But by seven-thirty, the ladies are successful at making their way out the door. Sue offers to drop me off at the Pack or at the pub, but I tell her I’ll be fine here. I can do my research for work and clean up the house a little.
I dig into a bit of both types of work until somewhere around eleven, when I get a text message from Charlotte.
Hi Deek, this is Charlotte. I’m really sorry to ask, but I forgot my Chromebook… is there any chance you could bring it to me? If not, I can ask Mom if they’ll let her off of work.
I locate her Chromebook on the desk in her room, and then stare at the front door.
Carrying items and handling doors, gates, and nakedness is a problem.
After a moment’s consideration, I text her, “On my way,” and set my phone down on the kitchen’s island. I take one of Maggie’s many backpacks (all of which like to spill out of her closet, I found out when I was tidying this morning). This one happens to be a llama-shaped one, and I place the Chromebook in it, strip, and toss in my track pants (I leave the rest of my attire on a barstool at the island), my cell phone, and the house key. Then I lock up and walk out the back door. I change to a wolf, adjusting the backpack straps until the pack sits easily between my shoulder blades without shifting or pinching—and then I jump the privacy fence.
And I just have to say, thank God it’s a Chromebook and not a full laptop, or the slap it makes to my spine would leave me crippled. As it is, the backpack bangs uncomfortably on my back, making me glad I don’t have far to go.
It’s a three-mile lope to Charlotte’s school. Never having been to the school before, I feel very out of place as well as lost, but I trot into the parking lot, find my way between two low-slung cars, change to human, remove the backpack, drag out the track pants, and make my lower half decent. I wish I’d brought my boxers because even though they’re just one more delay in the process of getting appropriately covered up for public outings, I feel downright indecent going boxerless on human school grounds.
Barefoot, I carry the llama pack by its neck and step out from between the cars, aiming myself at the entrance of the school. Digging into the pack, I find the phone and text Charlotte.
She’s at the door of the school before I finish ascending the steps. Ginny is with her, clutching a pink hall pass, and both of them wave to me.
“Thanks, Deek!” Charlotte gushes as I hand her the Chromebook. “You’re awesome!”
“No problem,” I tell her. I look between them, making eye contact at about the level of their cheekbones. “Need anything else, or are you set?”
“This was it. And this was huge. Seriously, thanks!”
I nod to her and wave awkwardly. “Okay. Bye, then.”
“Bye, Deek! You’re super,” Charlotte says, heartfelt.
“Have a safe trip back, Deek,” Ginny adds kindly.
“Thank you.” I turn, and move down the steps—but stop when I hear a tiny familiar voice.
“Deeeek!”
I turn, my gaze sharpening as I scan the area with purpose: building, building, blacktop, cars, cars, truck, cars, sidewalk, chain link fence, playground equipment, recess guardian, children—
Maggie.
Maggie is at the fence, waving wildly at me along with a group of similar-aged children.
I can’t help the way my smile spreads.
Feet slapping pavement, I jog across the little strips that separate the high school from the middle school and finally reach the grade school, where Maggie is waiting for me.
The recess guardian is eyeing me with extreme suspicion, and she’s beginning to herd the children away from the fence.
“Wait!” Maggie cries. “That’s Deek! He lives with us. My mom is his alpha,” she shares.
“He’s a werewolf?” the guardian asks, and Maggie misses the deep well of horror in the woman’s tone.
“He IS,” she confirms proudly. “And he’s the best one, except for Liam. Liam is my puppy—a werewolf one—and we’re going to adopt him next.”
Ummm…
Liam’s only half werewolf, strongly takes after his Aardwolf mother, and I’m not sure where Maggie got the idea that we’re adopting him, but I don’t argue. I just wave to the recess guardian and crouch down at the fence line. “Hi, Maggie. It’s good to see you, but I only came to drop something off for your sister.