3. Dan
DAN
Dan spent the drive to Fox Hollow wondering how it would go when he met Quinn in person. They made a great team online, but real life didn’t usually match an RPG. He realized that his mental picture of Quinn was based sheerly on his imagination.
Now that he saw Quinn in person, he realized his imagination had underestimated possibilities. Quinn was a few inches taller, with blond hair and brown eyes. He was muscular in a way that suggested physical work more than a gym membership, and his casual outfit accentuated his shoulders and ass.
What are the odds he’s gay? Dan wondered as he mentally crossed his fingers. And what’s up with that “zing” when we touched?
Maybe he’s a shifter, Wally said. So are we—sort of. Do you think he could be our fated mate? There’s a really strong pull, and he’s nice to look at.
You’ve been paying too much attention to the shifter romance books I read, Dan answered silently. I don’t know if daemons work that way.
It’s worth finding out, Wally replied, and Dan couldn’t argue.
Let’s at least eat breakfast before proposing marriage, Dan sent, gently sarcastic. Wally gave an annoyed harrumph and retreated into his thoughts.
“You can get pretty much anything you want for breakfast at Bear Necessities.” Quinn didn’t seem to notice that Dan had zoned out for a moment. “The food is good, and the coffee is awesome. Folks who run the place are very involved in the community, but so are most people who live here year-round.”
Dan had done some due diligence on Fox Hollow before his drive, checking statistics on the town, the weather, and the top attractions. He hadn’t had a chance to look around last night when he arrived, but in daylight, the town was lovely, quaint without looking stage-managed.
Fox Lake sparkled in the sun, with a beach and a seaplane tethered at the pier.
His hotel was a rustic Victorian beauty that took up most of a block and looked out on the town and lake.
As he had walked down the main street to get from his hotel to the café, he could see that the storefronts were all filled and appeared prosperous.
“Do a lot of people live here year-round?” Dan didn’t want to seem like he wasn’t paying attention, a bit overwhelmed as he tried to take it all in.
“Enough to make it a nice place to live even when it’s not tourist season,” Quinn replied. “Summer is the big camping rush, but people come to the area all year ’round for skiing, fishing, hiking, and special events.”
Dan noticed that Quinn didn’t mention hunting, although he knew the Adirondacks were a sprawling natural park.
If there’s no hunting, we’d be safe here, Wally ventured in Dan’s thoughts. It’s okay if it’s colder as long as no one’s shooting at us.
“What about hunting?” Dan asked.
“Are you a hunter?” Quinn’s tone sounded sharp.
“No.” Dan shook his head, and Quinn relaxed. “I try to stay away from men with guns as much as I can,” he added as he remembered the monster hunters he had eluded.
“The Adirondacks are a National Park, so hunting is very limited and not permitted in a wide area around Fox Hollow, for safety’s sake,” Quinn said.
Dan’s stomach rumbled, and he took a deep breath to inhale the aroma of coffee and baked goods. The place was already busy, suggesting that the food was as good as it smelled.
“Everything here is amazing,” Quinn encouraged. He looked to the dark-haired woman behind the counter. “Sherri, this is Dan. He’s visiting for the first time.”
“Welcome,” she replied with a warm smile. “Hope you like what you see.”
She’s not completely human. Wally sounded a little freaked out, and Dan tried not to react. Her energy is different, but not in the same way as Quinn’s. She’s something other…maybe a shifter?
“Thanks,” Dan managed. “Quinn’s going to give me a tour. I like everything so far.”
“Good. Now what can I get for you?” she asked, and if she noticed his hesitation, she didn’t seem bothered by it.
Dan ordered a breakfast sandwich and a large coffee, while Quinn opted for a ham and cheese omelet.
They managed to nab a table as someone else got up, and settled in.
They paused their conversation when Sherri delivered their meals and began to eat.
“Wow. You weren’t kidding about the food,” Dan said after a couple of bites.
The coffee was just the way he liked it, mellow with a kick.
“We take eating seriously.” Quinn sipped his coffee and grinned. “Now, before I take you on the grand tour, tell me what you’d like to see.”
Dan thought for a moment, hiding his pause behind a drink of his coffee. “I’m ready to make a change,” he said finally. “I grew up in Dover, but it no longer seems to fit. Or I don’t fit there.” He wasn’t sure how to say what he meant without saying too much.
“That happens,” Quinn acknowledged. “What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a meteorologist, but I work from home so I can be anywhere with a good internet connection,” Dan replied.
“I’m a park ranger, so I kinda need a forest.” Quinn chuckled. “Part of how I ended up here. What are you looking for in a new town?”
“Acceptance,” Dan blurted before he could stop himself. “The chance to fit in without having to be just like everyone else. Having it be okay to have different abilities.”
The café crowd had begun to thin out, leaving the tables around them empty. Still, Quinn lowered his voice for his next question. “Different, how? Like uncommon hobbies or something paranormal?”
Dan startled at Quinn jumping to guess a supernatural connection right off the bat, making him wonder what prompted the connection
Is he psychic? Can he pick up vibes about me? he wondered.
There’s something about him, a type of energy I don’t recognize, Wally replied. Maybe a shifter or a medium?
The possibilities intrigued Dan but didn’t make Quinn any less attractive as a prospect.
He took a deep breath and tried to figure out how much of the truth to tell. If he and Quinn were going to end up being friends, he certainly didn’t want to begin with a lie.
“I get insights that come out of nowhere but are almost always right.” Dan carefully worded his answer to avoid talking about his daemon half.
“You’re in good company here,” Quinn said.
“We have lots of folks who are sensitives, mediums, psychics, and have other supernatural abilities. In fact, Fox Hollow was founded by the Fox Sisters, three very famous ladies, who were spiritualists. Their legacy, besides the name, is the Fox Institute, which helps people develop their talents.”
“Really? Wow. That’s pretty great.” Dan felt utterly gobsmacked to find the town to be so much more than he had dared hope. The matter-of-fact way Quinn shared the information also told Dan that the other man wasn’t put off by the paranormal.
“It really is.” Quinn took the last bite of his eggs.
A nod reminded Dan to finish his sandwich before it got cold.
“What’s also special is that, unlike some places, Fox Hollow doesn’t make talents into a gimmick.
It’s a sanctuary, not a tourist attraction.
Some people visit for years for the outdoor aspect and never know about the supernatural side.
Other folks move here to be safe and fit in even though they’re different. ”
Dan felt a blush creep to his cheeks as he felt the impact of Quinn’s words. “That sounds…perfect.”
He didn’t ask about Quinn’s abilities and wasn’t quite ready to share details about his daemon, but they seemed to be off to a good start. “What do other people do here for a living year-round?”
“Same as anywhere else.” Quinn took another sip of his coffee.
“We have a good hospital nearby and a fantastic library. People run shops, provide local services, or work remotely. Justin flies that seaplane you passed. We’ve got all the basics people need day-to-day.
For anything else, there are larger towns not too far from here, or we can order online. ”
They finished eating, cleared the table, and headed back outside. The more Dan heard, the more he felt sure that moving to Fox Hollow could be exactly what he needed, no matter what happened with Quinn.
They spent the rest of the morning walking through town with Quinn excelling at being an impromptu guide.
Dan felt heartened that the shops and homes looked well-kept, and general town maintenance suggested a strong sense of civic pride.
He got the distinct feeling that people who lived in Fox Hollow loved their town.
“I’m impressed,” Dan admitted. “And I love everything you’re saying.”
“Good,” Quinn replied. “I need to work this afternoon, but I want to introduce you to Liam, our head librarian. He can answer a lot of questions and steer you toward people who know whatever he doesn’t.”
The day was crisp and sunny, perfect for exploring.
Dan vowed to pick up some maps from the library and get a referral to a rental agency so he could start getting ready to move.
Relocating was a big step, but thinking about it felt comfortable, and Dan took that as a sign he was moving in the right direction.
“Can you still join me for dinner?” Dan asked when they neared the library. “I’d love to talk more, and not just about the town.”
Quinn smiled. “Absolutely. I’d like that too. I’ll go check on the wildlife and be back in time to eat.”
Dan and Quinn walked into the library, which looked extremely well-provisioned for a small town.
“The Fox Hollow library is really a gem,” Quinn said, as if he had read Dan’s thoughts. “We’re all very proud of it. Lots of community events and all the modern resources.”
A slender red-haired man approached them with a big smile. “You must be Quinn’s friend, Dan. He told me you would be stopping by. I’m Liam Reynard, the head librarian.”
“Dan Connor.” Dan confirmed with a firm handshake. “I’ve got to say, I’m pretty impressed by everything Quinn’s shown me. The library is awesome.”
Liam preened a little at the praise. “We like to think so. It’s a community-wide effort to keep it that way.”