by Jules Tyler
Jesse started laughing as Danny walked away from their table, “Well he was just a tad bit eccentric, now wasn’t he?”
Liz buried her face in her hands from the embarrassment, “I hate having that much attention on me at one time. I like going to restaurants and ordering off of those little kiosk things at the table so I can avoid as much interaction with the waitstaff as possible. They’re just so nosy, and it makes me feel all awkward.”
“I don’t know why. You’re a sexy woman with curves and legs for days. Not to mention the beautiful blue eyes you have or the way that your hair frames your face when you actually wear it down. You should enjoy the attention. People are drawn to you, Liz. Embrace it,” Jesse said thoughtfully as Danny the Waiter set their wine glasses down in front of them.
“Enjoy, you two,” Danny winked at them before quickly shuffling back to the bar to grab drinks for his next table.
“I just don’t like it when people stare. In high school, I was pretty much invisible. People would run into me, and I was always the one to apologize. I got used to being able to blend in, I guess,” Liz said as she reached out for her wine glass and took a sip.
“Teenagers are stupid. They obviously didn’t realize how great you are,” Jesse stated matter of factly, raising his glass to his lips but never breaking eye contact with her.
“Obviously, because who wouldn’t want to get with all of this?” Liz snarked, gesturing to her curves. She wasn’t ashamed of her body, as she had grown to love the way she looked a long time ago. It wasn’t her problem if guys didn’t want a lady with a little extra. She liked to eat and she loved to cook. They just were shallow assholes as far as she was concerned.
“I mean, I want to get with all of that,” Jesse said boldly, causing Liz to turn five different shades of red.
“You don’t even know me. I could be a serial killer,” Liz pointed out, taking a rather large gulp of her glass of wine.
“I highly doubt it. Besides, I know enough to know that I like what I see. I’m a picky man, Elizabeth. I’m not going to waste my time charming women that I don’t plan on seeing again. I think you’re gorgeous and would be lucky to know you. You just have to be willing to let me in,” Jesse countered.
Damn, he’s almost too perfect.
“Letting you in means I can get hurt,” Liz whispered, just quietly enough that if Jesse hadn’t been paying attention, he could’ve missed what she was saying.
“You’re right, beautiful, you could get hurt. But if you’re constantly living in fear of getting hurt, you’ll never get to be happy. The only thing that keeps us away from what we want most in life is ourselves. So the question is, are you ready to go out there and take what you want? Or are you going to keep making excuses to yourself about why you can’t?” Jesse asked before taking another sip of his wine.
Liz considered his words for a moment. Was she really the only thing that was standing in between herself and happiness? No, the anxiety that plagued her mind was. She was treading water right now, sure, but she was just waiting for the next tidal wave of emotions to swallow her up.
“It’s not that simple, Jesse. There are things about me that you don’t understand,” Liz argued.
Jesse reached across the table and brushed his thumb over her hand that was resting on her wine glass stem. “Then help me understand. The Fates bring people into your life for a reason. It’s your choice who you let in and who you push away. Maybe they brought me to you so you can have someone to help you be stronger.”
Blinking slowly at Jesse, Liz tried to process what he was saying. She hadn’t thought about it like that way before.
“Convince me,” Liz said softly.
“Convince you of what?” Jesse asked, a look of confusion ghosting across his face.
“Convince me that this is the Fates or destiny or whatever you want to call it. Convince me that you want to help me be better,” Liz dared him, worrying her lip nervously between her teeth.
Jesse smiled at her as though he was going to say something before Danny the Waiter swooped in with two giant plates of food.
“Your food is served. Please let me know if I can get anything else for you,” Danny said, setting the food down in front of them on the table.
“We’ll come back to this. For now, let’s enjoy this food while it’s hot,” Jesse suggested as he picked up his silverware and started tucking into his food.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Liz said following his lead.
The rest of their meal was filled with more wine and small talk. Liz was truly beginning to enjoy herself. Jesse was easy to talk to, and she loved hearing about his travels. Once all of their food was gone, Jesse motioned for the check and quickly handed Danny the Waiter a small wad of cash.
“Keep the change, Danny, and thank the chef for the meal, please,” Jesse said as he stood and pulled Liz to her feet.
“Yes, sir,” Danny saluted, watching the two of them walk out the door together.
“So what’s next on the agenda?” Liz inquired as Jesse guided her out the door and onto the sidewalk outside.
Jesse wrapped her hand in his as they walked around the corner. “I’m taking you to the candy store first. Then after we’ve picked up as many sweets as your heart can desire, we’ll go for a little stroll on the lake, if that’s alright.”
“That sounds nice,” Liz agreed, coming to a stop alongside Jesse so they could enter the little candy store.
Walking inside, Liz stopped and closed her eyes, inhaling slowly so she could enjoy all of the sweet fragrances that were spinning around in the room. “Oh my God, it smells delicious in here.”
“Open your eyes and see what they have in the display case, beautiful,” Jesse suggested, nudging her forward.
Everything after that was kind of a blur until they walked out twenty minutes later with a giant paper bag filled to the brim with three different kinds of fudge, two caramel apples, and a whole slew of miscellaneous hand dipped chocolates. They walked back to the truck together to tuck their treasures inside, and then Jesse led her down towards the docks.
As they drew closer, Liz could see the stars and moon reflecting off of the lake, clearer than she’d ever seen the night sky before. “It’s so… Beautiful. You don’t get to see stars like this in the city.”
“I know. That’s why I wanted to bring you down here. Come on, I’ll walk you down to one of the docks so you can lay down and look at the stars. Maybe you can teach me a few of the constellations,” Jesse suggested, giving her arm a gentle tug in the direction of the docks.
Walking on to the edge of the dock, they laid down together on their backs and looked up at the sky. Companionable silence passed between them as they pointed at different clusters of stars in the sky that they wanted the other to see. After a while, Liz sat up excitedly and pointed in the direction of one of the mountain tops on the other side of the lake.
“Did you see that, Jesse? It was a shooting star! Did you make a wish?”
Jesse sat up and smiled at her excitement. “I did, but what about you?”
Liz nodded before looking at him sheepishly. “I did.”
“What did you wish for?” Jesse asked, brushing a loose lock of curls behind her ear.
“I wished that this night wouldn’t end. I like how things are right now between us. This is the most alive I’ve felt in a really long time and I don’t want that to end,” Liz said somberly.
“Then don’t let it end. Let’s keep that feeling going,” Jesse suggested hopefully.
“What did you wish for?” Liz asked, leaning back on her elbows to look back up at the sky.
“That you’ll give this thing between you and me a shot,” Jesse said.
Sitting up, Liz scooted closer to Jesse and pressed her lips to his, taking advantage of the power that the moment was giving her. This kiss was different than their first kiss. This one was gentle, tender almost. It was the kind of kiss that you hope your first kiss with someone wou
ld be when you feel like their heart is touching yours.
Leaning away from their embrace, Liz looked into Jesse’s eyes and saw the silver fade from his eyes again. Smiling at him, she whispered, “Okay, you win. I’ll give this a shot.”
“Thank you,” Jesse murmured before leaning in to kiss her again.
Chapter Twelve
Jesse sat in a chair on the porch of his cabin, watching the light in Liz’s cabin as he repeated the events of the night in his head. It was a really good first date, and his bear was a little more content knowing that Liz was willing to give him a shot. Sure, there was still a few pesky details to work out, like how he was going to tell her that he had a gigantic grizzly tucked inside of him or how they were intended mates. He’d have to make sure to sit down with Brady and see if he had any tips on how to explain everything to her without scaring her off. Stella obviously handled the news well since she was still around well after her crazy ex had snatched her and Mama Ally a few months ago.
Hearing the door to Landon’s cabin open and close followed by two sets of footsteps, Jesse shook his head to himself. He knew better than to think that the guys would leave him alone tonight about how the date went. He waited for them to settle into their spots on the porch before speaking.
“It went well, in case that’s what you’re coming over here to talk about,” Jesse stated, still keeping his eyes on Liz’s cabin. This had become a nightly routine since she had arrived. He sat and watched the light in her cabin until she turned it off and went to sleep. It soothed his bear knowing that he could stand guard over her, even if he didn’t need to.
“That’s great, Jess,” Landon said, leaning back against one of the log pillars and looking up at the moon. The man had never been much for many words.
“So, is she a good kisser?” Tyson wagged his eyebrows at him, letting his tongue hang out of the side of his mouth as though he was panting like a dog.
“That’s none of your business, you pervy dog,” Jesse said sarcastically.
“Hey, if she’s going to be a part of our little crew, I think we have a right to know a few of the minor details,” Tyson winked at him.
Landon turned and looked at Tyson with a hard glare, “You leave him alone. If he wants to keep those details private between his mate and himself, that’s his deal.”
“I’m just making sure he doesn’t freeze up. Jesse deserves happiness as much as the rest of us do, but if he pusses out, he’ll never win her heart. A woman needs a strong, firm hand to show them what they want,” Tyson tried to defend himself, but it was apparent that he was digging himself a bigger hole.
“When did you become the expert on women, Tyson?” Jesse deadpanned. “Because I’m pretty sure if you tried telling Stella that she needed to be shown what she wants, Stella would sicc Brady on you or come after you herself. I hope when the time comes, you find someone that’s so strong willed that you’ll be falling all over yourself trying to impress her.”
“Hey now, I think that’s a little uncalled for,” Tyson complained at him.
“Well if you’re as smooth with the ladies as you think you are, it won’t be such a problem, now will it?” Jesse teased, finally letting his eyes drift to his friend after Liz turned out the light in her cabin.
“Whatever, man. All I wanted to know is if you kissed her yet and then you two ganged up on me. This shit isn’t fair anymore,” Tyson sulked, folding his arms and glaring at the both of them.
“If you must know, yes, we kissed. Several times. Let it be known that Jesse Matthews does not choke when it comes to making a move,” Jesse laughed.
Landon looked over at Jesse with bright blue glowing eyes, “Have you told her what you are yet?”
Landon had had some trouble with his own animal in recent months. Jesse had a feeling that it had something to do with his mate, but considering he never said anything about it, he didn’t ask. If Landon wanted to talk about something, he would come forward with it. As far as Jesse knew, neither of the guys had an inkling of an idea who their mates were, but that was the only thing that could explain to Jesse why Landon’s animal was always so close to the surface.
“I haven’t yet, but I’m going to. It’s not fair to her for me to keep this secret for long. I want to get to know her first and then once I feel like we’ve established some trust between the two of us, I’ll tell her. I’m still not sure how I’m going to tell her yet though,” Jesse explained.
Brady’s voice came from the shadows on the side of the house. He must’ve just gotten back from his usual nightly patrol around the camp border. “Just don’t shift unexpectedly trying to save her from a cougar, and you’ll be in good shape.”
Jesse and Tyson burst out laughing at Brady’s remark before Jesse asked, “Are you serious? That’s how Stella found out that you were the fuzzy snowball that you are?”
Brady frowned. “Unfortunately. She didn’t talk to me for a good couple of weeks after that. Given her past with that jackass Alaric, I can’t say that I was surprised by her reaction. I felt like such a tool after that.”
“Poor Stella,” Landon remarked.
“Yeah, poor Stella is right. She had finally opened up and told me about him, and instead of confiding my secret with her right then in there, I decided to wait. I thought I was just trying to protect her by waiting, but looking back, I think I was just protecting myself,” Brady recalled, sitting down in the extra chair adjacent to Jesse.
“So how would you suggest I tell her without scaring her off?” Jesse asked, genuinely hoping Brady had the answer.
“That’s a really good question, but honestly? I don’t know if there is a way to go about telling a human mate what you are and what they are to you. If I were you, I’d talk to Stella and Mama to see what they would suggest. Especially Stella. Given her experience, she might have the best ideas to ensure a positive delivery of your information,” Brady said wisely.
“Not a bad idea, boss,” Jesse said before growing quiet.
The guys sat like that for a while in silence, just enjoying each other’s company together before Brady finally spoke up, “Alright assholes, I’m off to please my mate and get some sleep. Y’all should probably get some sleep. We’ve got a lot of prep work on those campsites before the weekenders start showing up around here tomorrow night. We’re opening up the restaurant too. Stella has been marketing all over social media for the last couple of days. Fates help me, I never should have brought WiFi into the lodge for her.”
“Ha, good luck with that one, man. Have a good night,” Jesse called after him. “I think I’m gonna hit the hay too, boys. I’ll see ya in the morning.”
“Good night,” the guys called in unison as Jesse walked into the cabin and closed the door.
Telling Liz about his world was definitely going to take a level of finesse that he didn’t possess. Brady was right; he needed to talk to Stella and Mama about how to handle all of this. But that would have to wait. For now, he just needed to get some sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
Liz sat across from Stella and Mama Ally at the table in the restaurant, going over menu details for opening night at the restaurant that night, when Stella finally asked the question Liz knew she had been dying to ask all morning, “So how did things go with Jesse last night?”
“They went… Well,” Liz said slowly, trying to figure out how to describe their date. It had gone more than well in her eyes. She had actually genuinely enjoyed their time together but she didn’t want to make it out to be a big deal.
“Just well? Did he make you uncomfortable? So help me God, if he made you feel uncomfortable or was inappropriate with you, I will skin him alive,” Stella ranted defensively.
Liz smiled at the protectiveness of her boss. They had become decent friends over the past few days, and Liz had a sneaking suspicion that they’d be close friends by the end of summer at this rate.
“No, Stella, everything went fine. I don’t know, it was just… I don’t know,”
Liz shrugged shyly.
“Oh come on, give us at least one juicy detail. I’m not getting any younger. I have to live vicariously through you girls!” Mama exclaimed.
Liz giggled, “Alright, but if I tell you about last night, do you promise not to overthink any of this? It’s all really new, and I don’t want to go rushing into something too fast. I want to take my time getting to know Jesse and see where things go. I don’t want to put too much pressure on this and have it go to shit.”
“Oh pish,” Mama waved her hand dramatically. “Fine, we promise.”
Feeling like that was enough to justify sharing the details, Liz divulged every last detail from the night before. From the wildflowers that were still sitting in the glass on her countertop to the steamy good night kiss he had given her when he dropped her off at home, she gave them everything. When Liz finished recounting the evening, Stella looked as though she was going to burst with excitement.
