Chapter 3
Dean
“What’s the interview for?” I wanted to hear Lily’s voice again. She had been quiet since I helped her into the truck. “There’s not a lot in Dryston.”
“I’m a teacher. Or, more accurately, that’s the plan. I just graduated from college a few weeks ago.”
“Congratulations. What ages do you want to teach?”
“Anything in elementary school. I want to help kids get a good start in life.” I almost asked about the wistful tone evident in her words, but resisted, not wanting to scare her off by prying. If Lily were a shifter, she would know we were mates, allowing me to dive straight in to the deep stuff, but because she was human, I needed to ease into things.
“My mom homeschooled me until I was a teenager,” I shared. “Most shifters are. When we approach adolescence, we need someone trained to help us. That’s when our shifter halves start waking up.”
“It must be a difficult time.”
“That’s an understatement. Sometimes my bear would suddenly take over and I’d shift right inside the classroom. It’s hard to write a math test when you’re a 1000 pound brown bear.”
She laughed, and I risked taking my eyes off the road to steal a glance at her. Her green eyes glowed with humor. “It would have to be multiple choice. Stomp once for A, twice for B.”
I grinned, glad she seemed comfortable talking about my bear. I didn’t want her to fear my other half. “We had to do that for one of our classes. To show we can control ourselves in bear form.”
“What happens if you fail?” Curiosity tinged her voice. “That sounds like an important skill to have.”
“It’s required for graduation. Some shifters need more intensive training before they master it. Only a few never do.” I thought about my friend from school, Bryce, one of those who didn’t. “They usually live on their own, and further from human territory. A buddy of mine is fully self-sufficient. Sometimes I bring in supplies that he can’t produce himself. He doesn’t actually need them, but they make his life a little easier.”
“It’s nice of you to do that.”
“He’s an honorary member of my sleuth. We take care of each other.”
“That’s admirable.” She hesitated before she continued, embarrassment coloring her words. “I’ve only ever heard scary stories of shifters. I was even advised to wait out the detour.”
“We’re different. It makes people nervous. Honestly, I’ve probably heard just as many stories about humans.” I shot her a reassuring grin. “I wouldn’t hold it against you if you were nervous.”
“I’m not.” Her answer was quick. “You actually make me feel very safe.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her that was the mate bond at work. But I didn’t actually know much about how it worked on humans. Instead, I settled for an inane, “I’m glad.”
We fell into a comfortable silence as I rounded the last curve that led out of Shifter Alley. Dryston was a small town located almost immediately on the border. Shifters usually bypassed them and drove to Caulfield for supplies, as the town wasn’t overly friendly to us. But I knew where the school was and pulled into the small lot to let Lily out.
“Let me give you my number. You can text when you’re finished with the interview.”
She input my number, and I hopped out of the truck to get her door. I opened it, and another car parked nearby, but the woman stayed inside, her gaze hard on me as I took Lily’s hand to help her down. The woman waited for me to leave the parking lot before opening her car door and rushing for the school.
Unease bloomed in my gut. What if Lily didn’t get the job in Dryston? Would she still stay near Shifter Alley? I hoped being dropped off by a shifter wouldn’t hurt Lily’s chances in the interview. Dryston was close enough for me to spend time with her. We could date, like humans did, until she was ready to learn about mates. It would be hard, but I could be patient. As long as she was close.
Lily
The interview was a disaster. The woman sitting across from me showed more concern about my arrival in Dean’s truck than my resume. No matter how hard I tried to steer the conversation back to my teaching skills.
I blinked back tears that threatened to fall as I left the building. This was my last interview. None of the others had led to offers.
I sent a quick text to Dean to let him know I was done and sat on a bench to wait. He responded right away, telling me he would be here in about ten minutes. I checked the time and realized Maddie would be on her lunch break, so I called her.
“Hey, Lily. How’d the interview go?”
“It was a disaster.” I blew out my breath, shoulders slumping. “There’s no way I’m getting the job.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad. You graduated top of your class. They’d be lucky to have you.”
“She wouldn’t even look at my resume.” I filled Maddie in on everything, starting at the detour. Though I didn’t mention how attracted I was to Dean. “So now I have a broken-down car and no teaching job.”
“You know you can stay with me as long as you need. Keep working part time at the restaurant and get on the substitute teacher list in the fall,” Maddie was quick to offer. “Do you want me to pick you up after I finish work?”
“Hopefully Dean’s friend will get my car going.” I avoided thinking about how much of my meagre savings it would cost. I straightened as I saw Dean’s truck approaching. “Speaking of Dean, he’s here now. I’ll let you know if I need that ride.”
We said our goodbyes, and I opened the passenger door to hop in, my skirt giving me some trouble, before Dean had a chance to get it for me. I appreciated all his help, but I wasn’t used to it, and I needed to do something for myself, however small, to regain at least a little control over my day.
Dean pulled out of the parking lot and I watched the school get smaller as we drove away. He didn’t ask about my interview, but I could feel when his gaze was on me, the weight of it. The silence between us wasn’t awkward, though I found myself wanting to fill it with all my thoughts about the interview. As if he was my confidante, and not someone I had met only hours earlier.
Finally, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “The interviewer doesn’t like shifters. She never even gave me a chance.”
He thumped his palm against the steering wheel. “I’m sorry. I worried that might happen when that woman saw you leaving my truck. This town isn’t friendly to shifters.”
“Why not?”
“It goes back generations, and it’s mostly over land. When the government officially established Shifter Alley, it cut off access to the forest people in Dryston were used to having. Some tried to continue hunting despite it being banned, and there were consequences. Now, anytime there’s an animal attack, or someone sights a bear near town, they try to blame shifters for it.”
“Despite all those scary stories about shifters, I can’t remember the last time I heard about an actual shifter attack.”
“It’s rare. I won’t say it never happens, because just like there are bad humans, there are also bad shifters. But even then, it’s more likely to be shifter on shifter violence, which the news rarely covers.” He slowed as we approached my car on the side of the road. Dylan was gone, but a man wearing blue coveralls was busy hooking up my rusty car to a large tow truck with a logo of a wolf on the door. Dean stopped and rolled down his window as the tow operator approached. He was leaner than Dean, with piercing blue eyes that gave me a cursory inspection before nodding a greeting at Dean.
“This your car, ma’am?”
I nodded. “Unfortunately.”
He barked a laugh. “Yeah, it’s in rough shape. Dylan asked me to tow it to his garage. He headed home to locate the parts.”
I let a curse word slip out and made a note to add a dollar to my jar. “I was hoping it would run when we got back here.”
“I’ll take you to Dylan for an update. If he’s looking for parts, he must think there’s hope for it.” Dean waved at the tow operator and pulled back onto the road. “Dylan’s better with engines than anyone I know. His garage handles most of the vehicles in Shifter Alley.”
After about a mile, Dean turned off onto a gravel road. Common sense told me I should be nervous about driving into the woods with a strange man, and a shifter at that, but he didn’t feel strange, and my instincts raised no warnings. We drove for another ten minutes before entering a clearing with a circle of eight cabins. A narrow road looped in front of the cabins around a middle area with a large fire pit and outdoor chairs. A twinge of longing struck me. This was a community. Far different from the impersonal city environment that was my normal.
Dean pulled into the driveway of a two-story cabin and hopped out of the truck. I rushed to get my door as he rounded the front hood. His eyebrow raised as I slid to the ground and flashed him a smile. The side of his mouth raised, and he shook his head, but said nothing. He stepped to my side, his hand finding the small of my back. My stomach fluttered as warmth from his palm radiated through my blouse. He guided me to the A-frame cabin next door and knocked.
Dylan opened the door, his hair a mess, like he’d been running his hands through it. He grimaced when he saw me. “Your engine is shot. It would almost be cheaper to buy another car. In the long run, it would be the wiser decision.”
“I can’t afford another car. What will it take to get it going?”
He sighed. “You definitely need a new crankshaft. Unfortunately, the earliest I can get it here is in two days. And you really should think about replacing your carburetor.”
“But it will run without a new carburetor?”
“Probably. But I can’t guarantee how long.”
“As long as I can drive it home.” Not that I had an actual home. Maddie’s couch was temporary, no matter how many times she told me I was welcome to stay. “I need to call my friend to arrange a ride.”
“You’re welcome to stay with me until it’s fixed,” Dean blurted out. It almost sounded eager and not like he’d been dealing with my problems all day.
“I can’t put you out any more than I already have.” I stepped away and lifted my cell, tapping Maddie’s contact info.
It almost went to voicemail before she answered, stress filling her voice. “Lily? Please tell me your car is working.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I have to work a double. Half the evening shift called out with the flu.”
I could hear the bustle of the hospital over the phone. Maddie was a nurse, and when they needed coverage, she had little choice. I didn’t want to make her feel any worse than she probably already did about backing out on her offer, so made a quick decision. “Don’t worry. I have somewhere to stay while waiting for my car.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” I glanced at Dean, who was watching me from the front porch. I licked my lips at the thought of spending a night with this man. He’d been nothing but a gentleman, but I couldn’t help imagining how his arms would feel holding me, and what it would be like to be kissed by him. His eyes widened, and a slow smile spread across his face, as if he knew where my thoughts had gone.
He clapped his hand on Dylan’s shoulder and said something to him before turning back toward me, his long legs eating up the distance between us. He stopped in front of me and held out his hand. His eyes daring me to take it.
I flashed back to the first time he offered his hand to me, and how big that moment felt. But it was nothing compared to now. All my instincts were firing, and I knew somehow that my life would change if I didn’t put some distance between us. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to step back. I slid my hand in his and a rumbling purr that didn’t sound at all human came from his chest. But instead of scaring me, it made me sway even closer to him, my eyelids heavy and my lips parting. The way his touch drew me in, making me crave him, was foreign to me. My brain told me I should fear my reaction, but everything else screamed for me to give in and enjoy the moment.