Hungry Wolf - Aidy Award Page 0,1

her head, like spending time with her family induced a demonic possession or at least a painful kink in the neck.

Kerrie shrugged. “We want to spend it with the people here, they’re the family we choose, you know?”

Ah. Helena did know. While she did her best to keep men at arm’s length, the women at the club were more important to her than any imagined mom or sisters she’d never had, and getting kicked out of the house at seventeen didn’t exactly make her feel warm and fuzzy toward her puritanical father. Holidays were never very big in their house.

“You didn’t have to bribe me with champagne to ask that. I’m happy for all of us to have Thanksgiving dinner here. I’ll even bring the pie.” It would be nice to share a meal and talk about what they were grateful for.

“And a date,” Debbie Joy said, folding her arms.

Not this again. They were eternally on her to find a man. “What? No. That would be one more person to split the pie with.”

Suddenly all eyes were on her like she’d just fallen flat on her face on stage. Kerrie folder her arm and slumped into an exaggerated pout. “We never get to meet your boyfriends.”

“That’s because she doesn’t have any,” Daphine jibed.

Kerrie, who was newer to their made-up little family, grimaced. “Oops. Sorry. We’d like to meet your girlfriend.”

Daphine gave Kerrie a shove. “That’s not what I meant.”

Another woman stuck her head in the office. “What’s this I hear about a Thanksgiving dinner?”

“Selena, hi. We were just talking about having dinner here for the employees after we close on Thursday. You don’t think Kosta will mind, will he?”

“Well, I just love the idea. I was on my way here to see if anyone wanted to come up to my house, but this sounds like a whole lot more fun. You don’t mind if I crash, do you?”

What, like they were going to say no to the owner’s mother? “Of course you can come too.”

“Oh goodie. I’ll tell the boys we’re having dinner here. Shall we do potluck style? I have just the man to set you up with for dinner, Helena. You’re going to simply love him. I already have several heritage turkeys thawing in the fridge. Lots of meat eaters in my family, you know. I’m sure Heli is going to want to go overboard on pies. Mmm. Pie. I’ll just set up a quick Google Doc for everyone to sign up to say what they’re bringing. I’ll email you all in a few minutes. I can’t wait to meet your young gentlemen, ladies. See you all on Thursday.” Selena walked back out of the office, tapping away on her phone screen.

Mouths hung open, eyes stared wide, and the five of them waited silently for a full minute until they heard the back door open and then close. Debbie Joy was the first one to regain her mouth to brain coordination. “Wait. What just happened? Did we just get steamrolled into having Thanksgiving dinner with the Troikas?”

“Yep.” Helena took a big gulp of her champagne.

Heather automatically refilled the glass. “And did she say she’s setting you up on a blind date?”

Sigh. Helena drained every last dribble of the bubbles. “I was hoping I’d imagined that.”

Crap. Helena did not need a date. How the hell was she going to get out of this one?

She’d just have to develop a case of the clumsies and spill her pie all over his pants before dinner even started. No, pie was too precious, especially if it came from The Sleepy Folk’s pie shop. Gravy. Yeah, perfect. Brown gravy from sternum to crotch would send any unwanted date running.

It would be so much better if she could figure out a way to get out of the date in the first place, though, so the poor slob Selena wanted to set her up with didn’t have to suffer a mashed potato and gravy fate.

Hmm. Did she feel a sore throat coming on?

No. No she did not. Ugh. Even if she did, Selena and the girls would probably come drag her out of bed, pretty her up, and drag her butt to the dinner anyway.

Oh, oh, oh. What if they didn’t close the club that night and the dinner had to be hosted somewhere else? No, the Naughty Wolf was never open on holidays. Kosta insisted the staff have time off and even usually gave them all bonuses. He wouldn’t keep it open just because