I told her about Marcy.
"Oh, dear. Oh, dear." Her hand flew to her chest, and she collapsed back on the stool with a gasp. "That is a shock."
"Cormac just searched the salon. Did you know that we have no idea who owns the Shaggy Puppy?"
"Is that a fact?" She looked almost amused. "Dear, don't worry about Marcy. I'm sure that it will all end well for everyone involved."
"Mrs. G, Marcy is dead." I don't think she got it.
"It was her time." She patted my leg and pointed to her hair. "I need pink highlights around my crown."
Today Mrs. G's short hair had a rainbow tint going down the back of her head, from red to violet. She wore black leggings and a sequined T-shirt. She was the most stylish woman in the old folks' home and she liked to keep it that way. As I prepared her hair for the dye, I told her all about Nate and the hairdo-off and the prize chair. I thought about telling her what happened with controlling water, but I decided not to scare her.
"Do you want me to be your hair model for the contest?" she asked with bright eyes.
"That would be great. I'll find out if I need to bring someone." I doubted Mrs. G's pixie style would offer enough hair for a new hairdo, but it would be wonderful to have her with me.
"You have to enter! Say 'yes' to life! Get out of your comfort zone. What you want tells you a lot about who you are and how to live your life. It's your guiding light. More than anyone else, listen to your gut!" Mrs. G pounded her fist into her own belly.
"Don't hurt yourself, Mrs. G," I pleaded. "Please."
She snorted softly. "It's gonna take more than a fist to hurt me! I'm tough as nails!"
"I do need the money. Especially since the Shaggy Puppy is closed." I frowned. "Anyway, I don't know if I'm good enough to win the hairdo-off."
"Just entering makes you a winner. Don't you know that?"
See? This was why I was so devoted to Mrs. G.
After giving Mrs. G her hot pink highlights, she asked if I would save time for Mr. G the next morning. He needed a haircut and liked to come to the salon. Luckily, he was small enough to fit in the big kid chair.
"I don't know if we're allowed to open. But I'll find out."
When I was finished cleaning up, I walked down the street to the Hair Atelier.
"You're getting to be a good kitty," I whispered to Pudgie as we entered the fancy salon. "Now just stay that way."
He mewed.
"Look who's back!" Ray said. "It's Prince Pudgie and Princess Sadie! Come to sign up for the hairdo-off?"
"Maybe just to pick up a flier?"
"Sure," he handed me one. "You have to sign up soon, though. Deadline's tonight. Just do it now. You can always cancel if you change your mind before tomorrow night."
"The hairdo-off is tomorrow?"
"Yes. We provide all the models. All you have to do is show up and be ready to go. Winner gets the chair for one month. If you can build a clientele, you stay."
"Eddie said I could take the cash value if I won," I reminded him. "Five thousand dollars."
"Yes, but I hope you work here," Ray said. "I hope you win. You're funny."
"Thanks?"
As Ray wrote down my name and phone number, I asked, "Do you know Nate? The man who was in here this morning and rescued my kitten?"
"Everyone knows Nate Serrano. His family has some kind of big fishing company. I think they own half the ocean."
"Does he work here?" I asked.
Ray laughed. "Work here? No way. His girlfriend, Daphne, works here. Or maybe she's his ex-girlfriend? Guys, does Nate have a girlfriend?" he hollered to the salon. Again, it was filled with men getting haircuts.
Everyone turned and looked at me as if I had just asked if Nate had a girlfriend. I shook my head, mortified. "I didn't…"
"Is it Daphne?" Ray continued shouting.
A tiny brunette walked into the salon like she owned the place. "Is who Daphne?" she asked with a big smile, as if she were expecting a birthday party, or at least a big cake.
"This is Daphne," Ray said to Sadie. "She owns the place. Well, her dad, Eddie, does. You met him this morning."
"Hi," I said to Daphne, reaching out to shake her hand. "I'm Sadie."
"Okay. You're all signed up, Sadie. But you still have to come in and sign the waiver form."
"I will," I said.
"Who are you?" Daphne asked me.
"I'm no one," I said, turning to leave.
She turned to Ray. "Who is Sadie?" she demanded.
"Gotta go!" I rushed out.
I just had time to take Pudgie home before going back to the hospital for dinner. I was determined to tell the Serrano family the truth as soon as I arrived.
I wasn't Nate's girlfriend.
I didn't even really know the man.
Who cared if I kind of loved his family?
They would hate me once they found out who I was.
Or rather—who I wasn’t.
Chapter 7
Jake
The last text message from his mom left Jake with the impression that Nate's condition was improving, so he was surprised to get to the hospital and find his brother still in ICU. Usually bear shifters healed very quickly and, in fact, Jake couldn't remember a time someone in his family had spent more than a few hours in a hospital.
I told you not to stop for takeout, Jake's inner bear said.
Stop complaining, he told his bear. Annoying beast.
Your only brother is in critical condition and you ask for extra tartar sauce?
"Mom? What's going on?" Jake asked. He dropped the bags with six fish-and-chips dinners on a table. "I thought Nate was better."
"Well, he hasn't woken up yet," Jake's mom said. "But we think he's okay."
At least Jake recognized the doctor in charge of Nate's medical care. A family friend from Seattle, Dr. Rex Harris had gone to college with Nate. He was one of the few medical doctors in the shifter community, and shifters all across the country relied on his expertise and discretion. A large male nurse stood near the door, making notes on a chart.
"Jake, great to see you. Sorry for the circumstances." Rex took Jake's hand and shook it warmly. "As I was just telling your folks, we're going to move Nate downstairs to a special unit that I set up for him."
"How is he?" Jake asked.
"The tests all came back with good results. There's nothing medically wrong with your brother that we can find, so we're just going to watch over him until he wakes up."
"Wakes up? Is he in a coma?"
"I don't want to use that word, but technically, yes. That's his condition." Rex looked across the room at the nurse and nodded.
"How bad it is?" Jake asked.
"We're giving him fluids and monitoring him. We just have to wait and see."
Regina's eyes filled with tears as she rapidly worked on her knitting, needles flying.
Jake put his arm around his mom. He couldn’t be sure, but it looked like she was knitting a pair of socks. Usually socks meant she was stressed but still basically okay. It was when she started knitting hats that they had to worry about her. God forbid she ever started on a scarf. That meant she was about to lose it.
"Mom, I brought you some hot tea." Jake walked over to the takeout bags and pulled out a cup. He brought it to her and touched her shoulder. "Have some. Please?"
She took a sip. A bit of color returned to her cheeks. "Thank you, dear."
"Can we clear the room, please?" Rex said to the nurse. "I want to have a private word with the family."
The nurse nodded and excused himself, closing the door behind him.
"Theo, Regina, Jake. Is everyone here?"
Jake knew that if Rex wanted the room cleared, he had something to say that only shifters could hear. "Yes," he said. "What is it?"
"We're all here except for Sadie," Theo said.
"Who is Sadie?" Jake asked, confused. "I talked to her on the phone earlier."
"Sadie is Nate's girlfriend."
&
nbsp; "I thought Daphne was Nate's girlfriend," Jake said.
"No, thank goodness. He's moved on. I never trusted that Daphne," Regina said, taking another sip of tea.
"You'll love Sadie, Jake," Theo said. "We all do."
You're always the last to learn anything in this family, Jake's inner bear said.
Not now, he told his bear.
I'm just saying.
"Okay," Jake said, frowning. "But I think the doctor has something to say to us?"
There could only be one reason why Nate had been holding out on Jake and hiding his relationship with Sadie. He must be so deeply in love with her that he couldn't think straight.
"Now that the family is all here, I want to talk with you about what I think is going on with Nate." Dr. Rex nodded and looked at them carefully, as if he wanted to be sure they were really listening.
"Yes," Jake said. Why was he acting so odd? Just spit it out. "Go on. Please."
"Nate's got very little body fat," Dr. Rex said.
"Well, he runs. A lot. He's training for a marathon," Jake said.
"But this isn't his first one, is it?" Dr. Rex asked. "His first marathon, I mean?"
"Oh, no," Regina said, "Nate loves his marathons. He's doing one in every state. Next week is Mississippi, I believe? He's already done the entire West Coast and Florida and Boston."
"Because of his training, Nate has very little body fat and on top of that he's undergoing extreme physical stress, week after week. Bear shifters aren't cut out for that."
"It's what he likes," Jake said with a shrug. "Are you telling us he needs to stop? What does that have to do with his coma?"
Dr. Rex continued, nodding, "Low body fat. Extreme physical stress… I don't know how to tell you this. But Nate is hibernating."
"Hibernating!"
Shifters do not hibernate, Jake's inner bear said. Check this doctor's credentials.
Shush, Jake told his bear.
Dr. Rex continued, "Nate's body believes there's no food and too much stress, so he's gone to sleep until food sources return."
"But bear shifters don’t hibernate anymore," Jake said. "Do they?"
"No one hibernates anymore! It's archaic, positively uncivilized!" Theo added.
"I know. That's what the medical community believes," Rex said, "but Nate appears to be doing it anyway."
They all turned to stare at Nate. He couldn't have looked more content, slumbering away with a smile on his face. His hands folded gracefully across his chest.
"Leave it to Nate," Regina said with a sigh. "He's always been a trendsetter. Remember when he bought that whatchamacallit? The Segway? And then there was the Prius. His car. He had to go to Japan and buy one, have it shipped here, before anyone had them for sale in the USA."
"He had the first iPhone I'd ever seen," Theo agreed.
"Well, when will he wake up?" Jake asked, getting back to the point.
This was the first time Jake had had to take the lead in a family emergency. It made him sad although he was glad he could be here for his parents. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to take long fishing trips anymore. Maybe he needed to stay closer to home than he had in the past. When had his parents become so old?
"I don't know exactly when he'll wake up. Bears in the wild can hibernate for five months or more."
"Five months!" Theo exclaimed.
"I'll get a lot of knitting done!" Regina said.
"That's a long time for him to be in the hospital," Jake said. "Can we take him home?"
"Let's tackle this one day at a time. Right now, we're nourishing him and flushing him with fluids. Bears don't eliminate during hibernation, so that need in itself might wake him up. And when he's downstairs, we'll heat up the room to try to trigger a response of spring in his body," Dr. Rex continued.
"If he thinks it's spring, or he needs to eliminate, his body might decide hibernation is over and just wake up. That's what we're hoping for."
"What if he doesn’t wake up?" Theo said, frowning.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Mr. Serrano. It's important to take this one step at a time, okay?"
"Why is he going downstairs?" Regina asked. "What's down there?"
"Nothing special. Just a nearly empty ward. But he can rest there undisturbed for as long as necessary. No one will ask the questions they'll ask up here."
"Thank you, Rex." Jake said.
"So we'll take him downstairs now?" Theo asked.
"Yes, room B433. Let's go. I'll show you where." Dr. Rex pushed Nate's bed to the door.
As they headed into the hallway, Daphne walked in, a concerned look on her face. "What's going on? Why didn't anyone call me?" she said.
"Oh, this is awkward," Regina said quietly to Rex. "Nate's ex-girlfriend."
"Does she know about Sadie?" Theo whispered loudly.
"Who is Sadie?" Daphne demanded. "Why won't anyone tell me?"
"Sadie is Nate's fiancée," Theo said.
"Fiancée? Since when? We just broke up last week!" Daphne's face turned bright pink.
"You know Nate." Theo shrugged. "First to adopt new change, first at everything."
"Don't worry, dear. It's for the best," Regina said to Daphne.
They brushed past her on their way downstairs, leaving Jake to pick up the pieces.
Typical, his inner bear said.
You never liked Daphne, Jake reminded his bear.
Too fake, his bear said. But that doesn't mean you should have to take care of her.
Jake couldn't blame Daphne for being upset though. Maybe he didn't like her, but he knew she cared for Nate.
As soon as they were alone, she ran into his arms and burst into tears. "Who is Sadie?"
"Don't ask me. I haven't met her either." He patted Daphne’s back as she cried.
"How can they be engaged?" she snuffled.
"I have no idea. When we meet the mystery woman, we can ask her."
And then the door opened and the most beautiful woman Jake had ever seen walked in. She was as tall and curvy and sweet as a dollop of whipped cream. And Jake had Daphne in his arms, all weepy and whiny.
Sweet mother of all that's holy, Jake's inner bear said. IT'S HER!
"Did someone say Sadie?" the gorgeous woman said.
It's her. She is your fated mate, his inner bear said.
Jake let go of Daphne and pressed his hands on his jeans.
The gorgeous woman continued, "I'm Sadie. But where'd Nate go?" Then she looked over at Daphne, and her face fell. "Daphne," she said. "You're here."
Jake felt a brutal chill hit his core.
It can't be true, his inner bear said.
His fated mate was the one woman in all the world he could love.
The one he'd been waiting for his entire life.
And here she finally was.
Sadie.
But she'd already been claimed by his brother.
Chapter 8
Sadie
Daphne clenched her hands into fists and screamed at me. "How on earth could you be engaged to my boyfriend? Nate and I broke up last week!"
Engaged? Where had that come from? This lie kept getting bigger and bigger.
Daphne's face was bright red as she glared, leaning in until I took a step back. I held up my hands and ducked behind them, glancing up at Jake.
"I'm Jake. Nate's brother." Ignoring the screaming banshee beside him, Jake reached his hand out to shake mine. I was surprised to feel a lovely warm energy flowing between us. Jake seemed really sweet. I ignored Daphne and smiled up at him.
"Nice to meet you. Sorry for the circumstances," I said, looking toward the empty spot where Nate had been earlier today. "Where is he?"
What a gene pool the Serrano family had! Jake was tall, gorgeous, and radiating kindness.
"Who in God's name are you?" Daphne barely contained her fury. She had every right to be at the hospital. And to be angry. She was Nate's girlfriend. Or had been. I was the one who had no business there, despit
e the invitation from Nate's parents.
Mew!
I hadn't been able to leave the kitten alone at my apartment after all, and at the moment, I was glad to have him with me to sidetrack Daphne.
"Aww," Jake said, leaning down to look at Pudgie. "Who is this?"
Pudgie distracted everyone, and as I pulled him out of my backpack, I took a moment to look at Jake.
Maybe Jake was not as classically handsome as his brother, but there was something so real about him. I loved his flannels and jeans and big work boots. You could tell just by looking at him that he'd never had a manicure in his life. It would never occur to him to even want that. He was authentic, and he had authentic fingernails. He probably didn't go to stuffy dinner parties or date tiny scary-beautiful women like Daphne, either, even though he'd had his arms around her when I'd walked in. What was up with that? Was Daphne dating both brothers?
"Where is Nate?" I asked again.
"He's gone into a special unit downstairs. Come on, I'll take you both down." Jake said.
"How is he? Does moving downstairs mean he's better?"
"He's not awake, but the doctor thinks he knows what's wrong and that he'll wake up soon."
"Oh, good," I said. "That's great."
Daphne glared at me. "Where did you meet Nate? How long have you known him?" It seemed like she was trying to be civil.
Jake intervened, "Daphne, now isn't the time or the place to find out where Nate and Sadie met or fell in love. Nate is in a serious condition."
Daphne scowled at me. "Later," she said. "I want a full explanation."
"Do you want help carrying those, Jake?" I pointed at the bags of takeout. Jake was kind, but he didn't know what I knew. Daphne was right. I wasn't Nate's fiancée.
"Yes, actually. Thanks." Jake smiled at me. His eyes did the same crinkly corners thing as Nate's. I felt myself beaming back at him as I took two of the bags from him.
We rode the elevator down to the bottom floor and every few seconds, Daphne scowled at me and started a question. "When…?" or "How...?" But she mostly contained her fury as we descended, and I smiled pleasantly at Jake and pretended she didn’t want to kill me.
Shifting and Bewitching (Enchanted Shores Book 1) Page 5