by Sara Summers
My face grew even warmer.
“I don’t know…” I bit my lip.
“We made the choice for you.” Bree grinned. “There’s no painting coming tomorrow. This spot on the wall was reserved just for you.” She said.
“Oh gosh.” I shook my head again. “Fine, put it on the wall. Just don’t tell me if someone complains that it’s not as good as the rest of them.” I warned.
“No one will.” Bree sounded sure. “Jordie, do the honors?” he was the tallest guy not holding a baby, so she handed the painting to him. It had to get secured on the wall, and the taller you were the easier that was.
“What’s it called?” Jazz asked.
“It’s called ‘History’s Makeup’.” I admitted, my cheeks blushing a deep pink color as I stared up at my painting, hanging on the wall beside famous artists’ work.
The painting had a clock, with a bunch of unique hands. The clock was strangely shaped, the numbers not real numbers. In the background, there was a corner of beach and ocean, a corner of forest, a corner of desert, and a corner of mountain.
It was my masterpiece, and it was hanging in an art gallery.
“You’re talented, Kennedy.” Jazz shook her head at me, she and Brooke latching onto me as everyone filed out of the museum.
“Thanks.” I smiled, glancing back one last time.
My friends… they were the best I could’ve asked for. I never would’ve dreamed of displaying a piece of my own artwork, but Bree had done it for me.
She’d tricked me into admitting that my love of art had transformed into a tiny bit of talent, and I was thrilled that she had.
We went back to the house for games, staying up long past the little kids’ bedtime. It was nice to be in such a big group of people who cared about each other, and we had a ton of fun.
When everyone finally did leave, it was after midnight. Their kids were sleeping and they were yawning, but everyone had smiles on their faces.
I fell asleep feeling so incredibly lucky and excited, and honestly, didn’t mind having the bed to myself. For a minute, I thought about Grant. I wondered where he was, what he was doing, if he was thinking about me…
And then I sighed.
Everything would happen when the time was right. If it was ever right, Grant and I would give it another try.
If not? Well then, I would run my museum and fall in love with living. What more could I ask for than to live my dream?
Chapter 26
The next morning, I straightened my hair carefully. I was anxious, of course: it was a big day.
“Ready?” Bree peeked into my bathroom, where I was just finishing my makeup.
“Ready.” I nodded, taking a deep breath and checking my reflection one last time.
“You look great.” She assured me. She wasn’t dressed up yet because she didn’t have to make an appearance until that evening. I was the only one who needed to be there during the day, and that was for the politics of it all. There was a whole list of “special persons” who wanted a tour of the museum before it opened, and how could we refuse them?
Brooke and Jazz were tagging along too, to learn how we were giving tours. They only had a week to stay and help, but they’d offered to train the tour guides. We hadn’t completely decided on which applicants we’d take (there were a lot of them), but that wasn’t important.
That day, the only thing that mattered was the grand opening.
I met the girls in front of the museum twenty minutes before the first group of politicians and donors were scheduled to be there. We did a quick walkthrough as I explained the route (and made sure everything was still where it was supposed to be), and then we waited in the entrance area.
“Is there anyone cool coming that we didn’t meet yet?” Jazz asked.
“Cool, meaning famous?” I smiled. “The president and his family, but you’ve already met them. We don’t have any celebrities coming, at least not that I know about.”
“Bummer.” Brooke made a face.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and though I didn’t recognize the number that was calling me, I answered it.
“This is Kennedy.” I said into the phone.
“Hello Kennedy, this is Haiden Day. We spoke a few weeks ago about the paintings I donated to your museum.” He said in his slight British accent.
Brooke and Jazz both stepped closer. I smiled.
“Yes, of course.” I agreed. “What can I do for you, Mr. Day?”
“I heard that you were offering early tours for politicians and other donors. Is there a way for me to be a part of one of those tours? I flew in for the opening night, and have tickets for the gala.” He said.
“Of course. We’d be happy to add you to one of our tour groups.” I bit back a laugh as Jazz and Brooke started dancing.
“Perfect. What time should I be there?” he asked.
“Does 2:15 work for you?” I checked.
“Yes. I’ll see you then, Kennedy.” He said, then hung up the phone.
“Holy frick, Kennedy! We’re going to meet Haiden Day!” Brooke pulled me in for a big group hug.
A car pulled up outside, and we all jumped apart from each other. We smoothed our hair and our elegant dresses, pasting calm smiles on our faces.
It was almost a miracle, how quickly we went from fangirls to proper museum personnel.
“Hello, ladies.” The president smiled at the three of us. The first tour was just for him and his family, no one else was invited.
“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. President.” I smiled back at the leader of the country.
Brooke and Jazz didn’t say anything, letting me take the lead. This was my day to be in charge, and all three of us knew that.
The tour took the whole 45 minutes we scheduled for it, then we said goodbye to the first-family (at least until that evening), and took a five-minute water break. After that, it was tour after tour after tour.
I led most of them, but let Jazz or Brooke take a few so they could practice and so my throat could have a break. When 2:15 came around, we were tired but still excited.
“This is it. We get to see him in person.” Brooke whispered, buzzing with excitement.
“Do you think he’ll be even hotter in real life?” I whispered back, unable to resist a little fangirling. I’d been in love with Haiden Day and his work for even longer than Jazz and Brooke had; I was the one who showed it to them.
“I hope so.” Brooke’s eyes lit up with her smile.
The group came toward the door, a bunch of politicians and donors that I’d never seen or met before. A man that I did recognize followed at the back of the group.
“Welcome to the Mount Vernon Shifter Art and History Museum. My name is Kennedy, and I’m the one who runs things around here.” I smiled out at the group. “Yes, I’m an otter shifter, so I can answer any questions you have. Now, if you’ll follow me.” I led the group away. As I turned, I noticed a half-shocked, half-terrified look in Jazz’s eyes.
Her expression was normal, but I could see in her eyes that she was scared.
Not that there was anything I could do about it. I was giving a tour to the people who made the museum possible, so I couldn’t even think about stopping.
When we reached the gallery-portion of the museum, I stopped in the doorway like usual.
“Welcome to the art portion of the museum. Out of respect to the work displayed, please be as quiet as possible so that everyone has a chance to appreciate the art. The titles and artists’ names are below the pieces.” I smiled at the group, then stepped to the side of the room to let everyone in.
Brooke and Jazz filed in beside me, and we stood against the wall, still being elegant and official.
“What’s wrong?” Brooke whispered to Jazz, who was sandwiched between the two of us.
“Nothing.” Jazz said, but her voice was stiff.
“We know you, J.” Brooke’s face smiled, but her voice carried a threat. Jazz liked to keep things to h
erself, but Brooke had plenty of experience getting our cheetah friend to open up. Jazz looked straight forward, a tiny pretend smile on her face.
“My cotie started tingling as soon as the group came in.” She finally admitted.
“What?” Brooke gaped, then gathered her image again. We needed to look official. “Who is it?” she wondered, looking around the room.
The three of us scanned the area. Everyone there was an adult, and there were only two who had come alone.
A woman, and Haiden.
“Holy eff, is it Haiden?” Brooke whispered, having reached the same conclusion as I had.
“I think it is.” Jazz nodded once, still looking straight out in front of her.
“Shouldn’t his nose have kicked in? He should know that you’re his.” I said.
“Unless it hasn’t yet. We can tingle before the guy can find us, I’ve heard of it happening before.” Brooke added.
Haiden turned our way, and all our backs straightened. We stared pointedly out at the crowd, probably looking stiff and overly-regal.
He walked toward us, and I noticed Jazz’s foot start tapping. Her cotie covered her right leg, so a good portion of it was visible and most likely tingling.
Haiden’s eyebrow creased as his eyes reached her leg, and his neutral expression started to shift into a frown.
“Eff.” Jazz muttered as he came closer.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I introduced myself to you ladies. My name is Haiden Day, and I have to thank you for the tour. This is a lovely museum.” He said, his little British accent even more adorable in person.
“Thank you for your donation. Your paintings are amazing.” I admitted, glancing over at them and shaking my head. “You have a real talent.”
Haiden nodded his head, not thanking me for the compliment but acknowledging it all the same.
“You ladies are shifters, correct?” he asked.
“Yes.” We all nodded.
“I noticed your coties—they’re lovely, all of them.” He noted. “I like to work with different types of shifters, as you can see. Would any of you be interested in being models for me?” he didn’t seem all that sure about the question he was asking, but it was a great offer.
None of us really knew how to answer that, though.
“Don’t feel obligated, please. I understand wanting to stay in the shadows.”
“Our time in the shadows is long gone.” Brooke shook her head, smiling at Haiden. “After the summit, everyone knows our faces.” She said, her smile a little wry.
“Yes, and beautiful faces they are.” Haiden agreed, though his eyes lingered on Jazz. She looked at the floor. “Kennedy has my phone number, so just send me a text with your information if you’re willing to model. I don’t think I ever got your names.” He said, looking once again at Jazz.
“I’m Brooke.” Brooke held out her hand to shake Haiden’s, and I could see the grin on her face. If she shook his hand, he’d feel obligated to shake everyone’s hands.
And if he shook Jazz’s hand…
Well, he’d realize real quick that they were soulmates.
I bit back a grin of my own.
“That’s a bold look you’re wearing, Miss Brooke. You must not have met your mate yet.” He smiled deviously at Brooke, who laughed out loud.
“Nope.” She shook her head. “Have you spent much time around lion shifters?” She asked.
He must’ve, because I had no idea what she was laughing about.
“Plenty.” Haiden nodded. “Most of my shifter friends tend to be lions. We get along well.” He said.
“Just like Jazz and I do. Cheetahs and Lions are fast friends.” Brooke dropped that bomb on him, letting him know that we knew who he was.
“You must be Jazz, then?” Haiden turned to our blonde-haired friend, and I had to put all my effort into biting back a grin.
“Yep.” Jazz forced a smile.
“Nice to meet you.” Haiden held out his hand. Jazz hesitated.
“I don’t—“
“Oh, come on.” Brooke muttered. She put a hand on Jazz’s back and pushed our cheetah friend into the painter standing in front of us.
Haiden caught her, steadying Jazz with his own body. He held her upright, and as soon as his hand touched her arm, both of them closed their eyes.
His arms tightened around her, holding her close. We saw the two of them wobble (their coties covered their right legs, so it was no wonder they were wobbling), so Brooke and I stepped forward to help keep them up.
When they stopped wobbling, we stepped back.
“It’s you.” Haiden breathed, looking down at Jazz in wonder. “You’re the girl in the painting.”
“I’m not-“ she shook her head, stepping out of Haiden’s arms.
“There’s no way to deny it, J-Z, you’re Mrs. Jazzy Day now.” Brooke bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. I couldn’t hold back my grin.
Jazz swallowed, and it looked like it took a lot of effort.
“School starts in a week and a half, I can’t abandon it.” She looked at Brooke for help, and Brooke shrugged.
“Let’s not talk about abandoning anything.” Haiden suggested, gently taking her elbow. “How about we start with lunch and a game of twenty questions.”
“Alright.” Jazz agreed, though there was no denying her reluctance.
“You got this.” Brooke promised, giving Jazz a quick last hug. “It’s going to be fine.”
Jazz glared at us over her shoulder as Haiden escorted her out of the museum.
“She is one lucky girl.” I shook my head. “If my mate had started with a hug and a game of twenty questions, we might be together right now.”
“How did you finally meet him?” Brooke realized she had never heard the story. I grimaced.
“I told Ava I was going to start dating humans, so she sent him after me.” I shrugged. “I was trying to get away from him and accidentally knocked him out…by hitting him with my car.”
“You hit your mate with Bessie?” Brooke asked, a grin stretching across her face. “Oh, that’s good.” She laughed, trying to be quiet so we wouldn’t disturb anyone.
“Yeah, I guess it is.” I smiled, remembering that first day with Grant.
Gosh, I would’ve given anything for a second chance with him. A redo, or a rewind button would work just as well.
I would take anything.
Chapter 27
After the fancy opening party ended that night, I turned off the lights and stepped out of the museum. Everyone else had already gone their separate ways; Bree was back at the house with Emma, and most of the shifty tribe was on their way back to Glacier.
It was just me and a few streetlights illuminating the parking lot.
I pushed the button on my phone to turn on the security system and lock the doors. The museum was safe and secure, the opening day was a success, and tomorrow, we would open our doors to the public.
Everything was going perfect, so why didn’t I feel great? I was living my dream, wasn’t I? I’d be running a museum, talking about art and history every day for the rest of my life. What more could I ask for?
Staring up at the museum, I remembered the words I’d said to Ava, when I told her why I was going to start dating humans.
“I can’t live a life without love.” I whispered, and the wind seemed to whisk my words away.
I hoped it would carry them to whoever needed them, and hopefully that was some awesome guy who was waiting to meet me.
As hard as I tried, though, I couldn’t see myself with a human. I couldn’t live a life without love, but I couldn’t live a life with someone who wasn’t my soulmate, either. That much, I was starting to understand.
“I could adopt a kid in a few years.” I whispered, hope re-entering my heart with the words. “Or maybe be a foster mom. Not being with Grant doesn’t mean I’ll never love anyone. There are plenty of people in the world who need the love that I have.” I decided, turning away from
the museum.
“Whether or not Grant is with me, I’ll live a life full of love. Not romance or poetry or dancing, but real, honest love.” I promised myself as I walked down the road, back to my house. The house I could paint and decorate, now that I was done fixing the museum.
And I was fast at painting and decorating, after all the renovating I’d done. The next week, I would spend my free time making the house look exactly how I wanted, I decided.
As I walked, I remembered the words that my friends and I had repeated so many times through high school, and a smile spread itself across my face. The mantra had been a way to remind ourselves not to give in to the temptation to give up. We had futures in front of us, and futures are powerful.
“I’m more than an otter.” I whispered. “I will make a difference.”
I didn’t have to look back at the museum behind me to know that I already was.
Chapter 28
A week passed by without any (major) problems or setbacks. We opened our doors, and the crowds came. I think that was mostly because the semester was about to start at the brand new Shifty University, but I like to tell myself it was all the draw of my museum.
How could anyone resist shifter art and history?
“Oh, Kennedy,” Brooke grabbed my arm as I passed by. It was her last day at the museum before she needed to head back to the school, but she was training tour guides like it was going out of style.
“Yeah?” I nodded. There was a phone call waiting for me on my office phone, and I needed to get to it quickly. When someone called wanting to donate very old, very valuable shifter artifacts, I couldn’t leave them waiting.
“The new maintenance guy is waiting in the break room. Bree set up an interview.” She said, then hurried off to help one of our guides.
A new maintenance guy? That was weird, I thought I had already hired one.
I shook my head and hurried to my office. I’d have to worry about it later, because seriously, I needed to talk to the woman on the phone.
Luckily, when I picked it up, she was very understanding about the wait. She was donating some family heirlooms to go in the panther part of the museum, so that was nice.