Page 32 of Match My Fall
Itwas just a fling,Ireminded myself.Afun little escape from reality.
WhenIwent to bed that night, my brain wouldn’t quiet down.Whycouldn’tIforget him?
Ihad to put him behind me and move on.
Thenext day,asIwas settling into work in my office, my phone buzzed.ItwasThorne.Great.Ibraced myself for the inevitable tension and answered the call.
“I’mgoing to pick upPaigefor dinner tonight,” he said in his usual brusque manner.
Itried to hide my disappointment;Ihad plans for a quiet night at home withPaige.ButIcouldn’t denyThornehis time with his daughter.
“Whattime?”Iasked.
“Six.Makesure she’s ready,” he added before hanging up.
Iscowled and put down the phone.Myrelationship withThornehad been tense since our breakup.He’dgone through many girlfriends since then, andIconsidered him a womanizing jerk.
Thatwas whyIwouldn’t ever get involved with someone like him again and perhaps not anyone at all.Thedivorce had been devastating, butIhad to keep it together forPaige.AndwhileThornehadn’t been a part of our lives for years, he was making an effort to be a better father toPaige.Despitemy feelings about him,Ihad to be civil for her sake.
Ihad to keep my emotions in check, but it wasn’t easy.Nomatter how muchIdespised him,Ireminded myself thatPaigedeserved to build a relationship with her father.
Hebetter not hurt her.
Whenit was time to leave theNetwork,Ipicked upPaigefrom school.
“Yourfather is taking you to dinner tonight.”
“Yay!”Paigeexclaimed. “Willwe get ice cream?”
“Idon’t know.It’swinter.Toocold for ice cream.”
“Notfor me,” she insisted.
Shetold me about her day.OnceIpulled into the driveway, a sense of loneliness crept in.Paigewould be gone this evening, which meantI’dbe home alone with laundry.Howexciting.
MaybeIshould start dating again.Atleast that was one good thing that came out of the weekend.
Twentyminutes after we’d settled in at home, the doorbell rang.Thornewas here to pick upPaige.Itook a deep breath, braced myself, and opened the door.Facingthe icy expression on my ex’s face was allIneeded to wake me up with a reality slap about relationships.Theycould break you.
Iwas better off keeping my life simple and heart protected.
VALEN
Ilooped back to my cabin in wolf form after a night shift on patrol.Nothingseemed amiss, but my wolf often whined, lamenting the loss ofCassandra.Almosttwo weeks had passed since she’d left, butI, too, couldn’t shake her from my mind.
AfterIshifted back to human form,Ientered the cabin where her scent still lingered.Howlong would it remain, tormenting me?Thenagain,Ididn’t want it to vanish; even a hint of it suffused me with comfort.
Anddesperate longing.
Iexhaled with a mournful whoosh.WhatcouldIdo about this agony?
Laterthat morning,Iwalked across the brick sidewalks of the mountain village toAurora’sstore.Chimestinkled asIentered, and the scents of incense and herbs filled my nostrils.
Shelooked up from a counter where she was packing up a plastic baggie with herbs and some crystals into a black velvet pouch. “Valen.”
“Hi,Aurora.”Iglanced around.I’donly been in here once before during the grand opening when she invited the pack to visit her new store and savor refreshments.Theshelves and displays were packed with more contents now, from books on magic to tarot cards to silver jewelry.Seashellscontained various types of gems.Candles, herbs, and trinkets lined more surfaces. “Itlooks like you’ve done a lot in this space.”
Shesmiled. “Businesshas been good.”
