Under A Latent Moon (A Werewolf Tale)

Chapter 4

The next morning Harley went out to find a job.

When she was in high school and still living with her Aunt Tracy and Uncle Eric, her job at Oodles of Poodles, a dog grooming place, was the only sunshine in her life.

Her coworkers-though most a bit older-were funny and encouraging in the best way. For once in her life she truly enjoyed working and making an effort to be a part of a team. The paychecks helped a lot too. Aunt Tracy and Uncle Eric didn't believe in allowances of any sort, so most of her money went toward new clothes and food.

She didn't mind. It made her feel self-sufficient and responsible. She had slowly become proud of her ability to thrive on her own.

Now it was time to get back to it. So she set her alarm for nine in the morning and suffered through a shower to wake herself up.

Her two small suitcases were never unpacked and she rooted carefully through them to find the small, knee length black skirt. The only skirt she owned, actually.

She paired it with a simple long sleeved maroon shirt and slipped on her flats. Hopefully that would be enough to provide a good first impression.

Jamie was downstairs in the kitchen looking like a perfect advertisement for some preppy and chic store. It made Harley wince at her own outfit. Even with the nice skirt and a brush of mascara there was no hiding her frizzy brown hair. She'd never quite reach the kind of natural beauty Jamie had, but she'd instead spent her life convincing herself that inner beauty could be so much stronger.

She clutched that idea as tight as she could to her chest and didn't let go. Especially when she noticed the other form in the kitchen.

He stood near the coffee pot wrapped in the rising warm sunlight streaming through the kitchen window.

Cameron was beautiful. But this being sipping from a chipped coffee mug had so much more.

Clad in a dark pair of jeans and tight black long sleeve t-shirt, Will Grey looked every piece of muscular perfection that could only come from rigorous exercise. His body reinforced the image of pack hunter.

Damn. Why couldn't he have been ugly little Willie?

When she stepped into the kitchen both Jamie and Will's eyes flicked to her and then away. Then Will tensed and flipped his gaze back to her, giving her another inspection.

His coffee cup lowered, almost as if he wasn't aware of it. "Harley?" He asked, shocked. "Harley Pierce?"

Although her world tilted and her heart kicked up in her chest, she forced her body to stay relaxed, as if he didn't have a momentous effect on her.

"Hey." Hey? That was her opening line? She internally smacked her own forehead. What was the matter with her?

Will looked amused at her response. He set his coffee down on the counter and stepped forward, arms open for a hug. She accepted it somewhat awkwardly. Were they on that familiar of a level?

"I heard you were back in town." He said, his chest vibrating under her ear. The smell coming softly off his shirt made Harley weak in the knees. She pulled out of the hug and put a sufficient amount of space between them.

From the side, Jamie snorted.

"How've you been?" Harley asked politely. It was hard to speak past the bundle of nerves in her stomach. She moved about the kitchen to put together some cereal. It would give her something to do other than stare at Will like a ninny.