coming out from behind the magazine. “They fuckin’ caught him this morning.”
“Charles?”
“Yep. Boarding a flight to England out of New York.”
“He was still in the US? All this time?”
Mike turned around again. “I know. Moron! How embarrassing is it we got swindled by a completely incompetent criminal?”
“Any press?”
“A few pieces about his arrest. Theobald’s handling things well. There’s speculation, and he’s going to release a statement tomorrow morning. He’ll email it to you soon, so be sure to check.”
“I will.” He walked over the inspect Mike and Alicia’s work. “What are we making here?”
“Chocolate chip cookies. Oatmeal cranberry are baking. Peanut butter are cooling, though Garren’s eaten half a sheet already.”
“They’re good!” Garren got up and snagged another one, tossing the magazine into a basket full of newspapers and other magazines on the floor. “If I didn’t mind fuckin’ a dude, I’d be proposing.”
Everyone laughed, and Alicia snuck a look at Vince. He could feel that she wanted to talk to him. He’d never felt so aware of another person’s presence before, except for Emerson.
Garren grabbed some sodas from the fridge and headed out of the room. “Tom and I are gonna to practice ‘til lunch. Let us know if there’s any more news.”
“Sure,” Mike said. He took the cookie sheet and slid it into the top oven, then checked the oven below it, while Alicia moved to the sink and washed her hands.
“You like to cook, too?” Vince asked her.
“Like to, but never have much time. I’d love to learn more.”
Vince smiled. “Well, you’ve hit the jackpot here. We try to help sometimes, but we all just get in the way for the most part.”
Mike slapped him on the back as he moved behind him. “Not my fault you don’t know the difference between dicing and julienning.”
“I’m fond of my fingers, thank you.” When Alicia faced him again, he asked, “Wanna take a walk?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“We’re doing mozzarella and tomato sandwiches for lunch. We found some rosemary foccacia bread yesterday,” Mike said. “Will Emerson be back for lunch?”
Alicia nodded. “Yeah, he said he’d definitely be back.”
Vince led the way out the back, wondering if he should say something first or let Alicia start. Emerson was always straightforward and in most cases preferred to get things out in the open right away, which was one major difference the two men had always struggled with in their relationship. But right now he liked knowing that Emerson had most likely told Alicia absolutely everything that had occurred that morning.
“He wanted to make sure you knew he was okay. He just needs to think,” Alicia said.
“He said that? That he’s okay?”
“Yep. I even asked for reassurance when he said so.”
Vince’s heart kept changing rhythms, but he tried to keep his breathing even. “Good.”
“I’m glad you told him everything.”
“It was terrifying. I’m still terrified.”
“Don’t be.”
“You seem so calm. I don’t get it.” They’d just hit the tree line, and he stopped and leaned back against a large pine. “I told your guy that I love him this morning. Shouldn’t you be incredibly pissed at me?”
“I encouraged that, if you recall. He hasn’t been my guy for very long, not as long as he’s been yours.” She drew closer until she stood only a foot in front of him. “I’m the one intruding, really.”
He took in a deep breath before he could stop himself. She smelled amazing, still not like a werewolf, but something had changed. “He’s not mine, never has been.”
“I think he has been for a long time. You two just haven’t seen it.”
He blinked, searching her gaze. “You sound like you want us together.”
“ Us .” She smiled. “That’s what I’m thinking.”
“Us?”
She nodded. Her hands came forward, teasing at the hem of his shirt. “I’ve never met anyone as
“Charles?”
“Yep. Boarding a flight to England out of New York.”
“He was still in the US? All this time?”
Mike turned around again. “I know. Moron! How embarrassing is it we got swindled by a completely incompetent criminal?”
“Any press?”
“A few pieces about his arrest. Theobald’s handling things well. There’s speculation, and he’s going to release a statement tomorrow morning. He’ll email it to you soon, so be sure to check.”
“I will.” He walked over the inspect Mike and Alicia’s work. “What are we making here?”
“Chocolate chip cookies. Oatmeal cranberry are baking. Peanut butter are cooling, though Garren’s eaten half a sheet already.”
“They’re good!” Garren got up and snagged another one, tossing the magazine into a basket full of newspapers and other magazines on the floor. “If I didn’t mind fuckin’ a dude, I’d be proposing.”
Everyone laughed, and Alicia snuck a look at Vince. He could feel that she wanted to talk to him. He’d never felt so aware of another person’s presence before, except for Emerson.
Garren grabbed some sodas from the fridge and headed out of the room. “Tom and I are gonna to practice ‘til lunch. Let us know if there’s any more news.”
“Sure,” Mike said. He took the cookie sheet and slid it into the top oven, then checked the oven below it, while Alicia moved to the sink and washed her hands.
“You like to cook, too?” Vince asked her.
“Like to, but never have much time. I’d love to learn more.”
Vince smiled. “Well, you’ve hit the jackpot here. We try to help sometimes, but we all just get in the way for the most part.”
Mike slapped him on the back as he moved behind him. “Not my fault you don’t know the difference between dicing and julienning.”
“I’m fond of my fingers, thank you.” When Alicia faced him again, he asked, “Wanna take a walk?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“We’re doing mozzarella and tomato sandwiches for lunch. We found some rosemary foccacia bread yesterday,” Mike said. “Will Emerson be back for lunch?”
Alicia nodded. “Yeah, he said he’d definitely be back.”
Vince led the way out the back, wondering if he should say something first or let Alicia start. Emerson was always straightforward and in most cases preferred to get things out in the open right away, which was one major difference the two men had always struggled with in their relationship. But right now he liked knowing that Emerson had most likely told Alicia absolutely everything that had occurred that morning.
“He wanted to make sure you knew he was okay. He just needs to think,” Alicia said.
“He said that? That he’s okay?”
“Yep. I even asked for reassurance when he said so.”
Vince’s heart kept changing rhythms, but he tried to keep his breathing even. “Good.”
“I’m glad you told him everything.”
“It was terrifying. I’m still terrified.”
“Don’t be.”
“You seem so calm. I don’t get it.” They’d just hit the tree line, and he stopped and leaned back against a large pine. “I told your guy that I love him this morning. Shouldn’t you be incredibly pissed at me?”
“I encouraged that, if you recall. He hasn’t been my guy for very long, not as long as he’s been yours.” She drew closer until she stood only a foot in front of him. “I’m the one intruding, really.”
He took in a deep breath before he could stop himself. She smelled amazing, still not like a werewolf, but something had changed. “He’s not mine, never has been.”
“I think he has been for a long time. You two just haven’t seen it.”
He blinked, searching her gaze. “You sound like you want us together.”
“ Us .” She smiled. “That’s what I’m thinking.”
“Us?”
She nodded. Her hands came forward, teasing at the hem of his shirt. “I’ve never met anyone as
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