The Shifter's Gift

by Haley Weir

  “Hi, sir, how are you today?” she says. She wants to facepalm immediately. Sir? She questions her awkwardly professional word choices and wishes she could evaporate right then and there. But, she’s already made her choice to come greet the stranger, so she can’t back out now.

  “Hi there, I’m Douglas,” he says. She notices his face flush. She stifles a laugh at his awkward introduction. A sense of calm befalls her. Maybe this model-esque character is just as smooth as she is, which is of course, not very smooth at all.

  “Hi Douglas. I’m Ellen. Nice to meet you. Can I take your order?” Keep it casual, keep it friendly, Ellen thinks to herself. This isn’t a romantic comedy on the Hallmark Channel. This is her job. She needs to keep the customers comfortable and happy, and to try and avoid gawking at the especially attractive ones.

  “Can I get a coffee? Something strong. Add espresso shots, please,” he asks her. Without thinking, she blurts out a question.

  “Got a lot of work to do?” she asks. She feels like there’s a magnetic pull towards him and she knows that she should break away and get back to work, but she wants to keep talking Douglas, even if it’s under the guise of doing her job.

  “I’m actually working on finding some work,” says Douglas. “I’m unemployed.” Ellen isn’t phased by this. Her ex was employed, but he was still a piece of garbage. Things happen, and she isn’t the judgemental type.

  “Hey, we’ve all been there. Do you have any barista skills? We could always use some extra help,” she says. She wonders if she’s coming on strong while recognizing that she isn’t sure she even wants to come onto him at all. Ellen isn’t quite sure who she is right now- she’s caught somewhere between Friendly Barista Ellen and her true self, the one that follows her heart, sometimes to a fault.

  “If only. No, I’m...an ex-cop,” he says nervously. Ellen wants to probe and ask him why the “ex” but she decides to bite her tongue.

  “Oh, that’s interesting,” is all she can think to say. So smooth, Ellen shames herself.

  “Do you really think so?” he asks. Ellen thinks for a second.

  “No, not really,” she says. There’s a brief silence. Then, she laughs. Douglas laughs, too. She’d glad he has a good sense of humor or this encounter, but she feels like she needs to step away now before she says too much or embarrasses herself to a point of no redemption.

  “Sorry, sorry,” she says. “I don’t think it’s that funny. Sorry, I’m being weird. You probably need to get back to work. I’m going to get your coffee,” stammers Ellen. She begins to make a beeline to the counter to prepare his coffee. But, as she walks away, he calls out after her.

  “Wait!” he calls out. Ellen’s uncertain about where this could be going. Maybe he just wants to add to his order...or maybe he wants to meet her in the bathroom to rip her clothes off. She shakes the thought away almost as soon as it occurs. This is not where her mind should be right now.

  “Yes? Did you want to order something else?” she asks, trying to sound casual.

  “No, I just. I guess I...wanted to pick your brain,” he says. She can feel herself start to sweat. What could she offer him? She considers herself of average intelligence and average looks. From the moment he walked in she decided he was out of her league. But, that shouldn’t stop her from engaging.

  “Pick away!” says Ellen enthusiastically. She’s excited just to have his attention, even if all they will ever have is this moment in the coffee shop together. Maybe that’s for the best, or maybe Ellen’s getting ahead of herself.

  “Well, what jobs do you think I should apply for?” Douglas asks her. She likes the idea of him asking her for help. But at the same time, what help can she be to this mystery man?

  “I don’t really know you or your skills,” says Ellen. She wonders if she was coming off as rude. She immediately adds, “but, there’s some really cool places in town that could always use extra help, if you need something to hold you over until you figure it all out.”

  “Oh? Like what?”

  “Well, a guy named Bruce owns this place. He also owns the bait and tackle shop around the corner, the hiking supply store up the block, and the bakery right next door.”

  Ellen wonders if her suggestions are laughable for an ex-cop. He probably wants to work security, or out on the field, not behind a counter or a cash register. But she wants to help the guy. It’s in her nature to help others if at all possible. So, she makes a bold move that she hopes doesn’t come off as overzealous.

  “Here,” says Ellen, passing Douglas a pen and a napkin. “Why don’t you write down your contact info and I’ll pass it to Bruce?”

  He murmurs something of a thank you, and then falls quiet for a moment.

  After a second or two, he follows up. “Do you think I could get your contact information? You know. Just for networking and such.”

  Ellen smiles. She isn’t sure what they’re about talking anymore. Is this truly professional, a neighbor helping out another member of the community, or is there something unexpected and exciting bubbling beneath the surface? She scribbles down her info and hurries off to get his coffee. She realizes she’s been beaming, but wonders if she’s getting too ahead of herself. After all, it’s probably best if this is nothing but a friendly interaction between strangers.

  Chapter 5

  Douglas is on an afternoon stroll, trying to get reacquainted with the small mountain town he is calling home. He’s spent so much time moping around after losing his job that he almost started to forget what the sunlight felt like on his face. He looks up at the sign for the bakery, Peak Point Pastries. Could Douglas, an ex-cop, settle down to work somewhere like a bakery? He is no baker, that he is certain about. What he really wants is to be out in the action, gathering evidence, and chasing down the bad guys. He doesn’t mind the other components too, like paperwork, documentation, chattering about at the precinct. He thrives on the culture. Police work felt like the only way he could ever channel his beast.

  As the late afternoon light shines, Douglas remembers his first day at the police academy, and the pride he felt just a few years ago when his career was just beginning. Douglas wishes he could go back in time to tell his hopeful younger self that it’s not worth it. Douglas wants to warn him that his inner beast will haunt him like a dark shadow, making it hard to love anything at all without risk. Douglas has lost so much, and wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

  Then, his moody inner monologue is interrupted by an eager tap on his shoulder. He snaps back into reality and whips his head around to be greeted by the beautiful redhead from the coffee shop.

  “Ellen,” he says. “I didn’t see you, were you standing here long?”

  “No, not really,” she says. Her beautiful light green eyes meet his. The look on her face is as warm as the late afternoon sun beating down on them.

  What would she want? They already exchanged numbers. Douglas feels nervous and excited, like the feeling of passing a high school crush in the hallway between classes. He doesn’t normally get so giddy around women. Then again, he can’t remember the last time he’s met a woman as breathtakingly gorgeous as Ellen.

  “Here,” she says, handing him a bundled up white cord. “You forgot this.”

  “Of course,” says Douglas. “My laptop charger.”

  “Yeah, I was hoping you’d circle back around this way so I could catch you and give it back,” she says, calm and cool. Douglas wonders why he’s acting like such a nervous schoolboy around her when she seems effortlessly comfortable and put-together. He can’t even remember not to leave his laptop charger at the coffee shop.

  “Thanks,” Douglas says. “We have to stop meeting like this,” he adds. Meeting like this? Good move, Douglas thinks immediately. But Ellen laughs. Maybe it’s a nervous laugh, or she’s uncomfortable, and is trying to plan an exit strategy. Perhaps all she wanted was to drop the charger and run.

  “Yeah, I guess we do,” she says smiling. Douglas allows himself to take a deep br
eath. “Do you want to go for a walk? I’m on a break,” says Ellen.

  “There’s nothing I want more,” Douglas says. She giggles.

  “Great,” says Ellen.

  They begin to walk away from the cafe, meandering slowly and aimlessly.

  “I know a spot,” says Douglas. “Follow me!” Douglas reaches a hand out, but Ellen shies away. This is the first time during their interactions that Douglas feels a nervous energy from Ellen. She seems to sense it, too.

  “Sorry,” says Ellen. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be weird. It’s not you. It’s me. Is that line overused?”

  “Am I misreading something here?” Douglas asks=earnestly. The last thing he wants to do is make Ellen, who is still basically a stranger, uncomfortable. Douglas was face to face with the dangers that threaten women on a daily basis when he was on the force. He hopes he didn’t blow it completely.

  Ellen’s face turns bright red as she tries to find the right words to answer his question. What is she doing here? Why is she out here flirting with men on her first day back at work? She’s supposed to be healing the damage a man caused her, not getting involved in a whole new romantic situation. But she can’t help herself. There’s something almost cosmic that was pulling her to Douglas, as much as she wishes she could resist.

  “No, you’re not,” says Ellen. She decides that honesty would be her smartest move. She’s been hurt by so many lies in her past. As she said to herself earlier, she has to stop repeating the same mistakes. If I am going to make mistakes, they will be brand new ones, she thinks

  “I recently got out of a really bad relationship,” Ellen confesses. She holds her breath, waiting for him to make his escape. She’s essentially waving red flags, so she wouldn’t blame him from running.

  “I understand,” says Douglas. Those were two words she did not expect to come out of his mouth.

  “Really?” asks Ellen incredulously. She follows up with, “I mean, thank you.”

  “Yeah, really,” says Douglas. Ellen’s paranoia tells her that he’s insincere, and that he’s playing her for a fool. But there’s another instinct somewhere deep down telling her that he’s a genuine guy. She has learned to doubt her instincts, though, being that she thought she could trust them with her ex and she was terribly mistaken.

  “Well, thanks,” is Ellen can muster up.

  “You can tell me, if you want,” says Douglas.

  “I don’t want to bombard you with all that,” says Ellen.

  “You could never bombard me,” he answers, and flashes her a big smile, revealing his white teeth that are so perfect Ellen wonders for a second if they’re fake. Her heart skips a beat, a reaction to his flirtation. It’s been so long since she engaged in conversation with a guy that isn’t Chris. She twirls her hair, a nervous habit she’s had as long as she can remember.

  “Okay, so,” Ellen begins hesitantly. “His name is Mitch. We were dating for two years. We met in college but didn’t get together until a while after that. I ended up living here with my college friend, Chris, and sure enough Mitch moved to this town and we started dating. We lived together for a little, and that’s when things started to get bad. He was so jealous. I mean, he had always been jealous. I thought it was normal...I thought it was love,” Ellen says. She pauses to make sure that Douglas hadn’t lost interest, but he’s invested in her story. She didn’t realize they had been walking for a while and were now in a more isolated area of town.

  Without words, Douglas leads her off the sidewalk down onto a green patch. In the distance is a small stream and a bench, a perfect place for a couple to snuggle in privacy. Ellen’s anxiety kicks in yet again. Is it smart to go somewhere isolated with a stranger, even a stranger she feels weirdly connected with?

  “I know it’s kind of isolated, but it’s such a beautiful spot. We definitely don’t have to stay, though, if you’re not comfortable. I’m sorry, I guess I wasn’t really thinking and-” he begins, but Ellen cuts him off.

  “It’s okay. We’re okay,” she says. She leads the way to sit on the bench first and pats the seat next to her, motioning for him to join.

  “Go on, then,” urges Douglas. “I want to know.” Ellen smiles.

  “Well, basically, he became possessive. Controlling. He would look through my phone. Once, I came home from work and he was waiting for me with all these printouts of texts between Chris and I. Chris, who he knows is a really close friend. He’s like a brother to me, really,” says Ellen. “Anyway, he felt threatened by any guy, no matter what. He started telling me I’d never be able to hang out with friends again.”

  “What a scumbag.”

  “He played with my mind. When I told him I wanted out, he told me he’d kill himself. He told me he’d kill himself and it would be my fault. He said that if I loved him at all, I’d stay.” Ellen pauses, making sure she isn’t boring Douglas. When she notices he his fully fixated on her, she feels a little jolt of excitement. She continues her story.

  “So I stayed. And he starts to be even more aggressive with me, making more threats. He said if I left the house without him, he’d find me and he wouldn’t be happy. Then, I’d tell him I was leaving. Repeat cycle, but only more aggressive.” Ellen realizes she can’t remember the last time she told the story in full. As painful as the memories are to relive, she feels a little relief. There’s definitely a cathartic effect to spilling out her guts, especially to someone who only knows her and can’t have preconceived notions about her situation. She controls the narrative. She gets to own her truth.

  “I can’t imagine,” says Douglas.

  “It got to a point where he hit me one day. It barely left a mark, but that was it for me. No more threats. I couldn’t wait around for the day he did something worse. I was suffocating and was terrified,” says Ellen. “After we broke up, he told me he had been sleeping around. He was sleeping around the whole time, while accusing me of cheating on him. I hate him. He made me feel so stupid.”

  She stops talking to take a moment to reflect. Looking out at the stream gently flowing, she doesn’t feel angry. She feels calm... a deep, real calm that she hasn’t felt in ages. She can feel Douglas’s eyes on her, but they don’t feel scary or judgemental. They feel safe. She looks back at him with a huge smile. He seems to be caught off guard by her change of mood.

  “So,” she asks. “What’s your deal?”

  “I mean, nothing really. Just some stuff in the past, I suppose, but nothing I really think about very much,” Douglas says. Ellen presses him further.

  “Well, why aren’t you a cop anymore?” Ellen asks.

  “It’s really complicated,” says Douglas.

  “Complicated is kind of my whole thing.”

  “I just. It’s nothing. It wasn’t a good fit,” he says. Is he lying to her, or is Ellen just paranoid? She just can’t get involved with another man who has something to hide. Then, her phone alarm goes off signaling her break is over.

  “I’ve got to walk back to work now,” says Ellen. “It was really great talking to you. Maybe we can do it again sometime.”

  “I agree. I’d like that,” says Douglas. “Do you want me to walk you back to work?” Douglas begins to say, but Ellen is swiftly making moves back to the sidewalk towards town.

  “Call me,” she shouts back at him. “You have my number.”

  Douglas smiles as her red head of hair becomes a blur in the distance.

  Chapter 6

  “So, what does she look like? Tell us literally everything,” says Avery. She and Mikayla are in the kitchen with Douglas sipping on tall glasses of lemonade.

  “You know, really beautiful. Long red hair,” says Douglas. “That whole thing.”

  “Don’t act so nonchalant, Douglas!” Mikayla exclaims. “This is exciting.”

  “Seriously, the first time you leave the house in weeks and you meet a girl?” Avery says. “Unreal.”

  “The Collins men can’t help but charm women wherever they go, apparently,” Mikayla
says.

  “Speaking of the Collins men, I should probably go out back and help with whatever new project they are working on,” Douglas starts to make his escape from the ladies. He loves them like sisters, but they can be really overbearing, especially when it comes to pressing him for details about his personal life.

  “Not so fast, buddy,” says Mikayla. “How did you leave things with her?”

  “Good, I think? I’m pretty sure. She said to call her. But I don’t know if she was just being polite.”

  “That’s not something women say to be polite,” explains Avery. “You need to call her.”

  “It’s been one full day. Aren’t there like, rules or something about that?”

  “Jeez, Douglas, what year is this? Those ‘waiting periods’ are nonsense. If you want a chance with someone, you take every opportunity to go for it,” says Mikayla.

  “It’s true,” says Avery. “Before I met Blake, I dated a lot of guys who would say they were interested. Then days and days go by and they don’t reach out. If they were trying to play it cool, I wouldn’t know. I took it as them not being interested.”

  “Yeah, I could see that,” agrees Douglas.

  “So call her!” squeals Mikayla.

  “Do you really think I should even be dating? First, everyone’s all ‘Douglas get a job’ and now everyone’s like ‘Hey Douglas get a girlfriend’, my head is spinning,” he says.

  “We only want what’s best for you. Don’t you want a normal life?” asks Avery.

  “I can never have a normal life,” Doug snaps. “What don’t you get about that?”