Ruth a story while I do Rachel’s hair. Rachel, c’mon, we need to do your ballerina bun!”
Mom always did great hair-dos on Halloween. Mary remembered the Halloween she’d gone as an ice skater and her mom had given her an up-do and sprinkled glitter in the hair spray while it was still wet. It had looked so pretty, everyone said so, and Mary had felt so proud.
“I know,” Mom said to Rachel in the other room. “Let’s put some glitter in it when we’re done!”
That was it. Mary couldn’t take it any more. She marched upstairs and flopped onto her bed, ready to cry.
“Mary?” a male voice called from the next room.
Erik. His voice was so deep it practically vibrated in her bones. The sound of it gave her excited little chills.
“Yeah?” she asked hopefully, sitting up on her bed and tucking her hair behind her ears.
“I’ll stay and give out candy with you, on one condition,” Erik said through the door.
Oh my gosh, yes! He could practically say anything as his condition. This night was going to go from the worst night of her whole life, to the best.
“What?” she asked, as casually as she could.
He tapped on the door.
She jumped up and opened it.
Erik stood on the other side. He wore a full-length robe and long, white beard. On his nose perched a pair of round-rimmed glasses.
“Dumbledore!” Mary couldn’t help yelling. The Harry Potter books were some of her all-time favorites.
“You have to wear a costume too,” he told her, handing her a Rite Aid bag.
She grinned in spite of herself. Of course she would wear a costume. She had never really not wanted to.
“Okay,” she said, and gave him a genuine smile, not an expression she wore often these days.
She could tell he was smiling back at her because his big brown eyes crinkled. The rest of his face was hidden behind the enormous fake beard. She couldn’t help giggling a little.
“Mary, I know you’re getting older.” He spoke with an earnestness that carried through, in spite of the ridiculous getup. “Just try to remember that you won’t always have that many chances to act like a kid. You need to take them whenever you can.”
He was so serious and his voice was so dark.
She was torn between giggling again at how serious he was being in his silly outfit, and tingling with want for him.
Though what she actually wanted from him, she wasn’t sure. It was one thing to fantasize that they were trapped in a blizzard high in a mountain cabin, cuddling together for warmth. And it was another thing to stand six inches away from him, an actual grown-up man.
He was still staring intently at her.
She nodded back at him and snatched the Rite Aid bag out of his hands. Then she dashed down the stairs.
“You’ll need one of your dad’s ties! And get your mom to tease up your hair!” he yelled after her.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she peeked in the bag. Inside a wooden wand sat atop a black robe.
Hermione!
Erik Jensen was so freaking cool. He was also the kindest man Mary had ever met, besides her own daddy.
“Well, look at that, hon!” her mom said, looking over her shoulder. “The little wizard girl! We’ll put some glitter in your hair too, okay?”
CHAPTER 11
A insley and Julian sat on the wicker love seat on her front porch, gazing out at the bright fall trees that lined Princeton Avenue. To passersby, Ainsley figured they probably looked like a young couple whispering sweet nothings.
In reality, they were in a heated debate over how to handle the evening’s showdown.
Ainsley hadn’t told Julian about Garrett’s offer. There was no reason. She had sworn to herself she wouldn’t give it a second thought.
But she was thinking about it all the same, worrying at it like a smooth stone with a sharp nick in it.
The pack is my duty. But Erik is my world. The pack is my duty...
“...only way to handle this is—” Julian
Mom always did great hair-dos on Halloween. Mary remembered the Halloween she’d gone as an ice skater and her mom had given her an up-do and sprinkled glitter in the hair spray while it was still wet. It had looked so pretty, everyone said so, and Mary had felt so proud.
“I know,” Mom said to Rachel in the other room. “Let’s put some glitter in it when we’re done!”
That was it. Mary couldn’t take it any more. She marched upstairs and flopped onto her bed, ready to cry.
“Mary?” a male voice called from the next room.
Erik. His voice was so deep it practically vibrated in her bones. The sound of it gave her excited little chills.
“Yeah?” she asked hopefully, sitting up on her bed and tucking her hair behind her ears.
“I’ll stay and give out candy with you, on one condition,” Erik said through the door.
Oh my gosh, yes! He could practically say anything as his condition. This night was going to go from the worst night of her whole life, to the best.
“What?” she asked, as casually as she could.
He tapped on the door.
She jumped up and opened it.
Erik stood on the other side. He wore a full-length robe and long, white beard. On his nose perched a pair of round-rimmed glasses.
“Dumbledore!” Mary couldn’t help yelling. The Harry Potter books were some of her all-time favorites.
“You have to wear a costume too,” he told her, handing her a Rite Aid bag.
She grinned in spite of herself. Of course she would wear a costume. She had never really not wanted to.
“Okay,” she said, and gave him a genuine smile, not an expression she wore often these days.
She could tell he was smiling back at her because his big brown eyes crinkled. The rest of his face was hidden behind the enormous fake beard. She couldn’t help giggling a little.
“Mary, I know you’re getting older.” He spoke with an earnestness that carried through, in spite of the ridiculous getup. “Just try to remember that you won’t always have that many chances to act like a kid. You need to take them whenever you can.”
He was so serious and his voice was so dark.
She was torn between giggling again at how serious he was being in his silly outfit, and tingling with want for him.
Though what she actually wanted from him, she wasn’t sure. It was one thing to fantasize that they were trapped in a blizzard high in a mountain cabin, cuddling together for warmth. And it was another thing to stand six inches away from him, an actual grown-up man.
He was still staring intently at her.
She nodded back at him and snatched the Rite Aid bag out of his hands. Then she dashed down the stairs.
“You’ll need one of your dad’s ties! And get your mom to tease up your hair!” he yelled after her.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she peeked in the bag. Inside a wooden wand sat atop a black robe.
Hermione!
Erik Jensen was so freaking cool. He was also the kindest man Mary had ever met, besides her own daddy.
“Well, look at that, hon!” her mom said, looking over her shoulder. “The little wizard girl! We’ll put some glitter in your hair too, okay?”
CHAPTER 11
A insley and Julian sat on the wicker love seat on her front porch, gazing out at the bright fall trees that lined Princeton Avenue. To passersby, Ainsley figured they probably looked like a young couple whispering sweet nothings.
In reality, they were in a heated debate over how to handle the evening’s showdown.
Ainsley hadn’t told Julian about Garrett’s offer. There was no reason. She had sworn to herself she wouldn’t give it a second thought.
But she was thinking about it all the same, worrying at it like a smooth stone with a sharp nick in it.
The pack is my duty. But Erik is my world. The pack is my duty...
“...only way to handle this is—” Julian
Similar Books
