Welcome to your matches!
It announced perkily. An unexpected burst of excitement fluttered in his chest. He was looking forward to this. He scrolled to the thumbnails on his home screen. When he saw that the top one was accompanied by a little green badge that said ‘100% compatibility rating’, his heart sped up. The girl in the photo was turned away from the camera, her face three-quarters hidden by a sweep of long dark hair. He clicked on the thumbnail, impatient to see the other photos of his 100% match.
Chapter Five
A few hours earlier
Jessica arrived in the Shiftr office the following morning, her head throbbing with the first hangover she’d had since moving to Hope Valley. It had totally been worth it though, she thought as she made herself a strong coffee in the kitchen. She grinned as memories from the night before burst into her mind like sunbeams. The boys were every bit as much fun as she remembered, and even more so. They’d grown into such kind, strong, funny guys.
“Good morning, dear,” Tamika trilled as she came into the kitchen.
“Morning,” Jessica replied, alarmed at how scratchy her voice sounded.
“Did you have fun with those boys last night?”
“Uh, yes,” Jessica replied, reluctantly turning to face her.
“I think somebody’s in need of my Virgin Mary special,” Tamika said with a chuckle.
“I feel fine, honestly. We had a couple of drinks, but it won’t affect my work, I promise.” Tamika laughed more loudly.
“Don’t worry, my dear. You work as hard as two people. So even if you don’t get anything done today, it will be justified. I have a little headache of my own, as it happens. Kyle and I were celebrating an anniversary, and we rather overdid it on the champagne.” She took a bottle of tomato juice from the fridge and several jars and bottles from the cupboard above, and began mixing up a mysterious concoction.
“There you go!” she said, several minutes later, handing Jessica a glass of orangey-red liquid. “Drink this all down and you’ll be feeling as right as rain in no time.”
“Thanks, Tamika,” Jessica said a little sheepishly. To her surprise, the drink was delicious, the spiciness somehow easing the tightness in her throat.
“Now, tell me, what was it like seeing those two young men after so long?” Tamika said.
“It was amazing. I never thought I’d see them again. I’d come to terms with that a long time ago. So having them back in my life is incredible. It was so weird though. It was like no time had passed at all. We went back to all the conversations we used to have, teasing each other, having fun. Probably being really immature.” Tamika beamed.
“I think that’s a sign of a true friendship, honey. When you care about somebody deeply enough, the bond is always there, whether you’ve been separated for a year or a decade.” Her face took on a thoughtful expression. “Which one of them were you closer to – the tall, striking one, or the one with those lovely, gray-blue eyes?” Jessica smiled. That was often how people described the two of them when they wanted to differentiate them.
“Honestly, I was equally close to them both. I used to feel like they complemented the different sides of my personality. I used to love spending time with them individually, but when all three of us were together, I felt like we were complete. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no reason,” Tamika said, but she continued to look thoughtful.
Jessica took the drink over to her desk, and by the time she’d turned on her computer and logged into the back end of the app, she discovered that her head was no longer sore, and that she was feeling quite a lot better.
By 11am, she’d finished the project that she’d expected would take up most of the day. As a break before she began the next task, she decided to take a look at the guys’ profiles to see if they were ready yet. Christian hadn’t made any more progress with his, which she anticipated, as he said that he was working all day. Lucas’ was complete though. He’d even added some full-body shots, featuring him posing in the middle of a forest. She squinted at the screen. To her uneducated eye, that forest looked a lot like Hope Valley’s national park. Had he got someone to take them for him? Or has he set the timer on his camera? she wondered. He looked very relaxed, posing in the middle of a clearing in just his jeans, his tattoo standing out, bright and colorful against his bunched muscles. She felt an odd little tingle, similar to when she’d looked at Christian’s pictures the day before. What’s wrong with me? She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Her body was responding to their perfect physiques, that was all. It had been – she didn’t even know how long – since she’d last had sex.
The guys’ questions about why she hadn’t signed up to Shiftr bounced around in her mind. Had she told them the truth last night, or was there another reason why she hadn’t considered having a shifter mate? She opened some profiles at random and gazed at one sexy shifter-man after another. Shiftr was like a store full of the best eye-candy ever.
Something lifted in her mind, like the sun returning after an afternoon rain storm. Of course she was open to being with a shifter! They were so much hotter than human men. And kinder. And more loyal and protective. It was a no-brainer, really. She was being shy. That was all. Worried that these incredibly sexy men wouldn’t be interested in her.
Before she could change her mind, she got to her feet and went over to the seating area where Tamika was sitting with a coffee, writing fast on her laptop.
“Tamika, I was wondering – and please feel free to say no – but I was hoping I could maybe get myself a profile on Shiftr? I mean, I understand totally if you’d rather not have your members of staff on there. So I probably shouldn’t have asked in the first place,” she finished in a rush, and began to shuffle back to her desk.
“Jessica, dear,” Tamika called. “You’re going to have to help me out. I’ve been living here for too long, and I don’t understand English reticence any more. You’re saying you want to sign up to Shiftr, yes?” Jessica’s face went beet red.
“If that’s okay with you?”
“Heavens! Of course it is. Come here!” She held her arms out and, as soon as Jessica was near enough, enveloped her in a hug. “You don’t have to be shy about asking me anything, ever. And of course you can have a profile on Shiftr! I’d love to see you mated to a shifter!”
“Really?” Jessica breathed.
“Absolutely. I’ve been wondering what’s taking you so long. I could’ve asked you myself, of course, but I didn’t want to pressure you, and wanted you to come to the decision in your own time.”
“Thanks, Tamika, you’re the best,” Jessica said, feeling like she would cry if her aunt was any sweeter to her.
“I just didn’t want to be responsible for any more family gossip,” Tamika said, patting Jessica’s knee. “Now, go and get yourself set up. I can’t wait to see who your matches are!”
Jessica spent her lunch break completing her profile, but decided to leave the personality questions until she got home, so she could relax with a cup of tea and give them the time they deserved. Since she’d helped to build the algorithm, she understood better than most how important it was to be honest with yourself.
Four hours later, Jessica was curled up on one of Tamika’s unbelievably comfy leather sofas, staring into space while she thought about whether she preferred to be protected or supported by a partner. She giggled. She’d made some of the questions deliberately ambiguous to catch people off their guard, but hadn’t expected to have to deal with them herself.
Finally, as dusk was falling, she was done. Her stomach fluttering with butterflies, she pressed the ‘finish’ button. A minute later the phone vibrated to let her know the app had done its work. Excitedly, she scrolled to the thumbnails. And then she let out a small scream, followed by a gale of laughter.
She went to her home screen, tapped her internet phone app and dialed two numbers at the same time.
Both recipients answered within three rings.
&n
bsp; “Hey, Jessica!”
“What’s up?” said the two deep, male voices.
“So I just created a profile on Shiftr,” she said, aware that her voice had become very high and tight. “And, according to the app, the two of you are both my perfect matches! Isn’t that funny!” Christian laughed loudly, in his characteristic deep, rumbly tone.
“Wait. Let me look,” he said, and there was a pause while he opened the app. “Well I guess it makes sense, since our personalities are obviously so compatible. I’m pretty impressed it’s picked us all out though. There was a seed of doubt in my mind that the matches might be randomly generated.”
“Hey! It’s a very scientific matching process,” Jessica protested.
“I’m just kidding, Jess. I’m really proud of what you’ve done, and Shiftr matching us all up illustrates your achievement perfectly.”
“You’re quiet, Lucas. Not impressed that I might be your perfect match?”
“Yeah, it’s funny,” he said flatly. “Listen guys, I’ve got to go. I’ll catch you later.” Jessica started to reply, but he was already gone.
“What’s up with him?” she said with a frown.
“I don’t know. He was okay last time we spoke. Maybe he’s busy with work.”
“I guess. It’s not like him to be so abrupt though. Or is it?” she said, as a shock of realization hit her that perhaps she didn’t know the adult Lucas as well as she thought she did.
“No, it’s not,” Christian said his tone equally questioning. “We’ll get it out of him later. Anyway, you’ve signed up to Shiftr! That’s great. Did we help you to see what you were missing out on?” Jessica giggled.
“Maybe.”
“So tell me – what other matches have you found, apart from your two best friends?”
“That was as far as I got. I saw you guys right at the top of my list and thought it was so funny that I had to call you right away. How about you?”
“I haven’t really had time to look at it, beyond setting up my profile. It’s been a long day,” he replied, yawning. “Anyway, take a look now – what’s your next best match?” Jessica put her phone on speaker and went back to the app. She scrolled past Christian and Lucas’ thumbnails and clicked on the third one. As a photo of a well-built, handsome guy filled the screen, recognition sparked in her brain. But who is he?
“Some guy,” she said.
“No shit?” She giggled.
“Wait. He’s also a bear. A really big bear. He seems cool. Easy-going and fun. And we’re 84% compatible! He sounds like he could be a match for me.”
“Yeah he does,” Christian said, but there was something almost mocking in his tone which she didn’t understand. “You should hit him up.”
“Oh. I thought I’d wait for him to contact me. Aren’t the guys supposed to do all the work?”
“I never saw you as a girl who needed to be wooed, Jessica Schmidt,” Christian said with a rumbling laugh.
“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you thought you did,” she said, no less archly.
“I’m just teasing. But seriously, while we bears are very protective and caring, we can also be a little shy when it comes to approaching women. So if you see a guy you like, just drop him a message. If he’s worth it, he’ll do all the work after that. Sometimes we just need the initial encouragement to take that first step though.” Warmth bloomed in Jessica’s stomach at his words. she sensed that he was speaking personally, and she felt a rush of tenderness for her big, fearless, yet soft-hearted friend.
“I’ll do that,” she said. “So, who’s your top match after me?”
“Some girl,” he said, with laughter in his voice. “She’s cute. Long, dark hair. Nice eyes. Funny. Works as a gallery manager. Sounds like we could be compatible. And Shiftr matches us at 90%.” Jessica’s stomach flipped and clenched.
“Send her a message. Step out of your comfort zone. Okay, I’ve got to go. But let’s all catch up soon,” she said, speaking fast.
“Have a good evening, Jess, and good luck.”
Jessica ended the call, her head spinning. She was jealous of Christian’s 90% match. Insanely so. When she thought about him exchanging messages with a girl, flirting, arranging to meet up, her stomach got all knotted up. I didn’t used to be like this at school, she thought. But did we ever talk about girls, or guys? She cast her mind back to those days, all those intense conversations they used to have. No, they hadn’t. That three-way friendship had been so intense that there was no space to think about dating. She tried to re-inhabit her 15-year-old self. Would she had been eaten up with jealousy in those days if the guys had gone off with girlfriends? She sighed. She didn’t know the answer to that question. All she knew was that she had to stop being inappropriately possessive of her best friends. She returned to the Shiftr app and looked at her third-best match. He’s the bartender at Rusty’s! she realized. She flicked through his photos; he had quite a few. He was a really big, solidly built guy with sparkling blue eyes and a kind smile. In his profile he said that he had a new business, which had been his dream for so long. He was an outgoing guy and he loved to be a part of the shifter community.
“Why not?” she muttered to herself, lingering on his shirtless photos. She hadn’t paid much attention to him in the bar because she’d been flustered that he initially seemed unwelcoming, and she’d been so excited to see the guys. But nothing about him had given her the impression that he wasn’t a good guy. He seemed sexy, and nice and fun. She clicked on the little icon beside his profile that would enable her to send him a message. But, just as she was figuring out what to write, a message alert popped up on her screen. She tapped it.
Hey there, I think we’ve already met in my bar. Did you have a good time?
She grinned, and started typing.
J: Hey, yourself. Yes, I had a great night! It’s a really nice place, and I’m so glad there’s a bar for the shifter community to hang out together. Are you Rusty himself?
R: Sure am! I always dreamed of running a bar for bears and other shifters, where everyone can just be themselves, and not have to watch what they’re saying in public. I hope I didn’t offend you by giving you the third degree. I just need to be careful who I let in.
J: No, I understand totally. Full disclosure: I work as a developer on the Shiftr app, so I well appreciate the need for secrecy.
There was a short pause.
R: So you’re not looking for a mate? You’re just here to work on the app?
J: No, I’m here as a participant right now. I thought it was about time I got myself a profile :-)
R: :-) in that case, would it be too forward for me to ask if you’d like to have a drink with me in my bar one night? It’s just, I’m not too good at expressing myself online. I think I come across much better in person.
Jessica’s heart leapt. And then she forced herself to wait a moment before replying, so she didn’t seem too eager.
J: That would be lovely. When can you take an evening off?
R: How does Thursday sound? I’m not on the schedule that night.
J: Thursday’s perfect!
R: Great :-) we can have dinner too if you want. Our Buffalo wings are starting to get a reputation for themselves ;-)
J: In that case, I’ll make sure I come with an appetite.
She hit ‘send’ too soon, and stared at her phone in horror. Oh my God, what did I just say? Her cheeks burned. He could totally take that the wrong way.
R: Make sure you do. I can get the chef to put together a special menu for us.
She breathed out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he was a straightforward bear, and not a cunning fox or tiger.
J: I’d love that. Oh, I’m Jessica, by the way.
R: I look forward to seeing you on Thursday, Jessica.
Rusty XX
Jessica signed off the app and pressed her phone against her chest. His unpretentious ways had charmed her. She found that she was looking forward to Thursday’s date a lo
t. She picked up the phone again and sent a group message to Christian and Lucas:
Guess who’s got a date? she wrote.
She waited for a while, hoping they’d reply so she could have a gossip with them. They didn’t get back to her within ten minutes, and, with a flicker of disappointment, she put her phone down and went to find Tamika.
Chapter Six
Lucas’ stomach plummeted when he received Jessica’s text message. Seeing her the day before had been hard. His feelings hadn’t changed, except that, along with the tenderness and fascination he’d always had for her, he now had the adult desires of a full-grown bear. Jessica had become impossibly beautiful and lovely. And her body – it had been all he could do to keep his bear inside him when he took in her full, womanly curves, displayed perfectly in the low-cut shirt she’d been wearing. She’s yours, his bear had told him all night, while it pawed and scratched at his insides. And it hadn’t let up when he went to bed either, working him up into a frenzy of need.
He’d tossed and turned for hours, fighting against his bear, telling it over and over that they were just friends, and that was how it was going to stay.
It was almost dawn by the time he fell asleep. He woke two hours later, cranky and exhausted, but he knew one thing for sure: he couldn’t go back to being a puppy again, mooning over Jessica. He’d spent enough years thinking about her. Even after he’d moved to the US, and for a long time afterwards, she was the first thing he thought about when he woke up, and the last thing he thought about as he was falling asleep. But he was a man now; not a love-sick teenager. And he had to do whatever was necessary to get her out of his mind.
He took a sick day from work and completed his Shiftr profile. To his surprise, it turned up three matches in the 90% range. He sent a message to a petite, dark-haired girl and they started chatting. Without a lot of preamble, he invited her out on a date, and she readily agreed. The relief had been immense. As soon as he met the right girl, and his bear understood that she was the one, he’d be free of his hopeless crush on Jessica. Bears were loyal mates. His love and desire would be all for his new mate, and his feelings for his friend would automatically dry up. Of that, he was absolutely convinced.
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