Page 9 of Bear In A Bookstore
Dax ended the call, leaving Desi to stare at the late day sky.
He’d gotten out of the military so he could do the things he wanted to do, yet his family had taken it upon themselves to plan out his future as if he were incapable of doing it himself. None of them were shy about laying on the guilt.
His phone chimed with a notification. Glancing at it, he saw that he had a new ‘thumbs up’ from the dating app he’d signed up for a few weeks ago. A busty redhead wanted to connect. Ignoring the request, he put his phone away. At first, the app had seemed like a good idea, but four dates in with different women and he was disenchanted. He wasn’t going to find his mate from an internet site. Responding to constant connection requests, planning dates, keeping the ladies’ names straight and sitting through hours of small talk was worse than sleeping on a ground cot in the desert infested with scorpions.
No thanks.
Reminding himself to delete the app, he found a spot to park a block away from the pub. Getting out of his truck, he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked slowly in front of the Estes Park Small Business Association building.
The back of his neck tingled as he thought about going inside and feeling his way around the man who’d given Kora the flowers. But it was dark inside, and he found the door locked when he tried the handle. Sniffing the air, he caught the scent of an inferior shifter. Not one of the Estes Park pack but a transplant from somewhere else. A soft, faintly sweeter scent blended around it. His brain ticked with familiarity as if he should know the scent, but he couldn’t place it. Whoever this guy was wasn’t a threat and was probably bitter about being at the bottom of his pack’s food chain.
Still, what the man had done didn’t sit well with him and he made a mental note stop back another time.
He homed in on Kora immediately when he walked into the pub, as if somehow knowing that she’d be in the last booth near the window. She made eye contact with him as he approached.
“Hey,” he greeted.
“Hi.”
Desi glanced behind him and then back to her. “Would you mind if I change seats with you?”
She hesitated. Yeah, he knew it was an odd thing to ask.
“Actually, I do mind. I prefer to sit facing the door.”
So, you can keep your eyes on the door and observe who is coming and going.Curiosity pricked his brain. Most people didn’t have preferences for facing exits. That, and she was sitting with her back to a wall so no one could approach unexpectedly from behind. Interesting.
“Yeah, me too,” he said lightly. His preference came from military training. Where did hers come from?
She cleared her throat and picked up a menu. No excuses. No apologies for doing things her way. He respected that.
A waitress appeared and flipped open an order pad. “Can I get you drinks?”
Kora ordered a water with lemon. Desi, a beer. The waitress returned in record time, her focus solely on Kora.
“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere.” She set the water down, openly studying Kora’s face.
Kora didn’t make eye contact. “I’m opening a bookstore a couple blocks away. I’m sure you’ve seen me around town.”
The waitress shook her head. “No, that’s not it.” She paused. “You’re not on television, are you? I feel like I’ve seen you on TV.”
Kora cleared her throat. “No. No, I’m not.”
The waitress shrugged. “Weird. I’d remember you if I’d seen you in here before. First time here?”
“Yep. Yep, it is.”
“Welcome. Ready to order?”
“Separate checks, please.”
Kora looked hurriedly over the menu as if she hadn’t quite decided, and quickly ordered something and then checked her cell phone. He was curious how she’d recover from the obvious lie she pulled over the waitress’s head. Maybe she wasn’t a television personality, but she was clearly trying to get the attention away from herself before the waitress pried any deeper.
She put her phone down after the waitress walked away, took a breath, and folded her hands on the table.
“Did you bring anything for me to look at for security systems? A brochure or something?”
Desi sat back against the soft leather seat. “No. I figured you can tell me what you have now, what you’d like to have implemented, and I can survey the property and give my recommendations.”
