Page 1 of Wolfish
1
Sweating up a storm, Selena Rivers had an appointment with the pack leaders of Silver Town to open a holiday store. She didn’t know what the big deal was. She was a wolf; they were wolves. However, she also had to undergo a background check at the sheriff's office and meet with other business owners to ensure she was a good fit.
Sure, she would design her store in the same style as the old western silver mining town, and she was looking forward to it. But she did worry they wouldn’t think she was qualified to run a shop. In truth, she had no qualifications whatsoever. Surely others who had started their businesses in Silver Town hadn’t either and were doing fine.
One of her reasons for setting up a business there was to write a book about the old Silver Town cemeteries. None of them were documented. This would be her thirteenth book in the series, and she was eager to explore the graveyards after the store was closed for the night.
She arrived at Darien Silver’s home and met with him, his wife, Lelandi, the co-leader of the pack, and a licensed psychologist, his second-in-command, Jake Silver, and his third-in-command, Tom Silver, both his brothers. She was surprised to smell that Lelandi was a red wolf. They were much rarer. The Silvers were all gray wolves like her.
For now, she felt she was in the Inquisition.
Lelandi brought cookies and hot chocolate to the sunroom for everyone to enjoy. The sun filled the room with warmth, and a crackling fire in the fireplace cheered things up.
“I’m sorry if this seems like a little bit of overkill.” Lelandi sounded like a psychologist. “We just want to ensure we have the best candidates to set up shop here that will be successful. We don’t like to see good folks start a business and then lose everything.”
“Has that happened often?” Maybe setting up a shop in Silver Town wasn’t a good idea. Selena did worry she might fail. She was a trained forensic anthropologist, an author, not a holiday shop owner.
Lelandi nodded. “Twice. We don’t want anyone to have high expectations and then for it not to work out.”
“Have you had a similar business at a different location?” Darien asked.
“No. But I’m sure I can manage just fine.”
“What is your background?” Jake finished off his cocoa and grabbed another pumpkin-shaped sugar cookie.
“Uhm, a forensic anthropologist.”
Everyone just stared at her.
Yeah, not excellent credentials for opening a shop.
Then Lelandi smiled. “What an interesting job.”
“It has been. Listen, I have the money, and I want to give this a try.” She wanted to have an income and a job, though she had considerable investments, so she really didn’t need the income while she spent her nights sleuthing at the cemetery.
Besides, after testifying in so many trials based on her forensic findings, she was glad the criminals were prosecuted and most ended up in jail, but three of them were released on bail and went after her. Stalking her, terrorizing her. It didn’t matter that she had restraining orders against them. She was glad to leave Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the worry that the men stalking her would turn deadly.
After more questions about her financial credentials, Lelandi signed off on her starting up a shop. Then Darien and his brothers did.
“Thank you. I’m sure it will be a success.” Selena hoped.
“I’m sure it will be.” Lelandi sounded sure of herself.
However, Selena still had two more appointments before she was cleared to proceed, pending approval from their end. She’d already found the empty shop she wanted to use, but she was afraid it would sell before she could buy it, even though the realtor had told her that it had been vacant for several months now. It was situated between a tea shop and a dress shop, so she figured the traffic from the other shops would help her store get noticed and boost sales.
Next, she went to the Victorian Tea Shop to meet the other business owners. A small brass bell jangled overhead, sending a ripple of a tinkling sound through the entryway as the front door swung inward, announcing her arrival as she stepped inside.
The interior of the Victorian Tea Shop was a dream of romantic Victorian gifts and decorations, with lace doilies covering mahogany tabletops and lace curtains suffused with the buttery light of the sun filtering in. Along each wall, rows of mismatched plates—delicate bone china, some with hairline cracks spidery across their surfaces—caught the glow and threw it back in soft, iridescent fragments.
Mahogany shelves, scarred by decades of use, groaned under the collective weight of teapots in every conceivable form, from silver-plated to floral and Chinese styled. All decorated with Victorian-era lace, hot chocolate pitchers, old-time pictures, and Victorian metal signs, the Victorian Tea Shop was charming.
The sweet, fruity, and floral aromas of tea, spicy soups, and grilled sandwiches filled the air, making her stomach growl.
A dark-haired woman came out of a back room, dressed in high-heeled boots, a short plaid skirt in orange and moss green, and an orange sweater. She greeted Selena with a big smile. “Come in, sugar. We’re back here. I’m Silva, and I'm the proprietor of the tea shop. Wait, let me get your complimentary order for something to drink and a slice of pie or cake.” She handed her a menu.
All the other ladies there had placed their orders so Selena perused the menu. “Oh, everything looks good. In the spirit of fall and Halloween, I’ll get the Witches Brew Cider Spices Wassail and apple-cinnamon cheesecake.”
“My mate and I also own the Silver Town Tavern, a short distance away,” Silva said, as she delivered the cheesecake and wassail to Selena. “These are the MacTire sisters, Laurel, Ellie, and Meghan, though they have since mated and taken their mates' names, but we still think of them fondly this way. You’ve probably met them since they own the Victorian Silver Town Hotel where you’re staying.”
