Chapter 2
Two
Monday night, Gillian showed up for work in a damned good mood.
Phil noticed. “Well?”
She grinned. “I’m certain I aced it. We get our grades later this week.”
He held his hand up for a high-five. “Atta girl.”
The evening was a little slow so she pitched in with back-of-house chores when Phil sought her out. “Table eight requested you.”
She washed her hands. “I hope it’s not the parents from the other night with the sundae-slinging brat.” The weather was still hot and sticky, but at least had dropped to highs in the mid-90s.
“No. Older guy. Here by himself.” He leaned in. “Kind of haggard looking. If he gives you any trouble, signal me, and I’ll step in.”
“What?” She walked toward the kitchen doors, passing Phil.
“Yeah. One-eyed guy, sounds like he’s from England or something.”
Gillian nearly fell over she stopped so fast and backed up a step. “Scottish? Red hair? Scar down his face? Looks like a fireplug and a bulldog had babies?”
He cocked his head. “Yeah! You know him?”
It wasn’t like any other shifter fit Badger’s description. She took a deep breath. “I do. He’s an old family friend. Don’t worry—he’s harmless.”
But I’m going to KILL Mom.
Technically it was the truth, although she might have intimated a closer personal relationship than she really had with the guy.
She stalked out to the table, which of course was a booth in the back, giving him a little privacy. She forced a smile as she pulled out her notepad to look like she was doing her job.
“Hi, Mr. Williams,” she whispered, barely making any noise. A human wouldn’t have heard her but she knew the grizzled old Prime Alpha wolf shifter did.
“Now, what’s that nonsense?” he whispered back. “Ye can call me Badger. Most do.”
“Let me guess, you got a call from my mom?”
He smiled and softly chuckled. “Aye, lass. She seems to think Jack the Ripper camps outside yer apartment door an’ Ted Bundy is yer neighbor. Oh, an’ ye might be workin’ for the Zodiac Killer.” He held out a hand, indicating she take a seat in the other side of the booth.
With Badger, saying “no” to him was not an option.
Returning her notepad to her apron, she slid into the other seat and leaned in. “I’m really sorry,” she whispered. “I talked to Mom Friday night and she was on my ass again about living out here.”
“Ye can tell me to mind my business, if ye like, but is there a reason yer workin’…” He looked around before returning his single blue-eyed gaze to hers. “Here?”
She didn’t know how to talk about this, especially with him of all people.
HIM!
Charles Bleacke’s best friend and his second in command of the pack. Formerly the best friend and second to their previous Pack Alpha, Duncan Lister, who’d been Chelsea Bleacke’s father. Gillian didn’t know for sure how old Badger was but she suspected he neared 300, if not older.
Now Badger’s primary job was raising little Dewi Bleacke, Peyton and Trent’s sister. Gillian had met Badger Williams plenty of times at Musters and other pack events, but never interacted with him in a personal way like this.
Sensing her discomfort, he held out a hand.
Steeling herself—because she knew he was a Prime Alpha—she laid her hand in his.
Then she could have the conversation with him mentally, explaining everything rapidly with no worries of clueless humans overhearing.
And at the end of it she unexpectedly burst into tears.
He released her hand after giving it a tender squeeze. “Aye, it’s all right, lass,” he said aloud. He pulled a couple of napkins from the holder on the table and passed them to her. “I ken what’s goin’ on. Not sure if yer aware, but Charlie an’ Chelsea were quite fond of ye.”
She blew her nose. “They were?”
He nodded. “I get it. An’ I respect ye for it.” He clasped his hands together, rested them in front of him on the table, and leaned in. His next words he whispered in that low tone no human could overhear.
“Yer parents love ye an’ yer siblings fierce.
They’re good people. But they’re young, relatively speakin’.
They’re both less than a hunnert, an’ they grew up here, in America.
Their parents, too. Me an’ Duncan an’ Charlie an’ some others, we all came over from Scotland an’ elsewhere.
I’m more than old enough to remember fightin’ fer food an’ survival.
“But to yer mum?” He sighed. “It’s horrible, aye, what happened.
It’s infuriatin’ to me even if I wasn’t Charlie’s best friend, an’ Chelsea was like a daughter to me.
” His one blue eye grew a little bright, limned with unshed tears.
“On top of losin’ first Louisa, an’ then Duncan the way we did all them years ago…
” He sadly sighed. “But life goes on an’ we have to live it.
Because, as we all were reminded, it can be short, even fer our kind. ”
She nodded, dabbing at her eyes. “I want them to be proud of me.”
He kindly smiled, knowing exactly who she meant.
“Charlie an’ Chelsea were proud of ye. Ye might not think they’d know ye out of the lot of all of us, bein’ how many we are now an’ scattered all across the country, but they did.
They appreciated yer work ethic. That stood out wi’ ’em both.
That ye wanted to make a name fer yerself on yer own.
But we take care of ours, of course. An’ not everyone’s like ye, wanting to help take care of the pack the way ye do.
That never goes unnoticed, lass. I promise.
An’ when yer finished wi’ school an’ all, an’ ye take the bar, go see Trent first thing about a job.
I can promise ye there’s one waitin’ fer ye. He handles the hirin’.”
She nodded again, reaching for another napkin. “My mom would be happy if I mated and got pregnant and dropped out of school.”
He softly laughed. “Well, she’s an omega, so that’s understandable. She’ll never feel your…drive. An’ that’s okay, too. Takes all kinds to make up a pack.”
“Thanks. I’m sorry she made you drive all the way over here for this.”
“Nah. Dinnae fash yerself o’er it. I needed an evenin’ off.
Peyton an’ Beck are watchin’ the wee one.
An’ I had a feelin’ that…” He circled his fingers in the air between them.
“This was the truth,” he finished. “She’s a good mum, bless her.
I’ll call her tomorrow an’ put her mind at ease.
An’ I’ll give ye my personal cell number.
Call or text me if she gets too overbearin’ again.
I’ll have a Prime take a swing by their place to have a comfortin’ chat wi’ her to calm her tits. ”
He smiled as Gillian burst out laughing. “Oh, my god. Thank you so much.” She pulled out her cell and exchanged numbers with him.
“An’ I mean it,” he added. “Text me anytime. I’ll respond when I can. If ye call an’ get my voicemail, leave a message an’ I’ll return it when I’m able. But I want ye to contact me if ye need me. Or even if ye just wanna talk. That’s what I’m here fer. Promise?”
“Thank you, Badger.”
“Yer verra welcome. When we seein’ ye again over there?”
She knew he meant at the pack compound. “I’m off this weekend. I planned to drive over on Saturday and take a run.”
“Well, let me know when yer there and I’ll grill ye a steak or somethin’. Now then.” He patted the menu. “What do ye think I’d enjoy?”
“The double burgers are great.”
“Then that’s what I’ll take—loaded an’ rare, if ye please. Fries, too. An’ whatever soda’s on tap.”
She stood and grabbed her notepad. “Absolutely.”
“Ye mind a hug?”
“I’d love a hug.”
He slid his bulk out of the booth. Badger was only 5’8”, but despite being only four inches shorter than him his Prime Alpha presence made Gillian feel like he…loomed, giant, over and around her. In a comforting way, though.
It’d be easier to picture him as a bear shifter instead of a wolf shifter, and one of the drawbacks to living in Spokane was she did miss family hugs.
She heard Badger received his scar and lost his eye long before coming to America, and his mate died in the attack. He’d never remarried and didn’t have any pups. But he was the exact opposite of creepy—he was the friendly uncle or grandpa everyone loved.
Unless you got on the bad side of one of his loved ones.
Then he was your worst enemy. Everyone in the pack knew if Badger was on your side it was like having an entire army on your side.
After she brought him his food an unexpected rush of patrons flooded them, and she didn’t have a chance to properly say goodbye to him. But he left her five $20s under his plate and texted her.
Keep the change. ;)
She texted him back.
Thank you!
While it was mortifying her mother had called him, at least Gillian knew it wouldn’t be held against her. And now she had backup to help keep her mother off her ass.
Not to mention another generous tip that padded her weekly budget and would more than pay for her gas for the drive to the compound and back that weekend.
Two more semesters. I can do this.
She hoped.