I Fell in Love With a Werewolf (Complete)

Excerpt from Everlasting Beauty

Chapter Three

Anabella

I arrived home from work exhausted as usual and I placed my jacket on a hook in my door.   I closed it and just walked straight into my bedroom.   I took of my shoes and sank into my bed.   I placed my head on the pillows.   God, it was so delicious to see them there.   I cuddled in between them and enjoyed this wonderful moment of fluff until my mobile phone rang.

"Now what?" I asked myself.   I heaved and yawned, but didn't have a choice.   I had to see who it was in case it had something to do with my ailing father.   I opened my purse as the phone buzzed and rang.

"Okay, I'm going, I'm going," I said as I reached for it.   Luke Stevens.  

"Shit," I said to myself.   Luke Stevens was a co-worker from the supermarket.   I wanted a friendship, but he wanted something else.   No matter how much I tried to explain that I wasn't interested in him, he would insist in a relationship.   So, I had ended the friendship and yet somehow, he had ended up with my phone number.   I wondered who gave it to him, but for some mysterious reason I could never find the person responsible for doing it.   I don't know why I answered the phone, but I did.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi, Anabella?"

"Yes, it's me," I answered.

"How are you?" 

"Tired," I answered in a bad mood.

"Oh.   I'm sorry I called you this late.   I called you before, but you didn't pick up."

"Not that I have to explain anything to you, but I've been working all day long and I'm very tired," I said.

"Oh."

"Is there something you'd like to tell me or did you call me for nothing?" I asked losing my patience. I yawned tired as he blabbered away on the phone.

"Oh... yeah... well... I was wondering, if you don't have anything to do on Friday-"

"Luke I'm sorry, but I'm busy on Fridays.   Anything else?" I replied.  

"Oh, well... maybe... on Saturday?" He insisted.

"Luke I'm turning my phone off now, so please don't call me again.   I'm exhausted and I don't have time for boyfriends," I said and hung up.  

"The nerve!" I said furiously as I threw my mobile phone on the couch.   I couldn't really turn it off, but I hoped he wouldn't call again.   I needed to have it on in case my father called.   He had suffered a heart attack three weeks ago. It had been terrible and I found out about it thanks to my brother Brian who lives with him.  

One day he had come home from a job interview and when he arrived he saw my father lying on the floor.   I was called several times from my brother's cell phone, but I didn't answer because I was working.   I found out much later, around three o'clock in the afternoon.   I still remember that day.   I had finished packing up the last set of groceries for a young man.   He was handsome, but unfortunately married.   Why the hell are all the good ones always married, I wondered.  Anyway, back to the story, so yes, I had packed his groceries and left the cash register.   I counted the cash transactions as usual before I left and then I placed my card on the punch clock, grabbed my purse and left.   An hour later I saw the missed call and I called my brother.

"I have like fifteen missed calls from you Brian.   What can be so important-"

"Dad had a heart attack," he interrupted.

"What?" I asked as my world crumbled into bits.

"I'm at the hospital, this is the address..." he said and gave me the address.   That day I didn't go to work, nor for several days later.   I stayed with my dad as much as I could until the nurses sent me away.  

That happened three weeks ago, so this is why I can't shut my phone off, even if I wanted to.   If something happened to my father.   I needed to know.

***

Thursday:

I went to work and home as usual.   I worked at ten o'clock in the morning at Ralph's Supermarket and I was a simple cashier.   I did the basics.   I just passed the food through the scanner, touched buttons and charged for the items.   I had to smile at clients and be nice, although some days I just wanted to take a pork chop and hit a client on the head with it, especially when they contradicted the prices that the cash register marked, but other than that, all went well.   Luke Stevens and I rarely spoke although every time he took a cart to bring or leave with the clients he always looked at me, smiled or winked snobbishly. 

Other women in the morning shift found him attractive and I wondered why he didn't look or pay attention to any of them.

"Because you're harder to get," Luke Stevens used to say after I asked him the same question.  I used to raise my eyebrow and lift the side of my upper lip in reproach.

"That's a good reason.   Because I really like you," he insisted and I just rolled my eyes.   I hated having him as my admirer.   I just wanted to be left alone.   Then I arrived home and got ready for my next job.   My belly grumbled with hunger, so when it did I took a glass of water and a spoonful of sugar.

"This will ease the hunger," I said to myself and I ate the grainy sugar, sweet on my tongue, swallowed and then I drank the water.   It always worked.   Then I put my uniform on and headed to the diner as always.  

***

Friday:

The usual except for one little detail.   Tomorrow was my birthday and although I just wanted to sit back on my couch and press my nose against a book my father insisted that I go to his house.   He said he had a "surprise for me".

"Dad you should be resting and you shouldn't be spending your money," I said.

"Well, I'm not resting on my daughter's birthday and I can spend my money on anything I want.   Is that clear?   Now I want you to come tomorrow at noon.   I'm going to prepare a special lunch and dinner for you and for your brother and there's something I want to tell you so you better be here," he said.

"Of course, I'll be there dad."

"Fine.   I'll see you, tomorrow sweetie.   Goodnight honey."

"Goodnight dad."

"I love you," he said over the phone.

"I love you too," I answered and hung up the phone.