Page 2 of Mercer

His mate, who’d come on the tour during one of the early weekends after the tickets went out, was four months pregnant. Mercer was happy for Jupiter, and also for Jenni with her soulmate Devlin, but he was definitely lonely and wishing he had someone to come home to.

Itwouldhappen. He just hoped it was soon.

“I know that look,” Caesar said.

“What look?” Mercer asked.

“You’re hoping your soulmate shows up before you’re in your forties like me.”

Mercer grinned. “You’ve waited forever, man.”

“Holy hell, I hope my soulmate shows up very soon,” Lucius said. “I want to have decades with my female.”

“I’m not that old,” Caesar said with a grimace.

“You’re no spring chicken, Dad,” Lucius said. Then he ducked down the stairs before Caesar could throw something at him.

Caesar let out a growl and then shook his head. “You guys will find your soulmates when the time is right. Maybe the tours haven’t worked like we hoped, but they have worked in the past and there’s no reason to think they won’t in the future. Don’t lose hope.”

“We won’t,” Mercer said.

“I’m trying, man, but I’d really love to have my soulmate to go home to,” Silvanus said.

“Me too,” Amadeus said. He’d been the last to come into the shed and shift.

Caesar looked at their group. “It’ll happen, guys, I know it. Just remember that people are rooting for you and hoping it will come to pass. Our soulmates are out there, we just have to find them.”

“The sooner the better,” Lucius said as he headed down the stairs.

“Damn straight,” Mercer said.

Wherever his soulmate was, he hoped she was safe and happy and would make her way into his arms as soon as possible. He was ready to start the next chapter of his life.

ChapterTwo

Rhomi Quinn stared at the laptop screen in the coffee shop, her earbuds ensuring she couldn’t hear the conversations around her and could concentrate on the task at hand. She took a drink of her iced caramel apple latte and wiggled in the chair to get more comfortable. Opening her email, she mentally crossed her fingers that her inbox would be full of interview requests for the dozens of jobs she’d applied to over the last two weeks, after her job as a receptionist at a pediatrician’s office was first on the chopping block when they downsized due to budget cuts.

She’d spent the last two weeks job hunting and using her loads of free time to volunteer at a local animal shelter. Her cat, Bootsy, had died six months ago, and she’d always wanted to help out at an animal rescue, but she’d never had the time. Now she had plenty of time, and she loved it.

If only she could workthereand get paid to take care of animals. That would be adreamjob. But right now, her only dream was to find a full-time job that paid enough so she wouldn’t have to move back into her parents’ house. She’d turned in her notice to her apartment that she’d vacate in the next thirty days, but they were willing to let her stay there if she found a job and could pay the next month’s rent.

Two weeks wasn’t a terribly long time to look for a job, but it felt like an eternity. And she only had enough in savings for another four weeks of bills.

She scanned the inbox. Shit.

No interview requests.

She closed her email and opened the browser to run a search for jobs. Then she sat back with a sigh as she stared at the results. There weren’t any new listings since she’d checked yesterday. The available jobs were either too low in pay or too far for her to drive. She’d been working for the pediatrician for only six months, having left her previous job as a receptionist at a car dealership, where she’d worked for four years. If only she hadn’t left for an extra two dollars an hour, she’d still have a job.

She stared at a job opening for a dentist’s office that was thirty-five minutes from her apartment. She wasn’t sure she could listen to a dentist drill all day, though.

Her phone buzzed, and she saw it was her mom calling. She declined the call, then sent her a text:I’m at the coffee shop and can’t talk. What’s up?

Her mom texted back:I need to talk to you. Can you call me when you have a chance?

Yeah, give me a half hour. I’m going to finish my drink and apply for this job I really don’t want.

Don’t do anything rash yet. Your dad and I need to talk to you first.

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