Shirley, the woman who usually took my order, lifted her brows, but nodded. The woman normally greeted me with a shout and a hug, but I didn't want to alert Ella I was here. I'd do that soon enough. I placed my order, grabbed my tag, and headed over to where Ella was. Nervousness speared me as soon as I was a few feet away, but I squashed it down.
I stepped in front of her, set my stuff down, and parked my ass in the other chair at her table. Her eyes widened at first and she blustered for a moment until she realized who I was. Then she snapped her mouth closed and tilted her head at me.
"You were following me," she accused.
"Your ego is enormous," I retorted, not answering her question.
"That doesn't mean you weren't following me," she said. I grinned at her words and she let out a little laugh. Ella plopped her chin down on her raised hand. "What do you want?"
I could see no fear or concern in her face. She was a shameless little thief and didn't give a shit. I had to admire that. "So we aren't going to talk about you stealing my wallet?"
Her mouth went into an "o" of surprise. "Your wallet was stolen?" she gasped in mock outrage. "That's terrible!"
One of my eyebrows rose. "And it so conveniently turned back up last night. Everything in it but the cash."
Ella snorted with derision. "The nerve of some people." She shook her head. The waitress interrupted us just as I was about to respond.
"I barely had enough to cover my beignets today."
"You had a stack of twenties in there!" Ella said. Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd just done.
I sat back in my chair ignoring the stack of delicious beignets in front of me. "And how would you know that, Miss Sticky Fingers?"
A huff of air escaped her. "Fine. I'll give the cash back."
I shook my head. "Don't want it. If you were slick enough to get it from me without me knowing about it, you're welcome to keep the cash."
Her eyes narrowed. "And what do you want in return?"
I could see her estimation of my character drop a few notches. I shook my head. "Absolutely nothing. You won it fair and square."
"I didn't win it at all," she grumbled.
"Me and my brothers pride ourselves on our ability to sense things like this. None of us have ever been pickpocketed before. You are either very, very light fingered or you have no sense of self preservation." I studied her as I picked up one of the fried beignets. "Or perhaps both."
Ella took a huge bite and stared at me. The blue of her eyes speared my soul. She chewed and wouldn't drop her gaze. If anyone else had done this to me, I would have challenged them to a fight. But she was my mate, and I held her stare, allowing her to see I meant her no harm. The dragon inside of me roared with approval. This woman, whoever she was, was brave. Or foolhardy. Again ... maybe both.
"So I can keep it?" She licked the powdered sugar off her fingers and everything hardened on me. Every swipe of her tongue made me lose my breath, and I finally had to look away from her. She chuckled, a rich and deep sound.
The little vixen was playing with me. "I'd like to take you out," I blurted.
She paused in her eating. "So there is a catch."
"No. I'll pay." I watched the emotions play over her face.
"I'm married," she said.
I tilted my head. "There's no ring on your finger."
"That doesn't mean anything. What if I work with tools? What if I'm a cheater? What if I'm allergic to precious metals?"
"What if you're scared?" I shot back.
"You don't care that I have a husband at home waiting for me?" she asked, her blue eyes guileless. But I could smell it. She was lying.
"I would care if you were a cheater, but I don't think you are. Tell me the truth. Are you really married or is it a marriage in name only?"
A deeper hurt flashed in her eyes. "I'm newly divorced," she admitted. "And I think it's too early for me to date."
"Then how about coffee?" I spread my hands wide in order to show I meant her no harm. "Get to know me. As friends first."
She took another bite and gave me a curious glance when she finished chewing. "Why?"
"Because I'm a good guy to know," I answered. "And I think you're lovely. And smart."
"And a thief," she said once she had finished swallowing.
"There's only two reasons someone steals." I said. "Necessity or urge. And I don't think you're the kind of person who likes to steal. I think you need to." I leaned forward and tapped my fingers on the table. "I'd like to get to know you. In any way you allow me to."
"What if I steal your wallet again?" she asked.
I shrugged. "Then I'd deserve it. And you can keep whatever you found."
I watched as she examined my words and the offer.
"No strings," I said as I felt her resolve weaken. "You can leave anytime you want to."
She took a sip of her cafe au lait. "Fine," she said after the silence began to drag. "Friends. For coffee. And a slice of Italian creme cake."
My eyebrows rose. "At Miss Fannie's?"
She nodded. "You know it?"
"I more than know it. I practically live there."
Ella polished off the rest of her beignets and picked her cup and purse up. She touched me lightly on the shoulder. "Then I'll meet you tomorrow. Four p.m."
"It's a deal, Ella," I told her. She turned and walked out. I watched the sway of her hips. My fingers itched to touch her, but she was wary. Whatever happened to her made her hesitant to trust. I needed to do some digging.
And I knew just the wolf who could help me with that.
7
Ella
What the ever loving fuck was I thinking? I couldn't go on a date. I'd sworn off men the second I'd found Greg cheating on me. Not a single person since then had turned my eye. Not until Tanner, the man who wasn’t quite a man. I'd come to rely on my instinct much more than I used to and something about him triggered my instincts. Wariness was the first emotion to come to mind, but it was replaced by something a little stronger - a need to get close to him, to see what he was really made of. I wasn't used to feeling like that. Greg represented security to me. Tanner felt like I'd be jumping off the edge of an abyss and into the unknown.
I'd already had a lot of unknowns in my life. Was I ready for another?
I didn't like thinking about my psychic abilities or whatever it was I had. I'd grown up in a small town and anything even remotely woo woo was shunned. But it was paying my bills right now, and I knew with absolute certainty my predictions were right. Tanner would meet someone and fall in love. Soon.
But it couldn't be me. I wasn't part of his equation. Something inside of me squirmed at the revelation. It didn't feel truthful. Not exactly. The thought of me getting married again was laughable, though.
Once was enough, thank you very much.
His eyes were on my back. Or my ass. I wouldn't put it past him. The man looked like sex on a stick, and I was a girl with a big appetite. A sigh fluttered from my lips once I made it out of the restaurant. Shaking off the feeling I was prey for something much larger than myself, I turned the corner and headed back home.