“No, it’s cool, don’t worry about it. I was just in the mood to hang out. Have fun. Tell Nick I said hi.”
“Will do. Talk to you soon.”
Love ruined everything. Pandora hung up and pulled back onto the road. As much as she wanted Willa’s company, the lack of it wasn’t going to stop her from having one drink. And since she still didn’t want to be alone, she made a few turns and five minutes later she was walking into Howler’s. The bar and grill was busy—it was Saturday night, after all—but with kids back in school, there were slightly fewer tourists in town, so the place wasn’t unbearably crowded.
Bridget Merrow, owner of Howler’s and a werewolf, waved at Pandora before she’d reached the bar. “Hey, Pandora! What brings you in?”
“I need a drink.” Pandora wriggled in between two occupied bar stools to lean on the bar.
Bridget’s brows shot up. “That bad?”
“Sort of.”
“Sorry to hear that. What can I get you?”
Pandora glanced to her side. “A seat would be nice. But I’ll settle for a glass of cabernet.”
Bridget grinned. “I can handle both of those.” She leaned forward and jerked her thumb toward the other end of the bar. “Did you see who’s here?”
Pandora turned to look. Sitting at the opposite end of the bar was a stone-faced man with a shaved head, a multitude of tattoos and a bent nose that made a lot of sense in conjunction with his heavily muscled body. He had the kind of tensed look that said he could strike at any moment and when he did, you weren’t going to see it coming.
She grinned. “I didn’t know Van was in town.”
Bridget nodded. “Just got here. Go ahead, I’ll bring your wine.”
“Thanks.” Pandora headed toward the hulk of a man and got two steps away before he saw her.
His face broke out in a huge smile as he slid off his seat and threw his arms wide. “Kotyonok! Is good to see you.”
She hugged him and laughed. To have a man who looked like him call you kitten was a very unique thing. “You too, Van. How are you?”
“Good, good.” He kissed her on both cheeks, then pulled back and looked her up and down. “I would ask how you are, but I see you are also very good. You look like you are on the prowl. Have you come to pick up men?”
His Russian heritage still accented his words. She shook her head. “Definitely not. In fact, I’m here to drink one out of my head.”
He frowned. “You have man troubles?”
“Sort of, but nothing a few drinks and a good mope won’t cure.”
He looked past her. “You have seat already?”
“No, I just got here. Bridget’s getting my wine.”
He glared at the man on the bar stool next to his. “You. Get up.”
The guy turned to see who was talking to him and paled. He grabbed his beer and vacated.
Van pointed to the empty chair. “You sit by me. Tell me everything.”
Laughing, but knowing there was no point in trying to get the poor man his seat back, she took the chair. Ivan “Van” Tsvetkov wasn’t a man who took no for an answer. He was a dragon shifter, and while he was a resident of Nocturne Falls, he was here only between fights. He made his living on the MMA fight circuit where he was known as The Hammer.
Pandora had first met him when he’d come to town looking for a house. A retreat, really. He’d wanted a place in the mountains where he could recoup between fights and get away from the press and publicity. Nothing on the market had fit his needs, so she’d ended up finding him the perfect piece of land and then being his right hand during the building process.
He’d trusted her implicitly, and she’d gained a friend for life. He’d become almost like an older brother to her, which was fine, because he certainly wasn’t her type romantically.
Sadly, Cole was. The giant poophead.
Bridget showed up with Pandora’s wine. “Ivan, you ready for another beer?”
He nodded. “We need two shots of vodka.”
Pandora held her hand up. There were some things she could say no to. “I can’t do a shot.”
“Why not?” He looked at her. “Do you work tomorrow?”
“No, but…” Really, why not? If there was ever a night to drown her sorrows, it was tonight. “Okay. But only one.”
If Van thought Pandora didn’t see him wink at Bridget, he was wrong. He held up two fingers and nodded. “Vodka.”
Then he sat down and turned to face her. “What man has caused you trouble?”
She sipped her wine. “It’s a long story. With a quick end.” She smiled. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on with you? How long are you in town for?”
“Not long. A week.” He finished his beer. “I should talk to this man.”
She almost choked on her wine. “No, Van, you should not. I appreciate that, but it’s so over it’s not even funny.”
“You are sure?”
“Positive.”
Bridget returned with their shots. “Here you go, kids. Enjoy.”
They did. Two more rounds later and Pandora had told Van everything about everything. She put her hand on her head. “Ooof. I need to go home. I’m kinda smashed.”
He looked concerned. “Are you all right, kotyonoko?”
“Yes. But I probably won’t be tomorrow.” She laughed, even though there was nothing funny about being hungover.