Free SwitchBack: A Paranormal Werewolf Romance (Knightsbridge Canyon Series Book 1) by David VanDyke, Drew VanDyke Page A

Anything
sort of way. I had to deal with him sometime.
    “Hi,” he said tentatively, waving a sack of sweet-smelling custard-filled chocolate donuts like a peace offering.
    “Hi,” I replied, not really sure how to feel about anything at this point, but I decided I was not about to pass up a mouthful of Bavarian crème.
    “Figured since you weren’t returning my calls, I’d need something to get me in the door.”
    “Well, since you’re here, you might as well come all the way in,” I told him, motioning from the foyer.
    “Where’s the rest of the gang?”
    “Hell if I know.” I went to the fridge. “Milk? Amber only buys the nonfat crap.”
    “That’s okay.” He whisked out a couple cartons from the bag he was carrying. “I know how you like whole milk, so I brought some.”
    “Humph,” I said skeptically. “I don’t know if that screams stalker or sweet.” But inside, I was getting all gooey again, like the donut. I shook it off. “Let’s go sit outside on the patio.”
    Will followed me and Spanky followed him, sniffing.
    Amber and Elle had the best backyard. An awning-covered patio with a glass table that seated six comfortably, eight in a pinch, and a black-bottomed swimming pool with an attached hot tub that spilled water over the beveled edge in sheeted columns at just the right height to dip your head under – oh, and at least four chaise lounges for sunning, which I had yet to use. The sound of the water soothed me, and we sat in silence as we ate. The not speaking was kind of nice, until it got awkward.
    “So, are we going to talk about it?” Will asked.
    “Talk about what?” I replied, dreading the answer. He was going for the RDT, the Relationship Defining Talk, and I had no idea what I was going to tell him.
    Sitting there staring at me, all muscly and stuff.
    “Fine. Let’s talk about it,” I finally said.
    “I said I loved you.”
    “I heard you.”
    “So, how do you feel about me?”
    “God, Will. I don’t know!” I sat back, exasperated.
    “Ouch.”
    “Give me a minute. I’m not good at this stuff.” Now where had I heard that before? “And why is I don’t know so bad? It just means I don’t know.”
    “Okay. Pretend you’re talking to someone else. Pretend I’m just a sounding board.”
    “A sounding board. What is a sounding board anyway? Who ever saw one? Is that from when they used to make violins by hand or something?”
    “They still make violins by hand, Ash. Pretend I’m an objective third party, who doesn’t have anything at stake. What would you say to him? If I were Amber, what would you say to her?”
    “Well, first she’d ask me, ‘So, Ashlee, how do you feel?’” I said, getting into character. “And I’d say, ‘I don’t know, Amber. I mean, I like him. I care about him.’”
    “But…” Will prompted.
    “Butt?” I looked over my shoulder at my ass, drawing a strained laugh from Will. I know, in the middle of an RDT, right? Humor as a defense, that’s all. “Not but…” I went on. “
And
…and, and the part of me that knew you back in high school and loved you then, loves you now.”
    Will moved toward me.
    “But I’m not that girl anymore. And you can’t try to make me be.”
    “So, let me get to know the new Ashlee.”
    “The new Ashlee’s a bit more complicated than the old one,” I said as I picked Spanky up and cuddled him to my chest while he licked up the crumbs off the tinted table. I think I figured while I held Spanky, Will couldn’t hold me.
    “Of course. We’re both older and wiser. And I like complicated, sometimes.”
    “Not this kind of complicated you don’t.”
    “How do you know if you don’t give me a chance?”
    I sighed. “You have a chance.”
    That brightened him up. “So,” he said to me.
    “So,” I said right back at him.
    “So, you’ve never been what you’d call low maintenance.”
    “You must be thinking of Amber, ’cause in comparison…”
    “I’m not talking about