Chapter Eleven #2
“Yeah, you aren’t wrong, but no, I live in the neutral zone.”
I freeze in the process of taking a sip of my own coffee. “Really?” I’m kind of surprised. Maybe that’s why she smells of magic, because she comes into contact with shifters regularly.
“Yeah, I grew up there. My mother has a business, and now I do as well.”
“Oh, what do you do?” I’m intrigued. I’ve avoided the neutral zone too. Being around shifters and not being willing to shift is painful, which is why I live in the human zone.
“I own a bakery café,” she replies, taking a bite of one of the cookies.
“Now I feel a little embarrassed for offering you store-bought cookies.” I grimace and look at the sad plate of offerings.
She giggles and shakes her head. “Don’t be. Sometimes it’s nice not eating something I had to bake. These aren’t too bad for store-bought ones. You got the good ones, nice and chunky and full of chocolate,” she assures me.
“And what do you do for fun?” I ask, picking up one of the cookies and looking at it closely, not even realizing there are different kinds. I take a bite and nod—she’s right, they are good.
Her nose wrinkles adorably, and she shrugs. “Not much right now. I’ve been so focused on making my business successful, I stopped doing the things I used to love.”
“Like what?” I press.
Her gaze drifts to a framed photo of me surfing above the fireplace. It’s one of the reasons I bought this place, because I can step out the door and the water and waves are right there. Surfing feels like flying, and I love it.
“I used to love sewing, or anything crafty really. My mom’s a dress designer, and she taught me to sew.
I would make my dolls fancy dresses to wear, and when I used to visit my grandparents, I loved swimming.
I always wanted to learn to surf, but I had no one to teach me—oh, and I’d love to learn to dive, but I’m scared of sharks. ”
I chuckle and lean back in my chair. “Sharks are probably more afraid of you than you are of them. I can teach you to surf if you want.” My mouth snaps shut.
I can’t believe what just came out of my mouth.
I haven’t spent any real time with another person in a long time.
My IT job allows me to work from home, and apart from trips to the grocery store, I’m a real loner by choice.
I almost take the offer back, but the way her eyes light up and she sits up straight has me clamping my lips shut. “You would?”
“Sure, we can start as soon as the storm clears if you want. Hopefully by the day after tomorrow.”
Her face falls, and she slumps back again. “I’ll probably have to go home on Wednesday. I have to get back to my bakery.” She sounds so disappointed.
“Why can’t you come out here once a week on your days off?”
She slumps even further and groans, tears welling in her eyes again. “I don’t think there are going to be many of those to come.”
I frown, not sure what she means, but her sadness from before returns.
“I should probably get going,” she says and goes to stand up, but I feel a wave of panic and put my hand out. I don’t want her to leave just yet.
“Do you want to stay and hang out with me? We could order some food and maybe watch a movie or play a game.” I wave at the game console that’s plugged into my TV.
“I’m really enjoying your company,” I mumble shyly, not wanting to look at her and see any pity in her eyes.
Maybe I have starved myself of company for too long.
“Yeah, I’d like that. Let me just text my grandparents and tell them I’ll be out for a little longer so they won’t worry if I’m not there when they get home.
” She stands up and heads over to where she dropped her tote.
She rummages in it and pulls out her phone, and her fingers fly across the screen.
My anxiety turns into excitement, and I jump up to find my tablet from my office space, bringing up the food delivery app. “What do you feel like eating?” I ask as I return to the living area. She’s back on the sofa, curled up in front of the fire again, and I can’t believe how right she looks.
“I don’t care, something hot though,” she replies.
“Spicy or just a hot meal?” I ask, and she shrugs. “Either. I don’t mind, I’m not all that fussy.”
I scroll through the options, stopping on one of my favorites. “What about Italian? We can order a couple of dishes and share.” You can’t go wrong with pasta, right?
Her eyes light up, and my heart thumps harder as she beams at me.
“How did you know that carbs are the way to my heart? Surprise me, but can we get cheesy garlic bread? It’s my favorite.
” I quickly put in an order and place my tablet on the side.
I’ll have to keep an eye on the delivery because they often get lost on the way to my house, though most of the regular drivers have been here before.
I really don’t cook for myself—why bother when there is an app right at your fingertips?
“Alright, done. Now movie or games?” I ask, turning on the television, excited to spend more time with Colbie.
“Hmm. What do you have?” she asks me, and I chuckle, waving my hand at the large amount of game cases.
“Most of them,” I admit, and I see her brows furrow.
“Do you have Shifter Quest?” Again, my heart jumps for an entirely different reason, and my enthusiasm is replaced with worry. Does she know what I am?
“Ah, yeah?” I reply, and she blushes prettily.
“My staff was raving about it the other day, and I had never heard of it. I kind of want to know what the big deal is.”
I almost huff out a huge sigh of relief but keep it in. “Sure, I’ll load it, and we can get started while waiting on the food.” I turn my back to her and grab the right game.
“Oh good, my friends were telling me about the different shifters you can play, and I desperately want to be the pegasus.”
I drop the remote in my hand, and it clatters onto the floor, missing one of the rugs I have on the hardwood.
“Are you okay?” Colbie jumps up and hurries over, bending down to pick up the remote before handing it to me.
“Ah, yeah, sorry. It slipped out of my hand.” I take it back from her before clearing the surprise from my face and turning to look at her.
“Why do you want to be a pegasus? Wouldn’t one of the more apex shifters be better?”
She shakes her head. “They are so majestic and beautiful. Who cares if they can’t breathe fire or have sharp teeth or claws?
I bet they make up for it in other ways.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if there really were pegasus and unicorn shifters?
I bet they would have other special kinds of powers.
” She sighs wistfully before shaking her head. “Sorry. That was silly.”
“Huh, no, that isn’t silly. So you don’t know much about shifters and the different types?” I turn back to the machine and load the game, and I hear her return to her seat.
“Does any human? They are super secretive. I know there are wolves and tigers, I’ve seen them in the neutral zone, but that’s pretty much it, though I was told the other day that there is no such thing as a penguin shifter.”
I chuckle with amusement at the wonder in her voice before grabbing the second controller and returning to the sofa. “No, there isn’t. Could you imagine it? I bet they would be as useless as pegasus and unicorn shifters,” I mutter, and she elbows me, growling playfully.
“Hey, don’t put down my soul creature.” Sure enough, when we get to the character selection page, she scrolls through and finds the pegasus and unicorn. She has trouble deciding.
“The unicorn is so pretty with all those different color options, but I want wings like the pegasus,” she grumbles and finally selects the winged horse in the end. “If only they came in different colors.”
And just like that, I fall instantly in love with the little human, but it’s followed by such heartbreaking regret because nothing will ever be able to happen between us.