Anyone else missing Easterville like crazy?
Just me?
No worries!
Knee deep in writing Ginger’s story, I stumbled on this deleted scene from a short-lived Tooth and Claw draft with Evan POV chapters. This one takes place when Lee’s about 19 years old and she’s babysitting little Susie Carlson.
Happy Monday!
“Wee! Wee! WEEEEE!!!!”
The tiny human wouldn’t shut up.
“Lee, the-”
“I got it!” the annoying wolf slid her order pad into her apron and rushed over to the table with the humans. The three children sat in high chairs covered in crayons and coloring pages. The whole table was a disaster area. Thankfully the pub was almost as slow as Lee’s service today.
“What’s wrong sweetie?” Lee cooed. Cooed. What was it about the small humans that turned all the females into birds?
Earl nudged me, “You should offer to help her.”
“No.” I was not going to help the little wolf. She was the one that needed the babysitting money. Not me. She was the one who wanted to repay the professor for the weird claw thing.
“A little honey...”
“I’m not trying to attract flies, Earl. Don’t you have burgers to flip or something?”
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the cave this morning.”
Would the teasing never end? I growled at him. Earl may be my last resort but he didn’t have to be so rude about it.
“We were supposed to run tonight. She decided babysitting the screaming cub was more important than her wolf.”
Earl laughed, “You can run without her.”
I growled again. And Earl laughed harder.
“Just admit you like running with Lee.”
I had no response to that. I didn’t like Lee. She was annoying and weak. I didn’t like her. I hated her. I especially hated the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed, and how sometimes she snorted. Never with me, but when Earl made her laugh really hard. I hated how she smelled when she hugged me after I installed bristles in the kitchen sink so she could wash her hand without asking for help.
That was awful. How her hair smelled vaguely of pine and-no stop it. Lee was a wolf. She was an annoying wolf. Even if she was fearless.
“If you admit you like her, I’ll watch the Carlson kids until you get back from your run,” Earl said in a sing song voice, “Three words, Evan. Three small words.”
“Fine. I like her, okay.”
Earl patted me on the back, “Go get the bag ready, I’ll talk to Lee.”
photo credit: Oliver Frsh
