Page 54 of Knotting Hill
Mum gives me a knowing nod. “She doesn’t want to risk herself.”
I shake my head. “We have given her no reason to trust us, but we are trying to do everything we can to show her we’ve changed.”
“Good,” she says. “That’s good.” She curls up again, and this time, I think she does drop off eventually, so I close my eyes and try to do the same, dreaming of Storm’s lips on mine.
Thirty-Two
Storm
I've lostcount of how many days I’ve been holed up in my nest, avoiding the rest of the world, including Cassidy. She went into her heat, and I didn’t even speak to her before, but my emotional state was, well, in a word, raw. Being accosted on top of quitting my job, throwing myself at JP only to be rejected and having the pack serenade me in public has short-circuited my brain, and I needed a reset.
When my phone rings next to me, I glance at it and then answer, switching it to speaker, so I don’t have to lift my head off the pillow.
“Everything okay?” Mum asks before I’ve even said anything.
“No,” I say and then burst into tears.
I know she’s been waiting for this moment. This is her time to shine.
“Tell me what’s happened,” she says briskly, her down-to-business head on.
“I quit my job and will soon be homeless,” I sob. I’m not telling the rest of the stuff. It’s inconsequential but just added to an already shit day.
“Hmm. Do you want to tell me why you quit?”
“Angela is a rancid cowbag.”
She snorts prettily. “Well, I know that. Anything specific?”
“She wanted me to do more spying. I told her to get knotted.”
“Good for you.”
I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, but to my surprise, it doesn’t come.
“I take it you are free on Thursday then?”
I blink. “Yep, guess I am. Why?”
“I’m arranging a luncheon. It was during your work time lunch hour, but now time is of no consequence.”
I gape at her.Lunch hour? What century does she live in? Lunch half a bloody hour, more like.
“What’s it for?”
“To meet a prospective pack.” I hear the excitement in her voice.
I sit and snatch the phone up. “What? Already?”
“I’m not sitting around waiting for you to change your mind, dear. Be at the house on Thursday at twelve and wear something pretty, not adult film star-esque, hmm.”
“Uhm, okay…” I’m sideswiped. Glancing at my phone, I realise that Thursday is the day after tomorrow.
“Excellent. You are going to love them.”
“Okay.” I don’t seem capable of anything else. Hopefully, I will have more to my chat on Thursday. I wince and then suck it up. “Err, Mum…”
“You start on Friday at 8AM sharp,” she says and hangs up before I can humbly thank her for giving me a job.
