Page 64 of A Wolf in the Garden

As for the human staff on the vineyard, from time to time I overhear the odd whispered comment about our relationship, but so far it’s all been fairly lighthearted, none of it malicious in nature, the obvious romance between Ellie and I fodder for those who love to gossip.

Like today.

“Are they chatting about us again?” Ellie asks, her eyes dancing between me and the two waitresses far behind me, her expression more amused than worried, though I can hear the slight edge of concern in her voice. I shrug. They are, the wordsso cuteandI’m here for itbeing thrown around, but it’s nothing new, and I join Ellie on the picnic mat that she’s already laid out under an olive tree, wrapping my arm around her waist as I place the platter of cheese and bread on the mat in front of us.

Being able to coordinate lunch dates with Ellie is another perk of this vineyard lifestyle. We meet for lunch every time she works onsite, usually at the vineyard, though we’ve also forgone food in favour of a quickie at my house a couple of times, too. “Do you want to go somewhere else? We don’t have to sit out here, if you feel like you’re being watched.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s beautiful here today, with the view. If you’re not bothered by it, then neither am I.”

“Good. Nobody cares. They’ve all got that laidback Kiwi attitude to everything, us included.”

She leans her head against my shoulder, relaxing into me. “Hmm, true.”

I tilt her chin upwards and kiss her, burying my hands in her hair, sliding my tongue against hers, the little moan she makes going straight to my dick.

“Van,” she whispers against my lips, and I growl in response.

“I’m just giving them something to talk about.”

* * *

I’m finishing my shower when I hear the sound of my phone ringing from the bedroom, the tone of it telling me it’s a video call coming through. A few seconds later Ellie pops her head in the door. “It’s Lacey.”

“Can you answer it? I’ll be out in a minute.” It’s not like my sister is any stranger to seeing me nude — that’s just a part of life when you’re a shifter, you don’t change into a wolf while wearing clothes unless you feel like picking up a thousand pieces of torn fabric afterwards — but I draw the line at ever answering calls in the bathroom.

As I towel off I listen to the sound of Ellie’s footsteps padding down the hallway to the living room. “Hey!” she answers. “How are you? Hi boys! Uncle Van’s just having a shower, but he’ll be done soon.”

I throw on some clothes quickly, giving my hair a perfunctory scrub with my towel. The only good thing about Lacey’s delayed arrival is the fact that it’s given her and Ellie time to reconnect over the phone, where the pressure is off, and I know Ellie’s nerves about seeing Lacey again have eased significantly because of it.

I head to the kitchen, listening in on the conversation as I grab another glass of wine for the both of us.

“Van said you’re not letting him take you on a date.”

“I’m letting him! I just said maybe a helicopter ride was excessive when there’s a perfectly good ferry we can catch.”

I hear Lacey’s growl from here.

“What?! What do you want me to do?” Ellie asks.

“I want you to stop feeling like you’re not worth the helicopter ride, or the fancy dresses, or the special restaurants, or whatever else it is that you have hang-ups about. Because the reality is, none of us are worth it,orall of us are worth it — however you want to look at it, we all deserve it thesame. Yes, the vast majority of people in the world don’t get a chance to have these fun experiences, butyou do. I think you are worth it, Ellie. Stop cock-blocking yourself from having fun. Evander has all this money, whether you like it or not. And he’s savvy, so he’s not going to stop making more money — I know he’s pissing around there with that vineyard and bleeding dollars from his eyeballs with the renovations but it’snothingcompared to the big numbers he deals with for his investments, and he’s going to keep investing, and you are going to marry him—”

“—Am I?”

“Yes of course you are, and he isnotgoing to make you sign a prenup, because I know what he’s like, and he’d rather eat his own shit than entertain the idea that you two will ever be separated again, so you are going to be a very wealthy lady very soon. Solet himtake you on afuckingdate that’s fancier than the fish and chip shop down the road.I love you, but you're being stupid, Ellie. Ride in the damn helicopter.”

One thing I can appreciate about my sister is that when she wants to be, she can be incredibly blunt, and knows how to make a point. Ellie’s eyes meet mine for a moment, her cheeks flushed pink and her smile wide. She’s had plenty of summers putting up with Lacey’s sharp tongue, so I know she’s not at all offended by it now. “Alright. I will ride in the damn helicopter. Happy?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, here’s your brother. I love you too. I’m sorry about all the visa drama.”

“Same. We’ll get it sorted. Hopefully we’ll be lounging on the beach together in no time, Van can be on uncle duties, and I canrelax.”

I sit down on the couch beside Ellie, and she passes the phone to me. “Hey Lacey.”

“Hi, Van. I’m so fucking tired of this visa bullshit.”She looks it, too, with dark circles under her amber eyes. I feel a fresh wave of guilt at the fact that I left her in the States when I came over here; she’s been finding the last few months hard, even with a temporary nanny.

“I’ve already sent an email to my lawyer,” I tell her.

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