The Forgettable Miss French (Shadowvale Book 3)

by Kristen Painter

  She sighed. “Bob, don’t be a piglet. Let Comet eat, too.”

  Easy had been trying to spare her. She understood that. He was also right about most pack females. In general, they picked their men based on who had the strongest bloodlines, who was a good provider, and who had the best potential to be alpha.

  Easy wasn’t that guy. He couldn’t be. And even if Ginny wasn’t part of a pack, why would he think she’d want anything different in a mate?

  If she wanted a mate.

  Which…she kind of did. She sniffed. For the brief time it had lasted, being around Easy had been wonderful. She’d almost forgotten about her curse. Because she’d had a taste of what it felt like to live again.

  To be remembered again.

  And now that they’d had this fight, or whatever it was, she was on her own again. She smiled sadly at her goldfish. “Not that you guys aren’t great, but Easy was a different kind of great.”

  The kind of great she could have gotten serious about.

  So why had she reacted to what he’d said like that? Why had she gotten so mad? Maybe she didn’t know how to be around people anymore. Maybe her solitary existence had changed her in ways she didn’t realize.

  Last night had to have been devastating for him. She tried to imagine what it would feel like to be a virile, full-grown werewolf who’d suddenly shifted into one of the smallest, cutest dogs on the planet.

  She grimaced. It would probably feel like you didn’t know who you were anymore. Like everything you thought you knew about yourself had been erased. Like you might become the laughingstock of your entire race. Like you just wanted to be left alone.

  She pressed her hand to her forehead. He had to have been torn up inside after last night, and yet, the first thing he’d done was put her interests ahead of his.

  He might have been wrong about those interests, but he’d still made her a priority. When had that ever happened to her before?

  She glanced toward his house again. She was a terrible neighbor and a worse friend. Had she really just yelled at him, then walked out in a huff?

  She groaned. While other people were forgetting her, she’d apparently forgotten how to be a decent human being.

  She had to go back over there and apologize. And then she’d tell him about the magical curse-lifting book in the enchanted forest. Just because she’d never found it didn’t mean it might not offer him some hope.

  Some days, hope was all that got her through. Easy deserved to have that lifeline, too.

  Yoga pants and a ratty T-shirt wasn’t the right outfit to apologize in. She needed to look like she’d exerted some effort. And also cute enough so that he’d at least let her in the door, because she wasn’t sure he would. Whatever advantage she could find, she’d take.

  As she headed back to the bedroom to change, she heard the familiar rumble of Easy’s motorcycle. She ran to the front windows in time to see him driving out of the cul-de-sac.

  Well, the apology would have to wait until he got back. Until then, she’d figure out what she was going to say and how she was going to convince him that they were better as a team. Even if that team was strictly platonic.

  Because no one should go through such an intense problem on their own. In the day and a half that she’d known him, she’d learned how much easier it was to bear a burden with someone who understood by your side.

  Now she just had to hope he’d feel the same way.

  * * *

  Falling back on the clichés of flowers and chocolates seemed like a pitiful way to apologize, but Easy wasn’t sure what else to do. He needed to make the right impression, and flowers and chocolates would at least help in that department. They were classics for a reason, right?

  If he and Ginny had been dating for a while, he would have splashed out on some pricey bling, but at this stage of their fledgling relationship, that didn’t feel like the right way to go. Not after one date. An expensive piece of jewelry now might come off as so over the top she’d think he was a nutjob.

  Which she probably already thought, so no need to confirm that.

  It went without saying that, besides the gifts, he was going to tell her how wrong he’d been to guess at what she wanted or needed or deserved. He’d pour his heart out until he’d explained himself better.

  And until she understood that what he really needed was her.

  But the flowers and chocolates ought to help show how sorry he was. And until he knew her better and knew what her favorite things were, they were safe bets.

  The only problem was, he didn’t exactly know where to find those things. The Green Grocer had a floral department, but this was not a grocery-store-flower-arrangement occasion. This was the moment for something big and custom and showy.

  As for the chocolates, well, no preboxed selection from the drugstore was going to cut it here either.

  He drove for a bit and found himself on Fiddler Street. The shops here looked more focused on handcrafted items than some of the ones on Main, so he slowed and started scanning both sides of the street for stores that sold what he was after.

  The Chocolate Dragon sounded promising, and the window display had the most elaborate chocolate fountain he’d ever seen, so that was a good sign. He parked and went in. The smell of chocolate was instantly overwhelming, in a good way. He smiled. This looked like the kind of place he needed, especially since there were chocolates in the display cases, along with some other items he wasn’t as sure about.

  At the jingle of the bell above the door, a man came out from the back. He looked to be only a few years older than Easy and had the rangy build of a distance runner, but there was a preternatural gleam in his eye that seemed to signal he wasn’t entirely human. Whatever he was, he either had a very high metabolism or never ate much of what he sold. “Hello there. Anything I can help with?”

  “I need some chocolates.”

  The man smiled. “You’ve come to the right place. Special occasion?”

  “I screwed up, and I need to show her how sorry I am.”

  “Ah,” the man said with an understanding nod. “Apology chocolates. We can fix you right up.”

  “Great. What do you suggest?”

  “The Ruby is a nice place to start.” He walked over to a section of the display case that held a variety of scaled eggs in all colors and sizes. Sort of like Easter eggs that had been laid by mythical creatures.

  Easy frowned. “Those are chocolates?” He swore he could see individual scales on each one.

  “Yes. Chocolate dragon eggs filled with individual chocolates. The Ruby is the one I always recommend for expressing love or seeking forgiveness.” He pointed to one of the eggs in the case.

  The egg was about eight inches tall, a deep metallic scarlet with a burnishing of gold and touches of purple, and a chocolate medallion on the front embossed with a heart. A smaller version was in front of it and a larger one behind it.

  Easy looked closer. “That’s really chocolate?”

  The man nodded. “Completely edible.”

  “Amazing. How do you get into it? Just crack it open?”

  “Absolutely. Each egg comes with a wooden mallet and chisel to help with the process.”

  The shop got more impressive by the second. “What kind of chocolates are inside?”

  “An assortment of chocolate truffles, some cordials, and berry creams. Very high quality and all delicious, I assure you. Would you like to try one of the truffles?”

  “Thanks, but I trust you.”

  The man smiled. “We pride ourselves on using only the finest ingredients.”

  “Judging by the way it smells in here, I have no doubt that’s true.” But would Ginny like such a thing? It was impressive. “Women usually go for these things?”

  “They’re very popular with everyone who gets them.” The man tipped his head. “Do I know the woman who’d be receiving this gift? If she’s a regular here, I might be able to tell you what she prefers.”

  Easy sho
ok his head. “No one knows her. That’s her curse. Long story.”

  “I see. A shame, that.”

  “It is.” Easy looked at the egg one more time. “I’ll take the big one.”

  The man pointed to the largest of the three eggs. “The Ruby Grand?”

  “Yes.”

  He smiled as he lifted the egg out of its display nest. “She’s going to be very impressed with how sorry you are.”

  “Let’s hope.” Easy got his credit card out. “Is there a florist nearby?”

  The man’s brows lifted slightly. He was placing the egg in a wooden box filled with black shredded stuff that looked like the green grass that went in Easter baskets. “Flowers, too? I won’t ask what you did. Yes, one street over. Flora’s Blooms. Tell her Charlie Ashborne sent you.”

  “I will. I’m Ezekiel Grayle, by the way. Just moved to town.”

  “Nice to meet you, Ezekiel. Wolf, correct?”

  Taken back a bit, Easy nodded. “Yes. You must have a great sense of smell.”

  “I do. All dragons do.” Charlie smiled. “We mythical shifters have a little advantage over you ordinaries.”

  Easy laughed. “Only in a town like this could being a werewolf make a person ordinary. Nice to meet you, Charlie.”

  Charlie put the box, now sealed with ribbon and a hot wax stamp, on the counter. Easy nodded in appreciation. This was a good gift. Charlie rang the egg up.

  Easy started to pick up the box, then looked back at where his bike was parked. “You know, I don’t think this is going to fit in my storage well. I came by motorcycle. Wasn’t thinking. Can you hold it for me while I run home and get my car?”

  “No problem. Happy to do it.”

  “Great. Just give me a few minutes. I don’t live far.”

  “Stop by Flora’s before you go home. Then she can make up your arrangement while you’re traveling.”

  “Good idea. Thanks.” Easy went back out to the street, feeling much better. That egg was pretty cool. Ginny couldn’t stay mad at him with a gift like that, could she? With flowers, too? Impossible.

  At least he wanted to think that.

  He got on his bike, drove to the next street, and found Flora’s.

  The flowers on display were abundant and beautiful, but he wasn’t about to pick out each one. With the help of the woman at the counter (not Flora, but an employee named Carena), he ordered a giant bouquet in reds and purples to match the egg, then paid and drove home to get his car.

  He practiced his speech all the way home and all the way back to the Chocolate Dragon. Then he practiced it some more after he picked up the very impressive bouquet and drove home again.

  Even with all that practicing and the flowers and the chocolates, he was still nervous. The kind of jittery that came with a task that really mattered. Rejection was something he’d grown accustomed to as a writer, but this was different.

  This wasn’t about having an editor like some story he’d made up or some fictional character. This was about him. His life. His personal happiness.

  His future.

  He recognized that it was crazy to think that way about a woman he’d just met, but so what? In the military, he’d jumped out of airplanes trusting that the forty-odd yards of fabric in his parachute would prevent him from dying.

  So why shouldn’t he jump at this chance?

  The rewards would be so much greater. So long as Ginny felt the same way.

  He pulled into his driveway, his gaze on her house.

  Her Jeep was in the drive, so she was home. Maybe even watching him right now. Probably still fuming at him.

  He took a breath. He could do this. He’d done much harder things.

  They’d just never felt this important.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ginny had no idea what Easy was up to, but he sure had been busy since she’d stormed out of his house. Out on the motorcycle, then back and out again in the Mustang.

  Whatever. He certainly didn’t seem bothered by their argument. Or her hurt feelings.

  She sighed at her own mood. Her crankiness was only because she’d been all set to try to fix things between them, but then he’d left, making that impossible.

  Which basically meant she was upset because she hadn’t gotten her way. She rolled her eyes at herself. More proof that she’d lived this solitary existence far too long.

  Whatever he’d been doing, it had to have been important. Probably house stuff. Something she’d promised to help with, and now…who knew?

  The doorbell rang.

  She almost jumped out of her chair. Easy? But no. Why would he be at her door? The ink cartridges she’d ordered, more likely.

  Even so, she was glad she’d changed out of her frumpy yoga pants and into cute shorts and a tank top.

  She went to the door. Opened it. And inhaled a little gasp. “Hi.”

  Easy smiled tentatively. “Hi.”

  She almost couldn’t see him through the enormous bunch of flowers. He also had a large box in the other arm that looked very much like a crate from the Chocolate Dragon. Her heart was racing. He was here. “I’m sorry.”

  It wasn’t the big apology she’d planned on, but she had to say something.

  “Me, too. Really sorry. I shouldn’t have said the things I did. I was…” He took a breath and seemed to be searching for the right word.

  “Freaked out?”

  He nodded. “And, truthfully, a little scared. Last night was bad for me.”

  “I know.” Her heart went out to him. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. What happened to you last night, it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

  He stared at the ground between them, the muscles in his jaw tensing. “I don’t know how that’s possible.”

  “Because I know better than anyone else that your curse doesn’t define you. Nor should it.”

  He looked up. “I suppose you do.”

  She smiled at that. But she had more to say. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you the way I did. I reacted poorly.”

  “I shouldn’t have presumed to know what’s best for you. I was wrong to do that.” He held out the flowers and the box. “These are for you.”

  She stepped back, opening the door wider. “Why don’t you bring them in?”

  As he entered, he seemed to exhale with the kind of relief she was feeling, too.

  She took the flowers. “These are beautiful. I’ll go put them in water. Thank you. You didn’t have to do all this.”

  “I did.” He looked at her with the haunted expression of a man with a lot on his mind and heart. “I like you, Ginny. A lot. I know we’ve only just met, but last night made me realize how compatible we are. Things are so easy between us.”

  She nodded. There was no denying the chemistry they shared.

  He went silent for a moment. “Then I shifted, and it threw me. Hard. Reminded me that I shouldn’t be dating anyone right now.”

  Despite his words, joy spilled through her. All because he’d called last night a date. Which meant it was a date. And that they were dating. Even with all that rising bliss, she managed not to grin or squeal or clap while he was still pouring his heart out. Instead, she just listened, intent on his words.

  He hesitated. “I don’t feel like I’m enough for any woman right now. Not just you, but especially not you. I hope that makes sense.”

  She nodded, overwhelmed by emotion to the point that she did the only thing she could think of to answer him with some kind of reassurance. She leaned in and kissed him softly on the mouth, crushing the bouquet between them and sending a heady floral perfume into the air. “What makes sense is we both have issues. But I think…I think those issues would be easier to bear together than separately.”

  Gratitude filled his gaze. “Yeah. They would. But it’s not going to change my issues.”

  “It’s not going to change mine either, but why don’t you let me decide what kind of man is right for me?”

  The smallest hint of a smil
e bent his mouth. “Okay.”

  “Great. Now can we pretend this morning didn’t happen?” She went into the kitchen for a vase. She’d never gotten flowers from a man, but this bouquet made up for that.

  He followed her, still holding the box. “Yes and no.”

  She got a vase down out of a cabinet. “What does that mean?”

  “It means we put the bad feelings behind us, but we need to talk about what happened. About the expectations we have for each other. About where this is headed.”

  She laughed softly as she filled the vase. “Really? That’s not at all what I thought you’d want to do.”

  “Why? Because men don’t like to talk?”

  “That’s part of it. But another part is I haven’t had anyone to talk to in so long, I think I’ve forgotten a little bit how people deal with things like this.” She untied the paper from the flowers and arranged them in the water. She looked over her shoulder at him. “These are so beautiful. Thank you.”

  “I’m glad you like them.” He shrugged as he set the box from the Chocolate Dragon on her kitchen table. “There’s too much at stake here to brush this under the rug. Does neither of us any good.”

  “I agree.” She turned to face him, thankful he was so willing to talk and pushing her to do the same. She was out of practice, but that was no excuse not to. “And I think it’s wise. There’s something I want to talk to you about, too.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Hope.” She smiled. “But first, I could really use some breakfast. Can we talk while we eat?”

  “Sure. Where do you want to go?”

  “Nowhere. I’ll make breakfast, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Absolutely. But just so you know, I’m happy to take you out anytime you want to go. Just say the word.”

  “That’s very sweet.” She was mad about him. Crazy. Deep. Mad. “But you have a book to finish.”

  “True. But then I am taking you somewhere special. The best place this town has to offer. You shouldn’t have had to pay for that meal last night.”