Chapter 59

Renee

I laughed, pulling back to wipe my face and laugh at myself. His eyes were still full of concern and understanding, but I couldn’t stand to look at him for long.

"I-I'm sorry, I just---"

"You have nothing to apologize for." He pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed away my tears.

I chuckled. "I'm not wearing make-up."

He let out a low whistle. "Thanks for the confirmation. You're hell in heels when you do, you know?"

I had no idea what that meant, but he smiled and kept dabbing away until my face was dry. I realized that the fabric of the handkerchief was softer than anything I had ever felt, and rather than the usual irritation I might feel around my eyes, there was none.

"…Neil…"

His gaze turned warm, inviting as he lowered his hand. He pressed the handkerchief into my hand.

"In case you think I might cast a spell on you."

I blinked and laughed. "What?"

"Tears of a beauty and all that," he said, grinning. "Standard practice not to keep articles with someone else's tears on it."

I blinked. "You're… making this up."

His eyebrows shot up. "How much---" He shut his mouth, glancing around before leaning closer. "What say you to lunch at my mom's place one day soon? She'll explain."

I bit my lip, hoding back from leaning into him again. I nodded and he pulled back. The sense of connection between us seemed to fade a little, strain as he pulled back, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I shook my head looking back at the window, feeling Dominic getting closer and farther away. I didn't know what to make of the fact that I could feel them both so acutely.

I knew that one some level it was because my wolf was waking up and reaching out to sources of protection. I was in a vulnerable position without a formal pack, no matter how clear it was that Arielle claimed me and the entire Mountainhowl staff did too. Yet, I wasn't exatly worried about that. Another feeling, deeper and more complicated had been twining through me like ivy for weeks as I spent more time with Neil. It wasn’t just the time we spent together. It was some sort of bond, but what kind, I could only wait and see and wonder why I hadn't felt any of this in my previous life.

It would have made everything so much easier.

"Shall we?" Neil asked turning and gesturing. "Do you want to meet there or ride together?"

I glanced over at my bodyguard who was just waiting.

"Would it be a problem to ride with you?"

"I will never say no to you being in my car."

Going out with Neil’s team felt strangely… normal. Warm, even. Neil drove us to a rather nice place. I had never been to before, but I knew Tyler went plenty of times with his friends. We crammed into a large, private room. It seemed a little too nice for interns, with cozy lighting and cocktails served in delicate glassware that made me sit up straighter just holding them.

I couldn’t remember ever doing this with Tyler. Not once. No casual dinners with his friends and their significant others, no after-hours drinks where we laughed about whatever was happening at Brightclaw or campus shenanigans. I hadn't ever really even been out with Vivian like this. Looking back, I hadn't thought much of it, knowing that I couldn't afford to go and Philip would never pay my way, but I really was always on the outside. If I wasn't Vivian’s poor friend that made her look good, then I was Tyler's near absent girlfriend then fiancé, prim and proper because what would my worth be otherwise?

A shadow of Philip's view of the world… Never just me. Other than accounting, I didn't even know what I liked. Never got a chance outside of a handful of times. The thought made my eyes burn again, but Neil slipped his hand in mine, ushering me into the both ahead of him. I looked around noting that Neil seemed friendly with everyone who was filing in.

It was odd. I knew a few of Tyler's friends in passing. I knew that they didn't think much of me. I could tell they didn't think much of him and he didn't think much of them either. They never seemed so honestly happy to see each other as Neil seemed to be with his colleagues, and then Neil turned to me.

“This is Renee,” he told his colleagues. “The only reason I’ve managed to survive the accounting department.”

He said it with a grin, half-joking, but there was a glint of sincerity in it that made something flutter low in my stomach. We didn't even work together, but I supposed all the time helping each other out of the years of the program was what he meant.

"It was a mutual effort."

He scoffed. "Don't let her fool you. She's a genius. She'll be out boss within a quarter. Watch."

They laughed, but it didn't feel mocking and Neil raised his hand to call a waiter over before turning to me.

"We usually do a few pitchers of stuff. Do you drink?"

I blinked at him, unsure of what to say exactly. Why would it matter if I--

Oh.

He wanted me there. He wasn’t posturing or performing. I wasn't there to just fill a chair. He was proud to be seen with me. I didn’t realize how rare that feeling was until now.

"I… I haven't drank much before."

"I am not sending you back to Luna Mountainhowl drunk…" He winked. "Not tonight anyway. Flavored cocktails? Mocktails?"

"Mocktail?"

He bobbed his head and started rattling of an order. Then, the waiter went away as the rest of the table broke out into chatter.

"So you're Renee?" I tensed, looking up at the man who addressed me. "I hear that asshole has picked you as his target. Is that true?"

I blinked, nodding stiffly. He looked over at Neil. "How could you bring her out here? She's probably exhausted! You should be taking her to the spa not a karaoke bar."

Neil chuckled. "Sometimes a little fun is far more affective than a little rest… It's the weekend." He looked at me. "I suspect you have plans to sleep through most of tomorrow?"

I nodded.

The man was friendly, an older member of the team who was already a part of the the staff. We talked shop, of course. Swapped horror stories about onboarding, they joked about the tyrant in HR, argued over who made the best coffee in the building. I even found myself laughing. Actually laughing.

Then I felt the shift in the air as some other people arrived. Among them was Vivian. I almost groaned as her and the most vicious evil women in her circle sauntered in and made a beeline for our table.

Her smile was sweet, her tone sickeningly light as she said, “Oh! Fancy seeing you all here. Mind if we join? We're all colleagues and all.”

The table went tense, but no one outright objected. Likely because they all knew who she was, but the tone of the evening changed. There was a shuffling of coats and bags as her group slipped into the remaining chairs at the far side of the table like they had been invited.

Vivian settled beside someone from Neil’s team and pretended to join the conversation, but her eyes flicked to me constantly, and the girls with her watched me like I’d stolen something. Their smiles never reached their eyes.

But they didn’t say a word.

We didn't end up doing karaoking, which was fine. Vivian provided plenty of entertainment trying to make a nuisance of herself. It was amazing to see it not work. Every time Neil spoke, she laughed a little louder than necessary, whether it was funny or not. She leaned forward with her lips slightly parted, trying to get his attention, trying to interject, but he didn’t look her way. Didn't address it at all. His attention stayed on the conversation or on me as if she wasn't even here. And soon, I almost forgot she was here.

The check came all too quickly after I'd eaten at least half my weight in meat and sides.

There was that usual pause, everyone scanning the itemized lists the waiter dropped down in front of them. Neil lifted both of our checks before I could pull my wallet out, placed his card on the tray and handed it back to the waiter.

"But---"

He leaned in, voice low by my ear. “Renee. Relax. I invited you.”

“But—”

“If you're good, I may let you get the next one,” he murmured with a small smile and a heated gaze. I shut my mouth, swallowing what little protest I could have offered.

The waiter swiped his card once, handed the handheld kiosk to him to finish and continued down the table, group by group, until it reached Vivian and her little entourage.

They handed over their cards without hesitation, Vivian first, of course.

A beat passed.

Then the waiter blinked. She ran Vivian’s card again. Then again before handing it back to her.

“I’m sorry, this one’s declined.”