Page 24 of The Fangirl and the Grump

I don’t have to wait long for his response.

Bram:I have a shift at the tavern tonight, but I don’t start until 8. Why? What’s up?

Me: Want to hit the lake for a little fishing? I could use a break.

Bram: I’ll meet you at our usual spot in an hour.

Me: Sounds good. Thanks, man.

Shutting down my computer, I leave my office and stop by the front desk to let my weekend manager know I’ll be out for the day. Then I head upstairs to my apartment and change into some old shorts with lots of cargo pockets and a tank top. I pack a cooler with some water bottles and a couple of beers, then head down to my truck.

I have to stop by the old house to grab my fishing gear from the shed, but luckily, it’s on the way to the lake. I just hope the tour bus isn’t at the house when I get there.

No fucking way can I handle a single howl in my direction today. I honestly might lose my shit.

* * *

“Thanks, brother,”Bram says when I toss him one of the water bottles from my cooler.

We’re set up in a thick patch of shade on the wooded side of the lake’s shoreline. The chairs we stashed in the brush last time were still here, so at least we’re comfortable as we watch our lines remain perfectly untouched in the water.

“So, what got you riled up enough to take a Saturday off to go fishing with me?” Bram asks.

“Why do I have to be riled up?” I shoot back. “Maybe I just wanted to hang out with my best friend.”

When he does nothing but watch me with that flat, disbelieving stare, I sigh. I knew this was a risk. An impromptu fishing trip on one of my historically busiest days of the week is suspicious. I’m sure it raised a handful of red flags for Bram the second I texted him.

“It’s that woman,” I murmur.

“What woman?” he asks, sitting up straighter and staring at me with wide eyes.

I inhale deeply and huff out the breath. “Remember last Friday night? At the tavern?”

He blinks slowly, then gives me a slight nod. “You came in for a beer, then left before you even finished it because…that blonde howled at you.”

“That’s the one,” I grunt, then take a swig of my water. “She’s invaded my life.”

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“She’s everywhere,” I say on a sigh. “She’s staying at Lycan Lodge for the next several weeks, and she’s somehow got my sister championing her. Willow hired her at the shop. I can’t even get a cup of coffee in peace.”

Bram just stares at me for a long moment, so long that my skin starts to itch. My mouth opens and unintentional words flow out like a broken faucet spewing all over an outdated kitchen.

“She’s so annoying. Smiling at me and being polite like she hasn’t called me that godforsaken nickname.Twice. Like she didn’t embarrass the shit out of me by causing an entire bar full of people to howl in my direction.”

“It was hardly the whole bar. Maybefourpeople,” Bram says, but I ignore him as the words continue to spill out.

“She’s probably one of the prowlers who tried to break into the house earlier this week. It’s like some kind of rite of passage with these fucking people, trying to climb through that God damn window.”

I don’t have to clarify which house I’m talking about. Bram knows. He’s helped me repair the screen more than once, and he was with me when I bought the industrial-sized lock to replace the flimsy latch the window had before.

“Trace.”

“People like her come into town, leave their trash all over the woods while they hike to the cemetery, where they disrespect our ancestors by trampling over their graves to take selfies. Did you know some chick rubbed her boobs all over Cedar Hillsop’s gravestone and the photo went viral?”

“Trace.”

“What?” I bark.

---