She walked off, Patty Rose following after her. When Patty tried to put her arms around Ju-ju again, the old She-wolf batted her away.

Sissy shook off the strangeness of the moment and turned right into him.

“Hey, Sissy.”

Sissy let out a sigh. She’d already been distracted anyway, plus the bastard had stayed downwind. He’d crept right up on her.

“Gil.” She looked up at him. She didn’t have to look up as far as she did with Mitch, which suddenly made Gil seem real small. “Why are you always lurking around? Don’t you have something to do? Don’t you work?”

“Sure do. Own my own business now. A garage not far from here.”

Folding her arms over her chest, Sissy snapped, “A garage? Like my brother’s garage?”

“Don’t go gettin’ all upset. I’m clear across town. Not even near your brother’s place.”

If Smithtown was a thousand miles long, this information would soothe her. But Smithtown was small, and this was her kin they were talking about. Even if it was that asshole Travis. “You really think you can get away with this, don’t you?”

“Get away with what?”

“Taking over Smithtown. Becoming Alpha Male.”

“That’s—”

“Don’t you lie to me, Gil Warren.”

Gil stepped close to her, his eyes intent on her face. “And what if that is what I want, Sissy Mae? Imagine what we could do together.”

She snorted. Then she sniffed. Her eyes narrowed. “Were you just talkin’ to Patty Rose?”

“Saw her in the gift shop.”

“Oh. Did ya? And what were you gettin’ in the gift shop, ’cause if I remember correctly, you ain’t big on giving gifts, you cheap bastard.”

“I was just—” Gil’s words were brutally cut off when he was shoved face-first into the brick wall next to them. The worst part wasn’t that Mitch had been the one to shove him, but Sissy had the feeling Mitch hadn’t really noticed Gil. Instead, he was simply moving Gil out of his way by grabbing the back of his head and slamming his face into brick.

“You ready?” Mitch asked casually.

Sissy glanced around, not exactly surprised to see they had everyone’s attention. They had probably been waiting for Sissy to wipe the floor with Gil, but for once, she didn’t have to.

“Yeah, I’m ready. You all done?”

“Yeah. But I could go for a sandwich…or two.”

“You can’t be hungry.”

“You keep saying that like you expect my answer to change.”

She grabbed his hand and headed down the street. She had no idea what happened to Gil after they walked away, and to be honest, she’d already forgotten about him.

Chapter 18

The coffee was hot andtasty, the sandwiches good and plentiful. But the company was what made Mitch smile.

Sissy had already eaten her one sandwich—how did she survive on only one?—and now she put her feet up in the plush leather chair and sipped her coffee from the sturdy paper cup.

“And before you ask, they still don’t know who she is.” Mitch bit into his sandwich. “It’s a mystery.”

“Thank you for that lovely view of your chicken salad.”

“Sorry, baby.”

She blinked, and those brown eyes locked on him. “When did you start calling me that?”

“Uh…this second?”

“I’m not your baby.” Then she made that little square with her fingers and mouthed, “Boundaries.”

“Sissy—”

The bell above the door jangled, and a familiar She-wolf walked in. “Miss Janette.” After wiping his mouth, Mitch stood and kissed her cheek. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you at all, darlin’.” She motioned Mitch back into his chair before smiling at her niece. “Sissy Mae.”

“Aunt Janette. What do you want?”

“What makes you think I want something?”

“Aunt Janette!”

“Sh-sh-sh,” she motioned to Mitch’s right side. “Mind if I look?”

Mitch shrugged, and she pulled his T-shirt away to examine his wounds. Long fingers pressed against his skin, and she nodded. “Healing up just right. Your momma did a good job.” She sat down at the table, and the server placed a big mug of coffee in front of her. “Of course, those love bites make it a little hard to see.”

He’d just bitten into his sandwich, but luckily hadn’t swallowed yet. Otherwise, he’d be choking it all back up.

Aunt and niece grinned at each other. “I knew I saw something when I watched you two at the wedding. These eyes miss nothing. I’ve got the eyes of a…a…wolf, even.”

Mitch ended up choking on his food anyway, but this time, for a laugh.

Sissy smiled. “We’re still just friends. And that’s all.”

Janette looked at Mitch. “She gave you the boundaries speech, didn’t she?”

“Complete with visual,” Mitch laughed.

“Men need visuals,” Sissy snapped. “And try chewing with your mouth closed.”

“Are you going to tame our little Sissy, Mitchell?”

Sissy rubbed her face, annoyed, and Mitch answered honestly, “I’m really too lazy to try and tame anybody. If I had my way, I’d spend all day sleeping under a tree, maybe rolling out occasionally to sun my belly, and then I expect someone to bring me food. I could live like that forever.”