Page 22 of The Alpha's Protective Mate

I press the heel of my palm against my forehead, a small, humorless smile playing on my lips now. Sometimes I feel like a broken ship drifting on a vast ocean, with no anchor. I’m just floating, trying to find a place to land.

I get to my feet and open the door.

Shelby’s worried face is the first thing I see.

“I drove him out!” she says fiercely. “Told him to take his attitude with him. If he bothers you again, I’ll give you some pepper spray to use on him.”

“Thanks, Shelby, but he’s not my boyfriend.”

“He’s not?” She doesn’t sound very convinced. “Are you sure? Because I saw the way he was looking at you…”

I shake my head at her. “Trust me. I’m nothing more than an inconvenience to him.”

The older woman gives me a troubled look and then says, slowly, “But he’s still bothering you, isn’t he?” She doesn’t wait for a reply, adding, “My sister and nephew run a farm up in Washington. If you want, I can talk to them about a job. The problem is, it’s a little isolated out there. The closest town is a half-hour drive.”

My head shoots up, “Really?”

That might work.

Shelby looks a little taken aback at my apparent enthusiasm. “Y—You want me to talk to her?”

“Will you?”

Her sigh is heavy as she puts a hand on my shoulder. “You’re a good girl, Charlotte. I wish you hadn’t got caught up with those loan sharks. I always tell my kids: never borrow money that’s not from a bank. But you lot are just young and hot-headed.”

At this point, I don’t even want to correct her.

Robert really is gone when I head to the front of the coffee shop. But under my laptop, he’s left his card. I stare at it.

Does he think I’m going to give him a call?

What is this, an interview?

I crumple the card, but before I can toss it in the trash, I hear my phone go off.

It’s Ricky.

I’m not due at the shelter today, so I wonder what he wants.

I press the phone to my ear, my voice a little scratchy. “Hey, Ricky. Everything okay?”

“Charlotte, can you come cover for me for a couple hours today? I’ve got some family stuff to deal with. It’s urgent. I tried Estelle, but she’s not picking up.”

Estelle is the vet who works in the mornings and afternoons.

“Um, how long?” I ask uneasily.

“I don’t know,” he admits, sounding tense. “It might be morning before I’m back.”

I groan inwardly. “Okay, but Ricky, Mano is home alone. And I was just about to head home to her—”

“Bring her with you. I’ll pay you. I can’t leave the shelter unattended.”

I sigh. “Okay, alright.”

“Look, I’ll book you a taxi. It’ll pick you up from your workplace, you can go get your cat, and then it’ll drop you off here.”

My brow furrows. The situation must be really bad for him to be springing for a taxi.

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