Page 51 of Good Luck Charm for the Wolf

Maybe I’m not good enough for him.

I shake my head and get rid of those thoughts. It’s not helpful, and quite frankly I’m mad I even went there for a second.

I promised myself a long time ago, I wouldn’t ever let any man make me think less of myself for any reason.

And honestly, Doug never gave me cause to think those things.

Maybe he’s just emotionally constipated like most men.

Standing behind the counter, sleeves rolled up, surrounded by bowls of prepped veggies, grated cheeses, and stacks of containers for tomorrow’s catering order.

The low hum of the fridge is the only sound, and weirdly? I don’t mind.

In fact, I prefer it to my annoying thoughts and the otherwise creepy quiet filling the place.

I say a voice command to the little robot gadget thingy Carina hooked up in here—feeling oddly like Judy Jetson for a minute—but that moment of strangeness goes away the second my playlist starts to play softly in the background.

I hum along and dice tomatoes, my thoughts wandering, just like they have all dang day, back to Doug.

It’s been twenty-four hours since I’ve seen him.

Not that I’m counting.

Okay. I’m totally counting.

I know he’s working.

Tracking some deadbeat dad who skipped town and left his kid without paying his child support.

Loser.

And really, what a classic Doug move.

He likes to act like he’s this Big Bad Wolf.

Mr. Lone PI who doesn’t do feelings or compassion.

None of that messy stuff for him.

But I know better.

I see him.

The way he only takes cases that really matter.

Sure, he grabs the occasional corporate gig to pay the bills, but most of his work?

Helping the people who were left behind.

The scorned.

The forgotten.

The ones who should have been cherished by the people who were supposed to love them best.

Like his landlady, who told me when I left his apartment the other morning what a superhero he was, keeping her safe from her meddling family and trying to buy the building so she could stay right where she was.

“Those brats. I raised them and now they want to put me away and sell my house! But Douglas is a good boy. He won’t let them!”

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