Page 58 of Bear In A Bookstore
She shook the pills. They made a hollow sound inside the bottles.
“Why?”
“I’d just . . . hoped to be strong enough to do it on my own.”
Allie rubbed Kora’s arm. “This isn’t about being strong. This is about treating whatever chemical problem is going on in your brain. Your doctor gave you these for a reason. Look, I was in a terrible relationship before I met Dax. That relationship changed something inside of me and I fell into a bad depression. My doctor made it very clear that trauma can change the chemical make-up in the brain. I was on a variety of meds before we found a combination that worked.” She dug into her purse and produced a bottle. “The depression came back after the babies were born and without these, I wouldn’t be functional right now.”
Kora let out a breath and looked at her hands. She hadn’t been expecting that. Allie seemed so put together and in control of herself, even when she had her hands full. Picturing a past boyfriend treating her like shit was hard to imagine. Kora could only picture Dax, always there for his mate. This was someone she could be friends with. Allie would understand. Except that she was Desi’s sister-in-law and she’d just let him go.
“I pushed him away,” she whispered. “Just so you know. I can’t be with him.”
“Why? Because he deserves better?”
Kora’s head snapped up. “How did you—”
“Been there too. It’s a yucky place to be. But if you’re pushing him away because you’re scared of your mental health, then you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. People love who they love, and if Desi wants you for who you are, then that’s his choice. Assuming you want him, too, your part is to take care of yourself and let the man love you. Once a bear shifter gets you in his arms, I swear to you, you’ll never be loved like that again.”
Kora took a shaky breath. That was probably true. Desi was so willing to give her his heart, his everything.
“It’s too late.” She swallowed hard. “It’s too late and that’s okay because, clearly, I have some inner work to do.”
Allie shook her head. “Give him some time. Bear shifters do not give up easily.”
Her phone chimed with a text. “It’s Dax. I’ve got to get home to the babies. Kora, thank you for talking with me.” She took her hands and squeezed.
Kora walked her to the door and noticed the rain had slowed to a soft drizzle. Blue sky peeked between gray clouds. Deciding to get a breath of fresh, damp air, she walked Allie to her car.
“Thankyou, Allie. Really.”
She waved and watched her back out of the drive. A chill washed over her bare arms with a refreshing tickle. Taking two big breaths, she closed her eyes and relished the clean air filtering through her lungs.
A car pulled into her drive. Thinking Allie must have forgotten something, Kora yawned and opened her eyes. A black SUV turned toward her onto the grass and slammed into park. Her flight instinct kicked in and she bolted across the lawn. Someone grabbed her leg and she fell, down, down, her hands out to catch herself as she landed hard, scraping her palms, her chin hitting the ground. Pain lanced through her jaw.
“Where is it?”
The male voice growled in her ear as she was hauled to her feet and dragged backwards. Kora kicked and twisted, driving her elbows back. This couldn’t be happening again. Not again.
“Where the hell is it?”
“Come on. Don’t worry about it. There’s more.”
Arms wrapped around her chest. She was lugged into the back seat, the door slamming and a huge man getting in beside her, closing her in. She burst from the seat, ready to bolt when a familiar face grinned at her from the driver’s seat.
“Hey, there, Kora. How’s the printer working?”
“Earl?”
The repairman from We Know Electronics smirked at her before turning back to the wheel and peeling out of her driveway.
“I hear your boyfriend found something glittery and old. He was a good boy and wrote down the solutions to a couple clues in his handy little book, though. So, we’re taking a little trip to see what we can find. Sound exciting?”
Earl had his hair slicked back. The flipped-up collar of a black jacket hugged his neck. He wore black leather gloves and a gold chain around his neck.
“Why are you doing this?”
“What? Hunting for Spanish gold? Because I’m sick as fuck of people like you calling me because their electronics don’t work. Mexico is calling my name. Yours, too, if you’re a good girl. Now look, you don’t come quietly, your shifter is going to find himself in small pieces all over the mountain.”
No.
