Page 9 of Love is Trash in Hallow's Cove

With no leads on where my mate might be, I head over to the bodega and peer inside through the large glass window. When I don’t see her, I head inside and do a quick lap around the small store. Two of the three Greer triplets are there, Freddie talking to a rabbit shifter at the checkout counter and Bettie stocking shelves.

“Is Hayley here?” I ask, my voice far too loud and strained than what would be considered normal for a casual question.

Bettie turns over her shoulder, one of her wolfy ears perking up, and the warm brown skin of her forehead wrinkling as she assesses me. “Oh, hey, Jake.”

“Hey. Is Hayley here?” I ask again, attempting to seem more casual this time by leaning against the shelf ofchips, but my elbow slips and I end up knocking a bunch of the bags onto the floor. “Shit, sorry,” I mutter, scooping them back up quickly and shoving them back on the shelf.

“Are you okay?” Bettie asks, and I want to shout at her that, no, I’m not okay, and she needs to stop asking questions and tell me where Hayley is before I lose my mind and Beans goes on a rampage until he locates her.

“Yeah,” I say, swallowing heavily. “Totally fine. Just forgot to tell Hayley something when she came over to discuss a problem with, uh, with—”

“A raccoon,” Bettie finishes for me, her lips twisting into a wry smile. “Did you tell her it was you? Why were you out there, anyway? Did you find anything good?”

“Shhh! No, I didn’t tell her!” I snap, panic lancing through me at the thought of Hayley overhearing this talkative teen.

My loud voice draws the attention of Freddie, who sidles over from behind the counter, crossing his arms with an identical smile to his sister’s. “Why didn’t you tell her? She’s not scared of monsters, dude.”

“I didn’t tell her because it won’t happen again,” I huff, then go up on my toes to look over the shelves and make sure no one else is around to listen in. “She doesn’t need to know, so please be cool and don’t tell her,” I say in a harsh whisper.

“No worries, we won’t say anything,” Freddie says with a slightly perplexed smile. For once, my eccentricities are working in my favor because he’s not questioning why I wouldn’t want to tell Hayley I’m a raccoon shifter.

“Speak for yourself,” Bettie says, her golden eyes narrowing at me. “I’ll keep your secret, but in exchange, I need you to bring me the trash from the Fullsteads’ house for the next month.”

“Done,” I reply, without even considering why she’d want their trash. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Hayley won’t be creeped out by me before I have a chance to make her mine.

Freddie grimaces. “Eww, why do you need that? Is it because you have a crush on Armand?”

Bettie glares at her brother. “That’s none of your business.”

Before the pair can start to argue about Bettie’s unusual request, I clear my throat. “Is Hayley here?”

Third time asking is a charm because I finally get my answer. “Nope. She hasn’t been back since she went over to talk to you. She’s probably on a date or something.”

My heart stops at Bettie’s words. “A date?”

“Yeah. She goes on them all the time,” Bettie says, unaware that her words are tearing me apart. I grab one of the chip bags and rip it open, shoving a handful into my mouth to keep from verbally freaking out at this new information.

Freddie frowns at me. “You need to pay for those.”

I fish a random bill out of my wallet and hand it over, hands shaking slightly.

“That’s too much,” Freddie says as he takes the bill and sighs. “I’ll get you some change.”

As he moves away, I weigh my options. I can flee this conversation and race around the streets of downtownHallow’s Cove until I find Hayley. Beans likes that idea, but Jacob wants more info before we go into full panic mode.

I swallow the chips in my mouth and try to give Bettie a friendly look. “So, uh, she dates a lot?”

“Oh yeah,” she replies, chuckling softly. “She’s on a mission to get some monster action. Has been ever since she arrived. We’re taking bets on who she ends up hooking up with and how many people she gets through before she leaves.”

My brain short circuits as I try to parse the overload of information. I don’t know which part to focus on. Or which part is worse—that my mate is actively seeking to have sex with as many monsters as possible, or that she’sleaving.

I cram more chips into my mouth and almost choke as I try to swallow them without chewing enough. Once my coughing fit has subsided, I frown at Bettie. “How many is she up to? When is she leaving? Is she like a monster fetishist or something?”

“Why? Do you want to place a bet?” Bettie laughs, oblivious to my internal turmoil.

“No!” I snap. “You shouldn’t take bets on your boss’s sex life!”

Bettie’s thick brows shoot up to her hairline and her ears pull back. “Whoa, calm down. It was a joke.”

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