Page 8 of Wolves' Midlife Reunion
A few minutes later, with a glass of pinot noir in her hand, Tina took a deep breath. There really wasn’t all that much to tell, but they clearly all wanted to hear it. “You can all stop looking at me like vultures, because it’s not that exciting,” she began. “Dex came into the shop. He made a purchase, we chatted for a few moments, and then he left.”
Chelsea scrunched up one eye. “That’s it? Come on! Didn’t your wolf go bonkers when you saw him?”
“Well, yeah,” Tina said, feeling her face flushed. “It always has, but it’s not like that matters.”
“Why not?” Nia asked.
Tina sighed. “Because we knew back in high school that we were fated. We felt it, and we even talked about it a little. We were just very different people, and we didn’t see any way that it could work. Despite what all the teen movies tell you, a jock and a nerd don’t make a good couple.”
“But what about now?” Kristy asked. “Maybe you guys just met at the wrong point in your lives. It’s not like any teenager really knows what they want, anyway. Something could still be there for you guys.”
“Nah.” Tina looked into her wine glass. The damn pull between them was still there. She couldn’t deny that if she wanted to, not after seeing him in the shop. Every cell of her body felt as though it was being magnetized and drawn to him. Her wolf had gone nuts, angry at her for having as much self-control as she did.
“Why not?” Jamie asked. “What could it hurt?”
“He has a daughter.” Tina watched as they all reacted to that.
“Hm,” Chelsea grunted, twisting up her mouth.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Jamie pointed out. “Things happen.”
“Sure, but there’s a kid involved,” Tina reasoned. “Whatever his relationship situation might be, a kid complicates things.”
“Can’t deny that,” Chelsea murmured.
“I still think you should find a way to see him again,” Nia asserted. “There was a spark between you. Maybe it would work out.”
“It wouldn’t, but considering that the Academy’s twenty-five-year class reunion is tomorrow night, I’ll probably be seeing him anyway.” Tina drained the last of her wine and held out her glass.
“Good timing,” Maeve noted. “Samhain is almost upon us. It’s the beginning of our spiritual new year, and that brings a lot of opportunities.”
“I already said it’s not going to work out,” Tina grumped.
Her mother rolled her hand gently in the air. “I didn’t say it had to be specifically about Dex. There would be all sorts of new opportunities awaiting you at that reunion. You never know what all your old classmates are up to these days.”
“What are you going to wear?” Iris asked. “Something sexy?”
“I’ve got that green dress you can borrow,” Kristy suggested.
“Or my black one,” Jamie offered.
“I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it. Chelsea, was there anything else we needed to figure out for Samhain? We should probably get our pumpkins carved soon.”
The rest of the coven got the hint, and the conversation turned back to Samhain. Tina got up, went into the kitchen, and found the bottle of wine on the counter. It only had about one serving left.
“Go ahead.” Amanda had come in quietly behind her. “I think you might need it.”
“Yeah, probably,” Tina agreed, pouring the wine into the glass even though she’d considered drinking it straight out of the bottle. “I wish Nia hadn’t said anything. I know she meant well, so it’s not like I’m mad at her. It’s just hard to have to talk to everyone about seeing Dex when I’m not even sure how I feel about it.”
“Well, you were pretty young when you two met each other,” Amanda said, leaning on the counter. She had wide brown eyes and a generous smile that made her instantly look friendly most of the time. “You’ve spent years having to just accept that you wouldn’t get to be with your fated mate, and then he shows back up. Any closure you might’ve had just went flying out the window.”
Tina smiled. “That’s pretty accurate.”
Amanda’s eyes lifted to the space just above Tina’s head and then drifted around her in a gentle outline. “You’re aura’s out ofbalance right now. That makes sense, of course, but I’m here for you if you’d like me to work on it. Could be just what you need right before going to the reunion.”
“Yeah, maybe so,” Tina agreed. “The reunion is going to be stressful even without having to think about Dex. What would really be helpful is if I could lose ten pounds overnight.”
“Don’t be silly! You look gorgeous just the way you are, and I’m not just saying that,” she added. “You just need to relax and let yourself have a good time.”
