Chapter Nine
Auburn
We went out of town on our first date. There were many restaurants we could have gone to locally, but I preferred the idea of somewhere neither of us were known.
Despite my recent arrival, I met people every time I left the shop.
And Oakley’s job put him in front of almost everyone at some point.
I asked him, though, to be sure he agreed that it was a good idea.
“I love the idea of a road trip.” He ducked his head, grinning. “I’m already getting teased by Tim and Daisy at the nursery, and all I need is to have them run into us while we’re having dinner.”
“They’re teasing you?” I didn’t entirely hate that, since I knew how fond of him they both were. “What are they saying?”
“I’d rather not get into it. But I vote for out of town. Where shall we go?”
We were installing the front counter with the built-in freezer as we made our plans. “I’ve heard of a Japanese restaurant a couple of towns over,” I said. “Do you like that kind of food?”
“Sushi? Tempura? Teriyaki? I haven’t had that since I moved here.” He fastened a bolt to the floor and looked up at me. “It’s not too far to go?”
“I don’t think so.” Pulling out my phone, I checked. “Less than twenty-five miles. That’s just far enough, I think.”
We finished getting the counter installed then Oakley headed home to take a shower while I did the same upstairs.
I was so excited, I didn’t know what to do or how to do it.
And nervous. What if he didn’t have a good time?
So far, I’d have said we were working together well, and we laughed often, which I called a good sign.
The Japanese restaurant was not much bigger than my little shop, but it was also quite charming, with tables separated by light screens.
We ordered Japanese beers and a tempura appetizer plate to share, but as the meal went on, I noticed he never quite seemed to relax.
Our knees were quite close under the table, but when they bumped, he jerked back.
Our conversation, which had been flowing while we worked together, stalled, and by the time we’d finished our main course, I called for the bill rather than lingering.
I hated seeing him so uncomfortable. He was so different from how he’d been with me before, and I wasn’t sure what to do to break through.
Our first date was not going well, and if I didn’t do something to fix it, there would not be a second. Fated or not, my mate was miserable.
The food had been very good, the atmosphere peaceful and romantic, and here Oakley sat, answering my comments or questions in single syllables.
He hadn’t eaten much of the food despite telling me how much he loved this cuisine.
Something was very wrong, but he clearly was not ready to tell me what had him in such misery.
And I could not force him. It would have to come naturally, in his own time.
But I still had to do something to rescue this date.
“Oakley, I have an idea.” I pushed back from the table after paying the bill and picking up a box of leftovers. “If you aren’t in a hurry to get home to bed, we passed an area on the way here that looked ideal for a run. Omega, would you like to let our bears out for a bit?”
He hesitated, and I held my breath, hoping he wouldn’t turn me down.
If he did, I wasn’t sure what else I could do to help him relax.
“All right. My bear needs to get out and stretch.” Together, we walked out of the restaurant and to the car.
Oakley was still tense, and not talking a whole lot, but when we were in our fur, that wouldn’t matter.
The bears wanted to meet one another, or at least my bear wanted to meet his.
I opened the car door for him and waited until he was seated, seat belt pulled over his torso, before going around to my side of the car.
“The woods I spotted aren’t far from here. It looked quiet, and there was no fence on the side of the highway,” I told him as I drove along. “No posted signs that I could see either.”
“Good,” he replied. “I haven’t been this far in this direction before, but there are a number of places to shift around town.”
“I’ve noticed how many of the people I encounter are shifters. Do you happen to know what the guy at The Bun is? I know he’s a shifter, but I can’t pin it down. Some kind of bird, maybe?”
“You’re right there. He is a kind of bird, and the first one of his kind I’ve ever met. Vlad is a swan.”
“I’ve never met a swan shifter, either. Wait, I think I see the forest…yes, that’s it.” I pulled over and parked. “What do you think?”
“My bear likes it.” He opened the door then hesitated. “Do you think it’s okay to leave the car here?”
“Probably, but if you close the door again, I see a dirt road about fifty yards away. We can pull off and be less obvious. Plan?”
“Good plan.”
The dirt road was well traveled. In fact, there was a car about twenty yards in and it didn’t look abandoned. “Seems there are others with a similar plan. It’s kind of late for human hikers.”
We climbed out of the car then stripped down and left our clothes on the passenger seat.
My bear was so excited. He’d indicated a desire to meet Oakley’s, but now that it was happening, he was so wound up, I didn’t dare let him just break out, or it was going to be painful.
So I held tight control, watching Oakley take his first. And then I followed right away.
I wanted to spend more time getting to know his bear, but I wanted more to make him comfortable.
So, two bears struck off through the trees, parting the branches with our blunt snouts and snuffling along the earth.
Old growth forests were hard to find, but this one held the scents bears liked best. Most of the acorns and pine cones from the previous winter had been taken already, but there were tender berries growing on some low bushes, and we ate those before splashing down a stream and then circling back toward the car.
Our bears were much more comfortable together than we’d been at dinner, and when we shifted back, dressed, and got back into the car, I was relieved to find that the bears’ relaxed attitudes had transferred themselves to our human forms.
We talked all the way home, but not about anything serious.
Just about the nursery and the ice cream shop.
We nibbled on the food in the to-go box, sharing tempura that really was meant to be eaten fresh from the fryer.
But it tasted great. The atmosphere made a big difference, and we agreed that we’d have to go back another time and try some more of the sushi chef’s creations.
The tension that had coated us all evening was gone. Just like that.
I pulled around behind the nursery and watched him go up the steps to his apartment.
Mate going. No.
Patience, bear. We’ll see him in the morning. But I had to admit, that sounded too far off to me, too.