* * *
They decided on Nightingale Park for their run. The run wasn’t necessary, of course, but Easy had pushed for it. Ginny understood. If his true form was back, he was going to want to run for the sheer joy of it.
And Aunt Gwen wanted to see the sun.
How could Ginny deny her two favorite people? She couldn’t, which was why, with a belly full of ice cream, she was driving toward the twilight line.
The ice cream wouldn’t matter that much. If anything, it would fuel the run.
A sign up ahead announced the approaching demarcation where the sunless part of Shadowvale ended.
Easy laughed. “Do they really need a sign?”
Ginny glanced at him. “They do after a vampire got lost and almost burned his biscuits.”
“Ouch.”
“Exactly. That’s why they put the speed bump in, too. So there could be no mistaking it.” She tightened her grip on the wheel and slowed as the Jeep rolled over the little rise.
Sun spilled over them like warm water. She tipped her head up as much as she could without losing sight of the road.
In the rearview mirror, she could see Aunt Gwen and Lucas doing the same thing. Next to her, Easy had his eyes closed and his face lifted.
“Wow,” he breathed out. “I kind of forgot what this feels like.”
“I know. Funny how fast that can happen.” While her passengers enjoyed the rays, she drove the last few minutes to Nightingale Park and found a place in the lot. Only a few other cars occupied the spaces. She turned the Jeep off and turned to look at Easy. “If there’s anything you don’t want to take, we can lock it up in the glove box.”
“I’m good,” Easy said. He got out, looking around. “This is pretty nice up here.”
Ginny jumped out, then helped her aunt do the same. “It’s really nice. Every time I come up here, I think about how I should come up here more.”
Easy looked toward the distance. “I hear water. Did one of you say something about a creek?”
Lucas pointed in the same direction. “There’s a good-sized creek that runs down the mountain here. Feeds into the river that runs through the bayou and fills the lake. About a half mile up from the park, there’s a nice little swimming hole.”
“Cool,” Easy said.
“And there’s a picnic area here,” Lucas continued, “all kinds of trails for hiking, even a playground for the littles.”
“See?” Ginny said. “Already, I’m wondering why it’s taken me so long to get back here.”
Easy nodded. “We should make this a regular outing. When I’m done with my book.”
“Naturally. Which you’re getting back to tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. Maybe even tonight.”
She looked at her aunt. “Ready to run?”
“I am.” Gwen smiled at Lucas. “This will be fun. It’s been a while.”
“It has,” Lucas said as he took her hand.
“South trail?” Ginny asked. “It gets the most sun.”
“Sounds good,” Easy said, and Gwen and Lucas agreed.
They followed the signs to the beginning of the marked trail. Beside the sign announcing the start of the 2.6-mile dirt path, there was a wooden bench. The sign had a small color map on it, showing the route and where it linked up to some of the other trails.
Ginny tapped the sign. “We’re the red path.”
“Got it,” Easy said.
“Okay.” Ginny smiled. “Let’s shift.” She checked on Lucas. “You want me to pull up that video?”
“No.” He raised his brows. “I’ve got this.”
Gwen smiled at him, then her eyes gleamed with the start of her own shift. Ginny and Easy joined them. In less than a minute, they were on all fours and ready to run. And they were all in their true forms. Except for Easy.
Who had become a dire wolf again.
Chapter Thirty-two
Easy could tell by the look on Ginny’s face that something wasn’t right. He shifted back to his human form immediately. “What’s wrong?”
She shifted back, too. “I don’t know that’s wrong, exactly, but you went into the same dire wolf form as before. I meant to tell you earlier that you were a dire wolf in the enchanted forest, too.”
“That’s odd. Since getting struck by lightning, I’ve never been the same thing and certainly not in three shifts back to back.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to make of it.”
Ginny shrugged. “It’s not a bad form to have. It’s pretty rare. And well-respected. Do you think maybe you just stuck with the last form you were in?”
“Maybe. If so, I’m glad I wasn’t a poodle.” He winked at her. “Well, I’m not going to worry about it. Not much I can do at this point. Besides, your aunt and Lucas are waiting on us.”
She looked at them, then took a few steps closer to Easy and lowered her voice. “If it makes any difference, my wolf finds your dire wolf very sexy.”
The urge to tip his head back and howl was strong. Instead, he grinned. “Yeah, I’m good with the dire wolf, then.”
With a laugh, she shook herself and transformed back into her wolf.
A moment later, he joined her, and the four of them took off down the sun-dappled trail.
Just minutes in and he was the happiest he’d been in a long while. He hadn’t been for a pack run in a very long time, and while calling this quartet a pack was stretching the definition a bit, it was the closest to that dynamic he’d come since realizing his shifting abilities were iffy.
There was nothing like it, and the experience filled a place in him he hadn’t realized was empty.
Ginny was at his shoulder, as beautiful in her wolf form as she was in her human one. The urge to give her a playful bite was strong. He also wanted to tackle her and roll around in the leaves with her. But maybe not in front of her aunt and Lucas.
Although there was no reason not to publicly declare his interest in her that way. Because he was absolutely interested. In her alone.
Maybe at the end of the run.
Behind him and Ginny were her aunt and Lucas, who kept up without issue. That was the beauty of their wolf forms. They aged, but not quite as rapidly as their human ones.
And there was something about the earth under your paws, the wind in your fur, and the sun on your muzzle to bring the joy of life out in you. It just made you feel alive.
The path’s incline took them farther up the side of the mountain, then curved around. Easy remembered the route from the map. Any minute, they’d pass a turnoff that connected this trail to the blue one. He’d like to run that sometime with Ginny, but the extra three miles wasn’t in the cards for today.
They ran on, driven by the sheer fun of the activity, the endorphins of the exercise, and the rare glimpses of sun. They became one with nature, one with the animal who lived within them. It was freedom that no nonshifter would ever know, a kind of lightness of being and wholeness of spirit that Easy had never experienced in any other part of his life.
The air swirled past them as they ran, scented with a thousand earthy things only their powerful noses could pick up. Birds chirped overhead, insects buzzed by, and a squirrel darted across their path.
Before long, the sound of moving water reached them, and Easy knew they were on the back half of the circuit and headed toward the trail’s end. They slowed to a trot as a group, as if none of them was quite ready for it to be over.
As for Easy, he would be back here. Hopefully with all of them. Today had been incredibly hard, but incredibly good, and this run had capped it off perfectly. He glanced around, wanting to imprint his surroundings on his memory so that not a single detail would be lost.
Ginny yelped and skidded to a stop.
Easy looked at the trail’s head.
A big black wolf stood in the way, staring them down. Lips curled.
They all stopped. Easy stepped in front of Ginny, and Lucas joined him so that Gwen was behind them as well.
> A subtle shift in the air told Easy that Ginny had returned to her human form. She spoke, confirming that.
“You’re Rico Martinez, aren’t you? Alpha of the Shadowvale pack.”
The black wolf stopped snarling and, a few seconds later, turned into the man Ginny had called out by name.
“How do you know who I am?”
“Long story,” she said. She put her hand on Easy’s back, weaving her fingers into the thick fur between his shoulder blades.
“Start talking,” Rico said. “Because I don’t know you.”
Lucas shifted. “Yes, you do.”
Rico frowned at him. “Lucas Cartwright?”
Easy looked behind him. Gwen was shifting out of wolf mode, too. He joined her, taking on his human form to stand with Ginny.
Rico stared them down. “Who are these wolves, Lucas?”
“My friend Gwen lives at Emerald Manor like I do.” He reached toward Ginny. “This is her niece and her niece’s boyfriend. He’s new to town, but he and Ginny have had some issues that have kept them from joining the pack.”
“Such as?” Rico asked.
Ginny stepped forward. “I’ve lived the last ten years under a curse that made me impossible to remember. Over the years, I tried to join the pack several times, but it never worked out. Once the group thought there was a strange wolf in their midst…” She shrugged. “It didn’t go well.”
Rico grimaced. “I can imagine.” He looked at Easy. “What about you?”
“Couldn’t shift reliably. I can now, though.”
Rico seemed to ponder that. “You all plan on joining, then?”
The four of them exchanged looks, but it was Easy who answered. “We’d love to.”
Rico finally relaxed. “Good. We’d love to have you.” He looked at Easy. “We don’t have any other dire wolves in the pack. The ladies will get a kick out of that for sure.”
Ginny crossed her arms. “Oh?”
Easy snorted, flattered by her sudden green-eyed glare. He put his hand on the small of her back as he answered Rico. “I’m taken.”
“Even better,” Rico said. “I don’t need to deal with all those hormones. The den is on Sycamore and Luna. Come by any night, but Fridays are when we add new members.”
Lucas puffed up his chest a little. “I’ll vouch for them.”
“Perfect.” Rico gave them a little nod. “See you then. I’m off to run.”
He shifted back to his wolf form and trotted past them, breaking into a run a few moments later.
When he was out of earshot, Ginny let out a little squeal. “We’re going to be part of the pack. I can’t wait.”
Easy laughed. “They’re going to have you on every committee on the books if you’re not careful.”
She shrugged. “That’s okay. I need to make friends.”
“And I need a nap,” Gwen said. She laughed. “Maybe a shower first, though. Today has worn me out. In a good way. But I’m ready to crash.”
Ginny beamed with love. “It’s been quite a day, hasn’t it? C’mon, I’ll drop you guys off at the Manor.”
They headed back to the Jeep, piled in, and got on the road home. After they said goodbye to Gwen and Lucas, with plans already made for Friday evening at the den, Easy let out a long sigh.
Ginny looked at him. “You okay?”
“I’m great. Beat. But good. I feel like your aunt, though. Ready for a nap. But I have to get a couple pages in, or I’m going to regret it tomorrow.”
“Why don’t you work on your book, and I’ll take care of dinner? Then you don’t have to worry about that.”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “That would be great. But don’t you have work to do, too?”
“Yes, but my deadlines aren’t nearly as pressing as yours.”
“Hey, in a day or two, when we’re back in our routine, let’s go out to eat. Just you and me. Like a real couple.”
“I’d love that.” She grinned. “You know what else we should do?”
“What’s that?”
“Take that trip out to see Seymour. I’m sure he feels terrible about what happened.”
Easy made a face. “Yeah, I don’t know about that…”
“I’m not saying get in the water with him. Just take him some pies and explain what happened and let bygones be bygones. That kind of thing.”
“You know I’m in. Especially if it’ll make you happy.”
“It will.” She smirked, maybe because she was getting her way.
Easy didn’t care. She was happy, and that was all that mattered. That and her loving him the way he loved her. And he was going to spend the rest of his life searching for new ways to make her smile.
But the first thing he was going to do for her? He already had a pretty good idea about what that was. And if his idea paid off, it was worth whatever cost necessary to make it happen.
Chapter Thirty-three
Ginny hadn’t counted on it taking three days for them to get out to see Seymour. She knew Easy was busy, knew he was desperately trying to get back on track with his writing, but she also knew he hadn’t exactly been home all day for those three days.
Hard to hide your comings and goings from your next-door neighbor.
She couldn’t help but wonder what he was up to. Especially when she’d offered to get groceries for him and he’d declined. Same result when she’d asked him if he had any errands to run.
So where was he going, and what was he doing? He’d left three times. Once each day. Each time empty-handed on the way out and the way in.
Not that she was keeping tabs on him. But again, hard not to notice when he lived right next door. And, okay, maybe she was keeping a few tabs. But they’d professed their love for each other, and now he was being a little…sneaky.
Maybe sneaky wasn’t the right word, exactly, but for the love of Pete, what was he up to?
Ginny sighed and made herself walk away from the window. Tonight, around seven, they were going out to the lake so that Easy could meet Seymour and they could work things out. After that, they were going to grab a pizza at Fritzi’s.
Naturally, they’d be going to the bakery on the way to the lake so they could pick up Seymour’s pies. She’d called ahead to reserve them, seeing as how they’d be going by so late in the day.
But there were a lot of hours in between now and seven. Hours she needed to spend working and not worrying about what Easy was up to. He was allowed to have his own life and do things without her.
She just itched to know what those things were.
Reluctantly, she sat at her desk, put her headphones on, and got busy. Emails had gotten a little stacked up, and answering them was going to take at least an hour, maybe more. Then there were ongoing projects, new projects, tweaks to old projects…yeah, she had no time to be spying on her boyfriend.
Boyfriend. Heh. She grinned as she opened her inbox.
By six, she was tired of sitting in her office chair and ready to quit, which was perfect since she needed to change for their jaunt to the lake. They were not swimming. That much had already been established.
Ginny wasn’t sure Easy would ever get into the same water with Seymour again, but that was fine. She didn’t need them to be best buddies, just for them to forgive each other and move on in a friendly manner.
Easy might cast a skeptical eye upon the monster, but he was Ginny’s friend, and she wasn’t about to give him up. Especially now that her social calendar was going to get a lot busier. She didn’t want Seymour to think she was coming less frequently because she no longer liked him. Lake monster or not, Seymour had feelings, and she didn’t want him to be hurt.
Living a solitary life was something she understood all too well. Being lonely sucked. She didn’t want to contribute to that.
Thankfully, Aunt Gwen could go visit him on her own now, too. In fact, since her memory issues had been cured by the book, she was getting her driver’s license back. Her independ
ence had been restored.
Which also meant she no longer needed to live on the assisted-living side of Emerald Manor. Ginny had a feeling her aunt would be moving as close to Lucas as possible.
Or maybe even in with him.
Ginny smiled, thinking about how happy he made Aunt Gwen. Finding love at any age was amazing, but for Gwen and Lucas it seemed extra sweet.
She flipped the light on in her bedroom and traded her leggings and T-shirt for cuffed jeans and a fancier knotted-at-the-hips T-shirt. She added some cute jewelry and a pair of sandals, then went to work on her hair and makeup.
She was done with time to spare, so she worked another ten minutes before Easy knocked on her door.
He was smiling when she opened it. “Hi, beautiful.”
“Hi there.” He looked as handsome as ever in jeans and a T-shirt snug enough to show off his delicious body. “Ready?”
“Yep. You?”
“Yep.” She grabbed her purse off the couch, then locked the door behind her as she left.
He took her hand on the way down the porch steps, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “You smell nice, too.”
“Thanks. Not sure why.”
“Because you’re made of sugar and spice?”
She laughed. “I think that’s a different little girl.”
He opened the door to the Mustang for her, and she got in. “That’s right. You’re made of chocolate and sex appeal. I keep getting that mixed up.”
She snickered, but loved his attention.
He slid behind the wheel and started the car. “Bakery first, right?”
“Right.”
At the bakery, Ginny introduced herself to Nasha, who smiled and handed over the pie-laden shopping bags with a curious look.
“You know,” Nasha said. “My books show that I’ve been selling six blackberry pies at a go almost once a week for nearly the last decade. Has that been you?”
Ginny nodded. “That’s me, all right.”
“Funny,” Nasha said. “You’d think I’d remember someone who got that many pies from me week after week.”
Ginny just grinned. “I have a feeling you will from now on.”
The Forgettable Miss French (Shadowvale Book 3) Page 23