The Vow (Black Arrowhead #1) - Dannika Dark Page 0,109
separate ways. What are you going to do now?”
He looked back at the house. “I still have to settle things with Shikoba now that he knows who I am. He’s not happy about me coming into their lives under false pretenses. We made amends this morning, but it’s still not right between us. His son is still incarcerated, and—”
“Do you normally do this?”
“What?”
“Clean up the mess you made?”
His hair blew away from his face. “It’s not part of the job, if that’s what you mean. I guess it doesn’t feel right to leave just because the assignment’s complete. These are good people.”
I scooted into the Jeep. “I guess that’s it, then.”
“Wait.” He held my gaze and rested his arm against the roof. Lakota’s eyes twinkled in the sunlight like a river running through a carved piece of rich soil.
“Yeah?”
“I’ll be there for the opening. Your store, I mean.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Can I ask you something?”
My heart skipped a beat. “Sure.”
“What’s your Shifter craving?”
I felt my cheeks flush. “Why?”
“I just feel like it’s something I need to know.”
Lowering my eyes, I revealed a personal detail about myself that I told few people. “Lemons. I crave lemons.” A soft breeze cooled the inside of the cab. “What about you?”
Still leaning against the Jeep, he avoided eye contact. “Salt.”
I barked out a laugh. “Seriously?”
Humor danced in his eyes. “It’s not something I brag about. I can eat cups and cups of it.”
Who was I to judge? I sucked on lemons after a shift. Besides, I found it endearing that he had a bizarre craving. All this time, I’d imagined him gnawing on steak or something manly like that.
“I hope everything works out with Tak.”
“Me too.” He slammed the door, and we smiled at each other. Even though things hadn’t turned out as I’d hoped, the memories would stay with us always, just like the scar across his heart.
Then I killed the moment with a sledgehammer when I turned on the car and Engelbert Humperdinck sang “Release Me.”
Lakota belted out a laugh and stepped back. “Goodbye, wife.”
“Goodbye, husband. See you around someday.”
I waved before turning the Jeep around and departing tribal lands. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked back at Lakota standing beneath a canopy of trees in that adorable vest. Even though I felt a tugging at my heart, our friendship, if nothing else, would always keep us connected. We’d come full circle. The fates had finally privileged me with the opportunity to repay my debt for his saving my life twice over. Though he couldn’t be mine, he was my soul mate in all the ways that mattered.
Maybe that was all we were meant to be to each other.
A lifeline.
Chapter 23
Moonglow
Opening day
“They’re here!” I sang, searching the open doorway behind the counter. “Hurry up or you’ll miss the action!”
Hope appeared with a platter of homemade cookies that my aunt Lexi had brought over earlier that day. “The only action is going to be watching our family members collapse from heat exhaustion,” she said, nodding at the front windows, where everyone had gathered outside.
My uncle Denver put his mouth to the glass and blew hard.
I put my hands on my hips. “Trust me, the line will attract attention.”
She set the platter of sweets on a table next to the champagne. “So will Naya in that leather dress.”
“It’s all part of the plan,” I said slyly.
The clock on the wall read two minutes till nine. Saturday morning was a good day for an opening, and the weather couldn’t have been more agreeable.
Hope examined the table, which was filled with cookies, brownie bites, and champagne. We wanted the customers to feel welcome even if they didn’t buy anything on their first visit. Business cards were neatly laid out, and instead of wearing uniforms, we were modeling our clothing and jewelry lines. Hope’s brown harem pants lent too much mystery to a girl blessed with attractive curves and a round backside, but she was showing off her narrow waistline with a puffy blouse tied at the midsection. I’d decided to wear the same jean shorts we’d put on one of the mannequins. The lace hem went perfectly with my sheer white lace top and black undershirt.
Hope had displayed all my custom sneakers in the front-right window to attract the kids, and we’d put all the purses in the left window for their moms.
She dusted a few crumbs out of sight. “What if no one buys anything?”