Page 8 of A Lady's Heart
They said goodbye, but the whole time thetwo friendsbusiness kept ringing through his brain.
Friends? Not bloody likely. Maybe that’s where he’d have to start, but that wasnotwhere they were going to finish.
Mandy pulled on a light jacket and left the apartment, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. The coffee shop wasn’t very far away, and she needed to burn off a little energy before facing the big bruin who could make her legs quiver and turn her insides to jelly with a single lazy smile.
The sidewalk was firm underfoot, and she strode easily toward her destination, pleased she’d completed her first night of true independence.
No, scratch that—
She was still living at the convenience of the wolf pack while waiting for her financial information to come through. Once it did, she intended to pay them back for everything, not because they expected it but because it was an important step for her in truly becoming her own woman again.
The woman who’d gotten lost when she’d married Todd Ainsworth.
Eight years she’d been with the man. Eight years of her life that she’d never get back. She wished it had been possible to leave him earlier, but she couldn’t dwell on that now. She was looking forward, not back.
Last night before going to bed she’d sent an email to her family. The first one in over eight years—for good reason—and she was already anticipating their answer with hope and dread.
So many decisions loomed, but for now, until she heard from them, she was going to move ahead with her plans.
The warm air and delicious smells of the coffee shop greeted her like a friendly hug as she walked through the door, stepping to one side automatically with her back against the wall as she took a first cautious look around.
Some lessons had dug in deep. But perhaps it wasn’t a bad thing to be alert and vigilant.
A familiar couple waved at her from a nearby table, and she made her way over to greet them. “If you keep doing this, I’ll think you’re following me,” she warned the wolf Alphas.
“Total coincidence,” Amy insisted.
“We’re just flies on the wall,” Evan countered.
Mandy laughed. “I’ve heard of horse flies and sand flies, but now you’ve got me curious to see what a wolf fly looks like.”
Evan grinned. “Handsome buggers, I hear.”
She spoke with them for a moment before going to the counter and ordering two coffees and an assortment of breakfast items. They promised to deliver the food, so she went and nabbed an empty table by the window, somewhat surprised Justin wasn’t already there.
The food arrived the same time he did. He pulled out the tiny chair and attempted to wiggle his bulk into the limited space.
The person seated behind him grew wide-eyed and panicked for a moment, and Mandy gave herself a mental slap. “I forgot how much room you take.”
She shuffled her chair back and tugged the table closer.
Justin tucked his elbows in a little tighter and offered a smile. Picking up the coffee cup in front of him, he held it out in a toast. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
They clinked cups then drank deeply. The entire time his gaze drifted between her and the others in the shop as if he were on surveillance, determined to keep her safe.
He gestured toward the wolves. “Were the babysitters your idea? Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” he hurried on, “Just wondering.”
“Complete coincidence,” Mandy told him. “Like wolf flies on the wall.”
Evan and Amy snickered from their position across the room, and both she and Justin twisted toward the wolves before turning back to face each other.
“Damn snoopy buggers,” Justin whispered. “That bionic wolf hearing is going to get them in trouble someday.”
Right— She’d forgotten that detail. It didn’t matter that they were sitting far away, Amy and Evan could hear every word as if she were speaking through a megaphone.
“Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to meet in public,” she began before reconsidering.
