Page 17 of Cold Foot Croc

“Five o’clock,” she said softly, double-checking.

“Five o’clock.”

“Bye, Garret.”

“Hey, Raynah?”

“Yeah?”

“You lied earlier.”

She frowned, and prickled. “About what?”

“You’re going to be a great mom.”

And there was truth to his voice. He believed it when he uttered those words. She blew out a slow breath. “Are we friends?” she asked.

“Yes, we’re friends.”

“Good.”

And that was that. They hung up, and she sat there staring at the picture of him on her lock screen until it faded to black.

Friends. She was having trouble bonding to people here, but he didn’t feel so scary to open up to.

His honesty about Farrah made him more interesting to her. More understandable. She’d been tricked by men before too, and she could imagine how he felt right now.

The more she was learning about that handsome grizzly shifter, the more she wanted to know.

Chapter Four

Why was Raynah so nervous?

Her gaze darted up to the clock on the wall for the hundredth time. It was one of those old-school ones with the clock hands. It reminded her of one she used to stare at in her school when she was a little girl. From the layer of dust on top of it, the thing was probably just as old.

She smiled at a customer who had been shopping around in the store for the past hour. She’d helped her locate a few things, and found her aura calming to be around. The brunette just seemed to be wanting to spend some time with herself, and Raynah understood that.

Her confidence had grown throughout the day as she’d gotten good practice on the cash register and figured out a routine.

She swiped a trio of discounted hand soaps across the scanner, but startled as the woman gasped.

“That man is fine.” The woman was staring at the entrance to the store behind Raynah.

She twisted around and noticed Garret standing there, stomping snow off his boots on the mat. He looked up at her, and his smile lit up the entire dollar store. She gave a little awkward wave and couldn’t help the smile on her own face in response. He was wearing a T-shirt over jeans, and work boots. A belt held his jeans up, and part of his T-shirt had been tucked into the front, exposing the zipper of his dark jeans. His shirt was black, with a small, tasteful logo she didn’t recognize on the left pocket-space. He wore a baseball cap today, but even the low bill couldn’t hide the blazing teal color of his eyes. His bear must’vebeen ramped up by something, but his smile was easy. He was holding a big brown paper bag with handles.

“Where is your jacket, wild man?” she called.

Garret looked down at himself, and his grin turned sheepish. “I’m not cold.”

Geesh. If he didn’t want to be called out as a shifter, he would have to pretend he was cold in two-degree weather.

“Is that one yours?” the woman asked.

“Oh, no.” Raynah frowned. “He’s my friend.” Right? Yeah. Just friends.

She barely fit into the space behind the register on account of her very round baby belly, and had to move carefully as she bagged up the woman’s purchased wares. Garret had disappeared, probably shopping around, and Raynah’s heart was racing out of her chest right now.

She said her goodbyes to the woman and then checked the front door. No one had come in after Garret, so other than her, and her boss, who was checking inventory sheets in the back office, he was the only one in here right now. Slow day!

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