26. Leigh

TWENTY-SIX

LEIGH

" W e're out of pineapple juice, but I already sent Zan down to the store to get some. We've got the Gin Rickey and Manhattans on special to divert interest away until then. And yes, we ordered plenty for tomorrow's shipment."

Leigh smiled as she listened to her best bartender at the Naked Wolfe on speakerphone. She ran down a list of issues that popped up and had already been resolved without Leigh's intervention.

It'd been the same with her check-in at the Sassy Wolfe and Horny Wolfe. Each establishment now had a designated point person who stood in for Leigh when she wasn't on site – someone Leigh had learned to place a great deal of trust in, and it was paying off incredibly well for her.

"I heard there's a shortage of pineapple juice, though," Leigh said. "Some social media challenge involving it or whatever. What's the plan if Zan can't find any?"

"We buy fresh pineapples and squeeze them on a hydraulic press. Whatever it takes," Tonya replied. Leigh could almost hear the wry smile that was surely playing on the woman's lips.

"Amazing initiative as always, Tonya. I'll see you on Monday for inventory, all right?" Leigh asked.

Claude looked at her from the driver's seat, an eyebrow raised. He had a scolding ready to go on his tongue. Leigh gently slapped him on the side with the back of her hand while mouthing, "It's a joke."

"Aren't you on vacation next week?" Tonya yelled through the receiver through fits of laughter. "No way are you coming in for that. I can handle inventory. Go! Shoo!"

Leigh laughed as well, feeling her cheeks heat. "All right, then I'll see you the following Monday for inventory. And don't roll your eyes at me."

"Guilty! Have a good night, Leigh," Tonya said before hanging up.

Leigh leaned against her seat with a contented sigh. The Naked Wolfe was ready for the weekend –sans pineapple juice– and she didn't need to so much as lift a finger to make it happen.

The Sassy Wolfe had someone call out sick, but another staff member looking for extra hours was more than happy to fill in. Finally, at the Horny Wolfe, a smoke alarm had low batteries and it took a whole ten minutes before someone remembered where the extras were stored.

Oh, the drama of small business ownership.

"You see what happens when you rely on your staff?" Claude asked as they pulled into their parking spot outside Embraced.

"You mean the staff I worked tirelessly to recruit, hire, and train myself?" Leigh asked innocently.

Claude shook his head. "You know what I mean."

"It means I can spend some of my time at Naked, Sassy, and Horny Wolfe so I can spend more of my time managing operations at Embraced." Which was what they were there to do at that very moment. She unbuckled her seat belt and stepped out of Claude's car with a stretch.

"It means you can spend time relaxing on vacation next week without worrying the buildings are going to all burn down from a frayed blender wire." Claude got out and stepped up to Leigh, smiling down at her.

She put her arms over his shoulders and smiled back. "Well, that's not something I was worrying about before. But now that you mention it, the blender at Sassy Wolfe is pretty old…"

Claude reached behind Leigh and grabbed her ass, pulling up until she was on her toes and almost reaching his eye level. He bent down and kissed her, slowly at first. They languished in the gentle affection for a moment. But then Leigh parted her lips, letting his tongue slide in, and things started to heat up faster than intended.

"Later," she said, pulling away and giving him a shit-eating grin. "We have work to do."

Claude didn't whine, that was unbecoming of a vampire of his station, but Leigh could almost make out the mental one surely running through his mind.

She tapped his nose with her finger and turned to the club, jumping when she felt his hand whack her on the ass again. If he kept this up, she'd be in for a very long –and enjoyable– night.

They walked into Embraced, and Leigh greeted the interior with joy. It'd been hard at first; even after the clean-up crew worked their magic, the sight of the place had driven her into a panic-fueled state. For weeks, the place still smelled like death to her.

But she'd gritted her teeth through it and worked hard on the second restoration right alongside Claude. And together, they'd returned Embraced to a place of unity and fun.

Caleb and Ellie were already there, seated with a bottle of red wine and waving at them. Leigh sat with them while Claude checked in on the staff.

"Here," Ellie said, pouring a glass for Leigh. "You deserve it after everything."

"Guys, I'm technically working right now."

Ellie quirked an eyebrow, giving her a look of gentle disbelief.

"Okay, fine, one glass." Leigh accepted it and took a sip, marveling at how warm and relaxed it made her feel.

"What's this? Slacking off on the job?" Nate asked as he and Karla sat at the table. Karla gave her a big hug, gripping her tightly. "I'm so happy to see you."

Everyone, especially the Wolfe women, had treated her with a hint of levity since the incident which felt so long ago. Leigh hated being doted on and hovered over, but she knew the feeling came from a place of compassion. And she had to admit, were it any of them who'd undergone what she went through, she'd probably be treating them exactly the same.

"Over here!" Karla called out, waving her hand in the air. Caleb grabbed a few more empty chairs for their table as Jordan and Aric made their way over, followed quickly by Bea and Mike.

"Okay, wow, are Tristan and Barbara coming too?" Claude asked, coming up behind Leigh and squeezing her shoulders. She leaned her head back and smiled up at him, the wine starting to flood her cheeks a rosy pink.

He leaned down and gave her a kiss, slightly more chaste than the one they'd shared outside.

"They're on babysitting duty tonight," Karla explained.

Leigh cringed, thinking of having to handle all of those small children at the same time. She loved them all, of course, but they could be a handful on their own. For Barbara and Tristan's sake, she hoped they'd all had busy days and were sleeping soundly.

"But they said they promised they'll make it another night," Caleb added.

"Clubs aren't really Tristan's thing. But Barbara?" Ellie said with a grin. "Now that's a woman who can take over a dance floor."

The table erupted into laughter as everyone pictured their own favorite memory of Barbara Wolfe making herself the center of attention with ease whenever it was time to dance.

"I'm sure Tristan would rather be part of it than leaving Barb to her own devices," Bea said between giggles.

For a moment, it struck Leigh how abnormally normal their current situation was. They were a group of wolf shifters, happily sharing drinks and stories in a vampire nightclub. And nothing about it was dangerous or uncomfortable.

"Oh, Claude, let me grab you a chair," Caleb said, standing again.

"No, that's all right. I actually came to see if my mate here would like to join me for a dance," Claude said.

Her heart pounded against her ribcage. She smiled wide, placing her empty wine glass on the table, and excused herself. She took Claude's offered hand and followed him past the lounge seating to the dance floor.

Around them were other couples lost in their significant other's gazes. Vampire and vampire, wolf and wolf. All of them danced together, pressed closely against the other.

But none of them were like Claude and Leigh. Together, vampire and wolf danced hand in hand with complete abandon. There was no hiding it anymore, no shame to keep them apart.

But there were also no audacious stares, no clicking tongues or shaking heads casting judgment on them. Claude held Leigh close against him, their foreheads pressed together as they spun on glowing tiles underfoot.

A year ago, this would have been unthinkable. Prejudice, mistrust, and histories of bloodshed would have made their union something abhorrent. Worthy of scorn and distrust.

Leigh reflected on her own prejudices, and how grateful she felt to be rid of them. Once more, she and Claude shared a tender kiss under shimmering lights while the echoing sounds of a siren's song lulled around them.

This was their future to grasp and mold however they saw fit. And nothing was going to stop them now.