Page 34 of Chasing Secrets
“No, I’m okay.” Jalen smiled. “Honestly. I was just stuck in my head for a moment.”
“Good stuck or bad stuck?” Preston asked, voice low enough that no one else heard him.
“Okay stuck?” he replied. “Just remembering how I used to hang out here as a teenager.” He gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Not good or bad. Just…memories.”
Preston gave a small nod. “You just let me know if we need to leave or if I should grab Chase.”
Jalen glanced over his shoulder to find Chase right outside the shop, watching him as he talked with Zeppelin.
“What’s your poison?” Preston asked, scanning the options. “I’m a cookie dough loyalist myself.”
Jalen studied the colorful array of ice cream tubs behind the glass. “Vanilla,” he said finally.
Preston gasped dramatically, clutching invisible pearls. “Vanilla? That’s like going to a five-star restaurant and ordering a hotdog.”
“It’s a classic for a reason.” He crossed his arms defensively. “Besides, I can actually taste the quality of the ice cream, not just a bunch of candy mixed in.”
“Oh my god, you’re one of those people.” Preston rolled his eyes. “Next you’ll tell me you can taste the ‘notes of oak’ in your wine.”
“I don’t drink, actually.”
“Me either, which is weird since I work in a bar.”
The girl behind the counter cleared her throat pointedly. “You guys ready to order?”
After much theatrical debate—during which Preston tried and failed to convince Jalen to try something called “Unicorn Surprise,” which was an alarming shade of blue—they ended up with their respective choices. Cookie dough for Preston and vanilla for Jalen, though he’d been talked into adding hot fudge as a compromise.
They paid and moved toward the back door, which led to a shaded patio area behind the parlor. Through the glass, Jalen spotted Chase and Zeppelin already seated at a table far enough away to give them space but close enough to intervene if…well, if some sort of disaster decided to strike.
The picnic table’s wooden bench was warm against the backs of Jalen’s thighs as they sat. Overhead, leaves rustled in a slight breeze that offered absolutely no relief from the heat. His ice cream was already starting to melt, rivulets of vanilla and chocolate sliding down the sides of the waffle cone.
“So,” Preston said, licking a smear of cookie dough from his thumb, “how’s life with the big bad wolf?”
Jalen nearly choked on his first bite. “Subtle.”
“Got your attention.” Preston grinned unrepentantly. “Seriously, though, how are you holding up? And don’t give me that ‘I’m fine’ nonsense. I’ve been where you are. Sort of.”
Had he though? Jalen doubted Preston had spent years numbing himself, trying to forget the feeling of hands that should never have touched him. But then again, Preston had his own demons.
Chase had told him the guy had been on the run from someone dangerous before finding Zeppelin. But he hadn’t gone into details.
“It’s…weird,” Jalen admitted, focusing on his ice cream. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this whole mate thing.”
Preston nodded, his expression softening. “Freaked me out, too, at first. I told you about how I tried to use my jeans as a weapon when I found out Zeppelin was a wolf shifter.”
“You did.” Jalen almost laughed when he pictured it in his head. “It’s funny even the second time around.”
“I was freaking out, okay?” Preston said, breaking into a smile. “I probably looked like a lunatic to Zeppelin.”
“So what happened?”
“He got me addicted to the farmer’s market.” Preston licked his cone. “If you ask me, a wolf shifter is a hundred times better than any human guy I’ve dated, especially the last one.”
The humor in Preston’s voice vanished when talking about the “last one.” Jalen couldn’t imagine having a crazy ex after him. At least Preston’s situation was over. Jalen wished his was.
“What’s it like being mated? Chase hasn’t explained it to me. Then again, I wasn’t exactly in any condition to take notes.”
Preston lowered his cone. “I’m really sorry you had to go through that, Jalen.” He patted Jalen’s hand. “I know you don’t know me, and my opinion means nothing, but I’m proud of you and think you’re the bravest person.”
