“Telling me I don’t have to do things I really want to do. It’s almost like you’re telling me not to do them because you don’t want me to.” Her face fell, and her bright eyes dimmed.
“No.” She was completely right of course, but I couldn’t admit it. “I just don’t like people going out of their way for me. It makes me feel bad.”
“It should make you feel good. Don’t you want people to care about you?”
“Yes, of course.” I wanted people to care about me, but that was supposed to take time. It felt strange to get that kind of treatment from someone I’d just met.
“Then stop worrying. I don’t mind helping at all!”
“Ok. Great. Thanks.”
“Ok, you ready to go down?” She gestured to the door.
“I have to dry my hair.” I tapped on the towel wrapped around my hair.
“Why?” Her forehead furrowed.
“Because I can’t go to work with wet hair.”
“I do it a lot.” She twisted the pink part of her hair around her finger.
“Oh.” It was impossible to know what to say around this girl. Everything I said made her feel bad. “But it’s my first day.”
“Want me to help?”
“Help with…?”
“Your hair. I can dry it for you.”
Oh dear god. I chose my words carefully. “I like doing it myself, but thanks for the offer.”
“I get that.” She smiled. “I’ll finish up in here then.”
“Ok.” I bit down the scream that was about to surface and grabbed my hair dryer from where it sat on my bed. At least she hadn’t started organizing that kind of stuff yet.
I escaped to the bathroom already wondering how I was going to survive my first day here, let alone a few months. I stared at my reflection as I dried my hair. I was really doing this. I had moved to the boonies, a random co-worker I’d just met was unpacking my stuff, and I’d agreed to let her organize a welcome party for me. My craziness had reached a whole new level.
“You ready, Mattie?” Delpha called as soon as I turned off my hair dryer.
“Uh huh.” I hastily put on some lip gloss before leaving the bathroom.
“You look nice.”
“Thanks.” I grabbed my bag and headed to the door.
“This is going to be so much fun!”
“What is?” I hoped this wasn’t like the party where she forgot to tell me something important we were doing.
“Working together.”
“Oh, of course. Yes, it is. Although it sounds like you will be busy with your stuff.”
“But we’ll still see each other. Vicky closes up the library from 12-1 for lunch, so we’ll have that together.”
“Great.” They closed the library for lunch? That was a new one, but I guess it meant people didn’t have to stagger their breaks. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about who to go to lunch with. I needed to focus on the positive. I kind of, sort of had a friend already. That would make the job easier.
We started down the three flights of stairs toward the main floor of the library. “Short commute.”
Delpha laughed as if I had said the funniest thing ever. “I know, right! I can’t wait to move in so I can say the same thing.”
Move in? Had I heard her right? “Uh, sorry, I missed what you said.”
“The second bedroom. There’s already a twin bed in there. I don’t mind taking that one.”
“Oh wow. Yeah.”
“So you don’t mind then?” She clapped. “Perfect! I’ll move over my stuff tonight before the party.”
What had I just done? “What about your current place?”
“Don’t worry about that. I was planning to break up with Cad anyway. This is perfect timing.”
“Cad? The guy who owns the pizza place?”
“Yeah, we’ve been on again, off again for a few years. I told you I understood the relationship issues thing.”
“Yeah…” We reached the main floor, and I tried to calm my rapidly beating heart. What was happening? First she unpacked my things and now she wanted to move in? How could I possibly get myself out of this mess?
“You are the best for inviting me to live with you!” She pulled me into a surprisingly tight hug.
And I was a doormat. A total and complete doormat. “Of course.”
“Let me give you a tour!” She took my hand, and I let her lead me toward the main circulation desk.
All of this and it wasn’t even eight a.m. yet.
Four
Pierce
I dreamed about her all night. On one hand the dreams were good, and I’d gotten my first hours of sleep in over a month, but on the flip side, that couldn’t be a good thing. Dreaming wasn’t something that happened to me much—just like sleep wasn’t. Why had that girl gotten under my skin? She was human. Wasn’t she? If she were something else maybe she could have sent the dreams to me, but a human? That would be impossible. I needed to have a talk with my mom and soon. One night of dreams was a good thing. Multiple nights was going to bring me into dangerous territory.
By four a.m. I’d had enough sleep, and I needed to clear my head. I lived in the middle of nowhere. I liked having easy access to the woods when I wanted to shift, but even more than that, I liked the silence. I’d grown up outside town as well, but as a kid my house was never quiet. I had cousins running around all the time. That was then, and this was now. I lived alone, and I had no plans to change that.
I reached out to see if I was truly alone. I wanted to shift into my favorite animal for running, but it could easily get me into heaps of trouble.
I felt no one, so I focused my thoughts on a large grey wolf. My body convulsed, and I was enveloped in the familiar intensity of heat. My vision deepened, and I fully accepted the change. I ran deep into the woods, trying to push off thoughts of Mattie, my upcoming birthday, and the wolves in town that would do almost anything to get rid of me.
Maybe leaving Willow Harbor was the right thing to do. It might bring new dangers with it, but at least I wouldn’t be running from people that had once been my friends.
The forest flew by as I sprinted, pushing myself to the limit. I brushed against damp plants and shrubs, glad for the recent rain. The sky was dark, but I could see perfectly—a nice perk of my shifter nature. I ran deeper into the forest, keeping my ears trained for danger but hearing only birds and insects. I jumped over a hole in the ground and turned, taking a longer loop back toward my house.
I was no longer alone, and the realization another shifter was in these woods pushed me to run home faster. I wasn’t up for a fight. I reached my back deck and shifted back to my human form, slipping inside before the pure wolf-shifter I sensed could catch up with me.
I went right for the shower. There was no reason to put off starting my day.
My phone rang as soon as I got dressed. I saw my Mom’s name show up and considered letting it go to voicemail, but I needed answers from her. Getting even further on her bad side wasn’t going to help anyone. “I need you to come into the library today.”
“You do?” I wasn’t surprised by my mom’s lack of a greeting. She never used greetings, which was nice sometimes but also annoying.
“You need to explain the systems to her.”
She didn’t need to tell me who ‘her’ was. “What systems? You won’t let me put systems in the library.”
“We have a system.”
“You have a card catalog.” If my mother wanted to keep the library in the stone age, it wasn’t my problem.
“But we have discussed…”
“Mom, I have actual systems to work on. And actual IT.” The only years I spent away from Willow Harbor were for college. Unfortunately, my computer science degree didn’t get me far in a city that eschewed technology.
“It will only take an hour of your time. Be there now.”
“Be there now?” I felt a growl develop under my skin. “You do realize that’s impossible.”
>
Mom didn’t answer. She had already hung up.
I wasn’t a momma’s boy, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t afraid of making her mad. Most of the time she didn’t care what I did, but when she wanted me somewhere I had no choice. She’d sacrificed so much to protect me, and my guilt was never going to disappear.
I put on my shoes and grabbed my keys and wallet. It looked like I was stopping by the library before work.
The temperature had dropped over night, but I didn’t mind the chill in the air. I ran hot, and winter was my favorite time of year. Sometimes I fantasized about moving up north, where the temperatures fell below zero more often, but leaving the safety of Willow Harbor was a huge decision, and I wasn’t ready to do that yet. Besides, I couldn’t leave my mom. She needed me, and she would never forgive me if I left.
I made the quiet drive into town with the windows down. I left my radio off, enjoying the feel of the wind and the relative silence. I drove down Main Street, parking right in front of the library as I had the night before. Mattie’s car was still there, as I expected, and I couldn’t help but notice the pile of sweatshirts and books in the backseat. I wondered if her car was always that messy or if it was because of the trip.
Not that it mattered. I headed inside. The sooner I got this ridiculous task over with, the sooner I could get on with my day.
The library wasn’t officially open yet, but as expected the front doors were unlocked. I stepped inside, marveling as I always did at the cathedral height ceilings. It was a testament to the town that they put so much work into the library when Willow Harbor was first founded in the early years of the 19th Century.
Mr. G, whose position I never quite understood, was seated in his usual spot at the front information desk. I wasn’t sure why my mom kept him around, but I had learned sometimes it was better not to ask questions.
“Morning, Mr. G.” I nodded at the older man.
He grunted something.
“Same to you.” I smiled before searching out my mom.
“And the break room is through those doors,” Delpha voice carried from out of sight.
Oh man. Delpha already had her claws into Mattie. The new girl was toast. I hoped she had enough of a backbone to survive. Delpha had a good heart, but she was the reason the saying ‘if you give a hand, they’ll take an arm’ was invented.
“Pierce, finally!” Mom hurried out of her office. “What took you so long?”
“I left my place as soon as you hung up on me.”
Mom frowned and looked over her shoulder. “I did not hang up on you until the conversation was over.”
“You mean when you decided the conversation was over.” There was no reason to sugar coat it.
“That’s the same thing.” Mom tapped her toe.
“What am I supposed to be doing exactly?” I glanced at my watch even though I wasn’t really in a hurry.
“You’ll see.” Mom started across the room through the non-fiction section to the break room. “Matilda?”
Mattie stepped out of the break room with a grimace. She must have really hated her name.
“You remember Pierce, right?” Mom pointed to me. Was she serious? The girl had just met me the night before.
“Of course. Nice to see you again.” Mattie smiled. It looked forced.
“Same to you.” I wasn’t lying. It was nice to see her. She looked different from the night before. Her long dark brown hair fell over her shoulders, and her navy dress revealed curves her sweatshirt had hid the night before.
“Pierce runs everything computer related for the library. He will get you set up with everything you need.”
“Great.” Mattie turned to me. “What kind of system is your catalog on? Are you part of a library cohort or—”
“We use a card catalog.” I saved her the breath.
“Wait.” Mattie’s expression turned quizzical. “An actual card catalog? The thing with all those little paper cards in it?”
“That’s it.” I held back a laugh. Her expression was priceless and completely normal. I was nearly positive this was the last library in the U.S. with a card catalog.
“Oh.” She was trying so hard to keep a straight face.
“But we are having discussions over switching to a partially digital system,” Mom quickly added. “Pierce is working on it as we speak.”
I wasn’t. Mom had made it clear it wasn’t time yet, but I’d let her tell her new employee whatever she wanted.
Mattie nodded. “So what kind of computer stuff do you do here then?”
“Not much. I make sure the Wi-Fi works and keep the few computers up to date so the public can use them.”
“Oh, interesting job.” She seemed to be working hard to maintain eye contact.
“I do the same sort of thing for everyone in town, and a few of the businesses have actual IT needs.”
“We have IT needs.” Mom sent me a warning gaze.
Mattie looked between us before settling her eyes on me. “Ok, and do I need an email address, or an account, or anything? What do I need to do to set it up?”
“I will do the email for you today. You can change your password later.”
“Great.”
I looked at Mom. What else did she expect me to do?
Mom smiled. “And make sure she has Wi-Fi. Did you set it up in Matilda’s apartment yet? You know the network we have down here isn’t going to work well for her upstairs.”
“You didn’t ask me to.”
“I am asking you to now.” Mom had the ability to say more with her expressions than her words could ever do.
“Oh, there’s no huge rush.” Mattie’s face didn’t match her words. She wanted Wi-Fi.
I didn’t blame her, but I hoped she wouldn’t get too frustrated about the limitations of the internet in our town. “I’ll come by this evening and set it up.”
Mom smiled and headed away.
“Make sure you do it before the party tonight.” Delpha patted my shoulder.
“Party?” I raised an eyebrow. “Throwing a party I wasn’t invited to?” I didn’t care. I wasn’t much of a party person.
“I’m throwing it for Mattie. You know, to welcome her to town.” She leaned against a bookcase.
“You’re throwing her a party at her own place?” I was admittedly surprised. Delpha was usually out there, but this was extreme even for her.
“Our place.” Delpha put her arm around Mattie. “Isn’t that right?”
“Explain.” I glared at Delpha. I felt surprisingly protective of Mattie, but I would have been of anyone when dealing with Delpha.
“There’s nothing to explain. We’re going to have a blast being roommates.” Delpha grinned.
“And Cad is ok with this? He seems pretty happy about your living arrangement.” If Mattie weren’t around I would have phrased it differently.
“I haven’t told him yet. Wait, this is perfect. You can tell him. He’d rather hear—”
“Not a chance,” I cut her off. “You deal with him yourself.”
“He’s going to be pissed.” She bit her lower lip. “You know he is.”
“Yes he is. Really pissed. You’re dumping him, and he’s in love with you.”
Delpha groaned. “Love? Come on, Pierce, don’t be ridiculous.”
“He’s been in love with you since high school. No sense denying it.” I’d spent enough years listening to Cad obsess over her. He was a different guy when they were together—happy, excited, fun. When they broke up, which happened more than you’d think, he was despondent.
“Please. I’ll owe you.” She pressed her hands together as if in prayer.
“I’m not getting into that. You know Cad and I are kind of friends.”
“Kind of?” Mattie put her hand over her mouth. “Sorry, that is just a funny way to describe it.”
It wasn’t funny if you understood how things worked in Willow Harbor, but to an outsider maybe it did. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I said not
hing.
“Piercy, please.” Delpha gave me puppy dog eyes. “I’ll be forever grateful.”
“Piercy?” I narrowed my eyes. “You’ve never called me that.”
“I need your help on this.” She batted her long eyelashes. “It’s going to be so much harder this time.”
I shook my head. “The answer is no, and it will continue to be no. It’s bad enough you’re barging in on Mattie. She’s too polite to tell you herself.”
Mattie opened her mouth and then closed it.
“You don’t mind, do you?” Delpha put her hands on Mattie’s shoulders. “You’d tell me if you did, right?”
Mattie looked away. “Uhh.”
Delpha released her shoulders. “Good. It will be fun. Living alone can be so boring.”
“Have you ever lived alone, Delpha?” I asked a question I very well knew the answer to.
“Once. I think.” She shrugged. “But maybe not. It’s hard to remember.”
“Don’t be afraid to say no to her.” I caught Mattie’s eyes and for a moment got distracted. They were a gorgeous shade of brown “It gets easier the more you do it.”
Delpha snorted. “The same can be said about you.”
“About saying no to me?”
“About you becoming easier the more someone does you.”
Mattie blushed.
“Trying to embarrass me isn’t going to help your cause, Delpha. You’re an adult, deal with your own problems.” That was the moment when I would have normally left, but it was hard to do with the way Mattie looked at me.
“I don’t get it.” She looked between us. “The more someone does him the easier he is? I assume you mean sex, but how does he become easier? Like if you can get in his pants once, you can do it again?”
Hearing her talk about getting in my pants succeeded in making my pants very uncomfortable. “I’ve got to go.”
“Sure you do.” Delpha glanced down at my crotch for a second too long. “Be sure to come by and set up our internet later.”
“I will. For Mattie.”
“She’ll share the password with me.” She put her arm around Mattie’s shoulder.
“Don’t do it, Mattie. Then she’ll never leave.” I winked before walking out the way I came in.
Shifter’s Fate: Willow Harbor - Book One Page 3