“Hey,” Bryce said, his voice losing its teasing edge. “Don’t let me stop you. Want a bite of my burger?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Sharing food sounds suspiciously like a date.”
“What? The burger is perfect.” He waved it in her direction. “Yes? No?”
She just glared.
“Sorry. I was just trying to put you at ease. Guess it backfired.” He set the burger down again. “So how many jerks made comments about your eating?”
“Enough of them.” She grabbed a fry. “Are you a mind reader?”
“No. My dad used to be a master at passive-aggressively calling my mom fat. It was awful to watch. What you eat is your business. I won’t stop you or judge you or count fries while you eat.”
“Why are you still single?”
“Are you asking me out?”
“No.”
“And I’m still single.” He huffed an exaggerated sigh. “We were talking about movies.”
“What about them?”
“I love documentaries, especially World War One stuff, or ancient engineering.”
“Not a lot of that in theaters.”
He shrugged. “I don’t get out much. Not as much fun when you’re single. When I do get out, I prefer dry, witty comedies and the odd action movie.”
“Sounds pretty standard. Should have lots to pick from.”
“Not really. You’d be surprised at how hard it is to find a good comedy. Most rely on fart jokes and gross humor.”
“I guess that’s why I stopped watching them. Or never really got into them.”
He waited her for to finish her next bite but she still didn’t continue so he prompted her. “And? What do you like to watch?”
She shrugged.
“You know, I couldn’t even begin to guess. I’m pretty average for a bachelor, but I’m betting you don’t fit into any one cliché. You work out, but that doesn’t mean you’re a meat head or a tom boy. Do I guess typical girl? Or geek? Or adrenaline junkie? Or a little of everything.”
“I like old movies.”
“Not a lot of that in theatres.”
“I don’t get out much either. I have a few friends and sometimes they invite me over to watch something. Otherwise I just stay home.”
“How old? Like bad drive in monster movies? Or black and white?”
She wanted to shrug, to change the subject, but if she couldn’t talk about movies what could she talk about? She didn’t want to slam their window of conversation shut completely, not when she’d discovered that she liked talking to Bryce. She took a deep breath. “My mother liked old movies, black and white and the early color films. Most people haven’t heard of most of them.”
“I’m probably with most people on that one I’m afraid. If you were dragged out to a movie in the theatre what would you go see?”
“Nothing cutesy or sappy. Nothing romantic.”
“Aren’t a lot of old movies romantic?”
“I guess so. They’re also better movies. Actually, a lot of them are quite funny.”
The waitress brought them drink refills and said, “How’s it tasting?”
“Great,” Bryce said.
Jane nodded in agreement. “Thanks for the recommendation.”
“Sure. Can I get you anything else?”
“No, thanks.”
“Okay, just wave when you’re ready for the bill.”
“Seems like we both have the same excuse for not getting out much,” Bryce said.
“Dating is a hassle and I like staying in,” Jane said, reaching for the fresh drink.
“Sure, but it would be nice to have a real friend, someone to share a meal with, or watch a movie with, or go to the gym with. I mean, unless you’ve got a pack of girlfriends who eat up your every spare moment with drama and entertaining outings. And if you do, can you introduce me to them?”
“I don’t, thank god. What about the guys you play basketball with? Or the ones you flip houses with?”
“Looking for a date?”
“I meant for you. You’re the one looking for a friend.”
“Oh, the guys at the court are good neighbors but it’s just a casual thing. And flipping houses takes up most of my cousin’s free time. Besides, being cousins and being handy is about all we have in common. I’m really tired of butt jokes.”
“You’re working your way up to something, aren’t you?”
“You always this blunt?”
“Probably.” After what she’d gone through as a teenager, she didn’t trust people who didn’t say what they meant. Her bear had even less patience for manipulative games.
“What I was getting at is that I want to see a movie this weekend and I’ll feel like a fool going alone.”
Her eyes narrowed again.
“Did I say the word date?”
“No.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“No.”
He grinned. “Are you done eating?”
“Yes, I think so.”
He waved the waitress over.
“All done?” she said.
“Yeah.”
“Can I get a container? Dinner defeated me.”
“Sure. One check or two?”
“Two,” they said at the same time.
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
Jane arched an eyebrow in question.
“You said it wasn’t a date. So, Friday? Movie? Unless you’re busy?”
If he’d been anyone else, except maybe Philippe, she’d say no. If it had been two weeks ago, she’d have said no. But Bryce had been polite and respectful, almost infuriatingly so. She was used to asserting herself and her boundaries repeatedly, usually at top volume, and occasionally with a fist. She liked having a shouting match with them right before she removed them from her life. Of course she had to work with Bryce, which was a damn good reason not to get romantically involved with him in the first place.
And where else are you going to meet someone? You never go out.
Since when do I need to meet someone? My life is quite comfortable just as it is.
Being friends doesn’t mean it has to get romantic, even if that’s what he’s after. No matter his motives he’s shown that he’ll respect you. If you say no funny business, he’ll listen.
All this went through her mind and she came to her decision before Bryce even noticed her hesitation.
“Okay.” She felt a weight lift off her chest. “Let’s go see a movie next weekend.”
Chapter 3
Saturday morning Bryce was up with his alarm. He tossed on sweats and a t-shirt, grabbed a muffin from the plastic container on the counter, and headed out the door. He wasn’t headed for work, at least not for the senior’s center. He drove downtown, reveling in the lack of traffic, and pulled up in front of an egg-shell blue two-story he’d never be able to afford. The roof was only half shingled and Bryce knew the interior was in shambles, but when they were done with it the place was going to be worth a pretty penny.
As he locked the car, his cousin came out the front door. They didn’t look much like family. Their fathers were brothers but they both took after their mothers, which meant Bryce had flowy brown hair and his cousin Karl had fluffy blonde hair. Karl was also six inches taller than Bryce though they were within a few pounds of each other weight wise.
“Morning, Karl!” Bryce called with a wave. He dropped the muffin paper in the curb side garbage can.
“Good, you’re early. We want to finish the roof today.” Karl lit a cigarette, another difference between them.
“No way, man, I don’t do heights.”
“You said you were coming to help.”
“And I’ll help, but not on the roof. Windows, floors, painting, drywall, hell I’ll run out for subs at noon but I’m not putting one toe on that roof.”
Karl huffed. “Fine. Go inside, tell Jeff to get out here. The second floor is basically done, you can clean it. When that’s done you can get subs for lunch
.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
Karl flipped him the bird and Bryce just laughed.
The main floor looked like a war zone. The floor was thick with drywall dust and sawdust, and so was the air. There were voices further in the house – probably Jeff, Karl’s buddy from high school, and Jason, Karl’s cousin on his mother’s side. The three of them were partners in the house flipping business. Bryce didn’t pitch in any money for the properties but Karl always tossed him a couple hundred for helping with the work.
Bryce found the source of the voices, the main floor bathroom, where it was remarkably clear of dust. Jason was tightening the hose on the back of the new toilet while Jeff stood and gave directions. Bryce was pretty sure the wrench would be flying in a minute.
“Hey, Jeff, you’re needed outside.”
“What? Why?”
“Karl needs you to tell him how to shingle the roof.”
Jeff patted Bryce’s shoulder. “Well, if you’re still too scared to get up there I guess the big men will have to get the job done.”
“At least if you fall your fat head will save you from any real injury,” Bryce said as Jeff sauntered out.
“True that,” Jeff called back.
“Thanks,” Jason muttered. “He’s lucky he was wearing steel toe boots. I was ready to smash his toes in.”
“Just his toes?”
“They were most accessible. Well, except for the damn steel inserts. There. That should do it.” He hauled himself to his feet and wiped his hands on his work pants. “What’s he got you doing?”
“Cleaning upstairs. Unless you need an extra set of hands for something.”
“You’ll just be in my way. I’m caulking.”
“I’ll leave you to it then.”
“There’s a roll of garbage bags by the back door for the small stuff and the dumpster is parked under the guest bedroom window. We took the glass out yesterday to make clean up easier.”
“Then I’ll see you later. Hey, subs today, so be ready to place your order or you’re getting banana peppers.”
“Can you get Jeff banana peppers anyways? Big man like that should be able to handle the heat.”
“I like the way you think.”
* * *
They didn’t finish work for the day until after nine. Jeff locked up while the other three hauled bags out to the dumpster.
“You can come tomorrow, right?” Karl said.
Bryce nodded.
“What about in the evenings? We’ve barely seen you lately.”
“It still looks like the work is getting done.”
“Sure, but we’d like to get it done quicker. I mean, I know this isn’t your job, you’re just helping out. But we could use more help.”
“Yeah, sure, I don’t have plans until Friday.”
“Plans,” Jeff said, joining them. “What plans?”
“Just a movie with a friend.”
“Guy or girl?” Karl asked.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, are you three twelve or something? A friend from work. It is not a date. And if you want that help so bad this week you’ll just drop it.”
Karl threw up his hands. “Okay, okay, dropping it.” They made their way back to the front street where they were all parked. They were almost to the curb when Karl said, “So is she hot?”
Bryce aimed a half-hearted kick in his cousin’s direction that Karl easily side stepped. Laughing, they piled into Karl’s truck.
“See you tomorrow!”
Bryce waved and got in his car. He was leaving white-dust prints everywhere. I need a long hot shower, something to eat, and two weeks of sleep. Why is construction so exhausting? I’m not that outta shape.”
* * *
Jane had a very simple routine. Every day she went to work, stopped at her favorite sandwich shop to pick up dinner, and went home to work out. One day she did her laundry, one day she caught up on TV on the PVR, not that she watched much TV, one day she skipped the take-out and made herself something simple to eat, one day she bought groceries. Once each month, near the new moon, there was a clan meeting, and of course, she spent the full moon with the clan.
Work was mind-numbing but it paid the bills and she didn’t deal with harassment or petty backstabbing from her co-workers. Bryce was really the only friend she’d made but the nurses still invited her to direct sales parties and smiled at her in the hallways.
Her apartment was in a good neighborhood, her land lord actually cared if there was a problem in the building. Her dishes matched, she had cable, and she even had a decorative bowl of fake flowers on her coffee table – never mind that it was the only piece of décor in the entire place. She saw it as a badge of successful adulthood that it was there.
In the last five years, she’d dated only a handful of times and none had gone over well. It was enough to turn her off the idea of dating completely. She’d built a good life for herself. She didn’t owe Brock or Remy any money, not anymore. She was happy, or at least as happy as she felt she could be in the given situation and her situation wasn’t changing any time soon.
This week nothing had changed and yet she felt different. Sometimes she found herself smiling for no reason only to realize she was actually thinking about dinner with Bryce. Other times her routine felt slow and heavy, almost pointless. She found herself imagining what it would be like to have someone else around all the time. Would she buy the half gallon instead of the quart of milk? Would they use it all before it went bad? Would she cook more? Would she actually enjoy cooking? And what was the point of grocery shopping for one anyway? Why did she bother when take-out and coffee shops were so much easier?
Bears were more solitary than wolves. Philippe spent a lot of time with Patrick, one of the local werewolves, and often lamented how tiring they could be. Wolves were highly social creatures, they had larger families, met as a pack more often than the clan met, and were involved in their churches, schools, and community centers in a way werebears were not. Remy thought that was one of the reasons why The Human Order had gone after the werebears instead of the werewolves – the local pack was easily three times the size of the clan, not counting cubs and pups. The bears on the other hand were more isolated from their communities, and Brock being elected mayor probably hadn’t helped.
Jules’ accident and Brock’s election had very nearly propelled the entire clan into the public eye. As it was, Jules had been blackmailed and was now publicly out as a werebear.
Probably would have happened soon anyway after he went and changed in front of Kaylee’s family. I’m sure her drug addict father would have sold the story of being attacked by a bear to any tabloid that would have listened to pay for his habit.
* * *
They were alone in the staff room at the end of their shift. Bryce glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming in and said, “Still on for tonight?”
“Yeah. I just want to go home and shower first.”
“Then I’ll meet you at the theatre. Movie starts at a quarter to eight.”
“All right. I’ll see you there.” She reached into the fridge for her leftovers from lunch that day. “So, do you think …” She blinked a few times. Bryce was already gone.
* * *
The whole way home Bryce kept telling himself, “This is not a date, this is not a date.” Sometimes he thought it, sometimes he said it out loud. He still couldn’t convince himself. He wanted to respect Jane’s independence and need for privacy and her fear of commitment, but if he was being honest with himself he wanted to be romantically involved with her.
You’ve waited this long, you can wait a little longer. Let her get used to you outside of work.
He waved to the guys on the court and headed up to his apartment to change. She was used to seeing him in scrubs and he wanted to make a good impression. He hopped through a shower, ran a comb through his hair, and shaved. He grabbed a fresh t-shirt, a plain one, not one of the comfy ones with the dumb sayings on the fr
ont, and a clean pair of jeans.
Stepping out of the bedroom, he noticed a message on his cellphone and called his voice mail, suddenly terrified Jane was going to cancel on him.
“You have one new message,” said the automated voice.
“Yeah, yeah, just play the damn thing,” he muttered.
“Bryce,” said Karl’s voice. “Sorry to bug you. Look, uh, don’t come down to the house tomorrow, okay? Uh, something else came up and we’re not working tomorrow. I’ll see you Sunday.”
“Odd,” Bryce muttered. Karl had been nagging since last week that the work wasn’t going fast enough. Bryce dialed Jason’s number and glanced at the clock while the phone was ringing.
Oops, outta time. Guess I’ll have to have this conversation on the move. He grabbed his wallet and his keys and headed for the door. He thought he’d wind up getting voicemail but Jason finally picked up.
“Yeah?”
“Jase, what’s going on tomorrow?”
“Whaddya mean?”
“I just got a call from Karl. You’re not working on the house tomorrow?”
“As far as I know we are. We need to get that house done and back on the market or we’ll start losing money on it.”
“That’s the impression I got. Any idea why …”
“Hold that thought, I’ve got another call.”
Bryce rolled his eyes. “Go for it.”
He was down in the lobby by the time Jason came back on. “That was Karl. Yeah, apparently we’re off for tomorrow. Did he give you a reason?”
“No, called while I was in the shower and left a message.”
“Right, your not-a-date. Good luck with that. So I asked and Karl says something came up with the storage rental people.”
“Storage rental?” Bryce asked. He was jogging down the sidewalk. He could see the bus ahead but it wasn’t at his stop yet. With a little luck, he’d make it to the stop on time.
Jane: Big Easy Bears III Page 3