Page 6 of Bearly Mine
I laced our fingers together, craving her touch, and drew her to my side. “Come on. I’ll show you my place.”
Her eyes blinked wide open, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink as she blew out a sharp breath and straightened her shoulders. We fell into step with each other, though I had to shorten my strides a lot to match hers. Nerves rose as I opened my front door, wondering what she would think of my home, when just that morning I was hit with all it was missing.
“It needs decorating.” I cleared my suddenly dry throat. “That’s not really my thing.”
“It’s a lovely space.” She trailed her hand along the smooth wood of the dining table. “You obviously take good care of it.”
“What’s your home like?” I didn’t miss the way her body tensed at my question, her fingers twitching in mine. “I don’t mean to pry.”
“It’s a reasonable question.” She sighed. “I’m currently staying with a friend. I was in the dorms until school finished and didn’t really have anywhere else to go.”
“The friend who was going to pick you up?”
She nodded. “Maddie. She’s actually the sister of a girl I shared a dorm room with my first year. We hit it off way better than my roommate and I did. She insisted I move in with her while I find a teaching job.”
“I’m sorry about the job in Dryston not working out. Where else are you interviewing?” I held my breath, hoping she named somewhere close by.
“That was my last interview. There’s only one I haven’t heard back from, and it did not go well.” She blew out a quick breath. “The interview was online, because the school is in a different state, and I had a ton of technical difficulties. Which wouldn’t have been so bad, except I let it throw me off.”
Guilt rose when relief flooded me that her out-of-state interview went poorly. But I didn’t want her leaving the area. “What are you going to do now?”
“Maddie said I can stay with her and go on the substitute teacher list, but I hate to keep imposing on her. I’ll probably end up widening my search even more.”
“You’re sure there’s nothing else nearby?”
“Unless something changes between now and fall.” She plopped down on a stool at the island. “It’s too bad, because I was hoping to stay close to Maddie. She’s family.”
“What about your parents?” I crossed over to the fridge and grabbed a couple of sodas, offering her one.
“They split when I was young, and my father started a new family without me. My mom and stepfather kicked me out assoon as I turned eighteen, and I’ve only seen her a few times since.” She took a sip of her drink. Her words were matter of fact, as if it was no big deal.
“I can’t even imagine that. Bear shifter parents dote on their kids. Even though I live in a different sleuth than them now, I still see them regularly.” I laid my hand on hers. “It must have been difficult.”
She shrugged. “I learned young to be independent. I got my first job before it was even legal, knowing I’d be on my own for college.”
“You had no support? As a bear shifter, I had not only my parents behind me, but my entire community. We look out for each other.”
“It’s not a big deal. I can take care of myself. I prefer it that way. It’s actually been difficult for me to accept Maddie’s help,” she admitted. “She refuses to take any rent from me. I feel like I should be able to manage without her.”
“Everyone needs help sometimes. I’m glad you’ve had Maddie in your corner.” I wanted to tell her she’d never have to get by on her own again. That I’d be there for her, always. And as my mate, she’d also have the support of my bear community. But I wasn’t sure how to go about it. She probably knew nothing about fated mates.
“I can’t believe I’m telling you all of this.” She tilted her head and observed me, pursing her lips. “You’re very easy to talk to.”
“About that.” I took a deep breath, preparing to tell her everything. “There’s actually a very good reason. We-”
A knock, followed by the door opening, had us both looking over. My mom entered, with my dad right behind her.
“Hello, sweetie. Oh. You have company.” Her brows rose as she took in the sight of Lily beside me. An impish grin rose and her eyes sparkled. “Female company. How lovely.”
“Perhaps we should come back later.” My dad tugged on her arm, but she swatted him away.
“Nonsense. They’re just sitting having a drink. Surely we can join them.” Mom pulled out a stool and sat on Lily’s other side. “Hello, dear. I’m Ellen, Dean’s mother.”
“Hi. I’m Lily. Your son rescued me when my car broke down.”
For a moment, Mom looked disappointed. Then she stole a glance at me, her sharp eyes missing nothing. I gave her a small smile and leaned a little closer to Lily. Mom’s disappointment turned quickly to delight. “Well, the fates have a way of putting people where they need to be. Tell me about yourself, Lily.”
Mom drew Lily out, and when she found out she was a teacher, shared stories of homeschooling my sister and me. Soon, the two were laughing and joking. Lily kept shooting me little glances, and I let my hand rest on the back of her stool. Dad grabbed a beer from the fridge and leaned against the counter, letting Mom do all the talking.
