The good news was werewolves healed quickly.
The lingering tingle in his nerves from the shock he’d gotten would soon be gone, but his ability to heal rapidly wouldn’t remove his anger. This whole electrical issue of his was nothing but aggravation. If it wasn’t the small, constant shocks, it was something larger. Like attracting lightning bugs or getting zapped unconscious. “Wait until Ginny hears about this. She’s going to think I need constant supervision.”
Of course, there were worse things than having a beautiful woman worried about you or checking up on you. He grinned, thinking about how she’d want to take care of him.
Then his smile disappeared, replaced by a shock of a different kind.
Ginny. His neighbor. The gorgeous werewolf who lived next door, who’d snuck into his pool to swim, who’d organized his house. The woman whom he was falling madly in love with. The great kisser.
He remembered her. Remembered their week together. Remembered exactly how he felt about her.
Getting zapped had brought her back. He jumped to his feet, then realized there was still glass everywhere. And he was barefoot.
Carefully, he picked his way around the shards and into the kitchen. Thanks to Ginny’s organizational skills, he knew exactly where the dustpan and broom were. In the pantry.
He put shoes on, then cleaned up the glass, folded the ladder and leaned it against the wall. The bulb still needed replacing, but first he was going next door to tell Ginny the amazing news.
Then he’d go to the hardware store and buy another pair of rubber-coated utility gloves. That would be faster than digging through all those boxes in the garage, and he ought to have a second pair anyway.
He ran next door. Her Jeep wasn’t in the driveway, but it could be in the garage. He knocked on the door. “Ginny, it’s Easy. You home?”
He waited a few more minutes, but she didn’t answer. He knew she often worked with her headphones on. He ran around to the side of the house where her office was, but from what he could see she wasn’t at her desk.
This news was too good to just text. He wanted to see her face when he told her. Where was she?
Then he remembered she’d said she was going to visit her aunt. Well, what better time and way to meet the woman?
But if he was going out there, he couldn’t go like this. He changed his well-worn T-shirt for a clean white button-down, ran a comb through his hair, and put on loafers instead of sneakers. Ginny’s aunt was her only family. He needed to make a good impression.
Once in the Mustang, he called up his GPS. He knew the place was called Emerald Manor. He punched that in and found it. Not too far.
Seven minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot, found a spot, and was headed for the front desk.
It was a nice place. Really nice. A group of residents, two men and two women, were sitting in the large lobby next to a waterfall that took up the whole wall. With all the greenery and sunny lighting, it had a very tropical feel. They were playing poker at one of the tables. The man with his back to the water feature gave Easy a nod of greeting as he came in.
Easy smiled back. “Morning.”
As he reached the desk, the receptionist greeted him. “Good morning. Can I help you?”
“Yes, I’m looking for my girlfriend.” Why not call her that? That’s what he wanted her to be. What he hoped she wanted to be, too. “She came to visit her aunt. Gwen French. That’s the aunt, not my girlfriend. Anyway, I know she’s here. I was hoping to surprise her with some good news.”
Great news, actually.
The receptionist tapped a few keys. “Gwen French is indeed a resident here. I’ll call her suite for you.”
“Thank you.” He waited while she did just that.
After a few moments, the receptionist hung up the phone. “No answer. I’m sorry. They could be anywhere on the campus.”
“Okay, thanks. I guess I can just call her.” He’d be vague, though. Or as vague as he could be without giving away the surprise.
But Ginny didn’t answer her phone either. He sighed and walked toward the door, pausing to send her a quick text. Call me when you get this.
The card player who’d nodded at him got up from the table and came over. “Did I hear you say you’re looking for Gwen French?”
Easy nodded. “Her niece, really. Well, both of them. I have news for Ginny, but I was hoping to meet Gwen, too.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t know the niece. Can’t recall her at all, truly. But Gwen went into town this morning with…someone.” He shook his head. “I think she was going out to the lake. But they were going to the bakery, too. I know, because Gwen said she’d bring me a peach coffee cake from Black Horse.”
The person he couldn’t remember had to be Ginny. “Thanks, that’s very helpful. Maybe I can catch them there.”
The older man smiled, a faint, familiar gleam. “We wolves have to stick together.” He glanced at the receptionist. “The humans might know what we are, but they don’t know our ways.”
Easy liked the old dude instantly. He stuck his hand out. “Easy Grayle. Nice to meet you, sir.”
The man’s smile widened. “Lucas Cartwright. Nice to meet you, son.”
“Do you know if Gwen and her niece have a certain part of the lake they go to? Or is there really only one spot? I just moved to Shadowvale, so I’m not that familiar with the area.”
“Oh, no, it’s a big lake. Gwen favors the old boardwalk and fishing pier. It’s not used as much as the new one, but it’s a good spot for swimming or strolling.” He glanced toward the parking lot, then back at his card-playing friends. “Wouldn’t mind taking a drive up there myself if you want some company?”
Easy nodded. “I’d love some.” That was the way with most wolves. Friendly, willing to help, so long as you were part of their pack. And for all Lucas knew, Easy was part of the local pack.
Lucas’s pleasure was apparent in his grin. “Lead the way.”
Easy started for the parking lot. “I should warn you, I’m a fast driver.”
Lucas chuckled. “Son, I was a cop for thirty-five years. I know all about driving fast.”
“Good. If I get pulled over, you can talk the officer out of giving me a ticket.” He clicked the key fob, unlocking the Mustang and causing the lights to flash.
“Nice ride,” Lucas said as they got in.
“Thanks.” Easy started the car up. “Let me show you what she can do.”
* * *
The bakery was a little busy, but half of the customers were in line for coffee, and things were moving quickly. Gwen and Ginny got in line and had their goodies in no time. Six blackberry pies, one peach coffee cake, one blueberry crumb muffin, one Chocolate Reaper cupcake, and a half-dozen day-and-night cookies, just because they looked so good.
Ginny found the chocolate-and-vanilla frosting combination hard to resist. She ate one of the cookies on the way back to the Jeep, finishing the last bite just as they reached the vehicle. They put their shopping bags in the back seat, then climbed in.
Aunt Gwen snapped her seat belt into place. “It’s a beautiful day. Great day for a swim.”
“It is. And with these pies, Seymour is sure to show up.”
“You think so?”
Ginny started the car and pulled out of the parking spot. “He’s always shown up when I’ve had pie. It’s only when I don’t bring it that he’s not come. And even then, it’s rare. He likes the company. Especially swimming company. He’ll be thrilled.”
She drove on to Miller’s Lake, enjoying the warm breeze and golden light that almost felt like sun. “One of these days, we need to have a day up at Nightingale Park. We’ll have a good run, then a nice picnic. Maybe even a dip in the creek up there.”
Aunt Gwen clapped her hands. “That would be lovely. Can I invite Lucas?”
“Of course.” Ginny smiled. “I like him a lot.”
“I do, too. Very much.”
Ginny glanced over. “I don�
��t recall you dating at all when I was a kid. I think when I was a high school senior, you went out with a man. The insurance man, actually. Am I remembering that right?”
Gwen laughed softly. “Yes. Arnold Fuller. He was a nice man, but we didn’t have a lot in common.”
“Why didn’t you date more?”
The distance of memory glazed Gwen’s eyes. “You’d already had enough upheaval in your life. You didn’t need a parade of men coming and going.” She shrugged. “I was content to wait until you were older.”
“Really?” The confession tugged at Ginny’s heart. Her aunt had done so much for her. Sacrificed so much. “You were an amazing mom, even though you never let me call you that. I hope you know that. I probably should tell you that more.”
Gwen smiled. “Thank you. It’s nice to hear.”
“Why didn’t you let me call you Mom?” Apparently, today was the day to ask every question she’d always wanted to.
Gwen stared at her hands for a moment. “You had a mother. A great one. I never wanted to take her place. To me, letting you call me Mom—and you did a few times before I corrected you—felt too much like pushing her out of the picture.”
A tear spilled down Ginny’s cheek. “I love you, Aunt Gwen. And I know you don’t really know who I am right now, so you don’t need to say it back, but it doesn’t matter, because I already know you love me, too.”
“I remember you as a child. I’m sorry I don’t remember you now.”
Ginny gave her a quick smile before turning down the road that would take them to the lake. “No one does. It’s my curse. It’s why we moved here. Do you remember that?”
Gwen was silent. Thinking, most likely. Finally, she said, “No. The last memory I have with you in it is…dropping you off at Tulane. I was so proud of you for going to college, but I was so torn up inside to leave you there.”
“Really? Because you didn’t seem torn up. Just really happy, and obviously proud.”
Gwen laughed softly. “I cried all the way home.”
“You did? Aunt Gwen! I had no idea.”
Ginny turned onto the unpaved road that led to the old boardwalk. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”
“You’re welcome, Ginny. Thank you for today. I’m having a really nice time.”
“Good. I know you don’t remember the conversation we had the other day, about the guy I met, but things are going well with him. He doesn’t remember me either, but he’s working on a way around that. He writes everything down, then leaves himself a note to read it in the morning.”
“Maybe I should do that.”
“You could, but you have days when remembering isn’t a problem for you.”
“I wish that was every day.”
“Me, too.” She parked in the small gravel lot at the end of the pier. It was getting a little overgrown from disuse.
“Why doesn’t your curse affect me on the good days?” Gwen asked as they got out of the Jeep and gathered their things.
“This is just a guess, but I’ve always attributed it to us being blood relatives. Could also be because we’ve known each other for so long, but I think the blood connection is probably the reason.” Ginny hoisted the shopping bag with the pies. “Whatever it is, I’m glad for it. Having you remember me has been one of the main things that’s kept me going.”
“I’m glad I can do that for you. But you have a lot of reasons to keep going.”
“It’s been hard at times. Really hard. I get lonely, you know.”
“That young man should help.”
Ginny smiled. “For sure. Ready to swim?”
“Yes.” Gwen hitched the straps of her beach bag higher on her shoulder.
“Good.”
They headed out, and as they reached the end of the pier, Seymour surfaced.
“I guess pie did the trick again.” Ginny waved. “Hi, Seymour. We’re here to swim.”
He ducked his head under, then flicked it back up, spraying them with water. They laughed and shrieked.
Ginny set the shopping bag down. “Aunt Gwen, I think he wants us to swim first.”
Gwen put her bag down, then peeled her sundress off. “Sounds good to me.” She jumped in and started wading through the shallows.
Ginny stripped off her T-shirt and shorts. Despite everything they’d talked about, it was easy to forget her curse in a moment like this, when everything was so good and happy. Even with Aunt Gwen not fully remembering her.
No matter what else happened, she’d cherish the memory of this day. Because the time would come when all Aunt Gwen had was bad days.
A time, Ginny realized, that was coming much too fast.
Chapter Twenty-five
A slow roll by the bakery had been enough to show Easy the women weren’t there. Lucas offered to run in and ask after them, but Easy thought heading to the lake would be the next logical thing. If Ginny and her aunt weren’t there, he and Lucas could always come back to the bakery.
Easy was still creeping along, looking at his GPS. “Is this the right way to the lake?”
“Yes, but it’s not the part we want to go to.” Lucas pointed ahead. “Straight like you’re going to the gate, but turn right at Lake Road.”
Easy snorted. “I probably could have figured out that Lake Road led to the lake.”
“Maybe,” Lucas said. “But now you won’t have to wonder. And you wouldn’t have known to take the unmarked road that’ll lead us to Gwen.”
Easy picked up speed, and a few minutes after he’d made the right, Lucas pointed again.
“Turn onto that gravel road up there. That’ll take you to the old scenic walk and pier. If they’re not there, I don’t know where they are.”
Easy turned, slowing down on the road so his tires wouldn’t kick up stones. “If they’re not here, we’ll just go back to Emerald Manor and wait on them.”
Lucas gave him a look. “Or we could get something to eat. Have you been to Philly’s?”
“I’ve only been to a few places. Five Bells Pub and the diner. Too busy working since I moved in to get out more than that.”
“Then we’ll go to Philly’s. Best hole-in-the-wall in Shadowvale. A lot of miners hang out there, maybe because it’s out by the mines, so it’s nothing fancy because they aren’t a fancy crowd, but the food is good, and the portions are generous. Cheap beer, too.”
“All right, I’m game.” Easy really needed to go home and write, but Lucas had been helpful, so he didn’t want to ditch the guy. Although he was glad Lucas hadn’t suggested the pub. Last thing he needed was to see that Full Moon Party flyer again. “Might be a little early for a beer, even if it is a bargain.”
Lucas laughed. “I’m retired. It’s never too early for a beer. But I understand you might not feel that way.”
“Well, I still have work to do when I get home.”
“Understand.”
Easy gestured ahead. “Hey, there’s Ginny’s Jeep.” He parked beside it, and they got out. Easy put his hand on the hood. “Still warm, so they can’t have been here long.”
“We must have just missed them at Black Horse.”
Easy peered into the back seat and nodded. “There’s a bakery bag in there.”
“I hope there’s a peach coffee cake in it.” Lucas started for the stairs up to the old boardwalk. “They must be down at the end where the pier juts out into the water. They’re probably swimming already.”
Easy caught up. “Let’s go see.”
The elevated walkway followed the shore for a bit, then doglegged to the right and disappeared behind the trees. As they hit the bend, Easy went dead-still.
The lake spread out before them, but it wasn’t the size or beauty of the place that made his mouth drop open.
Ginny and her aunt were standing in the water about chest high, just talking. Completely oblivious to the danger behind them. Because just a few feet away from them loomed a green-gray monster of mythical proportions. Spines ran down its back. It
seemed to be watching Ginny and her aunt, until it saw Easy.
The creature hissed, showing off a mouth filled with needle-sharp teeth, and raised its spines.
Easy let out a curse and went flying forward, every inch of him ready to fight for Ginny’s life.
Lucas was on his heels.
“Ginny, out of the water, now,” Easy yelled.
“You, too, Gwen. And hurry,” Lucas hollered. “I’m coming.”
Both men hit the end of the pier at the same time and dived forward. The creature squealed, the women shrieked, and Easy and Lucas plunged into the water.
That instant, underwater, Easy realized he had no plan. He’d acted on instinct, the pure driving need to protect Ginny. He pushed off the lake bottom, surfaced between the women and the monster, and snarled at it. He planted his feet and waved his hands, trying to scare it off. “Stay away from them.”
“Easy, Lucas, no,” Ginny cried out. She grabbed Easy’s arm. “Seymour isn’t—”
The monster whipped its head back, then thrust it into the water inches from Easy. The smell of ozone reached him a split second before the pain did, but he already had an idea about what was coming.
The current cut through him like the bite of a whip. He jerked back, frozen by the electricity running through him. He was marginally aware that Lucas, Gwen, and Ginny were caught in it, too. The four of them were immobilized by the relentless surge: teeth gritted, muscles tensed, nerves on fire.
Steam rose off the water. His eyes started to roll back in his head. Then it ended, and the monster turned and dived, disappearing.
As the current subsided, the tingling was all that remained. Like the worst case of pins and needles possible.
They all gasped, having momentarily been left breathless.
Ginny still held on to Easy, but she turned to look behind her. “Aunt Gwen, are you all right? Lucas?”
“I have her,” Lucas answered. He had her in his arms, but she and Ginny were also holding hands.
Ginny let her aunt go to face Easy. “What on earth were you doing?”
The Forgettable Miss French (Shadowvale Book 3) Page 18