Page 128 of The Lone Wolf Café
Now Rowena’s smile was brighter, and the tension on her face was replaced with excitement.
“The hotel is supposed to have an indoor pool,” Rowena commented. “And a hot tub.”
I laughed at her sudden optimism. “And a breakfast buffet! Gods, I’ve never seen a skyscraper before. And there’s so manypeoplein Boston…”
“Nettie,” Rowena scolded, but this time she was laughing. “Remember what we said. No getting nervous.”
“Oh, right,” I chuckled. “Well… I guess we should be heading home. Like you said, we need sleep. And it’s freezing out here.”
Itwasfreezing. Literally. It was twenty-eight degrees, and there were several inches of fresh snow crunching under our boots.
“You know, for our walk home…” I noted slyly as we trudged through the snow. “…wolf fur is a lot warmer than human skin.”
Rowena shot me a suspicious glare.
“You want to shift, don’t you?”
“Aw… c’mon,” I pleaded. “Plus, we’ll get to your cottage a lot faster on four paws.”
Rowena bit her lip, contemplating my request for a moment.
“Fine,” she declared. “Race you.”
“Oh? A challenge?” I adjusted my cloak and crouched down, like a runner waiting for the starting flag. “You’re on.”
“Three… two…” Rowena counted, in the same ready position as I was.
“One… go!”
We both dove into our wolf forms, clumsily getting our four legs beneath us and taking off at a hard, lengthy gallop. We were both competitive, and wolves loved nothing more than to race each other. But I was also just enjoying the chance to stretch my legs and feel the fresh snow under my paws.
I loved my life as a witch in Wisteria Grove.
But my wolf form still always felt like freedom.
We ran and ran, our hearts pounding and our blood pumping, all the way back to Rowena’s cottage. My favorite place, where we would spend the night wrapped in each other’s arms.
And the best part?
I made it to the front door first.
As usual, I won the race.
The following morning, we awoke shortly after sunrise, untangled ourselves from each other’s arms, and meticulously triple-checked the contents of our pre-packed suitcases.
My mother knocked on Rowena’s door not long after we woke, and she spent the next half hour asking if I had packed my hairbrush, my wallet, enough warm clothes, and about thirty other things. I could feel the motherly concern radiating from her smiling face, but I also felt the irritating prickle of wanting to tell her I was a fully grown adult, andyes I know how to pack my belongings for a two-week trip.
Though in reality, I didn’t. This was my first time leaving Maine. Hell, this was my first time leaving Mount Desert Island.
And a few months earlier, I had never even left Hollenboro.
It was amazing how things had changed.
Especially learning my mother was alive. It had been two full months since her reappearance, and I was finally starting to comprehend that she was real. That she wasn’t a ghost, nor was I stuck in a very long dream. She really washere, laughing with my father, hugging my sisters, and telling me how much I meant to her.
And after all of our therapy sessions, I was really starting to believe it. Between my father and Rowena’s beliefs, I was still confused on what forgiveness really meant. But I knew if it meant moving on, I was ready. My mother was here now, and I wanted to revel in every moment.
Especially after fifteen years apart.
