Page 4 of Bearly Mine
“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’shard 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.”
