Werewolf Dreams (5 page)

She studied her face critically and frowned. She knew she looked just like her mother. She didn’t take after her father at all and wished fervently for the millionth time that she did. She didn’t like to think of the mother who had left her and her father so long ago. She’d put her mother in the same compartment as distant acquaintances and knew that her mother was fine with that. Every now and then she’d get an email or a text asking how she was and she’d always answer back in a friendly way, but she knew in her heart, it was just so her mother could mark if off her to do list. The last time she’d actually spent more than a couple hours with her
mother had been over a year ago and they’d both been so uncomfortable with each other it had been a relief when the visit was over.

She’d stopped crying over her lack of relationship with her mother when she was ten years old.
Her mother had promised her for months and months that they’d spend the whole weekend together just the two of them to celebrate her birthday. Anjeannette never showed up and she’d never apologized. It was then that she’d realized that her mother didn’t love her. So she’d made her peace with it and moved on. Three years of counseling and an attentive, caring father had helped too of course, she thought with a wry grin. And when she’d needed a mom, her best friend Kendra’s mom Annie had always been there for her. No, she’d had a good life and she was loved, but it was just so strange to always look in the mirror and see the reflection of the one person who had decided not to love you. Ava closed her eyes and pushed all thoughts of Anjeannette out of her mind. There was no reason to ruin the night with melancholy thoughts about things she could never change.

Ava stood up and walked to the bedroom door. She knew if she stared at herself any longer she’d just get irritated and
change into a pair of jeans and put her hair in a ponytail. She’d go find her dad and see what he looked like. He would tell her if she needed to change. She walked down the stairs and toward the voices coming from a large room off the kitchen. She paused though when she heard her name mentioned and came to an abrupt stop. She knew she shouldn’t eavesdrop, but she’d always been too curious.

She leaned up against a wall as she concentrated.

“Tobias, I don’t care what you say about Ava. I can’t wait to meet her. I’m su
re she’s darling,” said a husky female voice.

Tobias made a snorting sound as Ava glared. “She
is
darling. She’s just about the prettiest little thing you’ve ever seen. Picture a cross between Scarlet Johansson and Reece Witherspoon.
That’s
the problem. Cyrus couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He even brought up mating in front of her
and Harry
. Harry just about took off my head over that. Cyrus has that girl in his sights Patricia, you mark my words. Which means you better talk to your son before the party starts or else we’re going to have a fight on our hands. I just painted these walls three months ago. If Zoe puts even one dent in this house I’m going to pull my hair out,” Tobias swore.

Ava frowned wondering who Zoe was and why she’d put a hole in the wall b
ecause of her. She heard low amused laughter and inched closer.

“Tobias, don’t you remember when you were dating Caro
Winterlace and I started prowling around you?”

Tobias’s loud booming laughter filled the hallway. “Oh I remember all right. And if I hadn’t been there to pull her off your back, you’d be bald to this day my love. But this is different Patricia. She’s not suitable for Cyrus. You know he can’t choose her. It wouldn’t be right,” he said sounding upset.

Ava’s eyes widened and she felt cold all of a sudden. Tobias obviously didn’t think she was good enough for his son. She bit her lip feeling hurt and angry and missed some of what Patricia said.

“
. . . Cyrus has always done what he wants to do Tobias. Either way it’s his decision,” she said comfortingly.

“If he’s selfish enough to pick her, then we’ll
all pay the price and you know it,”

Ava closed her eyes as her heart hurt for some reason and she walked back down the hallway to the front parlor. She sat on the couch and pulled her feet up next to her and rested her head on the arm
of the couch as she tried to do her emotion control exercises. She breathed in and out slowly, said the alphabet backwards in her mind and tried to think soothing thoughts. But snippets of the conversation she just heard would pop into her head like arrows hitting a bull’s eye and she’d have to start over again.

“Sweet heart, what are you doing in here? What’s the matter? You look upset.”

Ava raised her head and pushed her feet off the couch as she stared up at her handsome father. He was dressed in khaki pants and another button down shirt, this one light blue. It was the same thing he wore to teach his college classes. She closed her eyes for a moment and then sighed. They were just going to be here for a little while. She could handle it and then they’d go back home where everything was normal and fine and she could head off to college with her friends. Who cared if two strangers didn’t want her dating their son? It’s not like she even
wanted
to date Cyrus anyways. He made her nervous in a way other boys didn’t. But she couldn’t help wondering what it would have been like to kiss him.

She licked her lips as she realized her father was waiting for an answer.
“Oh nothing. I guess I’m just a little worn out. Do I have to stay the whole time tonight? I feel like going to bed early to be honest,” she said standing up and smoothing her dress over her legs.

Harry frowned and put his hands in his pockets. He looked torn. “Well, it turns out Tobias has invited all my old friends along with most of my relatives. His idea of being a good host I guess,” he said with a note of irritation. “It
would be polite to stick around and meet everyone, but if you get tired, I’ll take you to your room so you can go to bed. We do have an early start tomorrow,” he said, as he rubbed his forehead.

Ava put her arms around her father’s waist and leaned her head against his chest as his arms came around her shoulders. “Why do I wish this night was already over?” she asked quietly.

Harry kissed her head and laughed softly. “The same reason I do. We both hate parties and socializing with a passion. It’s not your fault darling. You’re just like me,” he said.

Ava looked up at her father with a happy grin and felt her heart warm. She might look like her mother, but inside, she was like her dad. And that was the part that really counted.

“You’re right Dad. We’re totally the same,” she said as Cyrus walked in the room.

Cyrus looked her up and down and smiled. “You look beautiful tonight Ava,”

“Thanks,” she said, noticing he had changed too and was wearing a V-neck white t-shirt and dark jeans. He’d obviously showered and slicked his hair back. He looked older and more sophisticated now. She looked away remembering his father’s words but had to smile when she saw her father grinding his teeth in irritation. For some reason he
really
didn’t like Cyrus. She glanced at Cyrus to see if he had noticed her father’s reaction to him and by the twinkle in eye and his over polite smile, he had.

“If you’ll follow me to the kitchen, I can get you something to drink and eat,” Cyrus said smiling at Harry.

Harry growled low in his throat but nodded his head and reached out his hand for hers. Ava grinned at her father’s back as they followed Cyrus down the hallway and into a beautiful, warm room with pale gold walls and more paintings with vivid splashes of color. Ava immediately noticed a very tall, muscular, attractive young woman standing next to Tobias and a woman who must be his wife. Ava was five feet eight inches and she was much taller than most of her friends at home but these women were at least five eleven if not six feet. She felt like she was surrounded by giants.

Cyrus walked
to her side with a friendly smile on his face. She had long black hair, a sharp pointy face and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a short skirt and a tight tank top that perfectly showed off the muscular lines of her arms and the bulging muscles of her legs. It was almost as if she was trying to shove her strength down everyone’s throat. It was a little over the top in Ava’s opinion.

Ava smiled and leaned up to whisper in her dad’s ear. “Looks like Tobias works fast. Meet your next girlfriend,” she said with a soft giggle.

Harry looked down at his daughter and grinned with a shake of his head. “Not likely. Now behave yourself,” he ordered before walking over to his friend.

Ava followed and was introduced to Cyrus’s mother Patricia. Although she was tall like the other woman, she had a lithe femininity that the other woman lacked. Cyrus didn’t look much like his mom. She had short,
spikey reddish brown hair and large, incredible bright green eyes.

“Well aren’t you beautiful? I’m Patricia and you’re welcome to my home. We’re so pleased to have you here for the summer,” she said, smiling into Ava’s eyes with
undeniable sincerity.

Ava felt herself thaw toward this woman
almost against her will and couldn’t help smiling back. “Thank you for your kind hospitality to me and my father. Your home is beautiful but your flowers are exquisite. It’s like a painting when I look out my window,” she said, smiling as Patricia’s face blushed with pleasure.

“Oh I i
nsist you make yourself at home. You’ll have to take a walk out in the gardens later. They bring me so much joy but more now that I know you appreciate them,” she said squeezing Ava’s hand before looking past her to her father.

“Patricia, you look even younger and more beautiful than you did on our last date to the movies,” Harry said with a wink at Tobias.

Tobias growled low in his throat as he glared at his friend. “
Watch it Harry
. You missed your chance and now she’s all mine.”

Harry laughed and leaned down to kiss Patricia’s cheek chastely. “The better man won Tobias,” he said. “Patricia knows that,” he said with a grin at his friend’s red face.

Patricia laughed and shook her head. “You and your daughter are charmers. No one is safe around you two. We’ll have to warn the town to keep their hearts under lock and key,” she said with a musical laugh.

Ava felt her smile slip as she remembered the conversation she had overheard just fifteen minutes earlier. Patricia wasn’t kidding. Harry laughed heartily as if she were though. Ava glanced at the woman standing next to Cyrus and blinked in surprise when she saw the woman link her arm through Cyrus’s. There was no mistaking the gesture. She was staking her claim to Cyrus loud and clear. She ignored the woman’s belligerent stare and looked at Cyrus who was staring at her
intensely as if he weren’t even aware that he had a good looking woman glued to his arm. She raised an eyebrow cynically.
What a player
.

Tobias noticed Ava and Harry looking at the woman and jumped to make introductions. “Harry, Ava, let me intr
oduce you to Cyrus’s friend Zoe. They’re like two peas in a pod,” he said with a stiff smile on his face.

Patricia’s eyes cooled as she turned to look at Zoe, but she stepped back so Harry could move forward. Harry smiled at the woman who was only a few inches shorter than his six four frame and held out his hand. Zoe smiled
coldly up at Harry.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Zoe,” he said, sounding relieved for some reason.

He moved back and then put his hand on the small of Ava’s back, pushing her gently forward. Ava pasted on a tight smile and nodded her head, refusing to offer her hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said simply and then moved back into the protective shelter of her father’s arm. She ignored Cyrus’s penetrating stare.

Zoe grinned at her and shrugged. “W
e love visitors, don’t we Cyrus? It’s so entertaining to have strangers come to town,” she said making it sound like they were a side show act.

Ava nodded her head
sarcastically. “Yeah, well I’m afraid we won’t be able to entertain you very much this summer. My father and I will be kind of busy working on our juggling routine.” she said.

Cyrus grinned at her and she
had to force herself not to roll her eyes. Harry cleared his throat and smiled genially. “Oh yes. We uh, love juggling,” he said lamely and then sighed in relief as a few people came through the door, exclaiming and heading right for her father. She could almost feel her father’s moans of discomfort and she grinned as she inched slowly and surely into the farthest, darkest corner she could find.

Cyrus watched her go but didn’t stop her as Zoe pulled him to the large crowd growing bigger and bigger around her father.
She knew she couldn’t hide in a corner forever though. Her father would want to introduce her to everyone any second. She saw an older woman head to the kitchen and she followed in relief. She walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a plate of appetizers and a glass of punch before sneaking out the back door and into Patricia’s gardens.

She hurried to the farthest corner of the yard and sighed in happy pleasure when she found a comfortable bench practically hidden underneath the low branches of
a weeping cherry tree. She plopped herself down and began nibbling at her skewers of prime rib and the assorted cheeses and olives on her plate. She heard a smattering of voices and stilled in fear, not wanting to be disturbed, but they wandered off down a different path and she was left alone in her precious solitude again.