“It’s rare, but I figured I owed you after yesterday. Sorry I was so busy.”
“Where did you go? You weren’t even home.”
Kelly knew exactly where Paige was, so Paige gave her the story she’d already rehearsed so that she would play right into Paige’s inquisition without getting caught in a lie. “I went to interview Wyatt Arthur at his home. He had a free morning, so he squeezed me in. It was so early I didn’t want to bother you.”
Kelly’s gaze was narrowed as she studied Paige, who prayed the story was believable. There weren’t really any holes in it, but somehow she got the feeling Kelly was the kind of person who ferreted out shit a mile away. So, basically, a reporter.
She schooled her face, however. “Did you find out anything interesting?”
Paige padded across the room to grab her keys and stuffed them in her pocket. “I did. It’s not hard to see how this research is going to go. The people living in Silvertip come by their longevity honestly. I mean, they live at the perfect altitude. They eat healthy. They drink natural spring water. And they hike. A lot. Like all the time. It’s not hard to imagine they’re healthier and live longer.”
“They’re also gigantic,” Kelly pointed out. “I mean, nearly all the men I’ve seen in town in the last few days have been over six feet. How’s that possible?”
It was almost as if Kelly had been sent to Silvertip to question everything Paige researched in order to debunk her work later. Paige cringed inwardly. She shrugged for Kelly’s view. “I guess clean, healthy living helps children grow and thrive.”
“Or beer.” Kelly’s eyes got wider. “There are two breweries in town. Have you noticed that nearly everyone who works for those breweries is huge? I mean huge.” She lifted a hand in the air to indicate height. “Maybe their beer does something to people. And maybe they let their kids drink beer.” She was so excited it was almost contagious. Almost.
Paige actually managed to smile at Kelly for a change. “Shall we go?”
“Where are we starting today?”
“I thought we might start at the grocery store in town. The manager we spoke to the other day seemed to think my study was fascinating. He said I could set up a table near the entrance and interview people as they come in or leave. I have a questionnaire.” Paige held up a giant pile of papers as she stuffed them in her backpack.
Kelly looked a little deflated. “Oh. Okay.”
Weird reaction. After all, Kelly had done nothing but hound the hell out of Paige about working on this project night and day. What did the woman think Paige’s research would entail? She needed to collect all this data by the end of the summer. As long as Kelly felt the need to stick to Paige like glue, Paige might as well hit the ground running. If Kelly found it boring, all the better. Paige didn’t care for the woman hanging around her at all.
The reality was simple. It wouldn’t take the entire summer to grab the data she needed from both the human population and the shifters. The town wasn’t that large. And her professor never indicated he cared one way or the other how long it took her. She’d simply been assigned to do the project. Period. So, why the hell was Paige feeling the need to act overly professional in front of Kelly?
This new development was heartening and gave Paige an idea. Perhaps if she bored the hell out of Kelly by doing the grunt work for hours every day, Kelly would back off and stop showing up every morning. Not a bad plan.
They walked to the grocery store. This also irritated Kelly. Another point in Paige’s favor. It was only a few blocks from the apartment to the center of town, and then a few more blocks to the largest grocery store. Paige was used to walking distances that short. She did it all the time at U of C. But if it annoyed Kelly, even better.
Three hours later, Kelly was no longer chipper. In fact, she was grumbling about being hungry and bored. Paige was hoping to shake the woman at lunchtime and go find Gavin, but Kelly didn’t show any indication she was planning to bolt, either.
On the plus side, Paige had gotten over a hundred people to fill out her questionnaire, which put a serious dent in her research. Granted, in the next few months, she intended to get nearly everyone in town, but she didn’t intend to visit shifters in their homes with Kelly on her heels.
“Are you sure this is the best way to collect data?” Kelly asked just after noon.
Paige frowned at her. “What do you mean? By paper or in the grocery store?”
“Either.” She pointed at the messy stack of pages. “I’d think you’d be more environmentally conscious than that. And it would seem you’d need to go door to door to get a good test group.” Kelly had taken her own notes during this process on her hand-held electronic tablet. She had also taken several pictures.
“Not sure what you mean. I never could have gotten this many questionnaires filled out in this short of time door to door. Everyone in town has to go to the grocery store at some point. And as for the use of paper, I weighed my options there too. People are more receptive to something tangible. They can easily see it’s only one page. Plus, several of them can fill one out at the same time. It would take ten years if I did everyone individually asking them the questions myself and recording them in a device.”
“I suppose.” Her shoulders fell. “Are you planning to do this all day?”
“Yes.” Especially if you’re planning to leave me alone soon. This could not have gone better.
“Mind if I go to lunch? And then I think I’ll spend the afternoon working on what I’ve got so far to start my story.”
“Sure. No problem. I’ll probably do this again tomorrow. Same time, same place?”
“Yeah. I’ll let you know.”
Paige smiled wide. “Sounds good.” Sounds like I won the lottery.
Fifteen minutes after Kelly left, Paige packed everything up also. She sent a quick text to Gavin.
You free? Lunch?
He responded immediately.
I could eat, as long as it’s just you.
He even added a winky emoji, making it clear he didn’t want to dine with Kelly.
I’m alone.
She added a smiley face.
The diner in town?
Meet you there.
Ten minutes later they were seated at a table sipping a glass of iced tea and waiting on their burgers and fries.
“How was Miss Sunshine today?” Gavin asked.
“Odd.”
“How so?”
“She was grumbly the entire time. I spent the morning at the grocery store having people fill out my survey, and she thought it was a horrible idea.”
“What in the hell did she think you were going to do to gather research?”
“I have no idea. It makes no sense.”
“If you ask me, the woman didn’t come here to tail you at all. I think she has another agenda.”
That thought made Paige cringe. It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered the possibility, but she had no idea what the woman wanted from her.
“What kind of creepy woman sneaks around spying on people from the edge of their properties?” Gavin took another drink of his tea and set the glass down.
“I figure she was pissed at me and thinks she can catch me not doing my internship properly so she can report me to the university.”
“And you don’t think that’s creepy?” Gavin straightened his spine, leaning forward. “Dale thinks she was taking pictures from across the backyard yesterday. Gave me the heebie-jeebies.”
Paige smiled. “So…Dale, huh?”
Gavin jerked back. “What?”
“He’s cute.”
Gavin shrugged. “This again? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“What? You don’t think he’s cute?”
“I didn’t say that. But just because he’s cute doesn’t mean I’m interested. Are you interested in all men who are sexy?”
“First of all, we both know I’m not interested in any men who are sexy. And second of all, I never said he was sexy. You did.” She pasted a smug sm
ile on her face.
Gavin rolled his eyes. “You’re interested in Wyatt,” he pointed out, lifting his brows.
“Don’t change the subject.” She pointed to his chest. “I noticed you have on your favorite silky, orange button-down and your best jeans. Are you seeing him later?”
Gavin glanced down at himself as if he wasn’t aware of his attire. He cocked his head. “We need to talk.”
“Yes, we do. I know I brought you here this summer to be my cover, but it’s not working for you.”
“It’s not working for me?” He cackled. “I’d say it’s not working for you.”
Paige sighed. He was right. She needed to face a bit of reality too. “You’re right, but I can make things work easily. You, on the other hand, need to stop pretending to be straight. And Silvertip is the perfect place to see how it feels. We’re two hours from home. No one will know you lived authentically for the summer. Why don’t you take the opportunity to try it out and see how it feels?”
She expected an argument, but instead, Gavin crossed his arms and leaned back in the booth, saying nothing.
In the silence, their food arrived, and the waitress disappeared as quickly as she’d slid the plates in front of them.
Paige continued, “Look, I did something I never expected to do in my life. I opened up to someone, told him my story, and he didn’t run. In fact, he held me tighter. He’s the nicest man I’ve ever met. It can’t be easy for him, and yet he’s going out of his way to help me face my past and move on.”
Gavin unfolded his arms and grabbed a fry.
She kept speaking. “Wyatt and I are going to give this thing a shot. I can’t promise I’m capable of being what he needs, or what anyone needs for that matter, but I have to try. And I think it’s the perfect opportunity for you to do the same.”
Gavin picked up his burger and bit into it, still not speaking.
Paige did the same, wondering if he was pissed or what he was thinking. They’d never had a conversation this frank before. They’d always enjoyed this mutually beneficial arrangement without pushing the issue. Not to say they hadn’t argued on occasion that one or the other should be doing things differently, but Paige, for one, had never been faced with the possibility of dating anyone. And Gavin, though he’d kept a few men in secret on the side from time to time, had never once been willing to make any changes to ensure they stuck around.
After a few bites, Gavin finally nodded. “I think it’s a good plan.”
She froze, widening her eyes. “You do?”
“For you, yes.”
Her shoulders fell. “What about you?”
He shrugged. “I’ll play the role of the jilted boyfriend,” he teased.
She groaned. “You can’t do that.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because it’s a lie, that’s why.”
“Look, it’s at least a step in a new direction. It means I get to spend the summer living somewhere where nobody knows me. If I don’t have an attachment, I’m free to do whatever I want. Let’s see how that plays out.”
The smile Paige felt all the way to her toes grew wider and wider. “So that just leaves one little detail that needs ironing out.”
Chapter Sixteen
Wyatt was alone in his office at the brewery when his phone buzzed with the call he’d been expecting for the last fifteen minutes. When someone put a call in to the Arcadian Council, they could expect a return promptly. He touched the screen to take the call. “This is Wyatt Arthur.”
“Wyatt. Lawrence here. I got your message.”
Wyatt rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes, hating the fact that he needed to speak this atrocity out loud. “I’ve met someone else who was molested by Antoine Tarben. Raped, actually. I thought you should know.”
Lawrence sighed. “I’m sorry to hear that. But you’re right. We do want to keep records of anyone who comes forward. Can you give me a name?”
“Paige Osborn. She’s…my mate. Well, not yet. But she will be.”
“Ah. Congratulations, and I’m sorry for her pain. Can you give me a few details? I’ll want to speak to her personally when she’s ready, but we can at least open a file now.”
“It was ten years ago while Antoine was a student in Calgary. She was fourteen.”
Lawrence inhaled sharply. After a moment, he spoke again. “Her parents are Stanton and Oleta Osborn, right? Professors at the University of Calgary?”
“Yes.”
He sighed. “So young.”
Wyatt swallowed the pain, fighting the bile that rose up in his throat.
“Is there anything else you think I need to know right now?”
“No. Except that few people know about this. Just me, you, and a close friend of hers. She never turned it in to anyone, nor did she tell her family.”
“Hate to hear that. Is she getting help?”
“She will when the time is right.”
“Okay. Call me if you think of anything else. I’ll wait awhile and give you a heads up before I contact her.”
“Thank you. Appreciate it.”
“Bye now.” Lawrence ended the call, leaving Wyatt staring at the phone taking deep breaths to control his emotions.
He didn’t know how much time went by, but he was still holding his cell when the screen lit up with a message from Paige.
Turns out I need a place to stay. Do you know anyone who needs a roommate?
He almost dropped the phone, fumbling it so badly that he wasn’t sure he’d even read her text correctly.
Finally, he managed to get his thumbs to cooperate enough to type back.
I’ll ask around. I’m sure someone has a spare bedroom. What happened?
God, he hoped she realized he was kidding.
Broke up with my boyfriend of two years. It would be awkward living with him for the summer.
Wyatt pushed back from his desk, shrugged into his jacket, and typed a return text on the way down the hall to his dad’s office.
Damn. I’m sorry. You must be pretty upset.
Was it weird to continue this strange farce?
Sigh. I’ll get over it. I’m more worried about my boyfriend. He needs the space to figure some things out.
Now that was serious. She wasn’t kidding anymore. He realized why she was moving out of the apartment so quickly. She could have continued to live with Gavin for as long as she wanted. Wyatt might have been jealous, but only of the other man’s time with her. Nothing sexual. No one in the shifter community would ever question her loyalty to Wyatt.
Gavin on the other hand was pretending to be straight. And he was human. Carrying on this charade that he was in a relationship with a woman was giving the entire world the wrong impression.
Of course, if Wyatt was reading things correctly and Gavin was interested in Dale, Dale wouldn’t have issue with Paige living with Gavin, either.
In the long run, however, Wyatt knew Dale well. They were in the same grade in school. Dale had never been in a closet. So, although he wouldn’t care if he had a boyfriend who lived with a woman, he would certainly care if his boyfriend was pretending to be in love with that woman in order to fool society.
None of this was any of Wyatt’s business, nor was it his priority at the moment. He grabbed the frame of his father’s office door and stuck his head inside. “Gotta go. Not coming back.”
Bernard chuckled. “Ever?”
Wyatt grinned. “We’ll see.” He could hear the continued laughter as he fled the building.
He sent a return text.
You need help packing or want to meet me at home?
He started to type “my place” and then changed it to “home.”
I don’t have that much. I’ll meet you at…home.
A chill raced down his spine, and he fumbled his car keys, dropping them on the ground next to his truck.
By the time he was seated inside, forcing himself to calm down and breathe, he knew he was grinning like a loon. He knew
he would eventually wear her down and get her to spend more and more time with him, but he honestly hadn’t expected her to pack up her shit and move into his house this quickly. Wyatt was pretty sure he needed to thank Dale Gerben for his role in this new development.
Thirty minutes later Wyatt was standing on his front porch, leaning against the column at the top of the steps when Paige pulled up in her hatchback. He forced himself to take the steps casually instead of jumping down from the porch and rushing to her side.
She looked a bit chagrined when she stepped out. “You sure this is okay?” She tipped her head back. “I convinced myself on the way over here that I’d overstepped my bounds and been too forward.”
He frowned, not touching her, but grabbing the car door to lean closer. “Paige, I told you this was your home. I would never have brought up the idea of you actually moving in with me so fast for fear you’d turn around and run, but I’ve never been so happy about anything in my life.” He hadn’t raced toward her, nor had he touched her, but he wasn’t about to make light of this situation verbally.
Her face softened, and her shoulders relaxed. “You’re sure?”
He shut her car door and met her gaze while he slowly set his hands on her shoulders, still careful to make sure she always saw him approaching and didn’t flinch. He realized it would happen sometimes, probably for the rest of her life, but he would prefer not to experience her cringing from him any more than necessary.
He backed her against the car and held her gaze. “You’re mine. You were mine three months ago and yesterday and tomorrow. I’ll move at any pace you need, but it won’t change the facts. So, yes. I want you here. I want you as close to me as possible as often as possible for the rest of my life. I nearly dropped my phone when I got your text.”
She lifted onto her tiptoes and gave him a quick lip touch. “I’m nervous,” she said as she lowered to her heels. “I didn’t plan on this happening, but I had lunch with Gavin, and I realized I was cramping his style more than he was mine. It just seemed logical.”
“Remind me to thank Gavin.”
“I’m not sure Gavin’s the one who needs thanking.”
“I already put Dale on my thank-you list.”
Grizzly Promise_A Werebear Shifter Romance Page 17
