“Well, if I were sure I was staying, I could try,” Chelsea said doubtfully. “Unfortunately, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I was looking for a new pack to join and a job. I was going to stay with my cousin Mel, but apparently she and her house left town, and nobody’s hiring.”
“Yeah, we’re all pretty much dying here, business-wise.” Erika nodded glumly. “I work for my dad—he owns the garage—and he hasn’t had a customer since the day before yesterday. That’s why I’m out wandering around. I got bored.”
Then she glanced down the street, towards the Grocery Depot, which wasn’t hiring. A man had just climbed out of a beat-up old Ford pickup truck.
“Oooh, Roman’s in town! Let’s go admire the view.” Erika leaped to her feet, and Chelsea got up and followed her, because she liked Erika and she had nothing better to do.
They hurried down the street to catch sight of a man who, Chelsea reluctantly had to admit, was quite the male specimen. The reluctance came from the fact that he was far too self-confident. He walked with a swagger and his lip was curled in what looked like a smirk of self-satisfaction. As he headed towards the Grocery Depot, he winked at several girls who were gathered on a street corner, and the girls squealed like he was the second coming of The Beatles.
He wore a black leather jacket and jeans, and he had long, silky brown hairThe curve of his upper lip was sensual. He had a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Chelsea realized that not only was she staring at him, but he’d caught her staring. He looked her up and down appraisingly, his mouth curled in an insolent grin, and he winked.
“He winked at you!” Erika gasped. “It must be because you’re ladylike!”
“Erika, I’m the fifth girl he winked at already,” Chelsea said, watching his retreating back and his round, sculpted butt as he strode up the wooden steps and into the Grocery Depot. “He’d wink at anything female that walked on two legs. And then he’d do other things with them.”
“Still. He’s so sexy when he winks. But I’m almost engaged,” Erika added hastily. “I’ll probably be Mate-Marked any day now.”
Chelsea shook her head and walked away. A crowd of young women were hurrying up the steps into the Grocery Depot, practically elbowing each other out of the way in their eagerness to get to Roman, and Chelsea realized that for some reason this annoyed her.
“Maybe the Hootenanny is hiring,” Erika said, following Chelsea. Pepper trotted at Chelsea’s heels with a groan of protest. They were moving fast; Pepper liked to take it easy. “That’s the bar north of town. It’s on the outskirts of human territory, and it actually caters to both crowds, humans and shifters. They won’t open until tonight, though, like six p.m.”
“Thanks, I’ll give them a try,” Chelsea said. What could it hurt? She had no waitressing experience, but maybe she could bus tables.
“Erika! Who’s your new friend? I do approve,” an older woman said, walking up to them. She had a cap full of tight gray curls and was heavily rouged and lipsticked. She wore a pink polyester dress and matching pumps, and she clutched a pink purse with a pink leather rose on the clasp.
“You see?” she added to Erika. “She’s wearing a skirt. And heels. That’s how you catch and keep a man.”
“Aunt Louise, this is Chelsea Wintergreen. She thought she was going to stay with Mel, but Mel forgot to tell her she was leaving town. And I’ve got a man,” Erika protested. “Oh, there he is. Hi, Terrence!” She waved.
“For now.” Aunt Louise gave a disapproving sniff. “I’ll be at the Chatterbox.” She turned and walked off.
A tall, skinny man with a weak chin and sour expression walked up to them and nodded hello to Erika. Chelsea forced a smile as Erika introduced Terrence, but she thought to herself, You could do better. She tried to imagine him Mate-Marking Erika and figured his teeth might not even break the skin. She stifled a laugh behind her hand at the thought, pretending it was a sneeze.
Terrence glanced down at Pepper. “What is that?” he asked disapprovingly.
“Most people call it a dog,” Chelsea said, using her helpful voice.
He stared at her, baffled, trying to figure out if she was being sarcastic or not. “What is that smell?” he said suddenly, fanning the air with his hand. He took a quick step back.
“That’s Pepper. She farts every time someone says something she doesn’t like. She’s got perfect comic timing. Isn’t she great?” Erika said happily.
Terrence took another step back. “Yes, just great,” he muttered.