The Shifter's Gift

by Haley Weir

  Olivia couldn’t stop the frown from tugging at her lips when she turned back to Sophie. “That’s the wife who spilled wine on me. Looks like he’s back with her. Good for him, I guess,” she said, unable to stop the sadness from creeping into her voice.

  Sophie took Olivia’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “Maybe that’s our cue to get out of here. Let’s not let them ruin our fun. How about we go back to your place and watch a movie?” she looked over Olivia’s shoulder again, and her reassuring smile was replaced with a horrified sneer. “Oh hell no. I think he saw us. He’s staggering over here. Ugh.” She quickly slid enough cash from her wallet to cover the food, drinks, and a generous tip. She slapped it on the table and stood up. “Hurry, Olivia.”

  Olivia grabbed her purse and sweater. She stood up but was knocked back into her chair when Jared blocked her exit. “Jared. Hi. What are you doing here?” she said, trying to keep her voice civil as he stared down at her.

  A sleazy grin curved his lips. “Olivia. You know how much I love that dress. Seeing all of that pretty skin,” he slurred, and reached his hand around to touch her, but she knocked his hand away. “When I saw the dress, I knew it was you.” He nodded toward the table. “My wife and I are having dinner together. Patching things up after the other night,” he mumbled as he undressed her with his eyes.

  How had she ever found that gesture so sensual and appealing before? Now it just felt dirty, especially when he’d just said he was currently patching things up with his wife. She had to get away from him. This was too much.

  “You’re drunk, Jared,” Olivia replied softly, trying to scoot past him. But it was no use. “Maybe you should go back to your wife. My friend and I were about to leave. Let me by, please.”

  Jared glanced over at his wife. Missy played with her phone taking selfies, apparently oblivious to what was going on. “I was on the way to the bathroom. Did you think I left my wife to come chat with you?” he laughed, and the cold cruelty sent shivers down her spine. “I knew you were a dreamer, but I didn’t realize you thought so highly of yourself. Cute. Maybe if I wasn’t with someone like her, I’d be more interested in you.”

  Olivia couldn’t believe he was saying all of this. he never heard him be so cruel, even when they fought. He would say mean things, but always profusely apologized and brought her flowers to make up for it. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, and she looked away. He’d brought the jewelry box to their dinner. She’d thought her life was so great. He was kind and caring. Now she realized that she wasted years of her life with a man that never existed at all.

  Sophie had flagged their waiter over while Jared insulted Olivia. The waiter crossed his arms over his bulky chest. “Please move so the lady can leave with her friend. Don’t make me call security, sir.” Jared stepped aside, knocking his shoulder into Sophie as he walked past. If the waiter hadn’t steadied Sophie, she might have fallen down. “Are you okay, miss?” he said, looking down at Sophie with concern.

  Sophie held her shoulder. “I’ll be fine. Thank you for helping us.”

  The waiter gave her a crooked grin. “My pleasure. Have a nice evening.”

  Olivia definitely felt sparks between them. She almost told her friend to get his number, but the ring on his left hand made Olivia grimace. She took Sophie’s hand and waved to the waiter. “You too.”

  Sophie shot her a confused look when they neared the exit. “Hey, what’s going on? Didn’t you see? He was so into me.”

  “Yeah, he was into you. He was also married.” Olivia pulled her best friend into a hug, finally letting the tears fall down her cheeks. “Did all of that actually happen? How could that be Jared? My Jared?”

  Her best friend held her tighter. “It did. I can’t believe he said that to you. It’s not true, you know,” she asserted. “You’re a smart, level-headed woman who has a big heart. You just let the wrong man in.” She rubbed Olivia’s back a little in comforting strokes.

  “How will I ever know I’ve found the right man? I’m not sure I can trust my heart after… after that,” she said as her throat tightened with emotion.

  “I wish I could tell you,” Sophie shrugged her shoulders, looking rather defeated. “I’ve never been in a long-term relationship. The men I’ve met tend to just get bored after a while and move on to greener pastures.” She made it sound like a joke, but it bothered her. “Let’s get out of here before we run into either of those two again.”

  Olivia nodded, giving her friend one last quick hug before heading to the car.

  Chapter Six

  Liam laid on his bed, scrolling on his phone. He stretched the muscles in his back and saw a notification pop up in his email. The sender was Prince Dating Agency. His meeting with Ms. Prince went surprisingly well. The sign up process was more straightforward than he thought, and the whole thing didn’t take long at all.

  The questions she asked were a bit odd at times. What hair color did he like or not like on a woman? Did that really matter? Who goes for women strictly based on things like that? But he supposed it made sense for some of their clients. Maybe it helped narrow down options for certain people.

  He tapped the notification Surprise jolted through him when he saw the subject. He tried not to rush through to the bottom where they detailed the name and information of his match. This was something he needed to take his time and read through. His bear, on the other hand, was relentless. A growl rumbled in his chest, and he finally scrolled through the body of the email to see who they’d paired him with. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest when he saw the woman’s name and a picture of Olivia Tyson. Giddiness rose up inside him, and he shot up from his bed. He needed to talk to someone about this. This news was too big to keep to himself.

  He called Will. His brother wanted to know when he heard back and how things went, but he did not answer after a few rings. The time for the date was already set, so he wracked his brain trying to come up with date ideas.

  He thought of more people to call. His parents were off limits. If he told his dad, then his mom would find out, and they still thought he was with Cindy. He didn’t want to tell them that he wasn’t, much less that he was following in his older brother’s footsteps to find a girl from a dating agency. They’d probably give him a pitiful look and a pat on the back. Then, it hit him: Mason. He could talk with his older brother. Liam was there for his brother when he was in this same position. Liam dialed Mason’s cell phone, and he answered in two rings.

  “Hey, Liam. How’s it going?” he said, sounding a little distracted.

  “Hey. Did I catch you at a bad time?” he grimaced. Maybe he should have called Noah, but Noah didn’t have much dating experience, and he was a known blabbermouth. He could very well tell to their parents if he felt like it could earn him some brownie points after his outburst during breakfast on Saturday.

  Mason whispered something and from Ava’s feminine giggle, he knew it likely wasn’t directed at him. There was the sound of a door closing not long after he whispered, then Mason finally put the phone back near his mouth. “No, of course not. I was just spending time with Ava. What’s up?”

  “Well, I can always call you back later, if you two need to ‘spend more time together’,” Liam said in a joking, suggestive tone.

  “I’ll return to her once we’re done. You don’t tend to call, and you were distant at the office.” Mason sounded concerned, and Liam should have known that his brother would pick up on his cagey behavior. His older brother had acute senses, especially will his family. “Is everything okay?”

  “It’s better now. To be honest, things ended with Cindy. I haven’t wanted to talk about it since things are going well with you and Ava, and I was the one who actually had a steady girlfriend. Mom and Dad might have freaked out that their second kid had ruined his chance at a mate.” He shook his head, keeping his voice down. He didn’t want either of them to walk by his room and hear his conversation.

  “Anyway, Will talked me into trying
out that dating agency you used, since you had such success.”

  “Prince Dating Agency?” Mason asked, sounding strange. “Have you already met with them?”

  “Yeah, the same one I suggested you go to. Remember? I met with them this morning.” Liam wasn’t sure why his brother was acting this way. It surprised him. They all assumed that Ava and Masons union was a standard matchmaking arrangement. Although, from what he saw and experienced of Ms. Prince, the words standard or normal didn’t appear to be in her vocabulary. Now he was curious.

  “Of course. I know where I went, Liam. Who did you speak to while you were there?” Mason’s voice took on a carefully neutral tone.

  “Ms. Prince herself. I thought I would have to speak with someone else first and go through a process, but it went well. They already sent me my match. I want to make sure I do this thing right, and that’s why I called. I thought maybe you could give me some pointers. But you are definitely being weird, so let’s talk about that. What is going on? Did something happen at the dating agency that I should be aware of?”

  “It’s better if we talk in person,” Mason said hurriedly. “I’ll meet you at the cafe in fifteen minutes.” With that, he hung up.

  Liam scratched the stubble on his chin and tucked his cell phone into his pocket before grabbing his keys and walking out the door.

  * * *

  It didn’t take long to get to the cafe. It was less than five minutes away for him, but Liam couldn’t help but wonder what the big deal was. Maybe it was nothing, or maybe Mason didn’t want his mate to overhear what he was going to say. Either way, he was glad they were meeting in person. Face to face, his bear could smell if Mason was was lying, or withholding information.

  Liam sipped on his hot coffee. It warmed his throat as it went down, and he looked around the cafe again. His brother walked through the door in a pair of dark blue jeans and a t-shirt that stretched to conform to his muscular chest. He lifted his hand to get his brother’s attention.

  Mason walked over in a few long, determined strides. It was any wonder his brother had found a mate. He could certainly be intimidating, but Liam didn’t feel that way. Most of it was an act to impress the pack and their business associates, and the rest was just how Mason was. His growl was worse than his bite.

  He slid into the booth across from Liam and ordered himself a black coffee and a cherry-filled pastry. He stretched his arm out along the back of the booth and turning his attention to Liam. He got right down to business.

  “When I went there, I screwed up. I broke some of their rules. I’m lucky they were lenient, but I’m sure they were because of Ava,” Mason said simply.

  “Rules? What rules? How did you screw up?” Liam asked.

  “This stays between you and me, little brother, okay?” At Liam’s nod, he continued. “Ava was going to work for them. We talked in the waiting room, and I felt something I’d never experienced before. My bear reacted to her. She was special, and I knew it right away. I didn’t get a chance to ask for her number before she was led back. During my first appointment, I asked about her. She told that it was against the rules for employees to date clients. I was stupid and arrogant. I asked to speak with a manager, made a deal with her not to hire Ava, and to get her matched with me. With Dad threatening to demote me and knowing she felt right to my bear, I had to take the chance. It wasn’t the best decision I’ve ever made. When I found out that Ava was having financial difficulties and needed the job, I contacted the manager. She’d said the damage was already done. Ms. Prince became involved, and she told Ava that the manager I spoke with no longer worked for her, and that they had every right to cut ties with me completely.” He shrugged. “Ava told her not to, and when I finally had a chance to speak with Ava again, we worked things out. I haven’t needed to deal with Ms. Prince after that, so it was a surprise to hear you mention her.”

  Liam stared at his brother, unsure of what to say. This was rather shocking news. He let out a breath and shook his head. “Wow. I see what you mean. Why didn’t you tell me before about what happened?”

  Mason opened his mouth to respond, but he stopped when the waitress put his coffee and pastry down on the table in front of him with a smile. He nodded his thanks to her. Once she walked away, he continued talking, “what was I supposed to say? I’d been an ass, nearly lost my mate after finding her, but hey, it all worked out in the end?” he shook his head. “I was ashamed of myself. But tell me more about what happened with you. You said Ms. Prince treated you well and you’ve already found a match?”

  His older brother had a point. The way he’d met his mate was not easy, and he didn’t blame him for not wanting to discuss the details. “Ms. Prince was nice, thorough. There’s something different about her, isn’t there?” he said, and shrugged his suspicions away. It didn’t matter, especially since he was anxious to talk about date ideas. In his last relationship, they were pretty casual when it came to dates. “I was told it might take a few days, but yeah, I received the email a few minutes before I called you.” There wasn’t a reason to hold back now. “I met the woman I was matched with in the waiting room. We talked while we both waited for our appointments. She was beautiful, and really great to talk to. I didn’t want our conversation to end. Her name is Olivia Tyson.” He shifted in the booth. “My bear reacted to her as well, so I want to impress her. I’m not sure what to do. Cindy and I didn’t put a lot of effort into dates.”

  Mason gave him a lopsided grin. “You want a date that’ll make your potential mate come crawling back for more? You’ve come to the right person.”

  Chapter Seven

  While Sophie did what she could to make Olivia feel better about what happened last night, it was hard not to think about the things that Jared said to her. All day at the office, she could not concentrate. Throughout the meetings and reading over the growing stack of emails that she kept putting off, she couldn’t get out of her own head.

  She checked her phone to see what time it was, but the device started ringing in her hand. “Hello?”

  “Hello, is this Ms. Tyson? This is Kimberly from Prince Dating Agency,” Kim said, sounding enthusiastic.

  “Hi Kimberly. Yes, this is Olivia.”

  “I have some great news for you,” Kim said. “We’ve found your match. I’ll be sending over an email to you shortly, but I wanted to tell you the news. I’ve received the time and place of where you’ll be meeting your match. His name is Liam Sinclair. It’s important to relax and have a good time. I’ll also include a few tips on making the most of the date inside the email. Remember, if you have any questions at all, feel free to call or reply to the email. Don’t feel like you’re alone in this. I’m here to help you in whatever way you might need.” Olivia’s mouth dropped open for a moment, then she closed it again as one of her co-workers walked by her glass door. She didn’t want to look shocked while at the office, even if a couple people had asked her if she was feeling alright. Had she looked that bad today? “Ms. Tyson? Are you still there? It’s exciting, isn’t it?” Kimberly asked with a soft giggle.

  Olivia finally made her mouth start working again. “Yes, sorry. I’m just surprised. I didn’t expect the good news to come so soon. I’ll be on the lookout for the email. When and where was the date supposed to be, did you say?”

  “I’m glad you asked. I got sidetracked. It will be tonight at eight o’clock at the marina. The note I received said to bring along a swimsuit if you feel inclined. I’m guessing it will be worth taking one along.”

  Her eyes widened, and she turned toward the window behind her overlooking the expansive parking lot and the rest of the city. “Wow. I didn’t know it would be so soon.” That gave her another reason to get home as soon as she could. “Can’t it be delayed a little?”

  “I’m sorry, but it’s important to be there if at all possible. I mentioned this during our meeting, remember? It’s part of the process,” she explained.

  “Right. I apologize. Is the date formal?
Casual? A pool party?” she joked. She grabbed the notepad from beside her keyboard and started making a list of everything she’d need to do before tonight.

  “No need to apologize. It’s okay.” Kim clicked and typed a few times before answering, “The dress code is formal attire. Something like a little black dress would be perfect.”

  “Thank you. I look forward to reading the email.” Olivia felt her nerves bundle up in her stomach. It was true. She was anxious to read it, but it also meant she would find out who this Liam Sinclair guy was. Would he be like the others? Like Jared?

  “I’ll send it right over. Have a lovely date!” Kimberly said, then she hung up.

  Olivia wrapped her arms around her stomach, feeling like a boa constrictor was coiling up within her belly. She instantly opened the email when it showed up in her mailbox. Her gaze skimmed the contents, which basically told her what she’d already been told, as well as a few dating tip items. Stuff that was pretty much common sense. She nearly dropped her phone when she saw a photograph of her match. The man from the waiting room? Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. Meeting him had felt so right. Did he know she was his match too? What did he have planned? And why the swimsuit?

  After she sent off a quick email to her co-workers that she needed to leave for the day and she would see them tomorrow, she collected her belongings and left the office.. Now she needed to wrack her brain to figure out what she was going to wear. He’d already seen her in the blue dress, not that she ever wanted to wear it again after what Jared said at the restaurant.

  She drove home, thinking about what the evening might be like the whole way there. They were meeting at a marina? Maybe that was just as well. She didn’t want to have flashbacks to her dinner date with Jared.