Page 13 of Sawyer

I protectively held Benny close to my chest and stood up, so I was eye-to-eye with Garth.

His problem was with me. Why pick on my dog?

“What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"Heard there was free cake, thought it was open to everyone," Garth said.

"It is, as long as you behave and don't cause trouble," I replied.

I was surprised by how calm I sounded.

I was handling the situation the best way I could, even though I seriously wanted to throw Garth out the door.

Clearly, some of the other pack members felt the same way because they were distancing themselves from Garth.

Maybe they thought a fight was going to break out... but Garth wouldn’t do such a thing, not when Cooper was nearby.

"I'm hurt you'd think I'll cause trouble," Garth said, clutching his chest mockingly.

"Garth, why don't you have some cake and beer? There's plenty here," Cooper said by the food table.

"Sure, boss,” Garth said, chuckling.

A wave of relief filled me as Garth sauntered over to the food tables.

I wasn't scared of Garth, but the last thing the pack needed right now was tension between the higher-ranking members of the pack.

Garth may have convinced Cooper that he was rehabilitated and wanted the best for the pack, but I wasn’t easily fooled.

Chapter 4

Casey

Slap!

“Ah! What was that for?” Chris yelped, rubbing his hand as if I’d hit it with a ruler instead of just giving it a light smack.

I rolled my eyes as he dramatically caressed the back of his hand, which, I noticed, wasn’t even red.

Ignoring him, I carefully rearranged the finger sandwiches I’d bought last night, placing the one Chris had dropped back into its spot on the platter.

"These aren’t for you," I said, trying to sound patient. "They’re for our new landlord. He’s coming in today, and we need to make a good impression."

I left out the part about needing to ask for a one-week extension on next month’s rent.

Not the best way to start off with someone you’re meeting for the first time, I thought, frowning at the small spread.

I hoped the new landlord would be as nice as Mrs. Hills had been. It was probably dumb to even ask for the extension—especially since I hadn’t even met him yet.

Maybe I shouldn’t have lent my brother that money, but it was too late to think about that now.

Sighing, I glanced at the sandwiches again. I probably shouldn’t have been so cheap at the grocery store last night. The mini bagel bites might have been the better choice.

"But it’s not like he’s going to notice one missing," Chris said, pouting at the sandwiches like a kid eyeing candy.

I sighed again and handed him the dropped sandwich. "Fine, just one. If there are leftovers, you can have the rest later."

I checked my watch—still an hour before this ‘Garth Hills’ was supposed to arrive.