“I did.” Jake tasted the wine and signaled the waitress to fill both glasses. “He got Kate Stillman to change her tune, after all, and I thought she was firmly in the Were-Were camp. Hell, I even like MacDowell, myself. It’s hard not to when he’s so sincere. Misguided, but sincere.”
“Well, let’s drink a toast to my wayward brother and the possibility that he’ll resist going over to Duncan’s side.”
Jake raised his glass. “To Bryce Landry. May he fulfill his destiny with Miranda, the Were mate he’s pledged to.”
“Hear, hear.” Giselle touched her glass to his and drank. Then she put it down and picked up the bottle on the table. “Paradigm Shift is her parents’ label. Among other things, the Randolph pack owns a winery in Napa, so naturally the Den will always recommend Were-made wine.”
“They should. It’s good wine.” Jake took another swallow.
“It is, and until last week, Miranda’s folks kept my folks well stocked with it. Understandably, the Randolph pack is being less generous with their wine. It’s all a mess, and sad, too. My parents get along great with her parents, or at least they used to. Now everyone’s tiptoeing around the subject of Bryce’s defection.”
Jake topped off their glasses. “If he comes back, can he fix this?”
“Probably. He can be a charmer.”
“So he could show up and convince everyone to forgive him?”
“Oh, yes. But he could also mate with a topless Vegas dancer simply to prove a point. When we were children he’d go along quietly for months, and then something would hit him wrong and he’d blow his stack in a rather spectacular fashion. I thought he’d outgrown that pattern, but apparently not.”
“I think we should blame it all on Duncan MacDowell.”
Giselle laughed. “Wish I could, but we all have free will, Jake.” She took another sip of her wine. “Let’s change the subject. I happen to know you didn’t fly all the way down here to talk about my brother. What’s up with WARM?”
“It’s growing.” He briefly described the trips he’d made and the network he’d created. After their food arrived, she encouraged him to elaborate, and he became so engrossed in his subject that he barely noticed what he was eating.
When the waitress came to clear their plates, he realized that he’d talked nonstop through the entire meal. “Sorry about that, Giselle. It’s a wonder I didn’t put you to sleep with that monologue.”
“I love listening to someone who’s passionate about a cause.”
“Yeah, for five minutes, maybe. After that it’s overkill.” He grinned at her. “I’m blaming Duncan MacDowell. The thought of that Were and all he stands for gets my blood pumping.”
“Well, it sounds like he has a worthy opponent in you.”
“Thanks for that. And now that I’ve bored you to death, can we stay for coffee so I can ask you what I came down here for?”
“Sure.” Giselle caught the waitress’s eye and ordered two coffees. Then she gazed across the table at Jake. “I’ll bet I know why you’re here.”
“Wouldn’t be hard to guess. I want you to head up the WARM organization here in San Francisco.”
“I can’t.”
He didn’t want to hear that. “Giselle, at least think about it.”
“I have.” She reached across and touched his arm as if in silent apology. “I knew that’s why you were coming down, so I’ve given it plenty of thought, but . . . I have several issues. One is that I’d have to resign from the council.”
“I know.” They’d served together on the council of the Worldwide Organization of Werewolves under Howard Wallace, the council’s first president. Although Jake had resigned, Giselle was still a member.
“I believe in WOW, Jake. I think I can do some good by being on the council.”
“I used to think that you could help balance the scales, but I’m not sure that’s possible. Considering that Howard’s two sons are mated with humans, we can guess how the organization is going to evolve.”
“You might be surprised. Now that Kate and Duncan are mated, she’s having a steadying influence on WOW and on Duncan, too.”
“You’re sure that’s not wishful thinking?” Jake still felt betrayed by that union. Kate used to be a powerful leader in the movement to end Were-human sexual involvement. How she’d ended up with Duncan, who held the opposite view, was a mystery to Jake, and he didn’t see how any good could come of it.
“I know he’s still fire and brimstone on his blog, but privately he’s less convinced he has all the answers. I know you think he’s corrupted our Kate, but the sword cuts both ways. I also trust Howard not to send us off a cliff.”
The coffee arrived, which gave Jake a chance to regroup. He waited until she’d doctored hers with cream before throwing out a revised suggestion. “Okay, so forget heading up the San Francisco division of WARM. You can work in the background and we’ll put someone else in that position, someone you handpick.” He lifted the coffee mug to his lips.
“I can’t do that, either.”
He set the mug back down without drinking. “Why not?”
“It’s all tied in with my brother. Before he left, I had my hands full as the chief accountant for Landry Enterprises. Now I’m doing that plus some of the board duties Bryce handled. Both Mom and Dad had to step back into positions they’d turned over to Bryce, as well.”
“You must be ready to wring his neck.”
Her fingers tightened around her coffee mug. “Pretty much. But that said, I’m going to tone down my activism for the time being. Bryce might screw up and mate with a human, and if he does, I’ll be the family peacemaker. I always have been. So I need to leave myself some middle ground to stand on.”
Jake knew when he was fighting a losing battle. “I understand. But if you’d be willing to recommend someone else from this area, that would help me.”
“Be happy to. I know who would be perfect. I’ll introduce you to Evan when we take our run tomorrow night.”
“Do you have time for the run? Sounds to me as if you’re stretched thin.” Concern for her schedule wasn’t his main reason for asking. With the evening drawing to a close, he became aware of a growing urge to scrap the rest of his plans and hop on a plane bound for home.
When he’d left Polecat this morning, he’d been intent on putting distance between himself and Rachel. He’d accomplished that, but instead of relief, he was battling an uneasy feeling that he needed to be at home to keep an eye on things. He might have underestimated Rachel’s determination to find that big black wolf.
“It’s all planned, and I’d have some disappointed Weres if we didn’t do it . . . unless you have to get back sooner. In which case, we’ll run without you, I guess.”
“No, no, I don’t have to get back.” He just felt compelled to. Maybe he was spooked for no reason. “I’d love to take that run. It’ll give me a chance to talk with Evan.”
“Then the run’s a go. I didn’t ask you how long you were staying. I hope at least a few more days, so you can enjoy the city.”
“That would be nice, but my flight leaves the morning after our run.” That hadn’t been his original itinerary, but it was now. Maybe he was being ridiculous to think Rachel might snoop around his place while he was gone. But he also couldn’t remember locking his back slider.
Damn, he might not have, because he was so used to leaving it unlocked. Surely Rachel wouldn’t consider actually going into his place uninvited, though. Yet he remembered her fury when he’d denied having a wolf on the premises. He hadn’t lied. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t a wolf. He only looked like one sometimes.