Chapter 1
No, nope, this will not work. Lauren stood in front of her scrap glass bin, looking for the right colors to put in the stained glass piece she was gifting to Roxie and Xander for Dragon Lore’s anniversary. She’d made a design using Roxie and Xander’s dragons as her inspiration. The problem was that Roxie was a sunset of colors, and Lauren didn’t have the right orange. She needed to visit her supplier and select new glass. With that in mind, she slung her bag over her head and grabbed a light fleece jacket. October in Virginia was weird; some days, it was in the fifties, and others, it was almost eighty degrees. She never knew what to put on for the day. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she left her studio to head out. As she climbed into her car, her phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Lauren!” Francesca, her best friend from high school, yelled into the phone. Lauren yanked it away from her ear and smiled. She loved her bestie. Whenever she worried about making it as an artist, Francesca came through for her.
“Hey girl, what’s up?”
“I’m getting married!”
“You are? When did you get a boyfriend? Last time we talked, you were whining about not having anyone.”
“I met my mate! His name is Kenneth Worth. He’s a lion shifter whom I met at my work.”
“Wow! Congratulations. When is the wedding? I am assuming you’ve already mated him.” She started her car and began the hour’s drive to the glass supply shop.
“We mated last night. We are looking for a wedding in Hawaii or Bora Bora. We decided to do it in January after the holidays. Please say you will be my maid of honor?” Lauren smiled and chuckled.
“Of course I will! You are my bestie. I’m just worried about affording a flight. My art hasn’t made me famous, and I only work as an assistant manager for Dragon Lore galleries.”
“Don’t worry about the flight or hotel cost. Since you are part of the wedding party, we will cover the cost. Kenneth comes from a rich family that is footing the bill. All I need from you is for you to be there, ready to help me with any fires that come.”
“Have you met his family?” Lauren turned onto the highway and hit the gas pedal. She disliked slow drivers and refused to go under the speed limit.
“His mother and father, yes, his brother, no. They are not close.”
“That is sad. I would be heartbroken if Melanie or David stopped talking to me.”
“Supposedly, his brother went into the Marines and didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps, becoming a lawyer.”
“Wait, you work for a tech company. How did you meet a lawyer?”
“We hired their firm to help us with a lawsuit. Kenneth is the lawyer assigned to the case.” Lauren shook her head. Of course, Francesca would meet her mate because someone was suing her father’s company.
“Sounds like a bad romance novel.” Francesca laughed, making Lauren smile more. She loved knowing her friend was happy. Watching all her coworkers and friends find their mates made her want one too. Perhaps she should attend one of the popular ‘Mate Me’ events around White Valley. Josie always knew when mates were found, even if she wasn’t at the event. The thought of attending a large event with men looking at her as if she were a piece of meat did not appeal to Lauren. Maybe she could just ask Roxie to tell Josie to set her up? That would mean she didn’t have to meet many thirsty men.
“Lauren, Lauren, are you listening to me?”
“No, sorry. I got lost in my brain. What did you say?”
“Nothing important. Leave the last week of January open. That is when we are planning the wedding. Take the whole week off. I’d like you to be with me for the week. Kenneth’s family will be there with his best man. We decided on a small wedding party, so it will just be you and the best man. Can you handle being around the man for a week?”
“I’ll be fine as long as the man in question isn’t a jerk.”
“It is Kenneth’s brother.”
“What’s his name?”
“Um, Grey or Jeff or something. It ends with son.”
“Wow, girl, shouldn’t you know your future brother-in-law’s name?”
“Like I said, Kenneth doesn’t talk about him. I think it is a sore subject. The man moved across the country away from his family.”
“Probably where he could find a job.” Lauren pulled into the parking lot of her supplier. “Hey, I’m at the glass store. Can I call you back, and we can talk more about your wedding after I pick colors?”
“Yes! Oh, I know! You can make me a suncatcher for my wedding present. Kenneth is a lion, so make one of those!” Lauren laughed, shaking her head.
“Okay, Francesca, I will make you a suncatcher with a lion. I love you.”
“Love you too. Can’t wait to see you. You live too far away from me now.”
“Where I landed after school.” Lauren and Francesca always had this argument. Francesca lived in California, and Lauren chose to stay in Virginia after college.
“I know, I know. Love you.” Lauren hung up and went into the store to ask Jerry what colors she needed. She would also pick up colors for the lion suncatcher she now had to make.
