by Sophie Stern
Cookie crumbs, maybe, but a computer rig like this?
Nope.
“Pretty, isn’t she?” Henry seems to find my reaction amusing. He watches me as I take it all in. I feel like all I’ve been doing today is staring. It’s like I’m suddenly discovering everything in the world for the very first time.
“Beautiful,” I whisper. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I use computers for teaching, but we don’t have anything like this at my school.”
“What do you teach?”
“English as a second language,” I tell him.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“You know, I studied under Mrs. Hemswaggle.”
“You did?” I laugh and shake my head. “She’s still at the center. I didn’t know you learned English as your second language.” The school has been in town for a very long time. Students come from all over to be tutored there. We’re one of the only schools in the area that not only teaches ESL, but that teaches shifters specifically. Learning another language is hard enough when you’re human. It’s a million times tougher when you accidentally turn into a panda when you’re stressed. My school only employs shifters, so we’re able to meet the needs of our students in every way.
“Absolutely,” he says, and suddenly, I feel like maybe Henry isn’t going to be so cold to me after all. Maybe this thing between me and Brendan won’t be as awkward when it comes to other people as I thought it might.
“I’m glad she could help you,” I say honestly.
“It wasn’t easy. I was scared when I moved here. My parents knew some English from when they were small and studying in school, but me? Well, I’d never heard it even spoken. She had her work cut out with me, but she made it bearable.”
“You have no discernable accent,” I point out the obvious. I consider myself good at my job, but I wouldn’t have pegged him as a non-native speaker.
“Years of practice,” he smiles. “When I’m tired, you can hear my accent come out.”
That’s not uncommon at all. When you feel tired, trying to use a new language can be exhausting. Trying to maintain a new accent at the same time and to sound “natural” can be even more difficult. I’m not surprised at all to hear that Henry has a hard time controlling his accent when he gets tired.
“Where are you from?” I ask him, suddenly curious. I don’t know if I’m being nosy or not, but I’m certain he’s the type of person who will tell me if I cross any lines.
“There will be time for all of that later,” Brendan points out, interrupting our conversation. “Right now, let’s find out who is after you.” I know that he’s right, but I’m still kind of sad to be brought back into reality. We aren’t here to socialize. We’re here to find out why someone tried to hurt me. We’re here to find out what I got myself into.
He gives the account login information to Henry, who pulls everything up on the computer. He starts looking through the messages we’ve exchanged, and luckily, I didn’t send any selfies or sexual pictures. Everything we exchanged was fairly nuanced and rather tame, so it’s not something I feel I need to be horrified about.
I mean, we sexted a little bit, but it wasn’t anything over-the-top crazy. I wasn’t asking this guy to pull me over his lap and spank me, but I am a woman, and I’m a woman who likes sex. I wasn’t afraid to show this in my chats. I don’t think Henry will give me a hard time about it, though. Besides, Brendan wasn’t embarrassed about the things I said in my chats. Why should I be?
“I’m sure you’ve already discussed this with Brendan,” Henry says. His eyes are glued to the computer and his fingers seem to be moving a million miles an hour as they fly over the keyboard. If he’s surprised by anything he’s reading or looking at, he doesn’t let me know. “But do you have any enemies or anyone who doesn’t like you?”
We hadn’t talked about that.
“Not really. I mean, I’m an English teacher. Nobody really has any thoughts about me at all.” I’m easy to ignore, easy to fly under the radar. The people who notice me are the people who need me to help their kids. Everyone else just kind of views me as “that teacher lady.” I don’t think people consider me much beyond that.
“That’s not how my mother feels,” Brendan points out.
“Yeah, but I didn’t even know your mom didn’t like me until recently,” I remind him. I always thought that Brendan’s mom and I didn’t keep in touch because it would have been too hard for both of us. I didn’t realize it was because she actually hated me or wanted to see me fail.
“That’s true,” Henry says. “His mom hates your guts.” He looks over at Brendan and shrugs. “Sorry, my dude, but I feel like you know that’s true.”
“I only found out last night just how bad it really was,” Brendan says. “I went to see her after Foxy showed up. Apparently, my mom is the reason we broke up.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised,” Henry clicks a couple of things with the mouse. Then he wrinkles his nose as he stares at the computer. He has a new look on his face, but it’s more confusion than horror. Either way, it’s not a good sign, and I’m suddenly even more anxious.
“Relax,” Brendan says, noticing me tense up. “Henry is the very best. He’s going to help us. Everything’s going to be okay.”
I nod, relieved. I mean, they’re just words, but somehow, Brendan always seems to know exactly which words to use to help me feel like I’m safe and protected. Satisfied that I’m not going to have a panic attack or anything like that, he turns back to Henry.
“What is it?”
“I found the user data, but it doesn’t really make sense,” he says. “Give me a second.” He starts typing and clicking again, but I’m lost as to what’s appearing on the screen.
I have no idea what might not be making sense when it comes to something like this. After all, shouldn’t it be pretty cut and dry? But I find myself thinking about what he said. Is there someone who doesn’t like me?
The reality is that I like to have fun, but I also keep my head down. I drink with my friends – Meredith is a bartender, after all – but aside from that, most of my time is spent grading papers or hanging out with my little brother. I don’t exactly get wild.
Not anymore.
These days, I’m too busy and too tired to do anything really extreme or insane. Instead, I focus on playing my cards right and helping the kids who cross my path
Helping others is really important to me and when it comes to making a difference, teaching English is really the best thing I’ve ever done.
Is there really someone who doesn’t want me doing that?
Is there really someone who wants to hurt me?
Brendan steps closer to me and wraps his arms around me. I sink into him, finding solace in his touch.
I don’t know what the future holds for us or what’s going to happen next, but I do know that Brendan and I have somehow managed to find each other once more, and I don’t want anything to come between us again.
“Got it,” Henry says, and he turns around. “But you aren’t going to like it.”
“What is it?” I ask quietly. Any answer is better than no answer. Once we know what we’re dealing with, then we’re going to be able to fix the problem, no matter what it might be. Hopefully it’ll be an easy fix. Maybe this guy is just a random weirdo who needs to be banned from using the app. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that he and I ended up paired together. Judging by Henry’s expression, though, it’s not random. This was on purpose.
Henry turns to Brendan and asks him a question.
“Do you remember that girl who came into the shop last week asking questions about you and the bakery?”
Brendan thinks about it for a second and shakes his head at first, but then he stops mid-shake and pauses.
“Allison?”
The girl his mother wanted him to marry and have kids with?
“Yeah, I remember. It was strange that she came in, but not wildly unusual. A lot of people come in and want to c
hit-chat. She just seemed a little…”
“Bold?” Henry asks.
“Something like that,” Brendan agrees. “What about her?”
“She’s been after you for a long time, hasn’t she?” Henry asks. He glances at me, and I can tell that he’s silently urging me to stay quiet right now. He doesn’t want anything to distract Brendan from this moment because what happens next is going to change everything.
I’m not going to believe that this lady wants to ruin my happy-ever-after, but I’m kind of getting that vibe.
And it’s scaring me.
“I guess,” Brendan says. “Are you saying she’s involved?” He raises an eyebrow, as though he doesn’t quite believe Miss Allison could be capable of hurting anyone, let alone me.
“Take a look.” Henry points to the computer, but neither Brendan nor I know what we’re looking at. Henry gestures wildly a couple of times, and the smug look on his face says that whatever he’s dug up is really, really good.
There’s just one problem: neither one of us knows what the hell it all means.
“Seriously?” Henry’s face falls and he shakes his head. He reaches for a glass of water that’s on the desk and sips it slowly.
Painfully slowly.
“Dude, are you seriously not going to tell us?” Brendan starts to get agitated, but Henry just rolls his eyes. I’m beginning to kind of understand their relationship. They’re both really serious in their own ways, but it also seems like they’re both comfortable flipping each other crap.
“It’s like this,” Henry says, setting the glass of water back down. “Allison Erin likes you, Brendan. A lot. She is a tiger shifter, which you know, and she has a brother, which I think you did not know. That brother has been trying to play games with the girl you like, and I’m guessing this entire thing was either a set-up to kill Foxy or to run her out of town, leaving you free and clear to date Allison.”
“But I don’t like Allison.”
“Love makes people do crazy things, Brendan. She’s been coming into the bakery for months. You really never noticed?”
“Not until this week. I guess I was busy with other things.”
“Yeah, you were. You’ve been busy volunteering, and helping out around town, and I know you’ve been putting in free hours helping with the library’s reading program. You do a lot. She knows it, too, and that’s why she’s been trying more and more ways to get your attention.”
I think I’m going to feel sick.
“But it doesn’t make sense. Brendan and I haven’t dated in five years,” I point out. So why would she come after me now? Why not right after the breakup?
“Doesn’t mean he’s moved on,” Henry says. “Brendan hasn’t so much as looked at another girl since you broke his heart, and my guess? Allison’s been biding her time. Brendan left for awhile, and when he came back, he was a different guy. He opened the bakery, which Allison wrote a newspaper article about. He started making incredible sales and hosting special events, and she comes to all of those. She’s been buddy-buddy with his mom for years, and I’m guessing the two of them have probably both been aware of Brendan’s infatuation with you.”
“Infatuation?” I whisper.
It sounds like such a horrible word. Is that what Brendan thinks of me? But I look over at him, and I see him watching me, and he shakes his head.
“I’m not infatuated. She’s my mate, Henry. She’s always been my mate.”
“Good,” Henry says. “Because I hate to break it to you, but you’re going to have to fight harder for her than you’ve ever fought for anything in your life. I’ll be here to help you, my friend, but I can’t stop this from happening.”
Brendan pulls me close and wraps his arms around me.
“I won’t let them hurt you,” he says.
“You have to find them first,” Henry points out.
I wish we could hire a detective who would hunt this guy down and put him out of his misery. I wish we could call in a team of bounty hunters who could locate exactly where he is and take care of everything for us, but I know that’s not the way the world works, and I know it’s not how this encounter is going to work.
No, this one is going to be up to Henry, and it’s going to be up to Brendan, and it’s going to be up to me, but we’re going to need something for energy if we’re going to do this thing.
“We need to go to the bar,” I point out. “Like, now.”
Chapter 8
Brendan
Meredith runs the Claw Valley bar with an iron fist and a squishy heart. She talks a big game, but both she and her mate are tender-hearted in all the best ways. When the three of us walk inside Claw Valley’s most prestigious liquor establishment, also known as the town bar, Meredith looks up excitedly from where she’s standing behind the counter.
“Hey, how’s it going?” She grins, waving us over. “I wasn’t expecting any early birds today.”
There’s a part of me that’s surprised the bar is even open since it’s early afternoon now, but Meredith loves what she does, and she takes her job seriously. There’s another part of me that’s just shocked Foxy and I managed to spend the morning fooling around and making love to the point where it’s not closing in on dinnertime. Unfortunately, we still haven’t found the guy we’re looking for. It’s too bad because my inner-lion is roaring up for a good fight.
“I need a drink,” Foxy says, heading directly toward the long counter. She grabs a barstool and sits down. Henry and I follow close behind and also sit down. We choose barstools on either side of her, and even though Henry isn’t saying anything, I know it’s a sort of solidarity gesture. It’s to show that we’re both in this together. We’re here to protect her.
He didn’t even bat an eye when I said that she’s my mate. Honestly, I’m a little surprised. I figured Henry, of all people, would put up a fuss, but then again, that’s true love for you. Henry and I both believe in happy endings, and it means a lot to me that he wants me to get mine.
I’m still a little surprised that I just straight-out said she was the woman I’m destined to be with. Even though I’m not totally sure how I feel about mates sometimes, in that moment, something just changed within me and I knew it was time to stop fighting. For five years, I’ve been trying to convince myself that there was someone else for me, someone better.
The truth is that there’s no one better.
There never will be.
“Ouch.” Meredith looks at me and Henry. “Is this because of you?” She starts glaring at us even as she’s pouring Foxy a vanilla vodka and cranberry cocktail. “Because I will take you outside and cut you.” Her voice comes out sharp, and mean. I’m a little surprised. I’ve never seen this side of Meredith before.
“What? No!” I say. “And I’d like a drink, too.”
“Not until she tells me what’s wrong.” Meredith turns back to Foxy and reaches for her friend. She slides the drink across the bar and looks at her carefully.
“What happened, honey? Are you okay?”
“I used Team Shifter,” Foxy groans. “And it was horrible.”
“What the fuck?” Meredith looks over at me again. “You tried to sleep with her on the first date, didn’t you?”
“What? No! It wasn’t me.”
“It’s true,” Foxy reaches for her friend’s hand and squeezes it. “It wasn’t him.”
“Wait,” Meredith looks from Henry to Foxy to me, and then back to Foxy. “It was both of them?” She raises an eyebrow. “Damn, Foxy, I never pegged you as the threeway type.” She grins, smiling like she knows some terrible secret that she’s not supposed to know.
“What? No!” This time, I speak up louder, and Meredith looks at me sharply.
“Don’t you raise your voice at me in my own bar. I will kick you out,” she snaps.
“I’m sorry,” I say, lowering my voice. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“You didn’t,” she says. “But I don’t like people bitching at me.”
I open my mouth and then shut it again. She doesn’t want to hear that I wasn’t actually bitching at her. I was just explaining my reasoning for talking. Besides, we didn’t have a threeway. Not that it’s any of her business.
“It’s okay,” Foxy says, trying to soothe her friend. “They’re good guys. Mer, something happened.”
“What?”
She fills her friend in on everything: how we met each other back in the day, our whirlwind romance, and the fact that she dumped me. I cringe at that part, but I try to stay cool and let her tell her story. Meredith seems to know about me already, but I don’t think Foxy had told her all of the details surrounding our breakup. To her credit, Foxy doesn’t blame my mother. She doesn’t gloss over the fact, but she also seems to accept that it was her choice. I have to respect her even more for that.
I’ve had a little bit of time to think about these new realizations and these things that have come to light, and what I’ve learned is that Foxy really did think she was doing what was best for me. She wanted me to live a good and happy life, but the truth is that I don’t know if happiness is something I’ll ever be able to acquire without her. Even though I have a booming business and a wonderful business partner, I’m missing her. I’ve been missing my mate this entire time, and now that she’s here…
Well, I don’t even want to think about letting her go.
When Foxy finally gets to the part of her story where Henry discovered that Allison’s brother was the one who tried to seduce Foxy, Meredith gets pissed. Her eyes narrow, and the scent of pure, unadulterated anger starts seeping from her. This just makes me like Meredith even more. Okay, she seems a little rough around the edges, but she also seems fiercely loyal, and I really like that about her. We all need someone who is going to have our backs at all times.
And Foxy? She’s got the best guard ever. Meredith isn’t going to let anything happen to her, and I totally, completely respect that. I like knowing that even if I’m not around all of the time, Meredith has got Foxy’s back. That’s important. Really important.
