Cornbread & Crossroads

his for a moment. Dash flashed his eyes at us before turning all of his attention to my brash friend.
He grinned wide enough to show his gleaming teeth like the predator in the fairy tales about to eat Little Red Riding Hood. “Why? You interested in a wolf with means?”
“Depends,” Blythe retorted, leaning forward and blinking her eyelashes at him. “On how big your means is.”
The rest of the gang joined us and peppered Dash with questions faster than he could deflect. In a matter of minutes, I found out his brother Davis was living on Caro Whitaker’s property in another town instead of with him, that he had set up a scholarship fund for any member who wanted to pursue more education, and that in his off time, he served on the local volunteer fire department and had helped put out a forest wildfire before it spread and consumed a nearby community. Based on his quick answers, his life sounded well-adjusted, but my gut told me that much like his scars, something else was going on underneath the surface.
“And now for the killer question,” Lily warned. “When are we getting invites to your upcoming nuptials?”
“Never,” Dash grunted. “No one is.”
“Why not?” pushed Lily. “Is it a pack thing?”
“I’m not engaged anymore,” Dash growled.
Our mouths shut tight with his big news. Alison Kate flashed a knowing glance at me, but I pretended not to notice.
The shifter ignored everyone’s reaction and focused on a knot in the wood of the table. “The girl I had made a blood pact to marry was in love with someone else,” he continued in a low, steady voice. “And I’m not a typical pack leader. I don’t care about upholding stupid blood promises if they aren’t wanted. I’ll make sure Trey’s sister Dina is taken care of financially, but she didn’t want to marry me.”
Lee kept quiet as if none of this information was new to him, confirming my suspicions that he was the mole who told Dash everything. The girls and I would need to have a talk with him about it later.
Alison Kate leaned forward to see around her husband and asked, “What if she wanted to enforce the engagement?”
“Then I would have married her. It’s our way.”
His words stunned us into silence. What should have been a simple statement was anything but. It also underlined several reasons why I didn’t think I’d ever understand his shifter pack life.
All the talk of engagements and weddings made me fidget beside Mason. Noticing my reaction, he laid a hand on my bouncing knee under the table, and I flashed him a hint of a smile to cover up my discomfort.
Dash distracted himself by tearing a biscuit into oblivion. “As pack leader, I’ll always have to put the needs of others before my own if I don’t want to be a screwup like my father and brother.”
“Well, as long as those needs don’t keep you from Honeysuckle for too long.” Lee spoke with sincerity, “It’s good to have you around again.”
Blythe had been watching Dash’s responses to the whole interrogation in quiet observation. Slamming her hands on the table, she straddled the picnic bench and stood. “Well, since this is a Welcome Potluck, let me officially say welcome back, Dash.”
The shifter grunted. “Thanks.”
“All right, show’s over, boys and girls. Let’s get back to the real purpose of this shindig and interact with more of the newcomers,” Blythe instructed. The second she turned to walk away, she muttered a parting shot. “Especially those who plan to stick around.”
Mason got up next and held out his hand to help me. Ignoring Dash and the rumbling in my gut that told me we had more to say to each other, I accepted the detective’s help. We ambled toward the rest of the crowd, but by the time we mingled with the others, the wolf shifter had disappeared.
Adrenaline and uncertainty coursed through my veins, and I faked my way through a couple of benign conversations without really paying attention. Mason gave me a little space to interact, but I feared other motives for his distance.
Having lost track of him, I walked through different groups of conversations to try and find him. I spotted Horatio and made my way over to talk to my favorite troll when I caught the sound of Aunt Nora’s voice complaining to someone nearby. Instead of alerting Horatio to my presence, I hid behind him so I could eavesdrop on my aunt.
“I don’t know why we have to put up with so many. I swear, if Vivi were a true leader, she would close our borders to anyone who wasn’t like us,” my aunt declared.
Another voice responded and I recognized Mrs. Flanagan’s slight Irish lilt. “In the old country, it would be a high blessing to have so many of the wee folk around.”
“We’re not in the old country, Clara,” Aunt Nora admonished. “This is our country. Our town. What right do they have to try and move here?”
“I have to admit, Honeysuckle was a lot more peaceful when we had more of our kind than others like vampires and fairies,” agreed Prudence Bates. “And who in their right mind puts a troll in charge of the town library?”
Mrs. Bates still worked as the school’s librarian even though she’d been ancient when I went there as a kid. We weren’t even allowed to breathe without her demanding for us to shush. She was unlikeable then and hearing her now made my distaste for her grow.
Aunt Nora sniffed. “Well, if I get a chance, I will make sure we clean up our town, if you know what I mean. Make it the perfect haven it was always meant to be.” She gathered her little group and walked further away.
Hearing those words from an actual family member caused my blood to boil over. I called up power, letting it sizzle over my fingertips, and prepared to hex their hineys seven ways to Sunday. A gentle touch on my