Page 34 of Wedding for My Werewolf

“It’s a promise, sugar.” He started to lower his head towards the woman, then sighed again. “You’re distracting me.”

Their banter warmed her, even though it was hard not to feel a stab of envy. She started to turn away, but the woman stopped her.

“Wait a minute. You’re Robin, aren’t you?”

Her heart skipped a beat.

“Y-yes.”

“I’m Elara. Nichola said you were going to join us for a girls’ night.”

“I don’t think I actually agreed to that,” she said cautiously, but her racing heart slowed.

Elara laughed.

“Nichola only hears what she wants to hear. But I hope you will. We have a lot of fun,” she added, giving the orc another teasing look.

“So much fun I had to come and carry you home last time,” he grumbled. “I’d better warn the sheriff.”

Heat filled her cheeks as she tried to come up with a response, but Elara only grinned at her.

“Tell Eric we won’t let anything happen to you. Well, Nichola won’t. I was having a hard time walking last time—hence the need for Grondar to carry me home and have his wicked way with me.”

She watched in fascination as the tips of Grondar’s ears darkened, and then he was escorting her politely but firmly towards the door.

“Shop’s closing. If you want anything else, come back in half an hour. No, better make that an hour.”

She heard the door lock behind her, followed by a happy squeal from Elara. She smiled, but her amusement faded as she continued down the street. Elara knew who she was, and Grondar must have known as well since he’d mentioned Eric. Did everyone in town know? Why hadn’t she thought about changing her name?

Because I’ve never lived in a small town before.She was used to the anonymity of the city.

Then again, if everyone did know who she was and Rick still hadn’t tracked her down, maybe he had left after all. Maybe she could even take the chance of going out with the other women. She’d never really had the time for friends, male or female, but maybe here, in this friendly little town, she could finally enjoy some of the things she’d missed.

CHAPTER 13

Smiling at the possibility of making friends, Robin continued down Main Street. She passed a thrift store and stopped to look in the window. She still had most of her last paycheck. If she were going to stay in town, maybe she could splurge just a little on something pretty to wear.

The bell above the door chimed softly as she entered and a curvy dark-haired woman gave her a sunny smile.

“Welcome to Whimsical Wonders. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“Do you carry clothing?”

“Of course.” The woman ran an appraising eye over her. “I have a couple of dresses in your size, but they’re a little thin for winter. Would you like to see some sweaters?”

When she nodded, the woman took her into the back room, chatting cheerfully. By the time she left Robin to look over the choices, she’d learned that the woman’s name was Posy and she was new in town as well. She’d also learned that her favoritecolor was blue, she’d never had a pet, and that her favorite food was strawberry rhubarb pie.

A little dazed by the flood of conversation, she drifted down the rack of sweaters, running her fingers over the different textures. A dark green sweater with a scooped neck caught her eye. The soft, lacy knit wasn’t really practical, but it was very pretty.

“If you’re interested, there’s a sale this week,” Posy said, emerging from the back with a stack of folded sweaters.

“Oh. No. I just…”

“You should try it on,” Posy suggested, putting the sweaters down and gently urging her towards a full-length mirror. “It would look beautiful on you.”

She pulled it off the rack, biting her lip. It really was lovely. Before she could lose her nerve, she stripped off her coat and plain navy sweater, then slipped the soft green sweater over her head. It hugged her body perfectly, making her eyes sparkle and her skin glow.Will Eric like it, she wondered, and saw her reflection blush at the thought.

“Oh.” Posy clapped her hands. “I’m right. That is gorgeous. What’s your name, sweetie?”

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