Shifting and Bewitching (Enchanted Shores Book 1)

by Carrie de Croix

  "The bear thing?" I repeated thoughtfully.

  She nodded.

  Would Jake want me to play along and pretend I knew all about it? Probably.

  "Of course," I said to Regina. "But does 'the bear thing' really explain all of this?"

  "It would if he were hibernating!" Regina announced.

  I nodded and sipped my soda. Hibernating? Was she trying to tell me Nate was hibernating like a bear?

  "Interesting thought," I said. I had no idea what they were talking about.

  "Well, dear. I'm just happy that Nate told you we're bear shifters. I don't think he ever told Daphne. And that's one reason I knew she was all wrong for him," Regina said.

  Hang on. Bear shifters? What the heck was she talking about?

  Obviously, Regina was not well.

  I turned to Theo with an expression of concern. But he just nodded as if he agreed with her. "I haven't heard of anyone hibernating in all my years as a shifter," he said. "It's positively uncivilized."

  "But you know Nate. Always trying the newest thing," Regina added with a shrug.

  I didn't want to freak out, but I needed to get help. Maybe I should call Jake?

  "Excuse me," I said, putting down my plate and grabbing Nate's bouquet. "I'm just going to put these in Nate's room. I'll be right back." I headed for the door.

  As I walked out of Regina's room, I bumped into Jake, who had been about to walk in. My heart started pounding. He wore a navy suit and carried a briefcase. He looked miserable. But extremely handsome.

  "Nice haircut," I said.

  "Thanks to you," he smiled, and I felt my heart melt a little.

  Whoa. I had it bad.

  Now I not only needed to pretend that I was engaged to Nate, but I also had to pretend that I wasn't crushing on Jake. As soon as Regina fully recovered, I would be able to clear the air. But would Jake want to date his older brother's fake girlfriend?

  Not likely.

  I was doomed. Double doomed.

  How did I get myself into this, again?

  "I'm delivering these," I said, holding up the flowers. "But we need to talk about your mom. Something she said—"

  "Hang on a sec," Jake said, letting go of the door and following me into the hallway. "What's up? How is she?"

  "Umm… not so well, actually," I said, trying to find the right words. "Your mom just told me that you all are bear shifters. She might be hallucinating?"

  Jake's eyes popped. "She did? Oh, geez. Okay, let me check on her and I'll be right over. You're going to Nate's room, right?"

  I nodded and held up the bouquet. "Flower delivery."

  "I'll join you in five minutes," Jake said. "You can tell me about it."

  "Okay, good."

  Next door, Nate was sleeping peacefully with a satisfied smile on his face. His room wasn't overflowing with flowers like his mother's had been. In fact, mine were the only ones. He also had no cards or stuffed animals. That struck me as sad; maybe Nate didn't have as many friends as it had seemed when I met him at the Hair Atelier.

  I placed the wildflowers on his table and sat down by the bed.

  "Hi, Nate," I said quietly, taking his hand. "I have to confess something and since you're asleep, I can do it. I'm Sadie by the way, your fake fiancée. We met on the beach the other day? You probably don’t remember."

  I glanced toward the door. It was closed. Jake had said five minutes, which would be enough time to get a few things off my chest.

  "The thing is, your parents and your girlfriend and everyone here at the hospital, they all think that you and I are engaged. But don't worry, I'll tell them the truth as soon as your mom is feeling better. Did you know she had a heart attack? Oh, maybe I shouldn't tell you. Don't worry about that now. Here's the thing I want to confess: I have a crush on your brother. Which is great because he seems to like me too, and I think you'll be okay with it when you wake up. But right now it's sort of awkward. You will wake up, right, Nate?"

  He snored softly.

  "Also, what's all this about the bear shifting thing? Huh, Nate?"

  He had no comment.

  "Are your parents just old? Is that it?"

  He just kept sleeping, his chest rising and falling, a small smile on his handsome face. I liked sitting here with him in the quiet. It was peaceful.

  When the door opened, I dropped Nate's hand. Jake walked in, rubbing his chin. "Tell me what my parents said, exactly?"

  I told him. Maybe her delusion was caused by her medical condition, in which case he needed to hear the truth, and so did the doctor. But why would Theo agree with her?

  "So my parents told you we're bear shifters."

  "Have they lost their grip on reality? Maybe from the stress of Nate's illness?"

  Jake's phone vibrated. He pulled it out of his pocket and placed it facedown on Nate's tray. "Sadie, has anything ever happened to you that you couldn't explain?"

  I immediately thought about the ocean lady and the obedient water.

  I nodded. "Yes," I said. "Plenty."

  His phone vibrated again, and he glanced at it. "Sorry," he said. "There's some kind of emergency at the office."

  "Do you need to leave?" With the suit came responsibility. I got it.

  "I need to go down to the docks."

  I nodded. "Do you think your mom is okay? Should you tell the doctor she's hallucinating? And what about your dad?"

  "Did she say anything besides the bear shifting thing?"

  I shook my head. "You don't think that's enough?"

  Jake looked at me closely, searching my face with his eyes. "People come into our lives for a reason," he said finally. "Don't judge my folks too harshly. They mean well and they like you a lot. And they're definitely not hallucinating."

  "Why did they say they're bear shifters, then? I don't even know what that is. I mean, I can imagine. But not really."

  Jake sighed and took my hand. "I sense that you're magical, and my guess is they thought so too. Magical beings recognize other magical beings. And we tend to trust each other. At least with certain things."

  "Magical?" I asked.

  "Am I wrong?"

  The water.

  I shook my head. But how could he know?

  "Are you saying you are actually, really bear shifters?" What was that, even?

  "I'll explain later. And if you get into any confusing situations, or you need anything, you can talk to me, okay? I'm your friend."

  "Thank you, Jake." I needed a friend right now. Even if he believed he was a bear shifter. Nothing made sense today. The entire world had shifted.

  Jake's phone alerted again, and he rushed off. After a few more minutes with Nate, who did not wake up, I went back to Regina and Theo to finish my sandwich, keeping the conversation safely focused on Regina's knitting.

  When I left an hour later, I was just happy that I had made it through without telling them I wasn't Nate's fiancée or asking what the heck a bear shifter was.

  There were some questions that were better unasked. At least for now.

  I had a few more appointments at the Shaggy Puppy and then it would be time to take Pudgie to Mrs. G's apartment.

  And then—the hairdo-off. I tried to stay focused on that.

  Right now, more than anything I hoped I could win the contest. If I lost, I didn't see how I could pay the tax bill or save my house.

  Chapter 12

  Jake

  Despite his concern about the trawler, Jake walked out of the hospital feeling more hopeful than he had in months.

  He wasn't quite sure why. Of course, meeting Sadie had been wonderful. But not only was his brother hibernating, his mom was faking a heart condition for reasons of her own. He chuckled. Regina was as strong as a bear—well, that made total sense, didn't it?

  Even Dr. Rex hadn't known what to make of her faking a heart attack and had simply decided that she must want to be near Nate but didn't know how to arrange it without taking a bed. So he gave her one.

 
That didn't sound like his mother, but Jake had let it slide. Especially because she'd seemed happy enough to take the bed and focus on her knitting. If it were anyone else, maybe he'd say she just needed a rest, but his mom was too smart for that. Regina was much more intelligent and articulate than anyone gave her credit for. She had something up her sleeve, but Jake didn't know what it was.

  And he wouldn't know until she decided to tell him.

  No, it wasn't his family's condition that made him feel so hopeful. It was meeting Sadie.

  Our fated mate, his inner bear insisted.

  Are you sure? Jake asked his bear.

  Don't you feel it? his bear asked.

  He did feel it. Ever since she'd walked into the room, Jake's heart had been light. He wanted to touch Sadie and hold her. And much more.

  And that's why he couldn’t wait to spend more time with her. But first his family needed a return to normal. Nate needed to wake up and his mom needed to go home. This whole fake fiancée thing had to be swept away and forgotten. And then Jake could focus on what he most wanted. Sadie.

  Jake walked to his SUV, ready to deal with the latest business crisis.

  His phone vibrated again. He pulled it out of his pocket and hit return call.

  His brother's executive assistant, Carla, picked up the phone.

  "Jake, thank goodness," she said in an anxious voice. "Your trawler radioed. They've hit something in the deep ocean and are taking on water."

  Dammit! No. "Call the Coast Guard. Now."

  "I did. But we've lost contact with the trawler. We need you in the office to direct the rescue operation."

  "The office? No." There was no way he would let his crew down. "I'm joining the search."

  "But the office…" she said. "We've got news teams setting up in the conference room. They want a statement."

  "Forget the news teams! My men need me," Jake explained, already driving to the docks.

  "But who can talk to the press?"

  "Carla, you're intelligent and loyal and I trust you completely. In fact, I’m promoting you to executive assistant in charge of news and communications."

  "You’re promoting me?" She sounded excited while still worried about the trawler. Her tone of voice conveyed both joy and concern. She was perfect for this role. His brother should have thought of it years ago.

  "Yes, and I'm giving you a twenty-five percent raise. Proactive from the first of the year. Take care of whatever comes up through this crisis period and I'll see that you keep getting promoted. Deal?"

  "Deal! Thank you, Jake! Let me know if you need anything from here."

  "Just handle things."

  "Consider them handled."

  Jake sped through town, headed for the docks.

  Black clouds swirled in the sky and rain splattered his windshield. Damn. A storm wouldn’t help with the search and rescue.

  The Coast Guard would be sending out a team to find the trawler, based on its last known location. He'd go too. The more eyes and ears out on the ocean the better in a situation like this.

  As he drove, Jake called the Coast Guard and told them to add him to the roster. He'd take out his own boat. "Give me a region to search," he said. "I'll be on the water in fifteen minutes."

  "You got it, Mr. Serrano!"

  He called his secondary crew and arranged for them to meet him at the docks.

  When he arrived, Jake parked his SUV and raced down to his ship, reveling in the feel of the rain on his face. This was where he belonged. Outside. In the elements.

  Onboard, he took three minutes to strip off his suit and change into his jeans, a wool sweater, and a rain slicker. His crew arrived. Jake led them in prepping the boat for departure.

  Guilt ate at him. The trawler was in trouble. If he'd been out with it instead of cooped up in an office, this never would have happened.

  But no. He'd been going to meetings, fielding phone calls, reading reports. A damned waste of time. And now the trawler crew was paying the price. He couldn't do it. Not again.

  Once everyone in his family was well, he'd tell them everything. He had tried to do it their way. But the office wasn’t for him.

  As soon as the boat was ready, he punched the coordinates the Coast Guard had given him into the controls and headed out to sea. He would find his lost crew, no matter what.

  Jake held the wheel steadily and as he motored forward, he focused on finding the trawler. The sun hadn't set, but the sky was already darkening.

  Rain pounded the windscreen as waves broadsided the boat. It didn't matter. The boat was built for this challenge, this hardship, this abuse. And so was Jake.

  Chapter 13

  Sadie

  One by one, the remaining Shaggy Puppy appointments were canceled that afternoon—word had gotten out about Marcy's death—and by four p.m. Hannah and I decided to call it a day.

  "This stinks," Hannah said, while putting on her jacket. "I think I'll drive up to my parents for a long weekend. Come with me?"

  "I can't. I have stuff going on with my house. Plumbing stuff," I said, shaking my head. "Kitten stuff."

  "I don't like you staying here by yourself." Hannah took my hand.

  "I know. I'll be okay though," I said, giving her a quick hug. "I'm used to being alone in my house." Also I wanted to test the key I'd found in the vase. If it fit the filing cabinet, I might be able to learn who owned the Shaggy Puppy and why Marcy had been killed.

  "If you change your mind, you're welcome to drive up."

  I promised Hannah I would get away if I could. After she left, I locked the door and took the key from my pocket. I turned the store sign from Open to Closed.

  Would the key fit in the filing cabinet?

  Marcy's office was still tidy. I set Pudgie down and he pounced across the carpet, chasing a bit of fluff that had settled near the office door.

  The filing cabinet sat undisturbed. I ran my hand across the dark wood. It was smooth and shiny, stained nearly black.

  I slid the key in the lock. It fit perfectly and I held my breath as I turned. But nothing happened. The key went around in the lock without resistance, and I didn't hear or feel anything give. I tried to open the top drawer. It was still locked tight.

  So the key fit, but it didn't open the cabinet. Must not have been the right key after all. I slid it back in my pocket. I looked around the office hoping for another idea, but didn't see anything.

  "Come on, Pudgie," I said, finally.

  I walked back to my station, hoping Cormac would be able to find out who owned the Shaggy Puppy. I decided to call him and tell him about the key. As I reached for my phone, it rang.

  It was the animal shelter's number. I answered the call.

  "We've found out that the kitten who was lost in Enchanted Shores was a male. Is your kitten a male?"

  "Yes," I said, feeling dreadful. "I already told you that." Pudgie glided along beside me. I didn't want to lose him.

  "You'd better bring him in. We're open till eight."

  Tears filled my eyes. "What color?" I scooped up Pudgie and kissed him.

  "Color?"

  "His fur?" I said, sniffling. "What color was the lost kitten's fur?"

  "Umm… I don't know."

  "Find out. If it's black, I'll bring him in. Otherwise I'm keeping him." I hung up.

  I couldn't bear giving up Pudgie now, even if someone else had him first. I felt like he and I belonged together.

  I called Cormac.

  "Sweeney," he barked as a greeting.

  "I found an old key," I told him. "It didn't open the cabinet. I just wanted to let you know."

  "The locksmith came this morning. He couldn't get in to the cabinet either."

  "So what then?"

  "The next step is to take a chainsaw to it."

  "Geez," I said. "Did you find out who owns the salon?"

  "Not yet," Cormac said, his voice gruff and showing signs of frustration.

  "What about the book?"

 
"It's still in the city being studied."

  "So what's next, Cormac? All our hair appointments cancelled. I'm going to go broke if this keeps up." I didn't want to tell Cormac about my tax bill, but if I didn't win the hairdo-off, I might have to ask for help.

  "We're following all our leads. These things can take time. More than we want them to. Let's talk in the morning. For now, just be patient."

  "I'll try." I hung up, glad that I had the hairdo-off to distract me. I locked up and headed across the street.

  After I dropped off Pudgie with Mrs. G, I walked down to the Hair Atelier, feeling excitement build for the contest. It had been a while since I'd been challenged at my work. I'd basically performed the same dozen haircuts over and over again for different clients, day in and day out. The only creativity came with Mrs. G and some of the other seniors. Even if I didn't win the contest, it was nice to feel that excitement about cutting hair.

  When I arrived at the Hair Atelier, the door was locked and the lights were off. That was weird. Eddie had said 5:30. I glanced at my phone. I was right on time.

  I knocked again. I was thinking about leaving when Eddie suddenly appeared bustling for the door, wiping his hands on a towel and smiling broadly.

  "Sorry, sorry!" he said as he unlocked and opened the door. His horrible bug-spray cologne greeted me. "I was just in the basement getting everything set up for you."

  "The basement?" I asked as he brought me in and locked the door behind us.

  Now that I wasn't afraid of the ocean anymore, basements were my number-one fear. I felt terrified every time I set foot in one.

  "You'll see. Come on. We don't have very much time. Everyone else will be here soon."

  I followed him behind the reception desk and into the staff room. Their staff room was way nicer than the one at Shaggy Puppy. We didn't have an espresso machine or a box of donuts.

  "Help yourself if you'd like a snack," Eddie said, gesturing to a spread on the counter.

  "No, thanks." I was starting to feel nervous.

  Eddie opened a door marked basement and descended a flight of stairs.

  Oh, goodness. I could do this. I clenched my fists and followed him.

  The basement was damp and gloomy. No big surprise there. Pipes ran across the ceiling with wires dangling between them. Dust piles littered the floor and boxes of supplies were clustered near the stairwell. It was dark and cold and I sneezed twice before I'd even reached the bottom. Did I mention how much I hated basements?