Sassy Claws

Chapter 3

ALANNA SMILED OVER at the woman in front of her, doing her best to appear calming, supportive, the person with all the right answers. However, inside, her wolf growled, pacing back and forth, wanting to bust out and rip apart the bastard who did this to his family. Not something she could allow to happen around the humans she worked with, no matter how strong the urge was. It sucked whenever someone destroyed their family, but at Christmas, it just seemed to be a little crueler. Kids looked forward to this holiday all year long with eager anticipation and childish innocence. To have that innocence shattered was wrong on a level meant to send people to Hell. People did terrible things during the holidays, which was the main reason she dreaded it every year.

“Valerie, I’ve managed to reach out and get you a place to stay,” Alanna said, as she leaned on her desk, hands clasped in front of her. “The landlord is willing to forgo the December rent due to the circumstances.” She shrugged, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. “Jim’s helped us out before in these situations, so don’t worry about anything. He’ll help you when the new year hits, and that gives us almost a month to figure things out.”

Valerie, a small, dark-haired lady, sat in the chair in front of Alanna’s desk, rocking slightly, wringing her hands together as she bit her lower lip. “That’s nice of him. I just…” She sucked in a shaky breath, as she shook her head. “I just don’t know why Roger would have done this. He knew how much the kids were looking forward to Christmas. Now I have no idea what I’m going to do. I don’t even know how to tell them their daddy left them.” She swiped at a tear as it trickled down her cheek. She had two children, seven-year-old Denise and her younger brother, Russell. The two children were out in the lobby now being entertained by Stella, the elderly receptionist, blissfully coloring away at some holiday printouts Stella brought into work specifically for these situations. “He took everything. I can’t even buy a loaf of bread to feed the kids. He’s playing house with some bimbo half his age, and I’m left taking care of our family with no resources.”

Alanna felt the familiar twist in her stomach whenever she discussed the heartache with her clients. They warned her in the beginning not to invest too much to these women, but how could she not with everything they went through? “We’re going to help with that, as well. Don’t you worry. Those kids won’t go hungry. I promise.”

Valerie just nodded, and with the way she had been since entering the office, Alanna knew the woman was having a hard time keeping it together. Her hands trembled, the muscles in her jaw tight as she rubbed her lips together constantly.

Alanna couldn’t blame her. Family sucked, especially at Christmas.

Another hour and she had Valerie and her family secured with a home, food, and even some small token of Christmas being planned for the children. She watched as Stella hugged the two kids, giving each of them a giant peanut butter cookie. Valerie led her children out the front door, her shoulders still slumped, arms wrapped around her waist. Alanna could only sit there and watch as the woman slid out into the Thursday morning. She wished there was more she could do for the woman and her children. However, resources were thin, and even those she normally counted upon struggled this year. Everybody was tight.

Stella Mayberry walked into Alanna’s office, her arms over her chest, glasses on top of her head. “How could a man do that to his family?” She frowned as she took a deep breath. Stella always felt everything just as hard as Alanna did.

“A man couldn’t,” Alanna spat. “A jackass, however…” She shook her head as she leaned forward on her desk, staring up at Stella. “She’s heading out to meet Jim now about getting the keys to a small house out in Palm Bay. I’ve reached out to a few churches and government agencies about hooking her up with utilities and filling her fridge with food. I also set up an appointment for her with Cheryl at The Career Center to see about finding her some kind of employment.” She sighed. “Valerie’s going to have a hard road ahead of her, but she’ll survive. We’ll make sure of it.”

Stella leaned on the doorframe. “You always do,” she said, smiling over at Alanna. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve never seen anyone with as much passion for this job as you.” She narrowed her eyes at Alanna, studying her. “It’s almost as if it’s personal in some way.”

Alanna pressed her lips together but said nothing. She didn’t need to go into her past. She left it behind her when she drove away from Brighton Cove, swearing never to repeat that chain of events again. It motivated her, but it would never control her. Not again.

Sensing she would get nothing out of Alanna, Stella simply nodded before turning and walking back to her desk.

Alanna leaned back in her chair as she watched the older woman leave. Valerie Pressman had been the fifth lady she spoke to that morning, and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. The world was definitely going to hell in a handbasket. Glancing down at the paperwork on her desk, she perused the next file. As she stared at the name scribbled across the top of the folder, she felt her brows furrow. Larissa Stanford. She had a cousin named Larissa, a real prissy b***h.

Alanna leaned forward in her chair once more, as she read over the file to get a firmer grasp of what she faced. However, when she read over the woman’s hometown, a sickening feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Brighton Cove. Son-of-a-b***h. She fell back into her chair, unable to take her gaze from the name of the town. Can it be her?

Once she was able to shake the queasiness in her stomach, she sat up and glanced at her watch. She had half an hour before the past could very possibly step through her office door, a past she took great pains to avoid for the past five years.

With a deep breath, she shoved herself out of her chair and headed for the door, her insides a roiling mass of anxiety. How in the hell was she going to deal with her cousin again if it were truly her? What did I do to deserve this? Her wolf growled within, threatening to shift and seek out its own revenge. “Stella, I’m going next door for a cup of coffee.”

Stella glanced at the full coffeepot against the far wall. “Okay, dear. Have fun.” And then she glanced back down at her paperwork. Alanna loved that woman.

Pushing the front door open, she stepped out into the late-morning sunshine, and turned left toward the Perk & Grind Coffee Shop three doors down. The plaza held ten businesses, some of them government agencies or non-profits, a couple of thrift stores, a small diner, and the coffee shop. It didn’t attract a lot of attention, but it kept Alanna from having to go too far for lunch or coffee. Okay, so there was a coffeepot back at work, but heading to the Perk & Grind gave her a break from the depressing workload she faced on a daily basis. And most days, she needed that break.

The Perk & Grind was a small coffeehouse with a homey feel to it, rather than the cold, hard plastic of chain coffee shops. There were oversized couches and chairs in a few corners, small wooden tables with wicker chairs, and soft folk music drifted through the overhead speakers. A counter rested along the west wall, with the coffee machine behind it and glass cases offering pastries, bagels, and slices of cakes in front of it. To the side of that was a small kitchen where sandwiches, soups, and salads were made to order. The small coffeehouse wrapped itself around each patron like a familiar blanket the minute a person walked through the door, coaxing them to sit back and stay a while. It wasn’t a large establishment, but it had found its own cult-like following. Alanna even had a ceramic coffee mug with the shop’s logo back on her desk. The only downside to Perk & Grind was that it was a forty-five-minute drive from Bull Creek. She knew Dimitri wanted to bring some smaller businesses to Holopaw and the surrounding area, including a coffee shop, but she doubted it would have the same feel as the Perk & Grind.

“Alanna, how’s the day treating you?” Ginger Rayne asked from behind the counter. From off to the side, another girl, Laura Hanson, waved hello and then went back to fixing a sandwich for someone. “The usual?”

Alanna nodded. “Please. And the day seems to be full of surprises.”

Ginger paused, her shoulders slumping as she looked over at Alanna. “I saw that lady walking across the parking lot with two little ones in tow.” She shook her head. “I shudder to think what they might be going through.”

“Some people are just bastards,” Alanna said, not able to give out the lady’s details. “We can only hope they get what they deserve in the end.”

“I couldn’t do what you do,” Laura said, as she slid a plate with a BLT and some multi-colored chips in front of a college kid. “I think I’d go off on someone sooner or later.”

“Trust me, it’s a battle I fight every day.” She sighed, thinking of all the useless violence in the world, the utter stupidity of someone being a bully just because they thought they were better than someone else. If she had her way… She sighed again. Probably better that she didn’t get her way in these matters. Still, it felt good to help the victims, to see them start over, build new lives, better lives. To see the kids happy, the moms smiling again. People were meant to thrive in their lives, not merely survive. Alanna had been there; she knew the difference. She swore she would never go back.

Ginger slid the cup of hot cocoa with double the whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top over to Alanna, a sympathetic smile on her face. “If there’s anything we can do for them, just let me know.”

Alanna nodded, as she took her cup, inhaling the calming aroma. “I will,” she said. “Thanks.” She held the cup up after slipping a five-dollar bill on the counter. “I needed this today.”

“Anytime,” Ginger said, just as Alanna’s phone started to ring.

Stepping over to the table, she pulled her phone out of her purse. Eve. She swiped the screen to answer the call. “What’s up?”

“Adira wants to know if we’re all available tonight to show us Winnie’s new shop,” the sandy blonde said through the phone. “I think she wants to toast to its success or something.”

“Sounds good to me,” she told Eve. “What time?” Winnie Preston, or Winifred if she was feeling formal, opened a*****e called Magickal Moonbeams, selling witch supplies and telling fortunes. She wanted to get it open before Christmas, and from the phone call, it looked as if she managed to accomplish her goal. Alanna was happy for her. Bull Creek needed some small businesses like hers. Of course, a witch supply store might entice more witches to move to the area, which would be great for Winnie and Adira. Possibly even Maureen Mondor, the newest resident witch in Bull Creek. However, Maureen wasn’t much for socializing outside of Jake Goodman’s monthly tastings at Everglades. The woman could drink, that was for sure. And from everything Alanna could tell, when the woman drank was about the only time she was ever friendly.

“Seven o’clock,” Eve told her. “Want me to pick you up?”

“Sounds good,” Alanna said. “See you then.” She ended the call and shoved her phone back into her purse as she lifted her drink to her lips and took a small sip. After licking her lips of the excess whipped cream, she said her goodbyes before turning toward the front door. As she stepped outside, she took another small sip of the hot chocolate, the whipped cream giving her a small white mustache as she savored the warmth in her stomach. The feeling of calm didn’t last two steps, however, as she turned and saw Larissa Albright, now Stanford apparently, standing there.

“Cousin?” the woman asked, eyes wide.