“Hey, maybe we should call a friend,” Nate offered.
“Don’t have any.” He’d given them all up because Jessie had been jealous.
He was alone and it was no one’s fault but his own.
Chapter One
Two years later
“So Alexei told me I should hang out even if I’m done because you don’t like being alone.” Sylvan Dean leaned against the doorjamb, his dark hair slightly curly and the tiniest bit too long. “Is that because you’re a cautious lass or is there a story behind it? I ask because this is a weird town and you’ve lived here for a while.”
Lucy Carson picked up the pink grapefruit scented cleaner she used on the tables. Trio was Bliss’s tavern, and she’d worked there for a while now. The whole time she’d been a waitress here, she’d worked with either Alexei Markov or Zane Hollister. Van had recently hired on as a part-time bartender, and he was already a favorite with the ladies. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy and took all the crazy Bliss stuff in stride. “You don’t have to stay. I can close up. I’ve got keys and everything.”
Sometimes she also had an escort. The past few weeks Michael Novack had hung out until closing time and escorted her to her car. He was quiet and awkward at first, and he deeply confused her since he’d never made a single move on her, but she’d liked the fact that he made sure she got to her car all right.
Now she wondered if someone had asked him to.
Van moved his lean body, allowing her to walk out of the supply closet. “No way. First of all, I wouldn’t leave anyone to close by themselves. Not at this time of night. I was just wondering. I’ve heard weird rumors and I’m not sure if they’re true or all crazy or a mix of both. See, the whole wolf pack on the prowl thing sounds like it might be true. The pack of rabid possums seems like a stretch.”
She had to stop and turn his way. “Who told you that one?”
“The lady at the Trading Post. The kind of mean one.”
Ah. Marie was hard at work trying to scare off anyone she considered a tourist. “Possums rarely get rabies. They have a lower base body temperature than other mammals. Marie’s screwing with you. And the wolves only come down when they’re really hungry, though they will usually run from humans. Do you have a pet?”
“No. I was raised in a family where all animals should be free.” Van followed her into the dining room. “Seriously. My parents were beyond hippies. When ants got into our RV, we were told to learn to live in harmony with them. My oldest brother went into the Army and they disowned him. Sometimes I think I should have followed him there.”
“They disowned him?” That seemed extreme.
Van shrugged. “They kind of freaked out. I’m pretty sure they thought they could convince him not to do it. Big brother is stubborn. Mom and Dad are eccentric, but they realized they made a mistake. It took them years to correct it. You should have seen my parents pull up in my brother’s bougie neighborhood in that ratty RV. It was funny. So why did you ask about a pet?”
“If you don’t have a pet, then you’re probably safe.” Lucy started in on the tables and was happy to see Van pick up a dish towel and help. “The wolves will eat your dog or cat if they’re hungry enough. The good news is Maurice will only try to steal your candy bars.”
His lips kicked up in a grin. “Ah, yes. I’ve been told to watch out for the moose and for aliens.”
“Then you’ve met Mel.” Mel Hughes was a legend around Bliss. He was known for his whiskey making and more importantly, as a fount of information about the various ways aliens were threatening to take over Earth.
“So you’re just cautious,” he concluded.
That wasn’t the whole story. “I would say nervous due to a prior encounter with a man who tried to use me as bait to get revenge on his ex-wife.”
Van stopped, his brows rising. “Revenge? Like he wanted to make her jealous?”
“Like he was a cult leader who got angry that his underaged bride had managed to get away and he wanted to kidnap or kill her. Maybe both. I don’t know. I didn’t ask him which it was. His reasoning didn’t matter when I helped my friend Hope kill him,” she explained in a practical way she likely wouldn’t have been able to had she not spent some time in therapy. “I know he’s gone, but I still get nervous at night. Alexei and Zane are nice men who treat me like a little sister.”
Van stared at her for a moment. “Wow. I’ve heard a lot of crazy stuff happens here, but like I said I didn’t quite believe it. Do they really have an I Shot a Son of a Bitch club?”