Page 32 of Loan Wolf (Green Valley Shifters: Generations #1)

32

GABE

G abe was not wearing the frilly apron he’d teased Clara about doing housework in, but he was scrubbing the shower when someone knocked at the door the next morning. The night had been restless and his bed still smelled too much like Clara, so he’d started an early load of laundry and wanted to scrub the memory of her silhouette out of the shower door.

He shoved aside his grief and irritation and then felt a stab of concern when he opened it to the anxious face of Clara’s stepmother.

“Miss Patricia?”

“Is Clara here?” she asked without preamble. She stared at his rubber gloves like she thought he might be cleaning up evidence.

Concern flared into active worry and Gabe’s wolf whined. “No, I haven’t seen her since yesterday,” he said honestly. “Is she alright?”

“She left before I got up this morning,” Patricia said, frowning. “And then she didn’t show up for the dress rehearsal. I know she’s been…a little upset. But this isn’t like her, none of it is. She’s been reckless .”

Gabe peeled off his rubber gloves. “What time did you see her?” he asked, reaching for his phone.

“Her phone is broken,” Patricia said, not actually answering the question. She was wringing her hands, which Gabe was not sure he had ever actually witnessed in real life before. “She couldn’t have texted you.”

“I’ve got a tracker on Daisy,” Gabe said, opening the app. His connection chose that moment to drop and the progress bar stalled out.

“Who’s Daisy ?” Patricia’s horrified expression suggested that she thought Gabe was cheating on Clara with someone he was illegally stalking.

“The bike ,” Gabe said, stung but not surprised that she might think so poorly of him. “It’s in the rental contract.” He couldn’t quite stop himself from adding, “Thank you very much for your high opinion of my morals.”

Patricia flushed. “I’m sorry. It’s just…”

“Yeah, I know. I’m a bad egg. A terrible influence. Definitely the cause of all her troubles. It couldn’t possibly be that she’s conflicted because she doesn’t want to disappoint you and all the other people putting an obscene amount of pressure on her.”

Patricia scowled at him, an unnatural expression on her pleasant face. “I have told her that she could be anything she wants. She knows we will always love her, no matter what she chooses to do.”

“Love and disappointment are very separate things,” Gabe snarled. He ought to know.

The app finally loaded and pins started popping up on the map. Gabe was somehow not surprised to see where Daisy was. “I’ll go get her,” he promised, grabbing for his truck keys by the door.

“I should come,” Patricia said swiftly.

“I’m not going to hurt her,” Gabe said wearily.

“I didn’t think that you would,” Patricia protested. “It’s just that…she’s young, and you’re?—”

“Look,” Gabe said ferociously, “I know I’m not good enough for her. I love her, but I’m not going to make her life choices for her or try to talk her into staying here if she shouldn’t. You’ve got this shining future planned for her and I don’t have any place in that grand plan, don’t think for a moment that I’m blind to that. I want what’s best for her, not me, and it’s up to her to decide what that is. Not me. Not you. ”

Patricia stared and to Gabe’s dismay, her face softened. He could deal with anger much better than pity.

“Don’t you fucking dare feel sorry for me,” he snarled.

“I don’t,” Patricia said with salt. “I’m happy for you. Clara deserves someone who cares that much about her. Does she know?”

“Does she know what?”

“That you love her?”

Gabe chewed on the word several times before he could spit it out. “No.”

“Don’t you think that’s slightly important for these life choices that she’s in the process of making?” Patricia scolded him. “If you want to be a part of her shining future, at least let her know that’s one of her options!”

Gabe stared at her, barely daring to hope. “Do you think?—”

Patricia laughed. “Please go get my daughter, Gabe. I clearly can’t answer for her.”

“Thank you,” Gabe said gruffly. “Thank you.”

Then he was running for the truck, his wolf howling hopefully in his head.

Pack!