Oh, Hale, you sweet, sheltered man. Erin will save you from the scary online dating world ;)
Okay, this guy doesn’t give me red flags and warning sirens so far. You know the stuff I’ve ignored in all my past relationships. But I won’t get ahead of myself. If we matched, there has to be something wrong with him. So far, he’s checking all the right boxes. He’s financially stable, my age, knows what it’s like to raise a kid solo, and is not only understanding but open-minded. Plus, he’s adorable with his answers. I won’t get my hopes up. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. And there it is in his last message. So maybe him saying he’s a widower isn’t show dropping, run for the hills info. I need to approach this delicately. I don’t want to be rude or intrusive as this is our first interaction. I want to know if it was recent and if he’s still hung up on his wife. I probably shouldn’t keep talking to him if he's still focused on his wife. If he’s still mourning for her, I don’t want to be that rebound, plus I don’t want to invest in a man who won’t invest in me. It took
I can’t believe how late I’d been on my phone chatting with EMomma. Other than the uncomfortable parts, like talking about Jen, I enjoyed the conversation and connect with someone I haven’t known my whole life. As much as I love pack life, you run into the fact you don’t meet many new people. Heading to bed was an adventure and learning exercise for all parties that multiple people are living in this house. As I quickly turned around and covered my eyes, I found myself missing Jason. Not like a day goes by that I don’t miss my wolf. But if I still had him, I would have known Austin and Suzie were home and getting physical in the living room. “Oh my God! We are so sorry, Hale. We thought you were in bed.” Suzie stammered out an apology. “Way to cock block, dad.” Austin grumbled. “What are you doing up so late? Don’t you always turn in around ten? Don’t tell me you were busy chatting up all the women on that app.” He taunted. I rolled my eyes, sidestepping to the stairs, keeping my b
I was ready not to like him. I was prepared to find out he’s just another inconsiderate asshole. Most men are, especially the handsome ones. So, you can imagine my surprise when he wasn’t. Are there nice guys out there? Or is this just him acting professionally? That must be it. When I’ve seen Mr. Shelton around the office, he’s being polite and friendly. Okay, all is right in the world. He’s just one of those chameleon guys who can be charming in specific settings but shows his true colors in others. And at least he wasn’t dismissive of me for no reason. I can’t believe production would do this to me…er us. I may have been responsible for preparing the campaign options, but Mr. Andrews and Mr. Shelton also have a hand in the final campaign. That’s my excuse for yelling at my director. I’m not usually so unprofessional, but I’d worked hard on this campaign and had three presentations to show Mr. Shelton. I’d walked into this meeting expecting him to pick through the ideas I had, may
I know I should have been working; I have plenty to do, but I was making myself a cup of coffee messaging with EMomma. And our conversation stuck with me as I went back to my office. The parallel to my morning was too much to ignore. And while Portland has many companies who could have newly hired a social media marketing admin, I don’t believe in coincidences. I may lack a wolf, but I still believe faithfully in the Goddess, and she leaves nothing to chance. So the moment I got to my desk, I pulled up the personnel file on Miss Carlisle. Erin Carlisle, mother of two, last residence… Massachusetts. Yeah, this is not a coincidence. No way that everything EMomma has told me could match with the information I have about Erin and it not be the same person. Let’s see the similarities. E could stand for Erin, mother of two children who made her Kindred Spirits account. Part of me wanted to just let it go. Let myself believe it’s a coincidence and carry on as if nothing has changed. Even
Fuck my life! Seriously, this is the story of my life—same song, different tempo but still the same song on an infinite loop. I knew there would be some issues with MountHD and that there was no way Mr. Shelton could be as friendly as he presents himself. And bam, he drops the hammer, revealing he’s an asshole, and so is MountHD. The worst part is that I went from having at least the start of a friendship, one person to talk to that isn’t my kids, to having an annoyed boss that knows I’m attracted to. A boss that I’ve told personal things to. A boss who has told me private things. And we are supposed to act like its business as usual. DAMN IT! I frowned, pushing away my lunch, no longer hungry. The man soured my stomach; worse, he did that in front of everyone here. Okay, neither of us spoke loudly, so they probably didn’t hear what was being said. Yet I felt people looking at me like they knew and listened to every word of his business-like breakup with me. What’s wrong with me? I
Who would have thought avoiding a woman would be so complicated? Especially a woman you’ve only talked to a couple of times before realizing it was an HR violation to pursue her. I’ve had to take a new path through the office to avoid her desk. Yes, I know it’s childish. But better safe than sorry. So if I don’t see her, I’m not tempted to get closer to her. I’ve kept communication to business emails only. And while I haven’t blocked Erin on Kindred Spirits, I’ve not reached out to her, nor has she reached out to me. It’s for the best. Even if I want to apologize for my delivery of the information, I’m MountHD, and we can’t have any non-business contact. I was rude to drop that on her. To make the decision and walk away without giving her a say. It doesn’t sit well that I possibly hurt her feelings. I tell myself it was all for the best. I’ve even tried to reassure myself she’s probably talking to several men on that app. Losing me as a match is no significant loss. There may be some
All I wanted when I came home from yet another tense day at the office of failing to not think about Hale was to relax. And I honestly thought that was going to happen. I’d changed into comfy clothes, and because I didn’t feel like cooking, I was going to suggest we order something. Then it all got derailed. I could have gotten things back on track after the kids started asking me about Hale. They are adorable when they get all protective of me. But I can handle myself just fine. I don’t need them getting me in trouble with Hale. He is still my boss, and I need this job. What fucked my evening, the something I couldn’t come back from or find a way to salvage the evening, was Dane. How the FUCK did he find me? My social media accounts are private, and I don’t have my face or my kids’ faces on my profile pictures or cover photos. That must have required a LOT of digging. And what was with that strength and crazy shit? He was an asshole and would get drunk and dabble with drugs. But th
My brain is trying to keep up and process everything going on. There is a lot to address, and I’m sure I’ve missed a few points I should have handled. Like River calling me Erin’s boyfriend. David’s arrival had me thrown off. And now David believes I’m romantically involved with Erin. I’d be less concerned if this were any other person in the pack. But this is David. This kid has had a knack for running his mouth since he could talk. Which would be a pain in general, but he is a Luna guard. I do not need gossip about my life being told to our pack leaders. Because unless he’s going to tell me something supernatural is going on with Erin’s ex, there is no reason to involve Alpha Logan or Luna Aurelia in my business. There I go again. This is Erin’s business. I don’t have any stake in it. I’m her boss, so I should act accordingly. But I don’t think I can. I exhaled in relief when Erin agreed to check on her kids so I could talk privately with David. If this is supernatural, I don’t ne