“You know how it is,” the waitress replied back with a chuckle.
“That bad huh,” he joked and she waved him off with another chuckle. Lily was a little surprised by the exchange. These people had feared and hated him at one time. Lily shook her head slowly as they sat down in a booth. “What?” James asked with a curious expression.
“You’re just one more of the pack now huh?” Lily asked back with an amused but also a little irritated. She didn’t miss how they looked at her as they went to their booth. They must have put her in James’s old place as the dangerous element of the pack.
“I wouldn’t go that far but yeah, they no longer mind having me around,” James replied with a smile and Lily couldn’t help but consider the pack like a bunch of wishy-washy hypocrites. It’s not that she wanted them to hate James, but he was still the same person they feared and hated years ago so why the sudden change of heart? Obviously because they saw how he could be used to their benefit and that irritated her.
“That’s good to hear, I am glad for you James,” she finally said with a forced smile. She knew that deep down all werewolves felt the need to belong to a pack, James was no different. Thank God, she still had her human mentality and didn’t need that sense of belonging.
“Everything okay?” James asked and she shrugged, flashing him her forced smile once more.
“Absolutely, why wouldn’t it be,” she answered and looked out the window as the waitress came over to them. She took their orders and went as quickly as she came.
“Right… so what made your whole mood change all of the sudden if everything is okay,” James asked and before she got a chance to answer a high pitched voice called out his name. She looked over and saw a brunette woman walking over to them, her eyes trained on James. “Hello Ginger,” James said in a flat tone.
“Where have you been mister? I’ve been trying to reach you all day yesterday and today,” she demanded in a nauseating fake pout. Lily watched as James seemed to almost cringe for a moment before his face turned stoic.
“I’ve been busy,” he replied dryly and finally the brunette seemed to notice Lily and A. J. sitting there.
“Who are they?” She asked with an almost accusing tone as she shot an icy glare towards Lily. Looked like James had moved on after all. Though she refused to acknowledge how much that idea bothered her.
“This is Lily,” James replied once more, putting and extra emphasis on her name for some reason. “Lily this is a… friend of mine,” he said looking at her with an unreadable expression.
“I’m Ginger,” the brunette said, putting emphasis on her name as she flipped her hair. Lily bit the inside of her cheek as a remind herself to keep her temper in check. This woman meant nothing to her even if she was something for James, or at least that’s what she was trying to tell herself.
“Aww and who’s the little boy,” Ginger cooed and tried to tickle A. J., who turned away from her.
“That’s A. J. our son,” James said, smiling with an almost proud look on his face that made Lily want to smile as well but Ginger looked at him in complete shock.
“You’re son? I didn’t know you had a son James,” She said with a flirty smile and gave him a playful slap on the shoulder and Lily suddenly had the urge to gag.
“They haven’t been living in town so no one really knew,” James told her.
“He looks just like you, perfectly handsome,” Ginger flirted once more and Lily sighed as she pulled out her cell to look at the time. She really hoped James didn’t expect her to sit through this. He shot her a look of apology. Lily gave a small shrug and noticed how the werewolf kept trying to tickle A. J. but he didn’t want to have any of it and what’s worse, he was getting mad. Uh oh, Lily thought then slapped the persistent woman’s hand away from him just before A. J. got too angry as she silently cursed the damn woman’s idiocy.
She really didn’t want to do this but it was her or A. J. and she’d gotten used to the bad guy image by now. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Ginger demanded loudly, holding her hand to her chest, and several people turned.
“I could ask you the same,” Lily hissed at her, allowing her fangs to show. “That’s my son and I don’t want you to touch him again, got it!”
“He’s James son too and James doesn’t mind,” She said with a smug expression. James started to speak, but Lily cut him off.
“Do you know who I am,” Lily demanded. “I’m that nasty foul hybrid you’ve heard talk about. If you touch my son again, I’ll sink my fangs into that nasty chicken neck of yours and drain you… I bet you taste like shit too,” Lily snarled at her. Ginger took a step back then lifted her chin with a superior look in her eye.
“I see what they say about you is true,” she sneered then gave James a sympathetic look. “I’ll talk to you later James when… that isn’t around,” She added and once more James opened his mouth to speak, but she walked out of the diner. Lily could see the disapproving looks of the others in the diner and she leaned back in her chair. Not going to be winning any fans today, she thought with a defeated sigh.
“What was that all about?” James asked, with a slightly disapproving look of his own and Lily flinched inwardly, she didn’t expect his disapproval. Maybe he really did have a thing for that idiot woman.
“It was either him or me,” Lily said glancing at A. J. and James looked confused. “A. J. does have one… issue,” she started and he looked at his son with slight concern on his face. “A. J. is a bitter and he does it well. When he gets angry, or doesn’t like someone A. J. will bite them… he nearly took off a person’s finger once. I’ve learned to recognize the signs of when he’s getting really pissed,” Lily explained.