She had faith that, somehow, everything was going to be okay.
Chapter Fifteen
Jack had to pinch himself multiple times a day to believe that he wasn’t dreaming. Once he took the leap and went all-in with a relationship with Silver, things were better than he could have ever imagined. Of course, his job responsibilities kept him from seeing her as much as he would have liked. But they made it work, stealing time together whenever they could. And something within Jack had awakened. A part of him that he hadn’t even known existed had come alive now that he had his lifemate by his side. There was some deep, ancient need within every bear to have a mate. Jack hadn’t even realized that a part of his very soul had been missing before he found Silver. Now, he felt whole and complete, like his heart had finally found its home.
Silver seemed to feel the same way. She was happier than Jack had ever seen her, full of a renewed life and energy. She even seemed to push Mr. Astor and the eye scanner out of her mind. Jack knew she couldn’t completely ignore the threat, but she had relaxed somewhat about it. And, as far as Jack was concerned, that was a good thing. After thinking long and hard about the situation, he’d decided that one old man with some sort of strange vendetta against shifters wasn’t really that much of a threat. Shifters had faced all sorts of enemies over the centuries. This menace seemed like nothing more than child’s play.
Jack straightened the collar on his button-down shirt, then admired himself in the mirror. He looked pretty handsome, if he said so himself. His dark wash blue jeans perfectly accented the dark blue, checkered pattern of his shirt. His hair was neatly combed and spiked slightly with a bit of hair gel. It was a new look he was trying, and he wasn’t quite sure he was going to stick with it. He felt a little bit like he was trying too hard to look like a surfer dude when he spiked his hair, but Silver seemed to love the style. And what more could he ask for than to have his beautiful girlfriend love the way he looked?
Jack glanced at the time running across the computer screen at the mirror’s top edge. He needed to get going, or he was going to be late picking Silver up. Yet, he hesitated just another moment to look at his reflection. He wanted to exude an air of confidence and authority, and he hoped this outfit helped him do that. The Fur Coats were all meeting for dinner tonight at a Cuban restaurant to celebrate Grant’s birthday. Jack was excited to see everyone, but he was well-aware that this would be the first time everyone had seen him and Silver together. No one in their friend group had ever dated each other before, and Jack wasn’t sure how much teasing he was going to have to endure.
Jack forced himself to leave the mirror, and the safety of his own apartment, and head for his hovercar. At Jack’s request, the computer quickly flew to Silver’s condo, where Jack called her on his phone.
“Hey, Lovely,” he said when she picked up. “I’m here in front of your building. Do you want to run down? I know it’s not very romantic of me to not come up to your doorstep, but I’m running late.”
“No problem,” Silver said. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
Jack smiled at the cheery sound of her voice. Silver was already proving to be the lowest maintenance girlfriend he’d ever had. She didn’t get upset if he didn’t come to her doorstep while running late. She didn’t hold it over his head if he forgot to hold the door for her at a restaurant one time. She didn’t refuse to speak to him for days if he didn’t have flowers or chocolates for her every single time he took her out. Jack had dated some demanding women before, and Silver wasn’t anything like them. She was easygoing, kind, and just wanted to have a good time with Jack. The funny thing was, he was more motivated to do romantic things for her than he had been for any of his previous girlfriends. Being appreciated for who you are had a way of making you want to shower your beloved with affection.
Moments later, Silver emerged from the front door of her condo building. Jack found it hard to breathe as he watched her walking toward his hovercar. She looked stunning in her turquoise, knee-length dress. Her hair, which was so often pulled up into a tight bun for dancing, was loose today. Its thick, dark brown waves curled around her shoulders and framed her smiling face. Jack couldn’t keep his eyes from grazing over her long, lean legs, which were starting to show a bit of a summer tan. She wore a pair of bright orange flats that popped against the turquoise of her dress. Jack smiled, remembering all the times he’d heard Silver complain about having to wear high heels for events with Joe’s family.
No heels were necessary here. Silver looked like perfection in her simple flats. She didn’t need a fancy pair of shoes to prove that she was beautiful. Jack felt a shiver of delight go down his spine, knowing that this beautiful woman was his, and that he got to go home with her tonight.
Jack pushed the button on the hovercar’s computer screen to open the glass gull-wing door as Silver approached and gave him a little wave as she scurried toward him.
“Hey,” she said, slipping into her seat as the door automatically closed behind her with a whoosh. “Why so late? Spend too much time primping in front of the mirror?”
“Very funny,” Jack said, although in his head he was wincing at how correct Silver actually was. He gave the hovercar’s computer the address for the restaurant, and then looked over at Silver again as they zoomed upward and to the west.
“Are you ready for tonight?” he asked. “It’s the big reveal. Everyone in the group is going to know we’re together.”
Silver grinned over at him. “I’m ready. I told Storm days ago, so she already knows. And I don’t think anyone else is really going to be all that surprised. Why? Are you nervous, Jack Tanner?”
“No. Well, not exactly. Maybe a little bit? I know I’m going to get teased mercilessly by Grant. And Bash is going to probably give me some speech about how I better not break your heart.”
Silver laughed. “He is a pretty overprotective brother,” she said. “But you don’t have anything to worry about, because you’re not going to break my heart, right?”
Silver gave him a flirtatious wink, but Jack reached over for her hand and looked back at her with a very serious expression on his face. “No, Sil. I’m not going to break your heart. I’m going to do everything in my power to always show you how special you are.”
Silver’s lips turned up into a huge smile, and Jack couldn’t keep himself from leaning over and softly kissing them. A spark of hot, electric passion heated up the air between them, and Jack pulled back.
“I better hold off on that for now,” he said. “Or we’re never going to make it the restaurant.”
Silver grinned. “You could always put this thing in manual drive and speed things up a bit.”
Jack laughed. “Yeah, right. It’s a Friday night. There are policehovers everywhere. Besides, I haven’t driven on manual for almost a year. I’d probably crash this thing.”
Silver sighed. “Yeah, it’s been a while for me, too. Do you miss it?”
Jack paused to think. All hovercars were capable of being manually flown. It was a safety feature, designed to be used if the computer’s self-directing abilities somehow failed while in flight. But operating a hovercar in manual on public flyways was strictly prohibited, unless there was an actual emergency. Self-flying computers were generally much safer than manual operation. Still, there were practice tracks just outside the city where you could take your hovercar or self-driving car and practice manual flying or driving. Some people did this often for fun. Jack enjoyed manual driving and flying, but he was too busy most of the time to make it out to the tracks.
“I guess I miss it,” he said. “There is something thrilling about being in control behind the wheel. But honestly, I’m too tired to want to fly this thing most of the time anyway. And it is impressive how much self-operation has eliminated accidents.”
It was true. Since the introduction of self-driving cars, and now self-flying hovercars, traffic deaths had gone down to almost zero. The statistics were impressive. Jack had seen some pretty bad car
accident injuries in the emergency room during the early years of his medical residency. His heart broke for everyone who had lost a loved one too soon, and he considered the self-operation mode of these vehicles to be something of a miracle.
“The really strange thing to me is how scarce even self-driving cars are becoming,” Silver said. “At least here in the big city. I still see them everywhere when I go home to Alaska, but in Chicago they are a dying breed. Everyone has a hovercar instead now.”
“Yeah,” Jack said. “Cars will probably disappear altogether over the next few years. Hovercars are just so much faster.”
At that moment, Jack’s hovercar started descending back toward the ground and arrived in front of 90 Miles, a Cuban café with a huge open-air patio and a bring your own alcohol policy. This was one of Grant’s favorite restaurants, and Jack was pretty fond of the place, too. The food was delicious and plentiful, and you could buy an amazing pitcher of sangria mix that just needed red wine added to it.
“Did you remember the wine?” Silver asked, as though reading Jack’s mind.
Jack grinned as the hovercar came to a stop in one of the parking spots in front of the restaurant. “Of course. Three bottles of red right here. We’re going to be buying several pitchers of the house sangria mix tonight, I guarantee it. Gotta make sure Grant has a very happy birthday.”
Silver smiled and gestured toward the door. “Looks like he’s already here, and already having a good time.”
Jack followed Silver’s pointed finger to see Grant standing in front of the restaurant next to Juno and Bash, throwing his head back and laughing at something Bash had said. Here goes, Jack thought, hopping out of the hovercar. Let’s see how everyone reacts to the news that Silver and I are together. Silver hopped out as well, just as Storm pulled up in her hovercar. Storm quickly jumped out, holding a bottle of red wine as well.
“Looks like we’re on the same page here,” Storm said, pointing to the bottles of wine Jack was holding.
“Yup. It’s gonna be a birthday party to remember,” Jack said.
Storm nodded. “I hear you have a hot new girlfriend, Jack,” she teased.
Jack felt his cheeks heating up and he looked over at Silver, hoping she would take over the conversation. For some reason, Storm’s tone made him nervous. But Silver wasn’t going to let him off easily. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying his discomfort.
“Yeah, Jack,” Silver teased. “I hear you have a hot new girlfriend.”
“Hmph,” Jack said, then suddenly got a sly grin on his face as an idea popped into his head. If you can’t beat them, join them, right?
He threw his arm around Silver and started walking toward the group already gathered by the front door, pulling Silver along with him. He waited until Grant noticed they were coming and waved, causing everyone else to turn and look at them. Then, with all eyes on him and Silver, he leaned down and planted a big, wet kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, the expressions on his friends’ faces were priceless. Storm was still standing next to Silver, rolling her eyes. Grant and Juno both looked shocked, with wide eyes and gaping mouths. And Bash looked downright angry.
“Um, what the hell, Jack?” Bash asked. “Why are you kissing my sister? On the lips, no less!”
It was Silver’s turn to blush. Her cheeks turned bright red as Grant realized what was going on and let out a whoop.
“Looks like Jacky boy found himself a pretty little piece of arm candy, huh?” Grant said.
Juno started laughing, and Bash’s expression turned even angrier.
“That’s my sister you’re talking about, asshole,” Bash said, looking like he was moments away from punching Grant. Jack decided it was time to step in before Bash’s infamous temper got out of control and ruined the evening.
“Yeah, your sister. And my girlfriend,” Jack said, proudly smiling over at the group. “Silver and I decided to give a relationship with each other a go, and it turns out we’re lifemates.”
There was a short pause before the congratulations started pouring in. Storm and Juno both gave Jack and Silver big hugs. Grant hugged Silver and gave Jack a congratulatory pat on the back. Meanwhile, Bash pointed back and forth between his eyes and Jack’s.
“I’m watching you, Jacky boy,” Bash said. “You break her heart and I swear I’ll break your neck.”
“Oh, calm down, Bash,” Silver said. “Jack’s a good guy, and I’m very happy. Don’t be so overprotective.”
Bash reached over and rubbed the top of Silver’s head, mussing up her hair and causing her to raise a loud protest. “I’m your brother,” Bash said. “It’s my job to be overprotective.”
Just then, a short, blonde-haired woman stuck her head out the front door of the restaurant. “Grant?” she asked, looking in Grant’s direction and then down at a clipboard in her hand.
“That’s me,” Grant said.
“Great! Party of six, right? Your table is ready.”
The group followed the hostess to a table in the far corner of the patio. Even though the restaurant was busy, the spot was somewhat secluded from the rest of the tables. It almost gave the group the feeling of being in a private room. As soon as they sat down, Jack ordered two pitchers of sangria.
“Gotta get this party started off right,” he said as he slipped his arm around Silver’s shoulders. He noticed that Bash stiffened slightly when he touched Silver, which almost made him want to lean over and kiss Silver again. But he knew better than to poke the bear. Bash could go from happy to furious in a split-second, and nothing made him angrier than a perceived threat to his sister. Jack had to admit that it was sweet the way Bash protected Silver. He just hoped Bash simmered down a bit about the fact that they were dating. Maybe one of them should have warned Bash beforehand.
It was too late now, though. As the pitchers of sangria mix arrived at the table, Jack resolved to have a good time no matter how Bash acted tonight. This meal was all about celebrating Grant and having a good time. Their server quickly uncorked the two bottles of red wine Jack had brought, and poured them into the pitchers. Jack poured a generous glass for each person at the table, and then held his own glass high.
“Salud!” he said. “A toast to Grant on his birthday! May you have a wonderful year, filled with laughter and good times with family and friends.”
“Cheers!” came replies from everyone in the group. They all clinked their glasses together and then took long sips from their drinks. Jack put his hand on Silver’s thigh and smiled over at her. In the soft light of early evening, her skin looked even lovelier than normal. For a moment, Jack forgot about everything except the beautiful woman sitting right next to him. How could he ever ask for more than this? Just being with Silver here, in this moment, made him feel like he had found something he’d been searching for his entire life. All of his other troubles and worries melted away.
The euphoric feeling didn’t last for long, though. As soon as the server had taken their food orders and walked away, leaving the table to themselves, Juno spoke up.
“So, guys, I think whoever is behind these shifter eye scanners has something big planned for next week,” Juno said, then looked apologetically over at Grant. “Not to put a damper on your birthday party, Grant, but I think this is important. Since we’re all here together, I was wondering if you guys wanted to discuss the issue really quickly.”
“No worries,” Grant said. “I actually wanted to ask you whether you had heard anything further about the scanners. They’ve been on my mind a lot lately. What’s going on?”
“Well,” Juno said, lowering her voice so much that Jack could barely hear her, even with his sensitive bear hearing. “One of the head scientists of the project came and visited the lab today. I think he might actually be the head honcho behind the project. He’s an older guy, with crazy eyes. He asked a lot of questions, and even yelled at one of the students when he didn’t like the answers. He kept muttering about how we need to get this thing off the ground for next week
, ready or not.”
“Is it ready?” Storm asked. “Or even close to ready?”
Juno shook her head no. “The scanner has some major issues. It gives off false positives about fifty percent of the time. The technology is too sensitive, but every time we try to make it less sensitive, it starts giving off false negatives. Basically, we can’t find the sweet spot where it would only give off a positive when there is actually animal DNA present. I have some ideas about how to fix the problem, but I haven’t shared them with anyone at the lab. Obviously, I’m not in a hurry to see this thing working properly.”
“Why do you think the scientist who visited was so interested in getting it off the ground for next week?” Bash asked.
Juno frowned. “I’m not sure. But he said over and over that it needed to be ready by next week, and that if it wasn’t the mayor was going to be really angry with him.”
“Storm?” Grant asked. “Is there anything special going on at the mayor’s office next week?”
Storm furrowed her brow. “I’m trying to think. We have a press conference about improving the playgrounds in the Chicago Park District. As far as I know that’s the biggest thing on the docket right now. But, you know, I don’t see everything. I’m a lower level intern, so it’s entirely possible there’s some big event happening that I just don’t know about yet.”
“Can you dig a little? Ask around and see if anyone says anything?” Bash asked.
Storm nodded. “I can ask. But there’s no guarantee anyone will share anything with me. If it’s a big deal sometimes they like to keep things really top secret.”
Jack took a long sip of his sangria and looked around the table, feeling a little nostalgic for Alaska. The feeling surprised him a bit. He had always been the one most excited about being in Chicago, far away from the clan hierarchy back home. But, at least, back home he hadn’t had to worry about the mayor of a big city potentially doing something to threaten his survival. He’d lived on the outskirts of a small town in the wilderness, relatively secluded from the outside world.
Trouble in a Fur Coat (The Fur Coat Society Book 1) Page 13