“What are you doing home?” Joe asked. His son had a job delivering food for the barbeque restaurant during the lunch rush, so it was odd to see him home right around lunchtime.
“Tracy sent me with some stuff for you, so you wouldn’t have to cook. I put it in the kitchen,” Kevin said, stepping closer to his father and eyeing Enid significantly.
“That was very thoughtful,” Enid said, smiling at Kevin. “Remember me? I’m Enid. And you’re Kevin, right?” She held out her hand, and Kevin shook it, a speculative look in his bright eyes as he looked from her to his dad and back again.
“Welcome back,” Kevin said.
“Do you have to rush right back?” Joe asked his son.
“Nah. Tracy said I could eat lunch with you if you were stopping long enough.”
“Great,” Joe said with forced enthusiasm. “Go set the table, and I’ll be along in a minute. I just want to clean up a bit.”
Kevin headed back toward the kitchen, and Joe caught Enid’s hand. “Guest bathroom is through there,” he nodded toward the archway that led toward the right. “You’ll be alright with Kevin. He’s a good kid. I’m going to get a change of clothes, and I’ll join you in the kitchen in about five minutes, okay?”
“Okay,” she replied and squeezed his hand before letting go and heading off toward the guest bathroom.
Joe hightailed it to the master suite and took a speed shower before putting on fresh clothes. He hadn’t packed for an overnight stay when he’d taken off with Enid the day before, but wearing the same clothes two days in a row wasn’t as big a crisis for a guy as it was for a woman. His mate and his daughter had taught him that valuable lesson early on.
When he emerged from his room and entered the kitchen a few minutes later, he found Enid working alongside Kevin, unpacking take-out containers and putting the food on the table. Joe still had a towel in one hand as he ran it over his head, trying to get most of the moisture out of his hair. Enid turned and saw him standing in the archway and stopped, her mouth opening in a little O of surprise.
Kevin seemed not to notice her reaction and moved past her to place a full platter of barbeque ribs on the table. That seemed to get her attention, and Enid moved on with a flustered look on her face, to place the plate of biscuits she was holding on the table. Joe grinned as he moved into the room, tossing the towel down the hall, back toward his bedroom. He’d pick it up later and put it in the laundry basket. Right now, food was at the top of his priority list, along with spending time with this fascinating woman.
They all sat down to lunch together, and Kevin seemed to be wary at first. He grew more comfortable after a while, and even participated in the planning for the solstice celebration. Joe tasked Kevin with spreading the word that they were going to have an official ceremony with a real priestess before the howl, so that the younger generation would bring word back to their elders.
“The bush grapevine works best when we have all ages involved,” Joe assured Enid. “As soon as Kevin starts telling folks, it’ll get around fast. By this afternoon, we’ll have plenty of folks calling in at the Pack house, volunteering to help out.”
“We don’t need much,” Enid insisted. “The basic ceremony just involves some candles and herbs that I can probably source in town, though I always carry a small supply of certain things with me. The Lady doesn’t care about the trappings, just what’s in our hearts.”
“We know that, but we like to do things up right, when we have time. It’s more for the unity and pride of the Pack that we do it,” he explained. “I think those things are important, too.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” Enid agreed. “I just didn’t want to make more work for anyone. I’m happy to do the ceremony in any setting. If your Pack wants to dress it up, by all means, I’m all for it. I just don’t want to put anybody out.”
“Not at all,” Joe assured her. “I think there are quite a few Pack members who were itching for any excuse to decorate the Pack house for the holidays.”
Kevin chuckled along with Joe. “Dad’s got that right,” he chimed in. “Some of the elder ladies will decorate for any and all occasions, including every holiday real or imagined on the human calendar. Remember last Valentine’s Day?”
Joe laughed outright. “I thought the heart-shaped balloons were nice, at first, but as soon as the pups discovered how much fun they were to pop, the whole thing descended into chaos.”
Enid chuckled. “I can just imagine. Oh, my.”
“Yeah, I doubt the ladies of the decorating committee will be using that many balloons again, anytime soon,” Joe added.
Lunch wrapped up with Kevin acting much more comfortable in Enid’s presence. She thanked him for bringing the meal and for spreading the word about the ceremony before he left, and Kevin seemed to be genuinely intrigued by the small human woman. Joe could see Kevin puzzling over what her relationship to his father might be, but Joe wasn’t about to talk about it. Not in front of Enid. He wouldn’t embarrass her like that, and Kevin could just figure things out for himself, for now.
Chapter Eight
Joe and Enid left the house right after Kevin, intent on shopping for the things they would need both for the ceremony and for Enid to have some clothing and other items for her prolonged stay in Big Wolf. The first stop was the dry goods store in town. They were able to source the salt, herbs and candles with no problem, as well as a few things Enid wanted for herself. Joe put the bill on his tab over Enid’s objections, but there was no way he’d let her pay for anything else today. Accepting the fuel for the jet still rankled.
Something about taking her hard-earned money made both his inner wolf and his human half feel guilty. She might own her own plane, but it was an older model that was clearly in need of repair, and she didn’t seem to have a permanent home. He imagined she was a bit of a gypsy, going from place to place, looking for a home.
A thought occurred to him. Big Wolf didn’t have a priestess at the moment. Maybe, if he asked nicely, Enid would want to live here?
But wouldn’t that be just a little too convenient for a man who had just rediscovered sex after a decade of abstinence? Joe wasn’t sure if his idea was far too self-serving or something that came from a less selfish place.
They went on to the clothing store just down the street, and Enid insisted on going in alone. She didn’t want him looking over her shoulder while she bought underwear, she insisted, but Joe knew it had more to do with her not wanting him to pay again, than any modesty about her clothing choices. Joe let her go and sat on a bench just outside the shop, placing a few necessary phone calls. The first one was to the girl behind the counter of the clothing store. He directed that anything Enid purchased be put on his bill.
Grinning to himself at his own cleverness, Joe made the rest of the calls he needed to make. He only rarely left his territory, but he was pleased to find that the town had gotten along fine in his absence. He’d put good folks in key positions and they were doing their jobs, keeping the Pack running just fine. Satisfaction filled him. He loved it when his plans came together.
Enid came out of the store about twenty minutes later, a look of consternation on her face. Joe stood and went over to her, taking some of the bags that weighed her down.