Grayslake: More than Mated: Make Her Howl (Kindle Worlds Novella) (2 page)

Magda flipped through the frilly dresses. She had a really good sense of what Lira liked, unlike Miss Maybelle, the shopkeeper who kept bringing out frillier and frillier concoctions. One more ruffle and she was going to whip out her claws.

Eleven dresses in and Lira's easy-going nature was clearly getting strained. After she'd come out in the last one, she whispered, "If the next one has as many ruffles as this one, I will literally scream, Momma."

Magda patted her hand and took charge. "Don't worry baby, I got this. If there is a dress in this store that will work, I will find it. If not, we'll head to Atlanta for the weekend, okay?"

Maybelle gasped in delight at Lira in front of the mirrors. "Oh yes, you look like a dream!"

"It's a touch fussy for her. We're thinking more modern. Sleek, you know?" The woman looked unhappy, but Magda took her hand and walked with her to the back of the store. "You know, kids today. I'm sure you have something that will make her so very happy."

Magda spied a rack of dresses that were exactly what Lira wanted. "These. She's going to try on these."

Maybelle looked pained but shrugged. "If you really think she'll like them. She looks like a fairy tale princess in the other ones."

The woman's wistful tone tugged at Magda's heart. She remembered when she'd dreamed of big poufy dresses that she could walk down the aisle in. Something so wide she’d barely fit between the pews.

"Remember Princess Diana's dress? That's the dress I dreamed of for the longest time." She'd been so sure she and Stuart would have that moment, one day. "But now, the style is for minimal. Really, it's about the bride feeling her best. And I know she's going to absolutely love one of these."

The shopkeeper perked up and pulled the rack to the front of the store. Lira's face lit when she saw the dresses and immediately she picked one to try. "Oh Momma, this is perfect! This is exactly what I pictured in my head."

Lira went into the dressing room as the women looked on.

Maybelle sighed, "You were right, the look on her face was everything."

The two of them chuckled and the front bell rung as someone entered the store. Magda was surprised to see the very male intruder was Lira's doctor. She flushed at the memory of their first meeting.

Desire curled through her body the moment he walked in the door and her inner wolf sat up and took notice. It had been longer than she cared to remember since simply being in the same room as a man got her hot and bothered and got her inner wolf yowling. All it had taken was the warmth of his hand in hers as he introduced himself.

He was all charm and smiles then, even if he did make her flustered. She was foolish to think that charm was solely for her, watching him with Maybelle, whose face lit up when he turned that charming smile on the other woman.

The weird twist in her gut couldn't be jealousy. That was patently ridiculous. The urge to scratch the other woman's eyes out was merely because she was tired and grumpy after a long day of shopping for dresses.
Obviously
. Besides, he wasn't even going to notice her.

Magda hadn't considered Maybelle wanting to introduce her and she was strangely pleased that the other woman drew him into the store and beckoned him over to Magda.

The shopkeeper’s voice burbled with joy. "Now, Marc, have you met Magda? Her daughter is marrying Jake."

It had to be her imagination, but… Did he look happy to see her? Or maybe it was his general charm. She'd held off better men than him. She smiled politely at him and found herself transfixed by his steel gray eyes that seemed to look into her soul.

They were shockingly like her long-dead mate, Stuart's, and it threw her off for a second while she got lost between the past and present.  Dazed by the similarity, she let him take her hand in his. He bent over it and lifted it to his mouth, sparks zinged through her body when his lips lightly brushed her knuckles in a barely there caress.

"I was Lira's doctor after her troubles.” His deep tenor slid over her skin and she felt her cheeks warming with a blush. “I was lucky enough to meet Magda, very briefly then. Of course, this is far better circumstances, than the hospital."

Maybelle’s eyes glinted in speculation and Magda suspected the moment they left the store, the phone lines would be lit up as Maybelle spilled all to Grace. Dammit, the last thing Grayslake needed was another meddling granny. But from the way Maybelle suddenly had to run to the backroom, it seemed like there was going to be another matchmaker to contend with.

He still held her hand, intent gaze on hers and a warm sense of awareness washed over her.  She was flustered and hot by the time he finished his long, penetrating look and finally released her hand. She reminded herself he was nothing but a flirt. Nothing more.

"I'm so glad Lira is doing well,” he murmured. “And that her adventures are ending up in a mating. The pack is excited for an opportunity to party." The man’s grin was way too wicked.

"The…" Magda cleared her throat, ignoring her husky tone. “The pack?”

"Oh, yes. Mia invited just about every shifter in the county. She said it's a good way to build relations, to keep positive interactions up."

An uneasy tension threaded through Magda's thoughts, past intruding on the present once more. "Sure, great idea,” she snapped. “until the young and cocky have a few too many and fights break out."

She remembered pack life, before she left. Higher ranking members lording over everyone and doing whatever they damn well pleased.

Marc shook his head. "No way the Alpha or the Itan would let that happen."

Before Magda could respond, Lira stepped out of the dressing room and spun around. "What do you think, Momma?"

She pulled her hands away from Marc and clasped them over her heart while tears welled in her eyes. Now her voice was hoarse for a different reason—love. "Oh baby, you look beautiful. Absolutely stunning."

Lira padded to Magda, pulled her into a tight hug, and whispered in her ear. "This is it. This is the dress. This is what I dreamt about, after I met Jake." She pulled back from Magda, expression suddenly wary and uncertain. "Do...do you think my mother would have liked it?"

"Oh honey,” Magda brushed her daughter’s hair out of her face like she had so many times over the years. “Deirdre would have been over the moon for you to have found your mate. She wouldn't have cared if you got married in a burlap sack." She squeezed her adoptive daughter's hands. "But she would have wept with joy over how absolutely perfect this dress is for you. Spin again for me."

Lira twirled and Magda's heart was heavy. She wished Deirdre could have been here. Her best friend had always known what to do in any situation. She held back the tears that threatened to spill, wanting to wail at the unfairness of it all, and suddenly a square of fabric was pressed into her hand.

On instinct, she grabbed it and turned to find its owner. Only to see Dr. Lincoln at her side, looking a bit misty-eyed.

Magda had expected to see Maybelle and in the moment had forgotten he was even there. She muttered, "Thanks." And pressed the cloth to her eyes.

"It's hard to hit milestones when you are missing people." A haunted expression passed over his face for a split-second and then he shook his head as he took a step back. "I'm intruding, I apologize. I was checking in on Maybelle. She won't come to see me often enough."

Magda nodded her good byes as they watched Lira flitting around in the dress. A vision of her long lost love, Stuart flashed behind her eyes. The entire reason she was alone was stupid pack politics. She wasn't going to let that happen to Lira.

The faintest rays of dawn penetrated Magda's room and she bounced out of bed. Excited flutters in her stomach drove her to the window and she looked out at the soft peach streaks in the sky.

"Deidre, I wish you were here right now. I've done everything I can think of to launch Lira into the world. Now she's getting married and not to that asshat, Ethan. He's a nice boy, a bear. The Grayslake clan has changed. What we went through? It wouldn't happen now.” Memories of what happened back then tried to intrude and she pushed them away. “Now I better hit the shower before it gets too crazy."

Magda didn't often talk directly to Lira's mother and her best friend, she'd been gone for so long. Sometimes, Magda felt like she had to, just in case Deidre was listening.

She slipped through the shower and into a casual outfit. She wouldn't put on her fancy dress until right before they left for the wedding. She tried to remain quiet so she didn’t wake anyone, but she shouldn’t have bothered. When she got to the kitchen, she discovered her mother, Grace, fussing over a hot stove.

"I never could beat you downstairs. I really thought I might, this time."

Grace gestured at the table. "Grab a seat, honey. I figure we could all use a nice hearty breakfast. It's gonna be a hell of a day."

Magda settled down and poured herself a cup of coffee from the carafe on the table. "I was going to try and start breakfast for you." The steam from the cup carried the comforting scent of a hearty roast and Magda sniffed appreciatively.

"Well, I'm older now, and don't get a lot of sleep. Don't need a lot of sleep, to be honest. Plus, I was staring at the ceiling for a solid hour before I got up. Have to keep myself busy. I'm nervous!"

Magda chuckled. "Me too. I made myself stay in bed until the sky lightened up." It still surprised Magda how alike her and her mother were. She thought that after over twenty years apart, they would be polar opposites.

Regret tinged her thoughts. Grief and anger had driven her away from Grayslake for so long. Her inability to let go of either of them meant she missed out on so much of her mother's life.

A sharp sting across her knuckles brought her back to the here and now. "Don't get maudlin so early in the morning. It's bad for you." Grace slid a plate piled high with pancakes, bacon and eggs in front of Magda. "If you spend too much time regretting the past, you miss out on living in the present."

"There is no way I can finish all this, you know."

"So nibble at it then. But if you don't start the day with a hearty breakfast, you'll be a grump all the rest of the day."

"Deidre used to tell me that all the time too." Instead of grief, Magda let herself laugh at the memory.

Grace grinned, "Well, she learned it from me."

"Because you didn't used to be a morning person at all." Magda dug into her plate, enjoying the perfectly crisp bacon. It was a pleasure she rarely indulged in.

"Humph. Still not. It's just that my brain wakes up far earlier than my good manners."

The women sat in companionable silence enjoying the excellent comfort food.

The peaceful mood settled in Magda's heart, and she relished the quiet time with her mother. Even after the time she'd been here, they were still very careful around each other. The rekindled relationship was still fragile and both were very aware of how easy it would be to break again.

Her reverie was broken by the sound of a stampede down the stairs. Magda realized she'd polished off every bite of food on the plate as the two teenagers, her niece Nancy and Jake’s little sister Helen, burst into the kitchen.

Nancy's face fell when she saw them. "Memaw! You were supposed to let me do breakfast."

"There's still plenty to do, don't you worry. I couldn't stay in bed another moment." Grace walked over to the oven. "Sit down for a moment, trust me, we'll run your feet off all day. But until then, let me dote on you a little bit."

Both girls sat at the table while Grace bustled around the kitchen. They dug into the mountains of food that she brought them.

Nancy said, "Auntie Mags, did we tell you about Jake last night?"

Memaw turned around, "Girls, what did I tell you about gossip?"

Helen piped up, "If you can't say something nice, sit by me?"

"Well, yes. I suppose that's true. Still, Lira and Jake are getting married today. If you are going to ruin Lira's day, you better do it quickly."

The girls’ giggles and Nancy said, "Memaw, it's nothing like that. But Ty and the rest of the clan swung by to pick Jake up after dinner, for some bachelor party nonsense."

His sister, Helen, said, "Yeah, Jake didn't especially want to go, but Ty insisted, said it was a direct order from his Itan. So what could he do but head out."

Memaw sat across from the young girls. "Well, it's fairly common for men to have a bit of a carouse before they settle down. We took Lira out for a bit of a hen party the other night, since she wanted to make sure she was well rested today."

What an understatement. The memory of Jake's grandmother tucking singles into a well-stuffed thong would live on in Magda's memory, forever. She cleared her throat, hoping her mother would not go into detail. Especially when she learned that Gran, Grace and Maybelle were all very well-known at that particular establishment.

Nancy giggled. "Well, whatever they had planned, they better have had Jake home early. Because Mia was there with Gran and she read Ty the riot act." She did an uncanny imitation of Mia. "If he rolls up to the wedding anything less than bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I will mount every last one of your heads on the living room wall." And then she poked Ty right in the chest and hissed that if he woke her when they stumbled home, she would make him wish he'd never been born."

"Well, they really should have planned better. If they'd gone on Wednesday, the strip club down the way has an all you can eat buffet."

The girls both stared at Memaw and Magda had to giggle.

"Okay, you guys do the dishes while we go over the lists and make sure we haven't forgotten anything."