Page 21 of Her Mechanic Bear Mate

“I was hoping we could talk. About non-work stuff.”

“Here?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of important. I mean, it depends on how much stock you put in this kind of thing, I guess. Maybe you don’t care,” Charlie rambled as she paced back and forth.

Eve folded her arms together. “I’m listening.”

“I… This wasn’t my idea but Jack said he wanted to go Crescent Lake this month and he didn’t feel like going by himself. I tried to hold him off but he insisted I join him, so I’ll be going to the lake tonight.” The confession left Charlie breathless.

“Aha.” Eve’s expression remained unreadable. “I wondered if you were going to tell me.”

“You knew?”

“I heard it from Jack at the family dinner.”

A bad feeling settled in Charlie’s stomach. “If you knew, why didn’t you say anything? Were you testing me?”

“Not testing, more like… Cautiously waiting.”

“Sounds like a test,” Charlie countered, unsure if she had the right to be upset when it was her secret in the first place.

Eve hummed thoughtfully. “Okay, I can see why it looks like that. I guess it was a test in a way, but not one with a fail or pass mark. More like, I was observing a driver’s test.”

“You pass or fail a driver’s test.”

“Enough about the test. I’m not actually mad that you’re going to the Lake, or even that you wanted to keep it to yourself. We’re only casually dating, right?” Eve said.

“That question sounds like another test,” Charlie pointed out instead of risking an answer. They were just casually dating, mostly because it couldn’t be more. If it became more, she’d have to tell Jack. That didn’t stop her from wanting more.

She continued pacing up and down, stealing occasional glances towards the corner shop in case Jack returned. This conversation was too important to be interrupted which was a good reason why she should’ve waited.

“Will you stop that?” Eve sighed in exasperation. “You’re driving me crazy.”

Charlie conjured a confident grin, hoping to break the awkward tension between them. “In a good way?”

Eve’s expression softened. “In all the ways. Okay, let’s not play the blame game and have an adult conversation. You’re going to the Crescent Lake ritual. Does that mean you’re looking for your fated mate?”

Charlie glanced around. “You want to talk about that here?”

“You’re the one who couldn’t wait until I was off the clock to confess,” Eve pointed out.

“Fair enough. And, well, I’m a shifter so I’m not opposed to finding my fated mate. That being said, I’ve never been in a rush to find them either. I’m not the romantic type,” Charlie admitted, finally sitting down. This conversation was more important than not being caught plus she figured she’d make up some sort of admin excuse why she was in here if it came to it.

“I hear you have a thing for chasing after pretty faces,” Eve remarked, her usual teasing tone back to her voice.

Charlie felt herself smile and she flicked her gaze back up to Eve’s eyes. “Why do you think I was drawn to you?”

“Smooth response. Well done. Don’t think you’re going to distract me with your flattering, though.” Eve leaned forward on the desk which drew attention to her cleavage. “I’m going to the Lake too, by the way.”

Surprise sparked in Charlie’s stomach. “You are?”

“Hmm-hmm. You’re not the only one looking for their fated mate.” Eve’s eyes held a daring glint, almost like she was hoping for a reaction.

Charlie didn’t know how to feel about the revelation. She expected the idea of meeting Eve at the Lake to be a suffocating one but instead, it sparked curiosity, desire, intrigue. Fate was called fate for a reason and everything about her situation with Eve felt like it had been out of her control.

Eve sat down again, her smile back to innocent. “Jack is back, by the way. But I guess I’ll see you later tonight?”

Anticipation tickled Charlie’s stomach like it was full of butterflies and she could only nod. She always knew she’d been playing with fire when it came to Eve but it felt like the intensity, risk, and rewards had just been ramped up a notch.

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