"Yeah, well, she is kind of hypnotizing, in a bitchy sort of way."
Matthew snorted and grabbed the bill off the end of the table. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
Claire stood up and stretched, walking with Matthew toward the cash register. An itchy feeling crawled over her, her instincts telling her to be careful. She glanced around the diner, trying to find the source of the prickly sensation. Her gaze drifted to the far end of the counter, and she spotted the person who'd been watching them.
*
Amy was making her way toward Claire and Matthew, with a smile on her heart-shaped lips and a sparkle in her green eyes. Claire felt herself tense.
Though Claire was hardly some sort of gigantic oaf, Amy was about five inches shorter than she was, and wispy as a cloud. Claire instantly felt awkward. Clunky. She hadn't really felt that way since she'd completed her transformation, and it startled her.
"Hi, Matthew. Great game. That penalty you took totally clinched it!" Amy flashed him a blinding, orthodontist-white smile before turning her attention to Claire. "I didn't even see you until the end of the game, and you were way at the other end of the stands—I'm so bummed we didn't get to sit together! I was hoping we could hang out."
Hang out? A quiver passed through Claire. Why was Amy paying so much attention to her?
Claire gave her an apologetic shrug. "Maybe next time?"
If next time was in a million years and Claire wasn't a werewolf.
So, actually, maybe never, but there was no good reason to be bitchy. She gave herself a mental shake. Amy was Emily's friend. She was nice to people. She probably cried during ASPCA commercials.
"Definitely next time," Amy grinned, looking like she'd won the lottery. "You two off to the after party?"
"We haven't decided yet," Matthew said.
Claire slipped her hand into Matthew's and gave Amy her best, Marie-inspired fake smile. She braced herself. "Are—are you?"
Amy shook her head. "I'd love to, but I figure it's a team thing, and besides, I promised Emily I'd spend the night at her house."
Claire's smile crumpled. She knew that she had bailed on Emily a lot lately. It wasn't that she wanted Emily to spend Saturday night home by herself, but she couldn't help feeling a little bit replaced.
I'm the one who told Emily no. I can't be upset about this.
"I wish we could stay and chat, but I'm whipped." Matthew squeezed Claire's hand, interrupting her racing thoughts and bringing her back down to earth. "I think we're heading out."
"No problem. I'm leaving pretty soon myself. Talk to you guys on Monday!"
Matthew pulled Claire toward the parking lot, but she couldn't resist a quick glance over her shoulder. Sure enough, Amy was watching them go. Amy saw Claire looking at her and waved, and Claire waved back without thinking.
All at once, they were through the door, and the chilly air wrapped its fingers around them, pinching Claire's wrists and tugging at her ears. The parking lot was dark, and the two of them wound their way carefully through the cars. "Are you sure you want to leave?" Claire asked. "I mean, we have a good forty minutes before you have to be home."
Matthew grinned. "On a normal Saturday night, that might be true. Tonight I don't have a curfew."
"I . . . oh. Wow. That's, um, . . . ," Clare stammered. She'd counted on being able to work on her fire lighting. Really, really counted on it.
Disappointment crashed across Matthew's face. She made herself smile. She could give up one night of practicing. This was Matthew's shining moment—what sort of girlfriend would she be if she couldn't put him first for that?
"That's great," she said. "So, where to? The after party?"
Matthew made a noncommittal noise.
Claire hit a button on Marie's key chain, and the car's headlights flashed.
"Can I drive?" he asked.
"The Mercedes? Are you kidding? My mom will smell you on the steering wheel, and I will never, ever get ahold of these keys again."
She walked around to the driver's-side door. Matthew followed her, and she turned to face him.
"Very cute, but you're still not driving."
"I'm not trying to drive." Carefully, he edged her back until she was squeezed between him and the car. He wrapped his arms around her, cupping the back of her head with one hand to protect it from the metal.
He leaned in close and smiled at her. "We may have seen everyone at Louie's, but I'm not quite finished celebrating," he whispered.
He kissed her, his full mouth warming hers before he caught her lower lip gently between his teeth. Claire's knees wobbled, and she heard herself make an incoherent noise.
"There is an after party, but I don't want to go." Matthew pulled her tighter against his chest. "I just want to be with you."
The tingle in her middle headed lower, and she sighed happily, forgetting about everything except him. The next morning, Claire woke to the sound of pots and pans banging around in the kitchen.