Page 36 of Raven's Instinct
Kendra gave a bark of laughter and Alan thought she relaxed a little. Could he feel that from her, or was he just guessing it from her body language?
Kendra sighed and shook her head. “I’ve been a bit busy to keep up with it.”
Her phone gave a buzz and Kendra pulled it out to frown at the text. A folded paper came out with it to fall on the ground and Alan picked it up for her. He really wasn’t trying to snoop, but saw that it was a realty listing on Veronica Chase’s letterhead. “Rita is just about finished at the auto shop,” Kendra said with a grimace as she accepted the flyer from him. “No savings to put towards that down payment this month. I’m not sure why I’m keeping this.”
She made a move to drop in the trash can by the door, but Alan stopped her. “Keep it. That could be our way into Veronica’s office. I’ve met her, but she doesn’t know who you are, right?”
“Didn’t seem to. I hadn’t seen her in person before, though I’ve heard horror stories from other parents here who rent. The tales always made me happy I was living in a house on wheels instead of leasing one of her places.”
“Your van is really recognizable, though. Would she have seen it in front of the day care?”
“It’s memorable, but it’s also too big for parking street-side in a single spot. I usually have to park at the grocery store and walk over. Except for those rare times that I double-park and get a ticket because I’m talking to the day care help too long.”
“Did you?” Alan asked in horror.
“Didn’t you find that in my public records?”
Alan was relieved to realize that Kendra was teasing him. She put the printout back in her purse as her phone buzzed again and she checked her phone. “They want to close up the shop and go home. They only took me in today at all as a favor. Anyway, I just thought you should know, if you didn’t already. Warn Cherry that Veronica is on the warpath aboutsomething.”
“I will,” Alan promised. “And Kendra…”
His attempt to say something chivalrous or romantic or epic was thwarted the moment that Amy realized that her mother was at the gate and hadn’t come to see her. She gave a shriek of outrage and toddled full blast for the door, yelling her indignation at the top of her lungs. Halfway there, she tripped and fell flat on her face. Her yowls went from affront to pain and shock.
Kendra winced and flinched. She probably knew that rushing to get Amy would only keep her there longer.
“I got her,” Alan assured her. “Go get Rita.”
Then he swooped back into the play room with a raven’s caw to sweep Amy up and distract her from her tears. He cuddled her up into his arms, bouncing her and pretending to drop her until she was laughing and clinging to him and had forgotten about Kendra altogether. When Alan looked around again, she had vanished.
Alan hadn’t forgotten her, though, and he carried Amy around a little longer than was strictly necessary, wishing he knew what their life together might look like. The realty listing was a house big enough for afamily, and he wanted to be a part of that.
25
KENDRA
Leaving Amy in distress went against every motherly instinct that Kendra had. Even her owl was hooting woefully.
She’ll be okay with Alan, Kendra told her owl as she hurried along the sidewalk towards the auto shop. She felt disloyal almost at once.And Addison and Cherry and Shea, of course.How had Tiny Paws come so quickly to meanAlan, and his big smile and his big arms and his big heart? He’d been there a few weeks. The rest of them had been Amy’s caretakers for more than a year now!
Libido, she told herself. Too long in a tiny bed with a toddler kicking her. She hadn’t realized how much she missed socializing with other human adults, or being touched as a woman and not just a mother until Alan had kissed her. Now she was remembering all the carnal things she loved about being in a relationship and having someone make her purr.
“Quiet as a kitten, now,” Mason told her as he handed her the keys. “Not that kittens are always quiet, exactly. I shouldn’t attempt metaphors.”
Kendra gave him her credit card and he ran the payment as Kendra glanced at her phone. She still had time to make it to herfirst afternoon appointment if she hurried. “I really appreciate you getting it done so quickly,” she said, genuinely grateful. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“It was a good training opportunity,” Mason said gruffly, looking embarrassed. “And shifters look out for each other.”
The idea that she belonged to a community buoyed her all the way to the first farm, and Rita drove like a dream. Kendra hadn’t realized hownoisythe rig had gotten. She didn’t have to turn the music to drown out the unwelcome percussion. The power never sputtered.
The routine care of her first stop was cut short by an emergency delivery with complications, and Kendra had to double back to finish her rounds, glad that she’d been close enough to arrive in time to save the baby.
She stopped at the laundromat to shower before picking up Amy, because she was even more filthy than usual, and arrived at Tiny Paws with damp hair and cold ears.When did I get too vain to cover my hair with a hat?she asked herself in disgust as she was buzzed in at the door.
To her disappointment, it was Addison who met her at the gate, awkwardly walking with one hand in Amy’s. She looked like she might tip over at any moment and be stuck like a turtle, unable to rise. “How are you still here?” Kendra chided her. “Shouldn’t you be at home with Roderick rubbing your feet?”
“Do I have feet?” Addison asked, pretending to peer around her giant belly. “I don’t remember feet, I haven’t seen them in so long!”
Kendra laughed with her and bent down to swing Amy up over the gate into her arms. “You’ll be glad to have that little one out, won’t you.”
