Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Melissa) BBW Werewolf Romance (Hope Valley BBW online dating app romances Book 3) by Ariana Hawkes Page B
Authors: Ariana Hawkes
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something clever to say. Kristin regarded her more closely.
“You look really pale, babe. Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I think I just need to eat something,” she said.
“Well, you’re in luck. The barbecue’s going – as if you couldn’t smell it,” Kristin said. Melissa actually hadn’t registered the delicious scent of burning wood until now. “And there are plenty of snacks indoors.” Kristin held the door open, and Melissa passed through. To Melissa’s great relief, there was no-one else there.
“Where is everyone?” she said.
“Oh, Lauren’s putting Willow to sleep in a back room, Connor’s in the kitchen preparing the meat, and the others are out by the barbecue. Let’s get you a snack, and then we’ll go join them,” Kristin said. Melissa brought the jar of fenugreek to Connor, then followed Kristin to the coffee table where plates of cold snacks were laid out. She badly wanted to tell Kristin about Harley, but it was too big. Her mind was churning with unwelcome thoughts and memories. And Harley was friends with these guys. She needed to think twice before telling everyone what he’d done to her all those years earlier.
They ate some smoked salmon rolled up with cream cheese – her favorite – and some chips, and then they went out to join the others. A winter barbecue was such a cool idea. There was a fire burning in an old oil drum and a couple of gas heaters, which kept the space from being cold. It felt just like Guy Fawkes’ night.
“What d’you do to scare Harley off?” Roman said to Melissa as she joined the group. Kristin slapped him on the arm.
“Hey, you’re not funny,” she said, a hint of sternness in her voice.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be an idiot,” he said, sounding chastened.
“It’s ok,” Melissa said. Normally she would’ve thought it was funny too, but right now it was the worst thing he could’ve said. He went inside and brought out a cup of mulled wine for her.
“Sorry. My humor sucks. Peace offering?” he said. The expression in his green eyes was so earnest, that Melissa couldn’t help laughing. She accepted the drink and clinked cups with him.
Connor brought the marinated meat out and put it on the barbecue. As they watched it cooking, the weak afternoon light began to yield to approaching night. It was such a lovely, cozy day with friends, and Melissa tried hard to put Harley out of her mind for now and enjoy the celebration of Willow’s birth. They ate indoors, on the huge dining table that Connor and Logan had once made together from a single tree trunk, then they drifted outside again, to enjoy the simple pleasure of being out in the snow. It felt magical and otherworldly, and it temporarily lulled the unease in Melissa’s heart.
Chapter Three
It was early Sunday morning, and too early to be awake yet. The sky was pitch black, and Melissa could see from opening her curtain an inch that more snow had fallen. She’d woken up with her heart pounding, still tangled up in a nightmare. She tried to remember it, but it was gone. It’s so weird how some dreams stay with you, but others are like ghosts, fleeing the second you wake up. She tried to keep her mind empty – a trick she’d taught herself for getting back to sleep when she woke in the night, as she often did. But it was no use. Thoughts of high school bombarded her mind. When she’d walked out of the school gates for the last time, she’d thought that was it. She’d been bullied, attacked, then treated like a heroine. And none of it had been deserved. It was all so wrong and hollow.
She was the only one from her high school to go to her college, and then she’d been safe, and capable of putting her painful teenage years behind her. She’d majored in sociology, and planned on building a career in charity work, as she wanted to help other people, and prevent them from experiencing unnecessary suffering. After she graduated, living in her hometown again
“You look really pale, babe. Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I think I just need to eat something,” she said.
“Well, you’re in luck. The barbecue’s going – as if you couldn’t smell it,” Kristin said. Melissa actually hadn’t registered the delicious scent of burning wood until now. “And there are plenty of snacks indoors.” Kristin held the door open, and Melissa passed through. To Melissa’s great relief, there was no-one else there.
“Where is everyone?” she said.
“Oh, Lauren’s putting Willow to sleep in a back room, Connor’s in the kitchen preparing the meat, and the others are out by the barbecue. Let’s get you a snack, and then we’ll go join them,” Kristin said. Melissa brought the jar of fenugreek to Connor, then followed Kristin to the coffee table where plates of cold snacks were laid out. She badly wanted to tell Kristin about Harley, but it was too big. Her mind was churning with unwelcome thoughts and memories. And Harley was friends with these guys. She needed to think twice before telling everyone what he’d done to her all those years earlier.
They ate some smoked salmon rolled up with cream cheese – her favorite – and some chips, and then they went out to join the others. A winter barbecue was such a cool idea. There was a fire burning in an old oil drum and a couple of gas heaters, which kept the space from being cold. It felt just like Guy Fawkes’ night.
“What d’you do to scare Harley off?” Roman said to Melissa as she joined the group. Kristin slapped him on the arm.
“Hey, you’re not funny,” she said, a hint of sternness in her voice.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be an idiot,” he said, sounding chastened.
“It’s ok,” Melissa said. Normally she would’ve thought it was funny too, but right now it was the worst thing he could’ve said. He went inside and brought out a cup of mulled wine for her.
“Sorry. My humor sucks. Peace offering?” he said. The expression in his green eyes was so earnest, that Melissa couldn’t help laughing. She accepted the drink and clinked cups with him.
Connor brought the marinated meat out and put it on the barbecue. As they watched it cooking, the weak afternoon light began to yield to approaching night. It was such a lovely, cozy day with friends, and Melissa tried hard to put Harley out of her mind for now and enjoy the celebration of Willow’s birth. They ate indoors, on the huge dining table that Connor and Logan had once made together from a single tree trunk, then they drifted outside again, to enjoy the simple pleasure of being out in the snow. It felt magical and otherworldly, and it temporarily lulled the unease in Melissa’s heart.
Chapter Three
It was early Sunday morning, and too early to be awake yet. The sky was pitch black, and Melissa could see from opening her curtain an inch that more snow had fallen. She’d woken up with her heart pounding, still tangled up in a nightmare. She tried to remember it, but it was gone. It’s so weird how some dreams stay with you, but others are like ghosts, fleeing the second you wake up. She tried to keep her mind empty – a trick she’d taught herself for getting back to sleep when she woke in the night, as she often did. But it was no use. Thoughts of high school bombarded her mind. When she’d walked out of the school gates for the last time, she’d thought that was it. She’d been bullied, attacked, then treated like a heroine. And none of it had been deserved. It was all so wrong and hollow.
She was the only one from her high school to go to her college, and then she’d been safe, and capable of putting her painful teenage years behind her. She’d majored in sociology, and planned on building a career in charity work, as she wanted to help other people, and prevent them from experiencing unnecessary suffering. After she graduated, living in her hometown again
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