"I'm going to do some last-minute Christmas shopping in Waco today. Want to come with?"
Tu sighed, her shoulders drooping. In fact, she had some Christmas shopping of her own to do. "Sure," Tu said. "I haven't gotten anything for Mom and Dad yet."
"How about his and hers bottles of anti-psychotic meds?"
Tu couldn't help but smile. Jasmine's snarky sense of humor always cheered Tu up.
"That's not a bad idea," Tu shrugged.
She remembered Jasmine telling her how she'd walked in on their parents and cringed. No, meds weren’t out of the question.
"Well, go get dressed, and let's head out," Jasmine said. Her face relaxed. Whatever she was angry about—and Tu had a feeling she knew—had eased. Jasmine was incapable of being angry for long.
In the car with Jasmine behind the wheel, they drove in silence until after they cleared the Perdition town limits. Tu decided to break the ice and clear the air.
"Did I ruin your party?" Tu asked cautiously.
"What? No," Jasmine feigned surprise. “Well, maybe a little bit.”
Tu gave Jasmine a pointed look, then cocked an eyebrow. "Is that why you have the long face?" Tu asked.
Jasmine sighed. "I'm annoyed by how the party went last night. I'm not mad at you, exactly..."
Jasmine broke off her soliloquy, looking thoughtful.
"But?" Tu prompted.
Jasmine pursed her lips. At length, she seemed to settle on what she needed to say.
"Did you know the consensus around town is that you and our grumpy Mr. Wayne are mates?"
Tu blinked. "Excuse me?" Of all the things that might come out of her sister's mouth, Tu did not expect this. "Small towns," Jasmine said with a roll of her eyes. "Correction, small shifter towns."
Tu didn't want to know why anyone would think she and Mitch were mates. Then again, she wasn't exactly cool and detached when they were together. And neither was he.
"Twyla is not the most discreet person in town," Jasmine said. “And, who knew you’d be a screamer?”
Tu felt her face go hot, thinking about how Twyla had seen her and Mitch together, probably smelling like hot love. How many people had Twyla told? She owned the most popular diner in town, she probably saw scores of people every day. Maybe even hundreds. Tu knew shifters valued honesty more than discretion. When you lived in a pack culture, secrets were not easy to keep. Nor were they particularly valued.
"Apparently, you smell like Mitch," Jasmine went on helpfully. Now Tu's blush extended to the tips of her ears. Why had she wanted to live here again? If everyone could smell him on her, and presumably vice-versa, that kind of made being cool and low-key impossible.
"It's annoying that people must know all your business," Tu said, grimacing. She thought about the conclusion Twyla must have come to when she and Mitch emerged from the back room. Embarrassing!
"Honestly, it doesn't affect me. AJ and I are both human, so other people's opinions don't really matter," she said.
"Also, you tend not to care what people think, right?" Tu pointed out. Because really, this was Jasmine.
"You got that right," Jasmine said. "When I got away from Jesse, it didn't seem worth it to care what other people think of me."
Soon, they arrived at the shopping mall. They spent the afternoon picking up a few last-minute gifts, since Christmas was the following week. When they stopped for lunch, Jasmine took another run at the Mitch conversation, as Tu expected she would.
"So, what are you going to do about Mitch?" Jasmine asked over burgers and fries. Tu had a meatless burger with her fries. In the week she'd lived with Mitch, she'd come to like vegan food.
"I'm not sure I need to do anything," Tu shrugged. "I know what I want. I know what I have to offer. He'll either decide to pursue me, or not. What I'm not going to do is continue the back and forth with him."
Jasmine nodded. "That sounds like a good way to go." She looked sympathetic.
"Yeah, good on paper. The truth is, I'm massively annoyed with the man. I know why he's acting this way—as least I think I do. There's nothing to do but wait him out," Tu said.
"I have a feeling it's going to work out," Jasmine said. "For what it's worth, I think he does love you. And he's definitely a man in the throes of mating fever."
None of which does me any good right now...
"Oh, hey, did I tell you I found an apartment in town?" Tu said, eager to change the subject. "I signed a lease and everything. It's over Richards Hardware. Walking distance to the school."
"Sounds ideal," Jasmine said. Her sister looked thoughtful.
"It'll be nice to be right in town," Tu said. "You know, right in the thick of things."
"That bustling metropolis of Perdition, Texas," Jasmine said with a laugh. Then she bit her lip. "Hey, you don't have to leave."
Tu smiled and pursed her lips. "And you don't have to say that just because it would be the 'nice' thing to do," she said, making air quotes. "Just because I'm your little sister, doesn't mean you have to treat me like a baby."
Jasmine pursed her lips in the way she did when choosing her words carefully.
"You get on my nerves, sometimes," Jasmine said. "But you're my little sister. You're supposed to be annoying."
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Blue Christmas
Mitch examined the plate of food Twyla set in front of him in a daze. Apparently, he had ordered pancakes, but it seemed to be later than that.
"Is this what I ordered?" Mitch asked, confused.
Twyla tilted her head to one side and gave Mitch her best resting bitch face.
"No, it isn't," she said. "You didn't order anything at all. When I asked what I could get for you, your mouth moved but no sound came out. You looked like a fish on a hook."
Mitch's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I had to resort to reading lips." Twyla placed an impatient hand on her hip. "Your eyes were glued to something, or someone, on the sidewalk. Guess who was walking past on the other side of the street?" She cocked an eyebrow.
She didn't have to say.
Petunia Greene.
He'd watched Tu park her little red Ford Focus on the street, get out, slam the door, and walk with purpose down the sidewalk. She had been wearing a pair of blue leggings with sunflowers printed on them, an oversized blue and white striped shirt, and a denim jacket. She had added a few more braids of different colors, green and red, in honor of the season.
He'd watched her disappear into the apothecary owned by her aunt, treating him to a nice view of the firm, round ass cheeks that fit his hands so well. His cock twitched when he thought of bending her over and doing filthy things to her...
When he'd snapped out of his daydream, Twyla was walking away from him. But now, Twyla stood in front of him, peering at him impatiently.
"Is it okay?" she asked him in a peeved tone, pointing her chin at the stack of pancakes.
"Huh?" said Mitch, confused. He looked down at the table. "Uh, yes. This is great." Then remembering his manners, he said, "Thank you."
"Uh-huh," Twyla said, giving him a censorious look before sashaying away.
Mitch dug into the pancakes, chewing thoughtfully.
What was Tu doing at the apothecary? Was she ill? Or just visiting her aunt? He frowned. The wad of pancake in his mouth suddenly felt dry, and he swallowed down the bite with difficulty and a large gulp of water. He kept his eyes on the door of the apothecary. Several people went in and out of the shop, but Tu never came out again.
Sighing, Mitch turned back to his meal. He heard the jingle of the bells over the door, a little unusual given it was two in the afternoon, well after the lunch hour. Lost in thought, he ate his meal while watching the front door of the apothecary.
A few moments later, a pair of shoes stopped right in front of Mitch's table—he saw them out of the corner of his eye. The shoes led to faded blue jeans, then a plaid shirt, then a denim vest. He looked into the dark brown eyes of Alan Blue, his mentor.
"Hello, Mitch," Blue said, his eyes lit with sarcastic humor.
"Blue?" Mitch said as if the man in front of him might actually be a doppelganger of his mentor.
"Mitch," Blue said, helping himself to a seat across the table from Mitch.
"Wha—what are you doing here?" Mitch asked, flabbergasted. "We just had our weekly call a few days ago."
"We did," Blue said agreeably. "But there was something off. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, and I wouldn't be doing my job as your mentor if I didn't come here and see what was up."
Blue turned toward the hostess station and signaled for a menu. Twyla appeared with a sweet smile for the older man, which twisted into a scowl when she turned to Mitch. She handed Blue a tablet with the menu and left.
"She seems mad at you. Any idea why?" Blue's expression was sharp and penetrating.
Mitch thought about Twyla's face when he and Tu had emerged from the backroom after their quick shag in the Foundlings Thrift Store. And if he wasn't mistaken, Twyla had also been in attendance at the ugly sweater party.
Mitch cleared his throat and lied.
"No idea," he said, then crammed more food in his mouth to avoid saying anything else.
Blue lived near Austin, so Perdition wasn't exactly a trip around the corner.
"What's new with you?" Mitch asked after he'd swallowed the bite of food in his mouth. Then he put more food in his mouth.
"Let's cut the crap," Blue said. "I'm here to talk about your mommy issues."
***
Mitch was able to hold off on having the unpleasant conversation with Blue he knew was soon to come by reminding the other man that they were in a shifter town. A predominantly lupine shifter town, and therefore, the Last Chance Café was not a good place to have a confidential conversation.
Mitch thought he'd managed to keep his interest in the apothecary's front door low-key, but when they got into Mitch's truck and drove toward the cabin, Blue kicked off the conversation with,
"Who were you waiting to come out of Auntie's shop?" Blue gave Mitch the side-eye.
Stunned, Mitch managed to school his features before saying, "What do you mean?"
"Keep in mind that I have a lot of contacts in town, including those who know the Greene girls," Blue said, "and try that answer again."
Mitch looked at Blue and let out a noncommittal grunt.
Mitch did not want to have this conversation. He simply wanted to put in his daily appearance in town, then go home to sulk and pine for Tu. Then later, drive up to her sister's house, park a safe distance away, and watch Tu's cottage surreptitiously. It wasn't a terribly satisfying type of evening, but he was convinced it was the best way to go, all things considered.
Blue spoke again, plainly done pussy-footing around.
"Why didn't you tell me all this time that you've been banging your houseguest?" Blue said bluntly. "I figured you were keeping that shit to yourself because the pussy was just that good."
Mitch braked the truck, whirled, and glared at Blue.
"Watch your tongue!" he thundered. "Don't you ever talk about Tu that way!" Mitch started the car again and drove. He was about ready to put Blue out of his car and leave him stranded.
Blue looked puzzled. "What's the problem? If she was important to you, I'm sure you would have mentioned her to me during one of our weekly calls. I haven't heard about her since you took her home after the snow melted. Are you telling me there's more to it?"
Mitch looked away, trying to control his temper. "I will not discuss this with you."
Blue nodded and leered suggestively. "She's that good, huh? Is she your regular booty call? If so, that's damned convenient. Right here in town."
Mitch slammed on the brakes, pushing them hard back into the upholstery.
"Get out."
Blue gave Mitch a strange look. Assessing. Speculative. "No," Blue said finally, crossing his arms over his chest. "I will not."
"Yes, you will," Mitch insisted.
"I don't think so," Blue said, smiling. "I think I'm finally getting through to—"
Mitch didn't hear the last of Blue's words, because he had unlocked the passenger side door, reached over to quickly unlatch the harness and open the door, then gave his mentor a firm shove out the door. As he drove away, the truck's momentum caused the door to shut on its own. He saw his mentor on the ground in the rear-view mirror. The old man was rising to his feet, a weird little grin on his lips.
"Have fun walking back to town," Mitch muttered under his breath.
Mitch spent the rest of the evening puttering around the attic, sorting through his mother's stash of Christmas ornaments. One year, he and his mother made ornaments shaped like snowflakes with the image of each family member attached. Mitch had forgotten about them until he found them lovingly packed in a box marked "FRAGILE." There were his two sisters, his father, and his mother. He should really put these on the tree.
He took the box downstairs and found space for them on the tree. He had to admit, the tree looked pretty good, even though it was undersized for the cavernous space of the great room. When he and Tu had decorated it, he felt a little ashamed that he'd pooh-poohed her enthusiasm for the exercise. The house smelled like pine, and it was a welcome scent. He sat on the couch, turned off all the overhead lights, so that only the Christmas tree lit up the room. It made him feel nostalgic, but also...alone.
He had always found solace in solitude, but at the moment, it wasn't working for him. For once, being alone felt...lonely.
"You would have loved her, Mom..." Mitch said into the loneliness.
Agitated, he realized he couldn’t sit around the cabin any longer. He needed some way to keep busy. Checking in on Tu would fill the bill nicely.
It had dropped quite a few degrees in just a few hours, and Mitch could see his breath in the air. The night held the unmistakable scent of a snowfall to come.
He was a little surprised Blue hadn't shown up on his doorstep, but he was glad he hadn't. He jogged down his front steps and got in the truck. He drove for several minutes, headed for Tu's cottage, when he became aware of something wrong. It was something he couldn't put his finger on. He stopped the truck, turned it off, and tried to figure out what it might be.
"Going somewhere?"
Mitch startled and whipped around to see Blue's smirking face, rising like an apparition, from the extended cab of his truck. The fucker had stowed away in his truck while he was inside the cabin, brooding over his situation.
"What the fuck, Blue?" Mitch barked, irritated. He had somewhere to go, and he didn't want to do it with Blue in tow. Where he was going was none of Blue’s goddamned business. Mitch told him so.
"None of your fucking business. Now get out of this truck, now," Mitch snarled.
"Never mind that," Blue said. In the gloom, Blue's eyes reflected white eyeshine. But Mitch could tell the asshole found this situation funny. Blue’s brown cheeks shone in the half light.
Blue went on. "I already know where you're going, and what you're doing. I know all about what happened at the Greene party and the Foundlings Thrift Store," he told Mitch. "I know people in Perdition. Once I knew what was going on, I finally understood why you acted so weird on our check-in calls."
"I was not acting weird," Mitch said petulantly.
"You are going to low-key stalk Petunia Greene. Why? Because that's how we minotaurs mate." Blue looked annoyingly smug when he said this.
"It all starts with a kiss," Blue said. "But really, it starts before that, because when you find your fated mate, thoughts of her crowd out everything else. You can't do anything about it."
Mitch gripped the steering wheel, clenching and unclenching his fingers. He still said nothing.
"Generally speaking, I like my protégées to come to certain conclusions on their own," Blue went on. "But you are hardheaded, so I'm going to make this easy for you."
Mitch found himself listening, even though he didn't want to.
; "Your mother died," Blue said, his words smacking Mitch in the face like a pail of cold water. "That doesn't mean you need to stop celebrating the things she liked to do with you. Life carries on. Fate has given you the woman you were meant to carry on with. Don't squander this opportunity."
Mitch grumbled at the man. "Still none of your business," he told Blue gruffly. "But she's too young for me. She's a sweet, nice girl who deserves better. She deserves someone younger than me. Nicer than me."
Blue chuckled. "When I met my wife, God rest her soul, she was engaged to someone else." Blue's eyes glowed with pleasure as he spoke about his late wife and mate, Susan.
"I tried not to pursue her, but it was no use," Blue said. "I stole her from her fiancé, and I was a selfish asshole when I did it. minotaurs are like that. We take what we want because every last one of us is an alpha. You can try to go against your programming, but nature always finds a way."
Mitch sat in the driver's seat, his back still to Blue, looking into the darkness. "She could do better than me." He could find no more objections, so he picked the only thing that didn't make him seem self-serving.
Blue scoffed. "Then be a better man, idiot."
Mitch turned and pinned his mentor with an irritated glower.
"You are never going to be over her," Blue pointed out.
Mitch didn’t like Blue at the moment. He was too close, the cab of the truck too intimate a space. Also, he disliked discussing Tu with Blue. It seemed...disrespectful somehow.
Mitch sighed in resignation, put the truck in gear, and headed for Perdition. "I assume you're parked somewhere in town?" he asked Blue.
"Down the street from the Last Chance Café," Blue said easily.
There was nothing else to say, so Mitch steered his truck toward town, and they drove on in silence. It would have been polite to ask Blue if he wanted to spend the night before heading back to Austin, but Mitch didn't want to deal with the other man. The nice thing about being around other minotaurs was there was no obligation to be nice, nor was it expected.
Her Mistletoe Minotaur: A BWWM Paranormal Holiday Romance (A Very Alpha Christmas Book 1) Page 18