Stonybrooke Shifters: The Complete Collection

by Leela Ash

  Ella gritted her teeth as a compulsory surge of concern for her son’s father washed over her. As much as she hated him, she still hoped that he was doing well and was still going to the meetings. Alcoholism had run in his family and he had been so consumed with it himself that he hadn’t even noticed it was a problem. He hadn’t even admitted to it until the court had told him that if he ever wanted joint custody of his son, he would have to straighten himself out. It was the most concern he had shown for himself or his son since Ella could remember. It had almost made her love him again. Just a little.

  But he was still a piece of garbage and they were both better off without him. She didn’t have to let herself feel for him anymore. She was free now, and the more thought she devoted to him, the harder things would be. All she should do in regard to him, at this point, was to cash the child support checks, get the alimony payments he’d agreed upon to keep her out of his hair, and try her best to learn to love the features she saw that reminded her of him in their son.

  Regardless, the time for her to be concerned about that man was over. He wasn’t worth her time anymore. She had to move on. Move forward. And that was exactly what she was going to do.

  With that in mind, Ella took a deep breath and stepped forward, determined that she would be able to sustain her family on her own. She had the potential to boost any business around here if they were willing to pay her for it, and she grabbed her portfolio from the trunk of her car. She would give as many presentations as she needed to give to make herself a name in Stonybrooke.

  ***

  Ella sank down onto the park bench after leaving her final interview. Her legs were aching. She had walked all over Stonybrooke and spoken with several different businesses. Some had simply given her a sheet of paper and told her to fill it out and they would get back to her, so she had. Others had wanted to see her right away to see what she might have to offer their businesses. It had been exciting, but also exhausting. She had two offers already for hire, but she wanted to have some time to think about them. Weigh the benefits, pros and cons, finances, hours available for her, everything she could take into consideration.

  Because the truth was that although she was determined to work hard and make a living for her family, she was also able to scrape by and wanted to spend as much time as possible with her baby. She really didn’t want to succumb to a job that would take her precious time away from Michael. He was still growing and developing. She wanted a career that would allow her the precious time she wanted to have with her son.

  The town square was a pretty long commute from the property she had bought. That was time she would have to spend away from her child. Maybe she could keep her options open and just continue looking in other areas. She didn’t have to settle on anything for now. Her money situation was tight, but it wasn’t abysmal. She was receiving support and she’d had a lot saved up before the move. As much as she could, anyway. And then, with the loan, she’d felt a sigh of relief when it came to those matters. But the banker had gotten her feeling anxious once again. She couldn’t just keep hoping that her money problems would work themselves out once she flipped the house and they found their way up the ladder somehow. She had to take the initiative.

  But still, maybe, for now, something closer to home would be ideal. She wouldn’t have to worry so much about the future if she was making steady progress. She would pick Michael up, go home, and think about all of her options before making any final decisions. She needed all the time she could get to take care of the house and her son. She couldn’t count on Luke to do it all for her…

  “Ella?”

  Ella was shocked by the sound of Luke’s voice, and a surge of hot energy electrified her. It was unexpected, and she looked up quickly to him. He was standing to her right, clutching a paper bag of groceries against his broad chest. He offered her a slight smile.

  “Luke! Hi!” Ella moved to stand quickly to greet him, but he held his arm out to stop her. She sank back in the bench, relieved. Her legs really need a break. She had been at it for hours, and had been working on the house beforehand. It was nice to have a break.

  “How are you, Ella?” Luke asked, gazing down at her. The way her name sounded rolling off of his tongue that way brought a warmth surging to her chest.

  “I’m good. How are you? Doing some shopping?”

  Luke briefly regarded his bag and a slight smile creased his lips. “Yeah. I get tired of eating out, so I thought I would try and do some cooking of my own. I’m afraid I’m not particularly good at it though.”

  “Oh, would you like some lessons?”

  The offer fell from her lips before she could hardly register it, and she nearly kicked herself for it. She was embarrassed, honestly, because it probably showed a secret interest to be closer to him. Something that she had been trying really, really hard to keep to herself.

  If Luke picked up on her unconscious reasonings, he didn’t let on. “You want to teach me how to cook?”

  He seemed pleased at the thought and Ella sighed, her face flushed hot. She couldn’t just take the offer back now, could she? It would be unforgivably rude. But maybe it would be one of those casual thoughts that went nowhere, sometimes they happened among friends and family members…

  “I know my way around a kitchen,” Ella admitted. “I’d be glad to give you some pointers. If you don’t mind learning.”

  Luke gave a nod, and, seeming to sense the slight note of reservation in her voice, said, “I will give that some thought. Thanks.”

  They fell quiet for a few moments and Ella couldn’t help but notice that, with Luke, there seemed to be no uncomfortable silences. She was a mom now, sometimes it meant that the silence was the most important thing she could strive for. And with this man, for whatever reason, it felt comfortable. Silence with her ex had usually meant trouble. Whether it was because they couldn’t seem to get along or simply that he had been drinking and was in a foul mood, leaving tensions incredibly high between them, she knew that it was not a good thing. He could explode at any given moment. It was as sensitive as hearing a pin drop. She couldn’t fathom what it must be like to have a relationship where she could be completely at ease with the man she was with.

  Somehow though, that didn’t seem so impossible to imagine with Luke standing there, his presence warm and comforting without him even having to make a sound.

  “Why don’t you sit down a few minutes with me?” she found herself asking. “Take a load off.”

  Luke shifted the bag of groceries he was holding and hesitated a moment before sitting. He offered her a handsome smile and she couldn’t help but notice, once again, just how painfully handsome he was. There was something so mysterious about those dark eyes of his. She was drawn to him in a way she had never been drawn to anyone before.

  “So, what are you doing out here?” Luke asked, shifting his bag to the bench beside himself and smiling over at Ella. “Where’s Michael?”

  “He’s still in the daycare. I will pick him up in a little while. But for now, I need a break.”

  “That answers my second question,” Luke said with a low chuckle. “Now how about the first?”

  “I am looking for a job,” Ella said with a sigh. “I guess it’s about time to find some work here, though I can’t stand the thought of spending so much time away from my son. He’s still growing, you know?”

  Luke nodded. “What kind of work are you hoping to get?” he asked. “Are you trained in any way?”

  “Actually, I majored in business,” Ella said. “I am really specialized in helping people get their startups up and running, but I am also good at PR and other things that help an already established business thrive. I’m hoping to find someone a bit closer to home though. I had a few hits here but the more I think about it, the harder it is for me to consider leaving Mikey alone for so long. I’m his only parent now. He shouldn’t be spending the majority of his developing years being raised by daycare aids….”

  She si
ghed, shaking her head and feeling stupid about blabbing her whole life’s story to this man. He was quiet, a good listener. That didn’t mean he had to hear every little facet of her life. “I’m sorry….”

  “What? Don’t apologize,” Luke said, his voice startled as if he were offended at the thought that she might think he was offended. “I think it’s really great that you have those skills and they are very valuable. I imagine there is a lot you can do from home in a field like that. Wouldn’t some of it be computer based? Maybe you can work something out with somebody who will let you do your job from home and only come into the office occasionally.”

  Ella blinked. She hadn’t even considered being able to do something like that. Her previous job had been good, and she had earned a lot of money at it, but it had all gone down the drain with an alcoholic husband who liked to dip into her savings account to spend money on his mistresses. He loved looking like a bigshot. Piece of shit.

  “Maybe they would, we hadn’t talked about anything like that during the interviews but maybe I can make it a condition of my contract.”

  Luke grinned. “There you go. And if all else fails, hey, I have a company. Maybe I can find something for you to do around the place. I do okay but it isn’t like business is booming.”

  “Do you want business to be booming?” Ella asked with a small smile. For some reason, Luke struck her as the kind of guy who would prefer something small and understated. Something word-of-mouth based, which is probably exactly what he had managed to build for himself now. He had enough business to be comfortable, she could tell that much, but the idea of a booming business seemed a little strange in comparison to the low-key energy he put out.

  Luke seemed to agree and laughed wryly. He shook his head. “No, I don’t imagine that a booming business would make me particularly happy, Though I suppose it would be nice to be a great success. It couldn’t hurt. Though I doubt something like that is even possible in this area, you know?”

  “What do you mean?” Ella asked, frowning deeply. “Of course, it’s possible. Why wouldn’t it be possible?”

  Luke shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not very popular around here, to be honest with you, and I don’t think anybody would feel particularly pleased in knowing that I was trying to be successful. They don’t like me much.”

  Ella was perplexed by this new bit of information. “Why wouldn’t they like you? Is it some weird small town thing? I hadn’t realized it could be so ostracizing. Maybe I made a mistake in coming here−”

  “No!” Luke said quickly. “You didn’t make a mistake. I’m really glad that you and Michael came here. It’s just…there are certain dynamics that make this a little bit difficult. You know?”

  Ella could honestly say that no, she didn’t know. What the hell was Luke talking about? “Were you a troublemaker?” she asked, raising her brow thoughtfully.

  “More like a rabble rouser,” Luke said with a small scoff. “They didn’t really appreciate it and I suppose I can’t blame them too much. They didn’t believe in my observations, so we parted ways. It’s a little bit personal, so I would rather not talk too much about it, if you don’t mind. I doubt it would be easy to understand all of the nuances in a situation like this.”

  Ella was slightly offended, but she supposed she shouldn’t take it too personally. He was a man, after all. And a stoic one at that. Far less likely to open his heart up to a complete stranger and hope that she would be able to connect with him on that basis alone.

  “Well, you never know what I will understand unless you actually try to talk to me about things, but I understand your point,” Ella said, trying not to let on to the fact that his mistrust of her was painful. There was really no reason for him to trust her though and she was just going to have to accept that, no matter how much it might hurt. “You know I won’t judge you for anything. Just. I want you to know that.”

  Luke looked up sharply at her, but the expression on his face was one of tortured gentleness. He seemed to want badly to be able to trust her, to be able to speak to her about the things he was feeling and experiencing in regard to his feelings of being an outcast in this place. She sighed, waiting for him to speak. But when he didn’t, she gave a slight nod and spoke for him.

  “Why do you think it’s a good thing for my son and me to live in a place that turned its back on you? We like you. A lot. I don’t want to fit in anywhere they would be willing to turn their noses up at someone for no good reason. Especially someone like….”

  She trailed off, realizing that she was dangerously close to babbling. There was no way he needed to hear about her ridiculous feelings. Especially the ones that were half-baked and that she herself wasn’t even sure of.

  “You smell really good.”

  Ella was startled by the statement, and when her eyes found Luke’s, she realized that he had probably not meant to say what he had.

  “Your ears are turning red,” she noted with a soft laugh. She extended a finger out to touch one lightly, surprised by how soft and warm they felt beneath her fingertip. “You’re embarrassed.”

  Luke’s jaw clenched, and he inhaled deeply, but he didn’t pull away from her touch. He simply sat there rigidly as Elle allowed her hand to fall back into her lap. She was surprised she had done it, but he had also been surprised by his statement, so she guessed they were even.

  Either way, she was pleased. It was nice to know that he felt some semblance of an attraction to her, even if it was just through scent. She paused, thinking back to the animalistic energy she often seemed to sense from him. The absurd thought suddenly occurred to her that if anybody in this town was going to be a wolf shifter for real, it would be someone like Luke.

  But that was silly. Everybody was saying how those were just rumors and it was simply a tourist town that used people’s fascination with the paranormal to capitalize off of and grow the place’s economy. How was she supposed to believe that there was any actual wolf shifters in the world? And how ridiculous was it to think, even just in jest, that this man sitting beside her was one of them.

  And yet, somehow, the thought brought a strange flutter to her heart. There was something raw and majestic about the way he carried himself. Yes, a wolf’s energy would encompass him quite well.

  “What are you thinking about?” Luke asked suddenly, his eyes dark and serious upon her. “You got very quiet and….”

  He trailed off as if reluctant to go on with his thought.

  “I….” Ella froze, unable to quite articulate the way the situation was making her feel. “It’s kind of crazy, right? About the wolf shifter stuff they talk about here.”

  A strange look fell over Luke’s face and he shifted away from her, scratching his head as he avoided her gaze. “What do you find so crazy about it?” he asked, clearly uncomfortable. “People believe what they want to believe.”

  “Yeah,” Ella said, laughing nervously. Something about the way his attitude changed had caused her to feel a little bit uncomfortable as well. But why? “Let them have their fun, I guess. At least it’s good for the town.”

  Another sharp look from Luke silenced her quickly and she sighed, glancing down at her hands. It seemed like there were a lot of eggshells to step over.

  “You know, there are a lot of things in this world that are difficult for us to understand. We don’t always know how things came to be what they are. Just that they can be difficult to fathom and problematic when we encounter them.”

  Ella was surprised by Luke’s words, and again, an image of him as a wolf shifter entered her mind. How incredibly strange this all was. What was she even thinking? The idea of wolf shifters existing, in general, was ridiculous, let alone letting herself wonder if Luke happened to be one. But his reaction certainly gave her pause. If he wasn’t a wolf shifter, then he might not be entirely convinced that they were a fictional breed. And for some reason, that gave her an odd feeling of hope.

  “You seem like a very openminded man,” Ella said quietl
y, hoping not to anger him.

  “I’m certainly more openminded than my counterparts. The men in my pac− well, the men that I used to hang around with seem to have very little respect for freedom of thought. They blindly followed the people who were in charge because they believed it was for the best for all of us if they did so. I understand their way of thinking and had been guilty of following a similar mindset in the past, but it seems to me there is no excuse for ignorance when your silence is hurting those around you. So, I was not silent, and the others did not receive my observations very well.”

  “So, you were just doing your best to be honest with them and it was a difficult situation for everybody involved. I’m sorry, I can’t imagine how difficult that must be. How were others being hurt?”

  Ella knew she was probably pushing her luck in hoping for details from this man, but what else could she do about it? She was curious. She wanted to know him. She really, really did, despite her reservations. There was just something about the way he made her feel that had her feeling good. For whatever reason. And didn’t she deserve to feel good? She had already gone through so much.

  But getting close to a man like this, she knew, could be less good. Why couldn’t she keep herself from wanting him?

  When Luke looked over at her again, she could tell that she had hit a nerve. She frowned slightly and reached a hesitant hand out to touch his shoulder in an effort to comfort him. “You don’t have to talk about it with me. It’s all right, I understand. I don’t want you to feel any pain or tell me more than you are comfortable with.”

  Luke smiled and let out a slight sigh. “I understand that you are just being curious. I like that you want to know more. But you know, it’s getting late. And I have groceries to put away at home. It will be a long walk at this point.”

  “You’re walking?” Ella exclaimed. “I can’t let you walk all that way. You have groceries. I have a car. No, you’re not walking.”