Page 11 of Fur-Ever Home

"I already checked the app. It's canceled."

That couldn't be true. I pulled my phone out of my breast pocket and took it off airplane mode, only for it to light up with several notifications at once.

Canceled. Our flight was canceled.

"I need to get home tonight," I whined.

"I thought you might say that. I hired a private jet."

I blinked up at him. "You have a private jet?"

"It's not mine," he hastily corrected. "A friend of a friend, you could say. He's the only person I know who's crazy enough to fly in this weather."

The weather. I'd completely forgotten the storm system in the west. It must have worsened over Denver while we were in the air.

As I gathered my coat and bag, I took another covetous look at Connor's stuffed wolf toy. I wondered if he would sell it to me. My shopping options were dwindling by the minute. I'd already checked all the shopping malls from San Diego to South LA. It would take me a full day to search the rest, and I doubted Iwould have any luck. The toy my nephew wanted was sold out everywhere.

While it wasn't an interactive robot dog, the wolf toy was cute. I hoped it would tide Jeffrey over until the Wonderdog 3000 I'd bought online months ago finally arrived.

"Are you coming?" Connor asked. "The guy won't wait forever."

Connor wasn't sobad when he wasn't trying to shove a tissue up my nose. I didn't like taking Benadryl, it was true, but I felt a million times better now that we were off the plane and I was no longer experiencing an allergic reaction to someone's fragrance.

My growling stomach echoed through the vacant sky bridge, even over the sound of my rolling suitcase.

"Want to eat at the deli before we go?" he asked.

"You're the one who said your friend wouldn't wait."

"I'll text him and tell him to meet us. I've never seen him turn down a meal."

Connor's smile was reassuring, but I hated meeting new people, especially when I couldn't fall back on my work title to protect myself from over-assertive alphas.

Connor was the least assertive alpha I'd met, when he wasn't trying to drug me or wipe my damn nose. I … tolerated him better than most. I was getting used to his presence along this weird journey home from New York. I liked walking behind a big alpha who knew where he was going. He let me drag my own suitcase this time, but he looked back occasionally to make sure I was still following him, like an insecure puppy confirming his owner was holding the leash.

Did he say he turned into a wolf, or had that been part of my weird allergy dream? He gave off Golden Retriever vibes.

At the deli counter, Connor insisted on paying for my sandwich, chips, and bottled water. He got a pack of three gourmet chocolate chip cookies along with his meal, and we sat at a table near the front.

I thought we'd sat here to watch for his friend, but he seemed more interested in watching me. Every time I looked up, he stared back at me with an intense smile. He hadn't even taken a bite of his sandwich yet.

"You should eat," I said.

"I can eat on the plane." His smile showed even more teeth. He looked like he could have devoured me. Maybe he was a wolf in Golden Retriever clothing, after all.

I was about to ask how the wolf thing worked when a man even larger than Connor stumbled into the deli. Connor hopped up from his seat and gave the big man a hug. "Hey, Shen. How's it going?"

"Never thought I would see you again," the big man said. "Didn't you get fired?"

"Does everyone know about that?" Connor ducked his head.

"Fired?" I asked. "So, you don't work for a cryptocurrency operation?" That was a relief, honestly. My parents owned a savings and loan headquartered in San Clemente with several branches throughout California. They believed in the power of the almighty dollar, not whatever the fuck cryptocurrency was.

Why did it matter what my parents would think of Connor? It wasn't like they would ever meet him.

"He was waiting to tell me in Phoenix," Connor said. "I need to get Ben," he pointed, and I grimaced at the shortening of my name, "home to Orange County before I can settle up with Hank in Phoenix. Can you get us there?"

"Sure," Shen said. "If it makes you feel any better, I always liked you more. Hank's a dick."

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