Part 3 (1/2)

”A guy doesn't break up with you after three dates. He quits calling.” Wendy's eyes suddenly lit up. ”Hey! Maybe he's ready to go back to Houston and he wants you to go with him!”

”Yeah, right. After three dates. We barely know each other. And why would he think that would make me mad?”

”Well, I can still tell the boy's crazy about you.”

She'd love to think so. Beneath her polo s.h.i.+rt and khaki pants-Nash was right, it was a G.o.dawful uniform-she could feel every spot on her body where he'd touched her last night.

But then again...”Yeah, but what's the point?”

”What do you mean?”

”I mean, I'm moving to Marshall in a couple of months.”

”So? It's only an hour away and he's got that big-a.s.s Harley.”

”Okay. How long do you think a guy like him's gonna stick around?”

”Who cares? Sara, you can't be worrying about the rest of your life every minute. You have to enjoy what you've got right now, and what you've got right now is six feet plus of hot blond with abs as sharp as his cheekbones.”

Sara narrowed her eyes. ”You've seen his abs?”

”No, I just have a better imagination than you do. You listen to me. Guys like Nash Keeton don't come along that often, not even in Marshall or Houston or wherever. You're not gonna be twenty-two forever, and by the time another one shows up, you'll be too old to do anything about it! I'll tell you something else-you need to figure out how to fit in one of his saddlebags, so when he rolls outta here, you go with him.”

She was grinning now, grateful to-and for-her closest friend. ”Nope, can't go with him. I'm going to Marshall.”

Wendy heaved a huge sigh and said in a singsong voice, ”Marshall, Marshall, Marshall!”

Sara started cracking up again.

”Honestly, girl, what am I gonna do with you? You'd pa.s.s up a chance to run off with a guy like that to go to college? There's colleges everywhere! And you're young-you don't have to go right now.”

”You just said I'm not gonna be twenty-two forever.”

”Yeah, but you can go to college at any age. Your bod's got an expiration date.”

”Oh, stop.”

Finished with her checkout, she bussed the recently departed family's table and came back to wait for Wendy, who looked up and said, ”You know, they allow werewolves in Marshall.”

”They don't allow werewolves. Werewolves live there, which is completely normal to most people, Wendy. Luxor is weird, not Marshall.” Whenever she visited the city, she kept an eye out for s.h.i.+fters, which was just stupid. A human couldn't recognize one when he was in human form, and it wasn't like they went running around in broad daylight in their animal forms, so if she'd ever met one, she didn't know about it.

”Their kids go to public school and everything,” Wendy continued. ”There might be some at the college.”

”So? It's the f.u.c.king twenty-first century.”

Wendy sat back and blinked at Sara, who rarely used hard profanity.

”Seriously, Wendy. You're always talking about moving to Houston. They have the second largest pack in the country. Do we have to think s.h.i.+fters and fae are creatures of the Devil just because our parents and grandparents did?”

”So, what, now you're not an Apocalyptic?”

Sara shrugged, trying to appear casual. ”Apocalyptic isn't synonymous with Christian.” She was probably the only person in Luxor who thought so.

”Oh. Synonymous. Listen to Miss Intellectual.”

”All I'm saying-”

”Oh, f.u.c.k h.e.l.l.”

”Hey!” Sara flushed. She'd never told her cousin she didn't share the religious beliefs of everyone else in town. In Luxor, you'd be better off admitting you were gay.

”What? Oh, no, not you, sweetie. I mean, I hate to think of you hanging around werewolves-they scare the bejesus out of me. But I just remembered I'm working the breakfast s.h.i.+ft tomorrow.”

Sara laughed a little self-consciously. ”Oh. No, no you're not. I took it for you so you could stay out with Tucker tonight, remember?”

”Oh yeah!” Wendy said with a grin. ”G.o.d, what would I do without you and your memory? Okay, I'm out of here. s.h.i.+t, there's Wayne.” She dropped a kiss on Sara's forehead and whispered, ”Remember, two more months. And quit talking about werewolves, or Aunt Helen will lock you up.”

A big ball of lead settled in her stomach as Wayne slid his sweaty bulk into the spot Wendy had vacated. Her heart sank as he pushed a deep rectangular Tupperware container across the table to her.

”What's that?”

”Food for Mama. She's been sick all week, and she's out of everything. You need to take her this.”

The cafe was full now and Wayne was speaking loudly, as he usually did.

Susan stopped by their booth, completely ignoring Sara, who would've laughed if she wasn't feeling so ill all of a sudden. ”Wayne, did I hear you say Miss Helen is sick? I wondered why we didn't see her at Wednesday night service. We missed her banana nut bread. Can I get you a beer?”

Wayne's smile was open and friendly, the fat apples of his cheeks forcing his eyes into a squint. ”No thanks, Susan. I was just asking Sara Mae here if she'd take some food out to her grandmother this evening.”

He knew how she loathed her full name.

”Well, Wayne, you tell your mama I said hi, and we hope to see her at church this weekend.”

”I sure will, Susan, thank you.”

As Susan walked away, Sara started to protest, even though she knew it was pointless. She'd end up doing what he told her. She always did.

”Wayne, I have plans.”

”Your grandmother needs this by five o'clock.”

”It's almost four-thirty!”

”It's a twenty minute drive, honey. You've got plenty of time.” He smiled at Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson as they walked past to sit down two booths away.

Anger flared inside her. ”d.a.m.n it, Wayne,” she whispered furiously, ”I have a life. I have things I need to do, and I have a chemistry test on Monday. Why can't you go out to Grandma's house?”