“Give it to me.” I held my hand out. We had a stare down until she remembered who paid the bill. “What’s the code?”
“Are you serious?” She knew the answer to that question. She sighed. “Six seven eight nine.”
“Thank you. Wash that thing with antibacterial soap and go to bed. I’ll figure out your punishment while you’re sleeping.” I sighed. Fiona was halfway up the stairs before I had a chance to take my next sip of now lukewarm coffee. Mornings like this made me think I should spike it.
I’d been like my daughter once, and that was how I wound up a single parent. I lived for the moment and never worried about the future. That was the most painful part, watching her make the same mistakes I’d made. Like her, I’d been lucky. Until I wasn’t. Her father wound up being one of the top quarterbacks in the Continental Football Association. The check showed up every month on time, but that was about all we got from him. Going from city to city and living and breathing football didn’t leave a lot of time for being a dad. I made excuses for him because it was easier than admitting he didn’t want to be in our lives. I was guilty, too. We’d been more in lust than love when Fiona came into the picture. Lust doesn’t last, and I had dreams too. They didn’t die when I became a mom. I would’ve never succeeded in the restaurant business if I had to move every time he got traded.
But every once in a while, I wondered how my life would be different if I stayed with Landon Fox.
If he’d been more than a hookup. If the condom didn’t break. If he’d bothered to tell me he was a freaking shapeshifter before he knocked me up. If we could’ve looked past our differences and tried to make things work for our daughter. If he loved anything or anyone as much as he loved football.
I wasn’t bitter. My seventeen-year-old daughter just got a tattoo and I’d just been blindsided by a divorce, which led to the downfall of my business. My other baby. So I was a little overwhelmed. Not ready to trust myself not to give this Max guy a piece of my mind if I unlocked Fiona’s phone and took a peek at the messages, I locked it in my desk drawer and indulged myself in my favorite guilty pleasure.
The Real Werewives of Alaska website.
The reality show had yet to debut. I followed the site with the same morbid curiosity I watched those TV shows about serial killers. It was full of teasers and trailers, and I was hooked. I couldn’t wait to see what they’d do next. A flock of women had descended upon Alaska in hopes of becoming the true mate of an Alaska Bloodhound. The Alaska Bloodhounds that included my baby daddy, Landon Fox.
I reconsidered Fiona’s phone. I’d have to snap a pick of that tattoo and send it to him. To see if he even cared.
As I sat at my empty desk—Charlie, my ex-husband, took the paperwork and the chaos away from me along with the business—I realized what I’d done up until now didn’t work anymore. I couldn’t learn from my mistakes until I fixed the biggest one.
I had to teach my daughter not to follow in my footsteps. Grounding her and telling her what she couldn’t do would only make her more creative in her rebellion. I didn’t want her to shut me out. My heart was still in pieces from the divorce. Okay, a little more over the loss of the restaurant, which was what sent the marriage into the danger zone. But waking up alone in a cold, empty bed every morning sucked.
For the first time since Fiona was born, I had no idea what to do with myself next. Besides keep her out of jail. I’d always had a plan—for her, for my career, and now I had nothing. I clicked to my favorite part of the Real Werewife, the Ask a Werewife page. People wrote to ask the Werewives about fashion, football, and of course, the Alaska Bloodhounds. They wanted to know what their favorite first date activities were, who was the best in bed, and they had tons of questions about Landon. He was the star of the team—still ruggedly gorgeous even after eighteen years in the league. The jackass actually looked better now that he’d gone gray.
I started typing in the box that said Have a question? Ask a Werewife!
What would Landon Fox tell a single mom whose teenage daughter came home with a brand-new tattoo...
Nah, too soon. I erased it. Sending pictures with no explanation would pack much more of a punch. At least if they didn’t, I wouldn’t be publicly humiliated. I had enough of that to last a lifetime, having to explain why my restaurant, which was packed every night, was closing suddenly after ten years. Because Charlie’s name had been on everything. And when he decided the bartender was a better business—and pleasure—partner than I was, I was out. My beloved farm to table concept, gone. They were turning my former restaurant, Bella, into a sports bar. My plan to make it sound like my decision fell apart when it became obvious I had no plan for my own future.
I wanted something different this time. Maybe it wasn’t work. I thought food was love, but I’d spent too much time feeding the wrong people. They loved me while they were there, then left money on the table and disappeared without a word. It was time to concentrate on my family, what was left of it, and myself. Not professionally—the walls of my office were full of framed magazine articles about my work. But me. I sat in this empty office and I had no idea what to do besides cook. I’d fed myself enough of my feelings since the restaurant closed and my pajama pants were the only ones that fit comfortably.
Drumming my fingers on my keyboard, I considered going back to bed. No, I’d lie there and feel sorry for myself. My eyes fell to the pink button at the top corner of every page on the Real Werewife website.
Do you have what it takes to be a Real Werewife?
The other reason I really didn’t want to go back to bed because, recently, I’d been starring in a foolish fantasy where my first love was also the one that lasted forever. That Landon, Fiona, and I were a family. A screwed up one, but what family wasn’t? After all, he was available. Elusive as fuck, the ladies on the show were finding that out the hard way, just like I had. So far, only previews of the show were available online but I’d watched them all. The ones featuring Landon more than once.
Okay, Jenna, shut down the website and start planning your new restaurant. I could have anything I wanted now. I didn’t have to rely on Charlie co-signing my business loans anymore. I took out a notebook and scribbled a few things down.
A change of scenery.
A rustic restaurant with only a few tables so it feels like having friends over for dinner. The menu will change every night, depending on what I could locally source.
For Fiona to decide she wants to go to an all-women’s college in the middle of nowhere.
I scratched that one out. She’d only seduce her roommate and they’d tear the place up. Trouble wafted from her pulse points like perfume.
For Fiona to decide she actually wants to go to college and not join a motorcycle gang.
To have someone to kiss goodnight.
Besides Fiona making good decisions, all those things were totally realistic. I just had to do them. The laptop screen blazed in front of me, that pink button taunting me like a dare.
I could change my life, all I had to do was find out if I had what it took to be a Real Werewife.
Keep Reading Now!
Catching the Vixen
The Alaska Bloodhounds are the newest team in the Continental Football Association. These wild shifters are rough and ready for the season.
They only need one thing: women.
Do you have what it takes to be a Real Werewife?
In this episode–
Fiona Fox crashed a Real Werewife auction, but instead of getting hauled out in handcuffs, she got offered a contract to be on the show. She was in it for the adventure, not the commitment, so when her wild scheme to create a dramatic episode with Tyler Jones takes an unexpected turn, Fiona’s plans for drama and fame become more real than reality TV.
Tyler Jones is an alpha with an image problem. He’s playing backup QB to Fiona’s dad, who’s threatened to skin him alive if he lays a hand on his daughter. And worse, his Pride back home is getting impatient, waiting for him
to take a lioness as his mate and rebuild their village. But Fiona Fox has captured his heart, and his Pride won’t take kindly to the red-headed vixen. If Tyler can convince Fiona he’s playing for keeps, then he’ll have to persuade his Pride to accept a creature of prey as his true mate.
Read Catching the Vixen now!
Wildcat
The Alaska Bloodhounds are the newest team in the Continental Football Association. These wild shifters are rough and ready for the season.
They only need one thing: women.
Do you have what it takes to be a Real Werewife?
In this episode—
Romance author Molly Clarke has a huge problem on her hands. After her latest relationship came to an unexpected and disastrous end, she doesn't believe in love anymore. It's put a damper on her dating life and has her career in a chokehold. Answering the open call for The Real Werewives of Alaska is just the thing she needs to spark inspiration for her next book.
But she's skeptical she'll find a forever mate for herself.
Lynx shifter Graham Chase is not a pack animal. After years of looking out for himself, this wide receiver's getting his first taste of success with the Alaska Bloodhounds. But he has a reputation with the Werewives as a major player. And he'll be kicked off the show soon if he doesn't start taking finding a forever mate seriously.
When Molly approaches Graham at a party, he's ready to up his game. And when he picks up one of her books, he knows she's his mate.
Can this player convince the romance author that happily ever after doesn't only happen in her books?
Read Wildcat Now!
The Alaska Bloodhounds are the newest team in the Continental Football Association. These wild shifters are rough and ready for the season.
They only need one thing: women.
Do you have what it takes to be a Real Werewife?
In this episode–
Fiona Fox crashed a Real Werewife auction, but instead of getting hauled out in handcuffs, she got offered a contract to be on the show. She was in it for the adventure, not the commitment, so when her wild scheme to create a dramatic episode with Tyler Jones takes an unexpected turn, Fiona’s plans for drama and fame become more real than reality TV.
Tyler Jones is an alpha with an image problem. He’s playing backup QB to Fiona’s dad, who’s threatened to skin him alive if he lays a hand on his daughter. And worse, his Pride back home is getting impatient, waiting for him to take a lioness as his mate and rebuild their village. But Fiona Fox has captured his heart, and his Pride won’t take kindly to the red-headed vixen. If Tyler can convince Fiona he’s playing for keeps, then he’ll have to persuade his Pride to accept a creature of prey as his true mate.
Read Now!
Wildcat
The Alaska Bloodhounds are the newest team in the Continental Football Association. These wild shifters are rough and ready for the season.
They only need one thing: women.
Do you have what it takes to be a Real Werewife?
In this episode—
Romance author Molly Clarke has a huge problem on her hands. After her latest relationship came to an unexpected and disastrous end, she doesn't believe in love anymore. It's put a damper on her dating life and has her career in a chokehold. Answering the open call for The Real Werewives of Alaska is just the thing she needs to spark inspiration for her next book.
But she's skeptical she'll find a forever mate for herself.
Lynx shifter Graham Chase is not a pack animal. After years of looking out for himself, this wide receiver's getting his first taste of success with the Alaska Bloodhounds. But he has a reputation with the Werewives as a major player. And he'll be kicked off the show soon if he doesn't start taking finding a forever mate seriously.
When Molly approaches Graham at a party, he's ready to up his game. And when he picks up one of her books, he knows she's his mate.
Can this player convince the romance author that happily ever after doesn't only happen in her books?
Read now!
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Reindeer Games Page 11