Page 13 of Howling Night

I shook my head. “Really, I only stopped by to ask you about the area. And black, please.”

She handed me the cup and eyed me as I took a sip. “Too cold? I could pop it in the microwave?—”

“It’s fine, thank you.”

“What did you want to ask me?” she asked, leaning back against the counter.

I let out a quick breath. “This is probably going to sound weird, but like, did you hear those wolves last night? It sounded like there were a lot of them. Is that normal for this area?”

“Oh!” Courtney’s face lit with recognition. “You heard them, huh? They can get pretty vocal some nights. I guess you are a lot closer to the woods than I am over here, but we hear them some night, too.”

“And you’re not worried about it?” I asked, glancing toward her son.

“Not at all. They hang out in the woods behind your place. I think they like to be near that lake or something,” Courtney said, turning to the stove to scoop some mac and cheese onto a blue plastic plate. “It’s been like this my whole life. Just more wildlife out here in the country. Nothing to worry about. I mean, I wouldn’t let Mason play outside at night alone, but I wouldn’t do that even without the wolves.”

She brought the plate to Mason and set it down on the coffee table. “Thank you, mommy,” he said, smiling up at her. “Can I have yogurt too? And a banana?”

“Sure,” she said, placing a kiss on his head. She was smiling as she came back into the kitchen and collected the requested items. “His eyes are bigger than his stomach. What were we talking about? Oh yeah, the wolves.” She took out a knife and started chopping the bananas into discs. “They’re mostly harmless, really. Just big dogs. They don’t like being around humans. I mean, I wouldn’t recommend going to the lake at midnight, but Old Man Harrison lived in that house for as long as I can remember and never once had a problem with them. There were rumors that he used to feed them, and that’s why they hang out in those woods, but I doubt that’s true.”

“Mommy? Juice!” Mason shouted from the living room. “Please?”

“Sure, honey. Just a minute, okay?” She turned back to me. “The wolves really keep to themselves. Some locals even consider them protectors of the town, believe it or not. I like to think that’s true, too.”

I frowned. “The real estate agent never mentioned anything about a wolf pack living in my backyard.”

“Probably because they’re not actually living there,” Courtney said, flicking her eyes to me. “Did you actually see one in your yard?”

“No, but it sounded like they were?—”

“Well, there you go,” she said, bringing the rest of her son’s meal to the coffee table. “They will leave you alone. I know they will. They just sound closer than they are. Try to think of them as protectors.”

I nodded and took another sip of coffee. “Sounded like they were just outside my window.”

“They won’t come onto your property,” Courtney said, coming back into the kitchen.

My eyes narrowed. “Well, they could.”

“They’re probably more afraid of you than you are of them,” she said, turning to the counter to wipe it down with a clean towel. “Really, they’ll respect your boundaries. I bet you won’t actually even see one.”

Mason dropped his juice box, sending red liquid across the tile floor. He stood facing the kitchen with wide eyes.

“Oops,” Courtney sighed, grabbing a dishcloth. “The joys of motherhood. Good thing I got that stain-resistant carpet when I had this redone. It’s not perfect, but I bet you can’t find where he spilled the last juice box.”

I watched Courtney kneel to clean up Mason’s spill, feeling a bit like I was intruding on their family time. She seemed so certain about the wolves, but her confidence didn’t completely erase my unease.

“I should probably get going,” I said, holding up my cup. “Thanks for the coffee and the chat.”

“You’re leaving?” Mason asked, looking up from his mac and cheese with wide eyes.

“I am, but it was nice to meet you,” I told him with a smile.

Mason turned to his mom. “Can she stay and watch the cartoon with me?”

Courtney stood, tossing the wet cloth into the sink. “Sorry, baby, Everly is very busy today.”

“Maybe another time,” I said, giving him a smile. He just stared at me, but it wasn’t surprising since I wasn’t very good with kids.

“Seriously,” Courtney said, drying her hands on her shirt. “You don’t need to worry about the wolves. If anything, they’re good to have around. They keep the more dangerous predators away from the area. I know it’s probably a lot different from where you lived before, but there were probably other things you had to worry about there. It’s safe here. You’ll like it. I know you will.”

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