Because things weren’t messed up enough already, Delpha of all people now saw my weakness. I had it for the new girl. She’d never let me live it down, especially since I refused to help her with Cad. But I stood behind my decision. Cad wasn’t a perfect guy, but he loved Delpha. If she had issues with him, she needed to tell him to his face.
My phone buzzed in my pocket less than a minute later, before I even made it to the health clinic to start my work. It was a text from Cad. Delpha said you needed to talk to me. Everything ok, man?
Unbelievable. I fired off a reply before he could ask anything else. Nothing to talk about. See you around.
Delpha could tell anyone she wanted about my reaction to Mattie. It would be better than taking the brunt of anger from Cad.
I reached the clinic and headed right inside. Marla, the secretary sent me right up. The clinic was one of the few places in town that actually needed my help for more than Wi-Fi.
“Pierce, that you?” Anderson yelled as soon as I reached his floor. He was the CEO of the clinic, and I wasn’t exactly sure what he did.
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“The server is down. Get it back up.”
“Nice to see you too.” I didn’t actually mind. It was in all of our interests that the clinic stay on top of things. The residents of Willow Harbor had little interest in going to another medical center.
“Ah, come off it. Fix the server, and I’ll play nice.”
“Give me a few minutes, and it will be done.” I checked out the error message displayed on a couple of computer screens before grabbing a laptop and heading into the server room to get to work.
“Hey, did you hear about the new librarian?” Butler, the business manager of the clinic, walked into the already cramped room.
“Yes. I’ve met her.” I tried to play it cool while I checked for bugs. They were in desperate need of some new equipment, but I’d already told them that ten times. An eleventh time wasn’t going to change anything.
“She cute?”
“Maybe.” It was easier to play it down when I was busy messing with the computer.
“Come on, we haven’t had any new blood in town for a while—”
“And you won’t be having her blood.” I would be make sure of that.
“Whoa. Calm down. I didn’t mean it that way.”
I narrowed my eyes. “When a vampire talks about new blood he only means it one way.”
“Kind of like when a shifter talks about fresh meat.” He raised an eyebrow. “Two can play at that game.”
“No. Not the same.” I got back to work and tried to tune Butler out.
Unfortunately he didn’t get the hint. “Is she single? Or trying to do the long-distance thing with someone?”
“That’s none of our business.”
“Of course it’s our business.”
“Because you care so much about a girl’s status? Suddenly grown a conscience have you?”
“Hey, I’m just being careful.”
“She is off limits.”
“Off limits?” Anderson strode in. “And why is that?”
Suddenly I was eager to work on that Wi-Fi for Mattie. And to warn her to stay far away from Butler and Anderson.
“Are you going to Delpha’s party tonight?” Anderson went with a different question.
“Yes.” I was now. If these guys knew about the party, everyone did. I owed it to my mom to be there to protect her newest employee. And that was the only reason I was going.
“Wait. What?” Anderson laughed. “You are going out?”
“Mattie works for my mom. I kind of have to.” The excuse sounded good to my ears.
“Mattie? I thought her name was Matilda.”
“She likes to go by Mattie.” And what she liked mattered to me.
“Oh, she likes it now?”
I didn’t need to turn around to know Anderson was grinning like an idiot. At least he wasn’t talking about fresh blood. It was bad enough that these two vampires ran the urgent care clinic, and half of their staff were vamps too.
“Shut up. I feel bad for her. New in this town as a human? My mom was cruel to hire her.”
“She must have been desperate for a job to take this one.”
He was right, which made me wonder yet again about the whole situation. I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject with my mom without her getting all bent out of shape about why I cared. But she’d been the one who insisted I see Mattie today. There had to have been a reason for that. Maybe she wanted to make her new employee feel well taken care of. I couldn’t come up with any other possibility, unless... no, I shrugged off the thought. There was no way my mother had hired this human for that reason. There was absolutely no way.
Five
Mattie
“Looks like Pierce is into you.” Delpha leaned over our booth at the 50’s style diner we were having lunch at.
“Ah, nope.” I glanced around at the bright signs and old advertisements that lined the walls trying to understand why the place was called Dark Horse Diner. I got the diner part, but there was nothing dark about it aside from half the tiles on the floor being black. The other half were white in the classic style. I quickly learned not to look up at the mirrored-metal ceiling too often, or I got an unwanted look at other customers eating.
“He is. Trust me, I can tell.” She grabbed a fresh fry off of my plate. She had already finished her own.
“And I can tell when guys are into me or not.” I took a bit of my turkey club. Like the bagel, the quality surprised me. The town did have food going for it.
“No you can’t.” Delpha squeezed more ketchup on her empty plate. She’d eaten her burger and fries faster than anyone I’d ever seen. She must have been hungry.
“What would make you say that?”
“Because I know.” She grabbed a handful of fries.
“Okay, whatever you say.” I ate a fry before she took all of mine.
“I know it. Just as I knew from the moment you opened the door that we would be friends.”
“Is that so?” I watched two men whispering loudly in the booth across from us. They seemed so tense and serious.
“Yes. I just know these things. You’ll learn to trust me.” Delpha seemed to notice where I was looking. “Ignore them. That’s Landon and Nathan, they are always like that.”
“Ok… got it.” I wasn’t sure what I was ignoring exactly, but it didn’t actually matter. “So you know everything about everyone?” I could play along.
“Not everything, but most things.” She grabbed one of the two remaining quarters of my sandwich.
My mouth fell open, but I closed it. I was probably only going to eat one of them anyway. I picked up the remaining one to protect it. “Tell me about Pierce.”
She grinned. “So you are into him. Knew it.”
I shook my head. “I’m not into him, but you claimed he was into me so I probably should know about him.”
“I can see right through you.” She took a bite of my sandwich. I still couldn’t quite believe her audacity, but the sandwich wasn’t the only part of her that got to me. There was something unnerving about Delpha—even more than her pushiness. She seemed to look right into your soul. It was a bit uncomfortable, but then again I also knew it wasn’t malicious. I wasn’t afraid of her, but I was afraid of what she might find in me.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Delpha set down the remaining piece of the sandwich.
“You’ve asked me lots of personal questions.”
“Not really.”
“Yes, really.” I opened the bread of the sandwich and ate the tomato.
“Ok. Can I ask you another personal question?”
“Sure.” I was shocked she gave up arguing so easily.
“Why are you here?”
“Wow. Wasn’t expecting that one.” I sipped my water. “I’m here for the job.”
“Yeah, but you had great grades. I’m sure you could have gotten jobs
closer to home.”
“How would you know what my grades are?” Forget the sandwich, I suddenly had no appetite.
“I’m pretty good at research.” She polished off the sandwich. Evidently her appetite was intact.
“And my grades were that easy to find?” I knew everything was available if someone knew what they were doing, but why would she have gone through so much effort?
“I never said I found them through legit channels.”
“Ok, we need to set some boundaries here.” As if we didn’t need to have done that earlier.
“What kind?” Her face was completely serious.
I looked out the window giving myself a few seconds to compose myself. I watched a few pedestrians walk by until a large truck parked out front completely blocking my view. I reluctantly turned back to Delpha. “You can’t go digging into my past. Or my present for that matter. Ok? I need some privacy.”
“Your grades are private? I wouldn’t be embarrassed of straight A’s.”
“It’s not the grades I’m embarrassed of.”
“So what is it then?” She leaned over the table.
“Nothing.” Nothing I had any interest in discussing.
“One of those bad relationship issues?” She rested back against the back of the seat.
“Nope. Not a relationship.” In fact it was my refusal to get into a relationship that had been the root of the problem. I really hoped that sort of information wasn’t as easy to find as my grades.
“Fine. Be that way. I thought we were friends.”
“No way.” Anger surged through me. Going through my stuff? Sure. Pushing to move in with me? Annoying, but I could suck it up. But not this. This was something I’d had done enough times and would not put up with. “Don’t do that. I have put up with a lot, but not that.”
“What?” She feigned innocence.
“No trying to manipulate me. I’ve been there and done that.”
“I’m not trying to manipulate you.” She crossed her arms. “How could you say that?”
“‘I thought we were friends?’ You only said that to get to me.”
“Ok. You’re right.” She sighed. “That was pushing things too far. But I only did it because I want to help you.”
“Manipulation never helps anyone, so please stop. I’m okay with you moving in, if you respect my personal space and stop trying to play on my emotions.”
“So you aren’t worried about having a roommate cramping your style?” She pushed her empty plate away from her.
“Uh, nope.”
“Not even with Pierce?” She grinned.
“Stop.” Was she really going to return to that topic?
“Hey, that doesn’t break either of your rules. Plus, you don’t actually mind me teasing you about him. It’s totally normal. Pierce is hot.”
The bell above the door rang, and it opened.
“Shut up,” I hissed as Pierce walked in. He was wearing a black t-shirt that showed off the muscles of his arms in a way I wished I didn’t notice. He wasn’t wearing a jacket, which was odd, but I assumed he’d left it in his car.
“Pierce, over here!” Delpha turned around and kneeled on the seat.
I glared at her back. Ogling him from a distance was one thing. Having a conversation with him was another altogether.
Pierce caught my eye, gave me a funny look, and walked over. He stopped directly in front of our table. “You talk to Cad yet?”
“Not yet. Have you?” She slid back into her seat.
“Thought I was going to fall for your little trick?”
Delpha shrugged. “Join us. We’re almost done eating, but we’ll stay for dessert.”
He glanced back toward the counter. “I was just going to get something to go.”
“Busy day of work?” Delpha leaned forward on her elbows.
“Not really.”
“Then sit.” She scooted in and patted the seat next to her.
He glanced at his watch. “Don’t you guys have to be back at work soon?”
“We have fifteen minutes,” Delpha answered without checking her watch.
He seemed to mull it over. “I’ll see you guys tonight. I don’t want Mattie to be late getting back on her first day.”
“Neither do I.” I would jump on any excuse I could find, especially one that was true.
“Suit yourself.” Delpha put her hands behind her head. “Don’t forget about our internet.”
“How could I forget?”
“But meet me at Cad’s place beforehand, so you can help me move.”
Pierce shook his head. “Nice try.”
Delpha put on a puppy dog expression. “You’re going to make me move myself?”
“No using the weak girl excuse. You are not weak.”
“But I am a girl, and I know you were raised to be a gentleman.” Delpha laughed, and I got the distinct impression I was missing an inside joke.
I wanted to ask about it, but I didn’t want to seem like I cared. I didn’t care. Did I? The problem was I did. The more I saw Pierce, the more he intrigued me. Maybe it was because Delpha was putting it in my head? Like I wanted him to be interested, so I was getting interested?
“Mattie?” Pierce said my name as if it was a question.
I snapped out of my daze. “Yes.”
“I just asked if you were okay with me coming by the apartment while you were still working, or would you prefer to be home?”
“Oh. Either works.” I wasn’t about to admit I wanted an excuse to see him. It was probably better I didn’t see him.
“Great. I’ll get the extra key and take care of it before you finish up for the day. I’ll stop by and let you know. See you both later.” He turned and headed to the counter.
“Either works?” Delpha raised an eyebrow. “Still going to pretend you’re not into him?”
Pierce turned around as if he’d heard her even though he was way too far away to have heard her muffled words.
“Yes. Yes I am. Can we go?” I pushed my hands into the padded bench seat.
“Eager to pass him again.” She laughed.
“No, but I don’t want to be late.”
“Sure. We need to make a stop before we get back anyway.”
* * *
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell your boyfriend first?” I struggled under the weight of the two boxes I had been convinced to carry for Delpha. Her little stop turned out to be moving. Technically this wasn’t manipulation, but it definitely wasn’t my idea of a good use of a lunch break.
“No, he’ll make a bigger deal out of it than it is.”
“But isn’t it a big deal?” I managed to squeak out even though I was ready to collapse, or at least drop the boxes. I needed to start working on my arms again. I made a mental note to ask Delpha about gyms in town when we weren’t straining under the load of boxes and bags.
“No. I’ve moved out plenty of times.”
“I’m no expert on relationships, but why would you keep getting back with him?” She’d peppered me with questions. It was my turn.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Why not?” I tried not to feel too insulted by the suggestion.
“Because you couldn’t.”
“Try me.” I stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk, righting myself just before the boxes tumbled out of my hands.
“Maybe later.”
“Why later?” My arms ached, and the library seemed way farther away than I’d thought.
“You’ll thank me for not telling you now.” She nodded in the direction of the boxes I was holding. “You’d drop them.”
“Fine, but you are going to tell me.”
“The whole personal space and privacy thing only applies to you?”
“You’ve told me nothing about you yet.” And that would have been fine for a co-worker, but she was becoming my roommate.
“Excuse me.” A girl spoke in barely a whisper as she stepped around me.
&nbs
p; “Sorry!” I yelled over my shoulder.
“She was the rude one. You didn’t have to say sorry.” Delpha walked right by my side.
“We’re taking up the whole sidewalk.”
“And there is so much traffic that she couldn’t have stepped in the street to go around us?”
Delpha had a point. There had been two, maybe three cars, that passed us on our entire walk.
“Thanks for the help.” She crossed the street at the crosswalk.
I hurried after her. “You’re welcome.” Normally I said no problem, but that reply didn’t seem entirely appropriate this time.
Delpha knocked on the door to the library. Neither of us had hands to open it.
No one answered, and I noticed the older man who usually manned the information desk wasn’t there.
I set down my boxes even though I wasn’t sure how I was going to pick them up again. I held open the door so she could go inside. She set down her boxes just inside the door and then came back for mine.
Once they were all inside she sat down on top of one. “Pierce is a jerk.”
“Is he good friends with Cad? I didn’t understand what he was saying before.”
“Friends, enemies. They are kind of the same thing.”
“Uh, no they aren’t. I don’t believe in that whole frenemies thing.”
“They aren’t frenemies.”
“Then what do you mean?” I wanted to sit down, but I also didn’t want to be caught sitting down if Vicky was around.
“It’s a long story.”
“I’m beginning to think that everything here is a long story.”
“Everything is.” She stood up and picked up her boxes.
I reluctantly picked up my two and followed her all the way to the back of the main floor and upstairs. The three flights of stairs were even worse than the whole walk. Putting the boxes down had been a mistake.
I set them down on the rug in the middle of the living room and caught my breath.
“Want to see if we have time for another load?” Delpha leaned on the back of the couch.
“We are already late.”
“Ok. Cover me in case any kids come in.” She hurried out the door without waiting to see if I answered. At least I was going to get out of carrying more. My arms ached. I really was going to have to talk to Delpha about that gym.
Shifter’s Fate: Willow Harbor - Book One Page 4