He strode straight to the diner where Julie had mentioned Laurie and Samantha were having lunch. Friendship aside, Laurie would regret it if she’d driven a stake between him and Julie. Considering their long friendship, he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but he wanted answers. Was this the reason Julie always kept him at arm’s length?
Swinging the door open, Brendan stalked inside and sought out the two women. He approached their table and stood with his hands fisted. Both looked up, their smiles dying as they took in his appearance. He could only imagine what he looked like, half-crazed with frustration.
“Laurie. We need to talk. Outside.”
“Brendan, is everything okay?” she asked, staring up at him.
“Now.” He turned around, then back before he’d taken a step away. “Please,” he ground out before prowling outside, not waiting for a response. It took all of his strength not to yell. Laurie had been his best friend for as long as he could remember, but he needed to know what she’d said to Julie. Above all, he needed to calm down. It wouldn’t do any good to let anger rule him.
“Brendan, what in the world is the matter with you? What happened?” Laurie put her hand on his arm. Concern for him bled through every word.
“What did you say to Julie?” he demanded, looking Laurie straight in the eye. Her eyebrows lifted, and she cocked her hip. The change in her from concerned friend to defensive alpha was a clear warning.
“I’ve said a lot of things to my sister. When I was nine, I told her there was a zombie in her closet and a vampire living under her bed that fed off her when she slept. Is there anything in particular you’re wondering about?” She crossed her arms as her eyes narrowed. “And I’m not sure I like your tone.”
Taking a deep breath, he forced a calm facade while his emotions wreaked havoc inside.
“I want to know why she thinks you and I are mates.”
Her arms fell to her sides, and she looked at him with frank disbelief. “What?”
He assessed the change in her demeanor. Either the shock was genuine, or Laurie was worthy of an Academy Award.
“So you weren’t the one who told her?”
“Of course not. I might joke around, Brendan, but not about important things. I know how you feel about her.”
Relief washed over him. At least he didn’t have to worry about Laurie misinterpreting their friendship. Now he had to convince Julie she was the one he wanted. The only one he wanted. He knew he hadn’t helped matters by running out on her mid-sentence.
“Let me talk to her,” Laurie murmured, placing a comforting hand on Brendan’s arm. He looked toward the bookstore Julie and Laurie owned. The “Books and Crannies” sign in front of the store waved in the wind. He ran his hands over his face.
“Yeah, all right. That’s probably best. I’ll stop by later to talk to her. But I need some time to calm down first.” The image of her stumbling away from him played over and over in his mind. Once he regained his equilibrium, they’d talk. Brendan cast one last look at the bookstore before walking off in the opposite direction. He trusted Laurie to set Julie straight and ease the way for him. Julie was too important to lose over a stupid misunderstanding.
* * * *
Julie’s heart jumped into her throat as the bell jingled again. Everything inside her hoped Brendan had come back. The anger on his face had been obvious before he rushed out, but she had no idea what had caused it. Every instinct urged her to chase after him, but she couldn’t leave the store unattended. She’d seen the pain and fear in his eyes when she’d stepped away from him. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him. She needed him to know that, even though she wasn’t sure why it was so vital. But while growing up, she’d learned not to get in front of a wolf shifter when his emotions were that intense, and instinct had taken over.
As her sister walked through the door, Julie sighed, unsure whether to be relieved or disappointed.
“What’s going on?” Julie asked.
“I was kind of wondering the same thing. Come on, let’s talk for a sec. I’m sure Samantha’s wondering where I ran off to.” Laurie pulled Julie around the counter and toward a cluster of chairs.
“Why did you think Brendan and I were mates?” Laurie asked as they sat. Now Julie started to get nervous. First, Brendan had freaked out, and now Laurie was acting very un-Laurie-like.
“Aren’t you?” Julie swallowed.
“Of course not. Why would we be mates and not mated?”
“I didn’t know. I figured you must have had your reasons. But you’re always hanging out together. I just thought it was a given.” If they weren’t mates, why was Brendan always around?
“Well, we’re not, so you can get that thought out of your head.” The pat on her arm as she stood was neither patronizing nor comforting. “Besides, he has the hots for you,” Laurie threw over her shoulder, waving cheerily as she walked out the door.
Stunned, Julie sat staring at the front door, her mind stuck on the last thing Laurie had said. Brendan had the hots for her? No. Laurie had to be mistaken. He’d never even made a move on her. Well, unless one counted this morning. She had gotten the vibe he’d asked her out before…before all the mess had happened. Could Laurie be right?
Her thoughts drifted to Brendan, remembering his touch at the back of her neck as he’d helped her with the necklace yesterday. The one he’d bought her. Reaching up, her fingers clutched the charm around her throat. It had borne a remarkable resemblance to Brendan’s wolf form, including a small dent on the nose where he had a white streak. Last night, she’d convinced herself she was being silly when she noticed it, but now she wondered if maybe she had been right all along.
Okay, so he has the hots for me, she thought with a smile. A nervous giggle escaped. Granted having the hots was a long way from married with kids. As an alpha wolf, Brendan wouldn’t settle for anything less than a true mating. Still, it was a way to live out some of her fantasies, right?
Julie blew out a frustrated breath. Who was she kidding? The more she thought about it, the more implausible the whole thing became. A relationship, especially one that would never be more than fun, wasn’t what she needed right now. Not with Brendan. It was probably the worst thing. Never again would she settle for less than love. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.
Settling for less was what she’d done with George. From the start she had known he wasn’t perfect for her, but she’d figured her feelings would grow with time. She’d never loved him. But George had been human and comfortable. Right up until she’d discovered him in bed with some bimbo. But the worst part of it all was the truth she’d had to acknowledge afterward.
Julie didn’t belong among full humans.
As a full human among wolf shifters, she’d learned early in life she’d never be accepted among them. She’d always be that “freak Callahan.” She’d been convinced things would be better if she got away from this town. There had to be a place for her in the real world. But things hadn’t turned out as she’d anticipated. The feeling of detachment hadn’t gotten better but had continued to grow the farther away from Alpine Woods she had gone.
George had been her first real relationship, but there had always been something that never felt right about the whole thing. Julie had tried to ignore her feelings. Had even convinced herself they weren’t important. All girlfriends thought their boyfriends were immature and self-centered most of the time, right? At least, she’d tried to ignore them until she’d walked into his room and seen how ill-suited they really had been. Cheating didn’t happen among the wolves. So she’d never anticipated it. And then to have her friends try to convince her it happened to everyone–that wasn’t the world for her.
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