Fly Bear

by Scarlett Grove

  She saw herself reflected in the stainless-steel wall behind the grill. Her frizzy red hair was pulled back into a bun under her chef hat. She wore baggy pants over her curves and a chef jacket large enough to incorporate the swell of her breasts. Her face was blotched with freckles and her front teeth had a substantial gap between them.

  Darcy had always felt ugly, and she knew it wasn't just because she didn't wear makeup. Ever since her drunken foster mother had called her “a disgusting rat no one would ever want to love” she’d felt as if something was just wrong with her. Knowing it wasn’t rational didn't make any difference when it had been so ingrained for so long. Thinking of herself as ugly had just become a way of life, and she felt powerless to change it.

  Her shift wore on into the night and she and the crew shut down the kitchen after closing time.

  “Are you going to hang out for some shift beers after work tonight?” Tyler asked.

  Darcy bit her lip. Usually she would go home to her cat. It had always been her custom to play it safe. But when she hung out with the crew after work, it felt good to let her hair down a little and socialize.

  “Sure thing,” she said.

  She liked Tyler and thought he was cute. But she knew that he was much more interested in girls like Shelley. Everyone was more interested in girls like Shelley.

  “How did it go with those guys at that problem table?” Darcy asked the waitress as she was closing out her bills for the night.

  “They left me a five percent tip. Can you believe it? After all that. If I see them come in here again, I'm going to spit in their food.”

  Darcy laughed. “Don't let Hector hear you say that.”

  “Hector would do it for me. He hates guys like that.”

  It was true, their manager Hector was a great guy. Darcy looked up to him. He was fair with the employees and always ready with a helping hand or useful advice. She knew that he had a wife and three kids at home. And he always prioritized the other workers’ families. That was an uncommon trait in most service environments.

  After all the tills were closed up and Hector had done the books for the night, a group of employees were hanging out at the back table with their shift beers. Darcy joined them and noticed that Lilia Meadows, a beautiful flight attendant she had become good friends with, was sitting with them too. Darcy sat down with her glass of Chardonnay, which she preferred over beer, and greeted the crew.

  “I'm so glad you let me in, Tyler,” Lilia said. “I need to talk to you, Darcy.”

  “Any time,” Tyler said, lifting his beer bottle.

  Lilia turned to Darcy. “I just wanted to say hey before I fly out tonight and thank you again for what you did for me the other day.”

  “I told you it was no big deal,” Darcy said.

  “But it was a big deal to me,” Lilia said. “If you ever need anything, anything at all, just let me know and I will help you.”

  “There’s nothing I need.” Darcy smiled and sipped her wine.

  “If you ever want a good deal on a flight to Paris or Milan, I could help you with that.”

  “Ha. Maybe, someday. But I’m too busy for a trip like that right now. I’m good, Lilia. You don’t have to worry about paying me back for being a decent human being.”

  “Of course you would say that. That's what makes you so great, Darcy. Well, I just wanted to stop by and thank you again. I better get going.”

  “So soon?” Tyler asked.

  “My flight leaves in forty-five minutes, and I need to go get ready.”

  “We'll be here when you get back,” Darcy said.

  Lilia stood and gave Darcy a quick hug before turning to leave.

  “Don't forget I'm here for you anytime you need anything,” Lilia said over her shoulder.

  “I won't forget.”

  Tyler unlocked the door for her, and she disappeared down the concourse.

  “What was that all about?” Shelley asked as Tyler sat back down at the table.

  “It's personal,” Darcy said, wanting to protect Lilia's privacy.

  About a week ago, Darcy had found Lilia crying in the restaurant bathroom. She had been so distraught she could barely see straight. Darcy had locked the bathroom door and talked her through it. Lilia’s long-distance boyfriend had broken up with her by text, without any warning, right when she had been about to go visit him. She was completely distraught. She’d thought he was going to propose soon, and she’d move out to live with him.

  If Lilia hadn't gotten herself together, she would have missed her flight and risked her job. But Darcy sat with her right there on the bathroom floor and helped her work through her emotions. By the time they were done talking, Lilia was ready to go on her flight and well on her way to recovering from the breakup.

  It was something Darcy would have done for anyone in need. As a foster kid, she was no stranger to emotional turmoil. She felt like she had done what anyone would have. She accepted Lilia's gratitude, but she couldn't take anything in return for talking her through her emotions. She was happy to just be counted as Lilia’s friend. Having long-term friendships was still not something Darcy was totally used to, and she valued every single one of them.

  “I still can't believe those guys at table seven,” Shelley said, breaking Darcy out of her thoughts. “Where have all the good men gone?” Shelley sighed.

  “Maybe they're closer than you think,” Tyler said.

  “It depends on what you're looking for,” said Anita, one of the other waitresses.

  “Someone who is decent and kind and treats me like a lady,” Shelley said.

  “Have you ever heard of the shifter dating website Mate.com?” Anita asked.

  “A shifter dating site?” Shelley said.

  “You know shifters are gentlemen,” Anita said. “And they'll do anything for their fated mates. The trick is finding one. I've been a member of Mate.com for five years, and I still haven't been matched. I'm thinking I'm just not anybody's fated mate. But maybe you are.”

  “I never thought of that. I don't know how my parents would feel about it if I did find a shifter mate.”

  “Nobody has those old-fashioned attitudes anymore,” Anita said.

  “With everything happening with the hyenas nowadays, I wouldn't be so sure,” Shelley said.

  “Just because a couple of shifters are bad apples doesn't mean all of them are. From what I've heard from the women who’ve been matched with shifters, they couldn't be happier.”

  “I guess it's always a last resort,” Shelley said.

  “What about you, Darcy?” asked Anita. “Have you ever thought of joining Mate.com?”

  “Me? I don't date,” Darcy replied in a low voice.

  “Why not?” Anita asked. “Are you becoming a nun or something?”

  Shelley laughed and Tyler joined in.

  “I've been focused on my career since high school.”

  “You have the best career of any of us, Darcy, don't you think it's time to start thinking about your life?” Anita asked.

  “Maybe... I have been thinking that more and more lately. I just don't know how to get back in the game.” The truth was, she'd never been in the game at all.

  “If you're lucky, you can find yourself a hunky shifter to settle down with and treat you right. I sure wish I could.”

  “Well, I’ve got to get going,” Darcy said, taking her last sip of wine. “I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”

  She bid everyone good night and left the restaurant, heading out to her bright blue Mini Cooper to drive home. She had a sweet little one-bedroom apartment in a luxury complex not too far from the airport. It was the nicest place she had ever lived in, and she was still shocked that it belonged to her sometimes.

  When she walked through the door and kicked off her shoes, her cat, Mr. Whiskers, came bounding up to greet her. She bent down and gave him a nice long scratch under the chin before going to her fridge for a bottle of water. She proceeded to the living room to sit down an
d relax before going to bed. When she turned on the TV, an ad for Mate.com was the first thing she saw. She sighed and picked up her phone.

  They said shifters had fated mates. Maybe this was a sign from fate.

  She clicked over to the Mate.com app and installed it before making a profile and filling out the strange questionnaire. When she was done, she came to a screen that said her matches were loading.

  Having heard about Anita's experience, she wasn't expecting much. When the screen loaded, she was presented with a number of matches. By each picture was a percentage of how close to being a one hundred percent match they were. One hundred percent was a fated mate. She found the whole concept a little funny, but apparently shifters believed this whole thing worked. Who knew; maybe she could find a nice guy this way. She scrolled through the screen, past all the matches. Seventy-five percent, eighty percent, eighty-six percent, ninety-two percent.

  She was beginning to think that this had all been a waste of time when she came to the bottom of the screen and saw a one hundred percent match. When she looked at the man's profile picture, she nearly dropped her phone. He was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen in her entire life. He had movie star good looks and the body of an athlete. He had bright blue eyes that seemed to look directly into her soul.

  His profile name was ‘Fly Bear’, and apparently he was some kind of pilot. She thought of all the pilots she’d worked with over the years and how a lot of them acted. The guys at Shelley's problem table had been pilots. She knew a lot of them were entitled jerks. Of course, not all of them were, but enough that it had left her with a bad impression.

  But she couldn't help but be completely intrigued by Fly Bear. She clicked on his profile and read more. He loved barbecue and raced dirt bikes as a hobby. She gulped, looking at a picture of him topless holding a racing trophy. He would never find a woman like her attractive.

  A moment later, she got a text message from Fly Bear telling her he was happy and amazed that they'd been matched. He asked her why she hadn't added a picture or filled out her career information.

  Sweat trickled down her brow. She sent him a reply saying she hadn't gotten to it yet. She quickly snapped a selfie on her phone. When she looked at her tired eyes and frizzy red hair, she knew she couldn't upload a picture of herself.

  As if possessed, she uploaded a snapshot she’d taken of her and Lilia that evening. She cropped herself out, uploaded the image, and added that she was a flight attendant in her profile. A moment later, he sent her another text message telling her that she was beautiful, and he couldn't wait to meet her.

  Chapter 3

  Rider clicked send on another text message to Darcy. She was so sweet and funny and humble. The photo she'd uploaded on Mate.com was stunning. And he couldn't believe that he was matched with such an amazing woman.

  Every time they texted each other, his heart did a flip-flop. But even though her picture was gorgeous, something just didn't feel right when he looked at it. He told himself he was just excited about finding his mate, and that he was just dealing with whatever nerves and instincts came with a shifter finding his fated one. Darcy had to leave for work, so they'd ended their conversation.

  He sent a text to Max. “Did you ever feel funny when you saw the picture of Stephanie for the first time?”

  “Funny all over,” Max replied.

  Rider knew what that meant, and it wasn't the confirmation he'd been looking for. He loved the text conversations he had with Darcy. The funny things she said, the way she typed a random emoji at just the right moment. It all just seemed to connect. But when he looked at her photo, for some reason, it just didn't match. Not that she wasn't gorgeous — any man would be excited to be matched with a woman that beautiful. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't shake the strange feeling.

  After he turned off his text messages, a call came in from his commanding officer, Hawk Barlow.

  “What's up?” Rider asked, answering the phone.

  “We've got a job for you. Be at my place in fifteen minutes for debriefing.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Rider got off the phone and hurried out to the garage for his bike when he realized it wasn't there. He rolled his eyes and jumped in his Mustang, backing out of the garage.

  Hawk's house was only half a mile away, but he loved the sound of his engine as it rumbled down the street. He waved at his neighbors passing by. When he got to Hawk's house, Hawk was at the door to greet him.

  “Come on back,” Hawk said.

  Rider followed Hawk through his house to the living room, where he pressed a button on the wall and a secret door opened. They walked into the information center for the Justice Squad and took a seat at the table in front of a large computer monitor. On the screen already was a military general, and several other officers beside him.

  “Captain Rider Hendrix,” the general began immediately, “a decorated pilot serving two terms in the Air Force and Navy. You’ve been with the Justice Squad for the past five years, and we believe you are the perfect man for the job we are about to propose.”

  “I'm ready for anything,” Rider said.

  “This information doesn't leave this room,” the general said. “We've had several intelligence reports suggesting there might be a terror attack on the Denver airport in the near future. We need you to go undercover as a pilot and see what information you can find. You will be provided with additional information when you arrive by the local agencies on site. The job will involve posing as a commercial airline pilot. You will be supplied with all the necessary accommodations during your mission. We've supplied the necessary background information for a seamless transition into the role. Do you have any questions?”

  “No sir,” Rider said

  “We want to stress the gravity of this situation. Many lives are at stake.”

  “Understood. I won’t let you down,” Rider said, saluting the general when he stood.

  The screen went blank and Hawk nodded at Rider.

  “It could be dangerous. Are you sure you're up for it after the other night on the mountain?”

  “Of course I am. I'm always ready for action. But the incident on the mountain did get me thinking. I joined Mate.com just like everyone suggested. You’ll never believe what happened last night: I was matched with my mate.”

  “Already? You’re the luckiest shifter alive.”

  “Tell that to my dirt bike.”

  Hawk grumbled.

  “But seriously. I'm thrilled. She's sweet and funny and kind. But there's just one little thing that I can't understand.”

  “What’s that?”

  “When I look at her picture, it just doesn't feel right. Like it’s not her.”

  “That's just new mate jitters,” Hawk said.

  “Is that a thing? I've never heard of it.”

  “I'm sure everything will turn out just fine. You're a lucky man and you should be grateful. I've been waiting for my mate for years, and I still haven't found her.”

  “You're right. I've been trying to get it out of my head, but I just can't.”

  “Everything will sort itself out after you meet, I'm sure.”

  “Speaking of meeting, I believe she works in the Denver airport. Is that going to pose a problem with my mission?”

  “You should have told the general,” Hawk said.

  “Should we tell them now?”

  “You’ll be using a fake identity. You can’t tell her your real name, or let it interfere with your mission. Do you think you can do that?”

  “Of course,” Rider said. “You can count on me.”

  When Rider returned home, he began packing for the trip. His phone pinged with a new text message and he picked it up.

  “Sending you something sweet,” it said with a cupcake emoji.

  He smiled and texted back, “Sending it back,” with a lollipop emoji. She texted back three peppermint emojis and a kissy face. Somehow those silly little icons did something to him when they c
ame from her. He never would have thought that he, Rider Hendrix, would be affected by something so childish, but there he was, blushing at his phone at the sight of a cartoon kissy face.

  He sent a kissy face back and shoved his phone in his back pocket. He had to get his head in the game. He’d promised Hawk that he wouldn't let his mate distract him from his mission. Then he realized he should tell her that he would be coming to Denver.

  “I've been relocated to Denver. Want to meet up for lunch tomorrow?”

  There was a long pause and he stared at his phone without blinking for several moments. Then there was finally a reply.

  “Of course,” it read. He breathed a sigh of relief like he was some lovesick twelve-year-old.

  “Meet me at the steakhouse in the airport at noon.”

  “I'll be there.”

  He quickly packed the rest of his things and took them out to his car. Within a few minutes, he was on the road to Denver ready for his mission and his fate.

  Chapter 4

  Darcy stared at her phone, her mouth open and her eyes wide. She had just agreed to meet Fly Bear for lunch. There was no way she could meet him. She’d never thought it would happen when she uploaded those photographs. What had possessed her to agree to meet him? But she knew the answer: She really liked him. She liked everything about him. And not just that he was unbelievably attractive; he was so sweet and smart and attentive. She knew it was most likely because he thought she was Lilia.

  Even though Anita had said shifters loved their mates no matter what, Darcy didn't believe any man would give her as much attention as they would to a woman like Lilia. She turned off her phone and her reflection stared at her in the black screen. What was she going to do? She should text him and call it off. She should forget about it and pretend like it never happened. But her heart ached to meet him. Try as she might, she just couldn't disappoint him.

  A text pinged on her phone, and she looked at the screen. It was from Lilia. “Don't forget, anything you need.”