Page 42 of Accidentally Wedded To A Werewolf

Oliver glared at him. Ben beamed, slinging an arm around his wife’s shoulders and knocking Oliver in the head in the process.

“Cool,” Darren tried, his homework abandoned in his lap. He was tearing tiny strips off the edges of the paper, restless and ready for the night.

“Boring,” Vida said from where she was sitting on the floor, headphones angled so she could listen with one ear. She’d had her music on full blast all day. Oliver had caught her headbanging in the lobby earlier.

Luna clapped. “Great ideas. I was thinking something more like…”

She turned and whipped the towel off the whiteboard. It had multiple lists scrawled down it. Two words sat at the top of the board: COZY MONSTERS.

“COZY,” Leo yelled. He ran and leaped up across both his parents’ laps, burrowing his face into his dad’s stomach.

Ben grunted, patting his back. “Okay, bud, save it for later.”

Leo growled, digging his nose in harder. Fur sprouted over his arms.

“Save it,” Ben reminded him. He nodded pointedly at Luna. “Go on, Luna.”

Luna blinked. Then she pulled up another shining smile, stupidly charming for someone who looked like she fit on a TV game show while holding a suitcase full of money.

“So,” she said. “I looked at your online presence, and I really think we need to work on your branding. What you have so far is fine, but it needs a littlesparkle. Something to tie it all together, let people know what they should expect in a few short words.”

Uncle Roy raised a grudging hand.

Luna blinked again, her smile going slack with shock. “Roy! Do you have an idea?”

Uncle Roy pointed at the whiteboard. “Where’s the logo? You said you’d give us a logo.”

“I’m still working on it!” Luna preened, ruffling her sleek blonde hair. “I’m still deciding what’s going to work best for your branding. Which, I think we can all agree, should be centered around this.”

She tapped the whiteboard. “Now, we can work on what’s inside the inn later. Obviously, we need to up the cozy factor and get more cute. Armchairs instead of those things you have out in the guest common room. Maybe some adorable little monster-themed cushions and knick-knacks around people’s rooms. But anyway, let’s focus on everythingoutsidethe inn. You have a beautiful mountain view! The ocean’s a ten-minute drive away!Andyou have that gorgeous forest at your doorstep! You have a bakery where dragons bake the bread, you have a minotaur with a flower shop, and you have Beth’s sweet little monster chocolates. There’s so much to explore.”

Sabine spoke up, ruffling her son’s furry arms. “I heard you’ve been helping people out in town, Luna. Joshua said those bouquets you posted about have been flying off the shelves!”

“Same as Heath’s croissants,” Ben added. “Think I actually saw the guy smile yesterday when he was making them. It was weird.”

Sabine continued, “And Chester said books have been going like hotcakes since you helped them set up that online store. Especially since you helped them with those pesky packaging issues.”

“And newsletter trouble,” Oliver finished. He’d listened to Luna rant about admin issues for too long not to bring it up.

“All in a day’s work.” Luna struck another pose, color high on her cheeks. “And now I know how to send a paperback from Alaska to New Jersey with minimal bending! Never expected to learnthatwhen I got stuck here. Ahem.”

She was downplaying it. Oliver had been following her around town while she set everything up with various store owners, and he’d seen how hard she worked. She got results. Oliver kept expecting her to brag, and sometimes she did. But most of the time, she was shockingly bashful about her work, like she was waiting for someone to tell her she wasn’t very good.

“You really should talk to the mayor,” said Aunt Barney, undoing her sister’s plait. “Christopher will talk to anyone who wants to uplift the town. He’s the one who organized that beautiful mural you were taking photos of, Luna.”

Aunt Althea frowned. “Christopher’s on his honeymoon, remember? Won’t be back for a while.”

“Oh. Right.”

“I’ll make a note of it,” Luna said. She turned back to the board. “Anyway! When your guests are done seeing all the wonders of Claw Haven, they can come and get cozy by the fire.”

“The fireplace is walled up,” Oliver said flatly.

Luna pointed at one of the bullet points on her list.FIX FIRE.

Sabine cleared her throat, a smile twisting her mouth. “Sorry, butthe wonders of Claw Haven?Is thisbranding for us or the whole town?”

Luna laughed. A few weeks ago, Oliver would’ve assumed it was haughty. Now he noticed how it was slightly too loud as if compensating for her nerves.

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