Page 33 of Brody
“Morning, Dr.Dhahabu!”called an older man with a handlebar mustache and a weathered face.He tipped his cowboy hat with old-fashioned courtesy.“Heard you might be able to help some of our boys with their situation.”
Boys.Not patients or cases or problems to be solved.Boys.Like family members who needed help.
“I hope so,” I replied.
“Much obliged.”He tipped his hat again with a warm smile.“You need anything while you’re here, you just holler.”
A woman with purple hair waved from the library steps.“Welcome to the Ridge!Let me know if you need anything.I’m Pandora.”
When was the last time anyone had welcomed me anywhere?I moved through academic conferences and research facilities like a ghost—respected, feared, but never truly welcomed.Never invited to belong.
These people were treating me like a community member instead of an outsider with a dangerous pharmaceutical legacy.Like someone worth knowing instead of just using for their expertise.
The thought made my chest tight with emotions I didn’t want to examine.My cheetah paced restlessly beneath my skin, confused by the contradictory signals, threat and welcome, danger and belonging.She didn’t understand human complexities, only recognizing the pull of potential pack bonds forming where I insisted on maintaining isolation.
Bessie’s Coffee Shop occupied a prime spot on the square, its large picture windows offering views of the fountain and the comings and goings of Ridge residents.The hand-painted sign swinging gently in the breeze featured a steaming coffee cup surrounded by the wordsWorld’s Best Coffee.
Brody opened the door, and we stepped into the bustling coffee shop.
The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee made my mouth water instantly.Beneath that, the buttery warmth of pastry, the sweet tang of berries, the savory promise of bacon and cheese.My shifter senses amplified every scent, breaking them down into their component parts in ways humans could never experience.
But cutting through it all was him, citrus and sandalwood and something uniquely, devastatingly male that made my cheetah pace restlessly beneath my skin.His scent wrapped around me like an invisible claim, marking me as his even as I fought against primal recognition.
The sound of his heartbeat filled my ears despite the coffee shop chatter, a steady rhythm that my own traitorously matched, beat for beat, as though our bodies remembered what our minds tried to forget.When his shoulder brushed mine, heat bloomed across my skin, spreading outward from that single point of contact until I felt feverish.
Threading through the tables, we passed a tall, wide shelf displaying T-shirts and coffee mugs emblazoned with the sloganBessie’s.The World’s Best Coffee.for sale.Making my way across the shop, its walls filled with framed photos of various wilderness locations, I felt countless stares boring into me.A few patrons sitting in the front turned to stare at me.Other patrons at tables threw wary glances my way while some looked downright hostile.Their scrutiny prickled my skin, a reminder of the outsider status I had worn like a second skin for so long.
Brody steered me to the large corner booth.Taking off my backpack, I slid in across from him.
The female server came up to our booth with menus.“Hey, Brody.”
“Hi, Bessie,” Brody returned.
Bessie’s warm, dark eyes and smile immediately put me at ease.With her black hair tied up in a messy bun, she wore a crisp black apron with the shop’s name,Bessie’s Coffee Shop, embroidered in elegant golden script across the front and adorned with various food-related buttons and pins.
Her eyes caught the café light as she greeted me, crinkling at the corners with a conspiratorial gleam that made me feel like we shared a secret I hadn’t learned yet.“Hello, Doctor.I heard you riled up townsfolk at the town hall meeting last night.”She smiled.“Great job.We need help, and they are too stuck in their ways to realize it.The witch coven’s got your back,” she added with a playful wink.
I blinked, my carefully prepared professional responses evaporating as her unexpected support registered.My shoulders, perpetually braced for hostility at the mention of my last name, lowered a fraction of an inch.
“Thank you.”My throat tightened unexpectedly, the sudden warmth in my chest catching me off guard.When was the last time someone had stood up for me without wanting something in return?
A smattering of customers were still staring at me.
Bessie turned to glare at them.“Go on now, mind your own biscuits and gravy,” she said, shooing them away with a flick of her wrist.They grumbled but did as they were told.“Pay them no mind, Rozi,” she said, handing me the one-page menu.
I scanned the menu quickly.“I’ll have the baked two-cheese-and-bacon grits and coffee with a cup of oat milk.”My mouth watered at the thought of the savory flavors awaiting me.
“Coffee for me,” Brody said, “and a slice of banana-pudding pie.”
“Pie for breakfast?”I couldn’t hide my surprise.
Brody’s grin transformed his face from intimidating to boyishly charming in an instant, the dimple appearing in his left cheek sending an unwelcome flutter through my stomach.“Life’s short,” he said, his voice dropping to a register that made the heat pool low in my belly.“Might as well enjoy the sweet things while you can.”
“Some of us prefer substance over instant gratification,” I replied.
“Oh, I’m all for substance,” he replied, leaning forward slightly, his eyes darkening as they locked with mine.“But I’ve found the most… satisfying experiences come from both depth and pleasure.”
The double entendre hung in the air between us, electrified by a lifetime of denied desire.My body responded traitorously, nipples tightening against the soft cotton of my bra.
