doesnât wear face paint and scare you to death again, everything should be just fine. Got to run along. You two have fun while youâre at it.â She hugged the pair of them. Paul hugged her right back, making Emma smile. She took a deep breath and patted him on the shoulder. âIf only I were a lot younger.â She paused, frowning a bit. âDid Catherine tell you about that doctor who is taking DNA samples of all the wolves he can find to see whatâs causing theââshe glanced around, and seeing no one nearby, she finishedââchange in their longevity?â
âI heard he was making the rounds.â
âWell, heâs already tested us, but you and Allan were gone when he came. I called him to let him know you and Allan are here for the next couple of weeks.â
âThanks.â Paul wasnât worried about it like some of his pack members were. If it was a sign of the times, so be it. As long as they didnât face over-accelerated aging because they had lived so long. That would be the pits.
Then Emma headed for her car. Paul recognized it as the black sedan that had been parked at Catherineâs house that morning. So she had gotten a new car too.
âWe better get to it,â Lori warned. âIâll pick up some groceries after we go to the hardware store, and then Iâll meet you at the cabin.â
At the hardware store, she picked out a vivid, emerald-green paint that was brighter than what Paul would have selected. He was thinking more of a sage green for quiet, cool, and muted forest colors.
When he mentioned that, she considered the color swatch again. âThe cabin has a lot of dark oak wood, so I want to go with something a little brighter.â
âWe could paint a couple of pink palm trees on the accent wall. The green flamingos probably would disappear in that color of paint.â
âI couldnât draw a straight line if I tried. What about you?â
âThat and singing, no can do.â
He looked over Emmaâs to-do list while the paint manager was mixing the paint. âEmma wants a new sofa and chairs?â
âYeah, the old ones were recycled castoffs from forty years ago, so it looks like she really wants to spruce up the place.â
âThe furniture store is closed by now,â he said. He hadnât expected to be picking out furniture too.
âWhich is fine. Tomorrow, we can paint, then return to town after lunch and find something that might work nicely for the living room.â
âOkay, sounds good.â
When they finished picking out the paint supplies, she asked, âWould beef ribs, parmesan noodles, and turnip greens be all right tomorrow for lunch? Chicken wings for dinner?â
âIâd love it.â
She eyed the list. âI donât know. It looks like it might take longer to do all this. Well, I can finish up whatever she wants done that we donât complete by tomorrow.â
âIâll stay however long it takes.â
Lori glanced up at him. âShe didnât pay for that much time.â
It sounded like he was a bought man. âIâm willing to stay longer and help Emma with whatever she needs done. So weâll need lunch for Sunday. How about salmon steaks? We probably wonât need dinner.â
Her mouth parted and he was reminded of just how kissable it was. âUm, okay. Breakfast? Forget it. I know what you like. Iâll meet you up at the cabin in a little while.â She gave him a spare key to the place.
He was going to ask if she needed any help, but he didnât want to make her feel crowded. âOkay, good show. Meet you there. Iâve got to drop by the Rappaportsâ place to get my bag.â Then he carried the paint out to his SUV and headed to the cabin. Heâd decided that this wasnât going to be a bad deal at all. He tended to be a workaholic, totally mission-oriented, so heâd work
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