A Girl and Her Wolf (Howl, #7) by Jody Morse, Jayme Morse Read Free Book Online Page B

Colby replied. “I don’t think that will be necessary, though. I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on this.”
    “Oh? Like the good handle you had on Emma’s birthday party? I offered my help then , too.”
    Colby’s mind drifted back to the surprise party he’d thrown for Emma that past April.
     
    *
     
    “Hey, Samara? What are you doing on Saturday night?” Colby asked into the phone.
    “I’m supposed to go camping with Aunt Rae, Kyle, and Silas this weekend,” Samara replied. “I’m leaving Davenport with my parents for some grandparent bonding time. What makes you ask?”
    “Oh.” Colby’s face fell. “It’s just that I was planning to throw Emma a surprise party. Her birthday’s on Sunday, so I figured it would be cool to have everyone here just as it turned midnight on Saturday night.”
    “I’m sorry we can’t make it. But if you were going to do this, you should have sent invitations out weeks ago,” Samara told him.
    “I know,” Colby agreed. “She only just started hinting a few days ago that it would be nice if someone would throw her a surprise birthday party. She’s never had one before.”
    “Maybe the rest of the pack will be able to make it. And I’ll see if Declan feels up to going.”
    “He’s not going camping with you?” Colby asked, feeling surprised but hopeful. He knew that Emma would be disappointed to have a birthday party without her best friend there, but at least her other best friend might be able to make it.
    “No, he has to work on Saturday. He gets out of work by eight o’clock, though,” Samara replied. There was the sound of the baby crying in the background and then she said, “Hey, Colby? Davenport needs me, so I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”
    “Okay, bye,” Colby replied as he ended the call. He marked Samara, Silas, and Kyle off his list of people to invite. The next people on the list were Chris, Kyana, and Steve.
    Luckily, he didn’t need to go far to invite them to the party. He rose to his feet and headed down the hallway. Chris and Kyana were cuddling on the couch in the entertainment room watching Steve play Nintendo Wii.
    “Hey, guys?” Colby asked. “I want you all to keep your schedules open on Saturday night, if you can. I’m throwing a surprise party for Emma.”
    “We can’t,” Kyana replied, shaking her head. “We already made plans to hang out with the Koto pack in New Jersey for the weekend. It’s my best friend Skye’s birthday, too.”
    “Oh.” Colby couldn’t hide the disappointment from his face. He turned to Steve. “How about you? Can you make it?”
    Steve shook his head. “Nah, I’m sorry Colby. I have a date with Maya.” He grinned at the mention of the girl who he’d started seeing a few months earlier. “I wanna say I’m upset I won’t be able to make it, but let’s be real here. This is Emma and we all know that she cries at her parties if she wants to.”
    Colby let out a low, defensive growl. “Are you calling my mate a crybaby?”
    Steve shrugged. “All I’m sayin’ is that I know what types of drama she’s pulled in the past with her birthday parties. Last year, I gave her a really cute paw print charm for her Pandora bracelet, and she threw a hissy fit. I have exceptional taste in jewelry, but she thought I was calling her a dog, if you remember.”
    “Which is ridiculous, considering she is a dog,” Chris chimed in.
    “I’m just sayin’. My birthday presents always seem to go unappreciated anyway, so I doubt she’ll miss me,” Steve replied with a shrug. “No hard feelings, though. Emma helped me pick out some candy and flowers to give Maya tonight. The two of them really seem to be hitting it off, so maybe we can all plan a double date soon?”
    “Yeah, sure,” Colby mumbled, as he turned away from him and left the room. He walked back down the hall to the bedroom he shared with Emma feeling crushed.
    Samara was right. He probably should have sent out invitations