribute information about the company as a whole and talk about future goals, but Marshall has this idealistic dream about his employees being best friends. That’s why we all had to float down the river yesterday, and that’s also why we had to spend today doing things like splitting into groups and finding one thing that every person in that group has in common. Or one person has to be blindfolded while another guides them through an obstacle course just by talking to them.”

“Does any of this make you a better writer? Or a better employee?”

“Please, bring that challenge to my boss! Marshall would find a way to say it does, though. I can’t blame the guy for trying, but getting a bunch of introverted, creative types to interact and get to know each other is quite the stretch.”

“Dahlia doesn’t seem very introverted,” he noted.

“No,” Holly snorted. “There are a few exceptions.”

He parked the truck and quickly came around to open her door for her, even though she’d fully recovered and was more than capable of doing it herself. “Looks like we’ve come on a good day.”

The light breeze carried delicious scents to her as soon as her feet touched the asphalt, and her mouth began to water. “Wow. What is that?”

“Look over there.” He pointed to a gathering of food carts near an outdoor market. “Are you hungry?”

“Sure.” They walked together through the little circle of food carts, which offered everything from fish tacos to kebobs to loaded fries. Some were offering breakfast food, even though it was dinner time. “I don’t know how I’m going to pick.”

“That’s always a problem around here. There are just too many good options. Let’s see what they’ve got here.”

When she had a fat vegetarian burrito in her hand and Pierce had picked up a Monte Cristo sandwich, he led her back out onto the sidewalk. “I’ve got an idea for a great place to take you, but I figured we could walk there and just take in the sights on the way.”

“It’s so pretty here,” she noted as she dabbed a bit of guacamole off the side of her mouth. “I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never really ventured out much the other times I’ve been here.”

“You’ve been missing out. There are some great outdoor markets, especially on the weekends, plus beer gardens and wineries. Not that we don’t have chain stores, but there are tons of locally-owned places, too. Any of that is a lot more exciting than having a scavenger hunt with your coworkers.”

Holly laughed. “You know, we actually did do that last year. It probably wasn’t the worst thing, at least. What about you? I take it they don’t have you do that kind of training with the fire department?”

“No. They’re more concerned with all the boring stuff like CPR and first aid. You’ve got to try this.” Pierce held out half of his sandwich.

She touched his hand as she bit off the corner. It was just a bite of food while they stood in the middle of the sidewalk, yet it felt incredibly intimate. Holly took a quick step back as she nodded in approval. “That’s delicious. Do you want a bite of mine?”

“Sure.”

She watched with intrigue as his teeth sank into the tortilla. It shouldn’t be sexy. It really shouldn’t, yet Holly couldn’t help but think she’d much prefer him taking a bite out of her.

“I’ll be honest,” he said when he’d swallowed. “That tastes much better than I thought anything vegetarian would.”

“Definitely.” It was a small thing to agree on, yet it pleased her to know they had something in common. If anyone had asked Holly what an ideal date would be like, she wouldn’t have thought about checking a random gathering of food carts. Walking around town, just enjoying the buildings and trees and seeing how happy the people looked was much better than dinner and a movie. It was real life, a beautiful blend of businesses and residences side by side, and it made her want to know more about the area. What was the history behind all of this? Was there a reason for the unusual architecture of that building? How many businesses had inhabited it over the years, and what were their stories? Then, there was the band playing live on the street corner, happily churning out music for anyone to hear. What would be the future of that little girl who danced so freely to their songs? Would she be a musician one day? The sights, smells, and sounds filled her, and she loved it.

She also noticed something else about the area, even though she hadn’t specifically been looking for it. “There are a lot of people like us here, aren’t there?”

He smiled again, that killer grin that made her lose herself in the way his lips moved over his teeth. “Plenty, yes.”

The image of him in his other form came to her mind, the glorious wolf that had so easily flowed out of him. He was confident and comfortable in his beast, and it was a view to enjoy. It also made her question all over again just what fate had in mind when it threw the two of them together. “I get the feeling much more of them are like you than me.”

He shrugged casually. “Yeah, I think so. We’re not really all that different, though. Are we?”

Not as different as they could be, since they shared a secret they had to keep safe from the rest of the world. It was a difference she wouldn’t mind exploring if they didn’t already have a much bigger difference that came as more of a challenge. Pierce was part of this beautiful community. She was part of her own back in Cape Cod. Right now, that felt like far more of an obstacle between them than the species of their shifter forms. “Maybe not.”

“Let’s turn the corner here. There’s a great place I want to show you, and I think it showcases everything that Eugene has to offer. Or at least a lot of it.” He gestured to the right.

“Like what?”

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