by Renee George
“I take my part plenty serious,” Eldin said.
From the back of the community theater, a spotlight pinpointed the woman’s face. She threw up her hand to block the blinding light. “What in the blazes?” she exclaimed.
The spotlight went out. I looked back to see Taylor Thompson, one of Ruth’s twins, wave his hand. “Sorry. My bad.” There was a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.
I liked that young man. I turned back to the stage to study the irritated woman. She reminded me of some of the women who used to flutter around my dad when I was young. He was a leader in our community. Without a mate, he’d become a prime candidate for the vultures who wanted to be his wife for the status alone. They were the kind of creatures who yearned for power, if only on a small scale, and were only happy if everyone else was afraid. This woman worked at breeding fear.
“Now, Evelyn,” Sunny said. “We’ll get all the kinks worked out before opening night. You just let me worry about the details.”
“I’ll thank you to mind who you’re talking to,” Evelyn snapped. “I’m not going to take sass from a--”
“Hello,” Ruth shouted. “Look who I have with me!”
Sunny’s eyes widened with pleased surprise when she saw me. “Willy!” Her hair was longer and blonder—and hey, she wasn’t pregnant for once. She bounded down the aisle to me and clasped me by the shoulders before dragging me into a spine crunching hug.
“Hey, girl.” I squeezed her back. Guilt pinched at me, and I brushed it aside. “It’s so good to see you.” I leaned back to get a better look at her. No bags or dark circles under her eyes. Her figure was back to pre-pregnancy shape, and, for a mom of two babies, she appeared remarkably well-rested. “You look great.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I feel great. What are you doing back in town? Can’t get enough of Peculiar night life?”
I chuckled and hoped it didn’t sound as forced as it felt. I nodded toward the stage. “Who’s the bitch?”
Sunny didn’t even turn around to see who I was looking at. “Evelyn Meyers. The town’s conscious.”
Ruth snorted. “That’s one word for it. I can’t believe she and Jean Taylor are sisters. Jean is such a lovely woman.””
Jean was Sheriff Taylor’s wife. I’d gotten to know them on my first trip to Peculiar. I’d even had dinner at their home. Watching Evelyn now, I could see the familial resemblance. “I’d fire her cranky ass,” I said.
“I can’t,” Sunny said. Under her breath, she added, “She’s funding the whole thing.”
Ruth moved in closer and said in a hushed voice, “How’s Michele doing?”
“Why are we whispering?”
“Because I don’t want her to think I’m checking up on her.”
“But you are,” I pointed out.
Sunny giggled. “Michele is killing it as Ophelia,” Sunny gushed.
Ruth beamed with pride.
Sunny looked at me, her face going curiously blank for about three seconds. When she animated again, she said, “Brady is backstage building the graveyard set. You should go back and see him.”
I gave a quick shake of my head. “Nah. I’m sure I’ll see him later.” Or maybe not. I mean, I wanted to see him, but I liked myself too much to put myself in a position to get shot down again.
“That’s not the line, you ignorant child,” Evelyn screeched from the stage. Her well-timed tirade took the Brady heat off me for the moment. I looked past Sunny to see who was getting the brunt of her ire.
Jo Jo stood in front of Evelyn, fists clenched, his face red with anger and embarrassment. “It is the line, Ms. Meyers.” He held up his copy of the play. “Unless William Shakespeare wrote more than one version.”
Evelyn blanched. “You’re fired, Jolon Corman. Fired!”
Jo Jo tossed his script down and stormed off the stage. He stopped when he got to Sunny. “Someday someone is going to put that witch in her place.”
“Don’t go,” Sunny said. “I’ll take care of this.”
“I can’t deal with her today.” He shook his head. “I’ll go see if Chav needs help with the new guy at the cafe.” When Sunny wasn’t a play director, mother of two, and wife to the mayor, she ran the vegetarian café she co-owned with Chavvah. Yeah, I know. A vegetarian café in a shifter town was weird, but for Peculiar it worked.
“You’ll come back though, Jo Jo? This play needs its Hamlet.”
He glared up at the stage, his green eyes flashing with animosity. “Yeah, I’ll be back.” He looked at Sunny. “But for you, not for her.”
After he had left, Sunny sashayed down the aisle, a bright smile on her face. “You can’t fire Jo Jo,” she told the older woman.
“Should we go help?” I asked.
Ruth shook her head. “Sunny can handle Evelyn.”
“I’m paying for this play.” Meyers stood up and crossed her arm. “I can fire who I want.”
Sunny’s whole body stilled. She walked up the four steps to the stage. With her hands on her hips, she smiled even bigger at Evelyn who had sat back down on her makeshift throne. “While it might be difficult, I’m certain I can find someone else to play Queen Gertrude if your choice is to pull your money and leave.” She looked over her shoulder. “Hey, Ruth, how do you feel about Shakespeare?”
“Jo Jo can stay,” interrupted Evelyn. She sniffed. “So long as he gets his lines right from now on.”
Sunny’s smile turned nearly feral. “If you get the urge to fire anyone else, Evelyn, you’ll be doing this play alone.”
The cast on stage all nodded, silently agreeing to walk out with Sunny.
“I’m scared of her,” I told Ruth. “She’s fierce.”
“Sunny’s very good with people.” Ruth wrinkled her nose. “Why do you think we asked her to be the director? She has a gift.”
A gift I was sent to uncover. What had anonymous meant when they’d written, “She’s not one of us.” The way most of the community loved and defended Sunny, I’d say there wasn’t anyone who was one of them more than the blonde wonder.
“Hey, Sunny. Do you want the gravesite on wheels or furniture slides?” a deep, rough voice asked.
It froze me in place. Brady Corman walked out from behind the curtain, all six-foot, sexy-as-hell, melt-my-panties coyote shifter. Wow. I honest to goodness swooned. I waited for him to notice me. It took all of about two seconds.
“Uhm, I’ll figure it out,” he told Sunny and escaped back behind the curtains.
His reaction, or lack thereof, disappointed me. “This is ridiculous.”
“I’m sorry, Willy.” Ruth put her hand on my shoulder. “I just thought… Oh, well. It’s nothing a little sweet tea, apple pie, and some good company can’t fix.” She whistled up at the stage. “You all wrapping this up soon? Maybe Chavvah can take a break and join us?”
“Sure, that’s probably a good idea, considering.” Sunny gave Evelyn a pointed look. The woman’s expression soured even more. I got the feeling Evelyn didn’t like people who stood up to her. Sunny circled her finger. “Let’s take a break and meet back here at four to rehearse Act One Scene Two, which means I’ll need Evelyn, Milo, Roger, Michele, Eldin, and Sabrina to come back. I’ll message Jo Jo, Billy Bob, and Elton. The first scene is nailed, but the second scene is a hot mess.”
“Because some people don’t take it seriously,” Evelyn said. Sunny pivoted to glare at the woman. Evelyn shut up, even though her face still looked like she was sucking on lemons.
“When are they putting this play on?” I asked Ruth out the side of my mouth.
“In eight weeks,” she whispered.
“How long have they been rehearsing?”
“Three weeks.”
“I’m afraid two months isn’t going to be enough time.”
Ruth smiled. “Sunny will get them there.”
“You have a lot of faith in her, don’t you?”
“She’s one of the most genuine people I know,” Ruth said.
That’s not wh
at the anonymous letter had said. “How long has she been in Peculiar?”
“About two years now.”
“And was she an integrator, or is she from another therian community?”
Ruth hesitated, then said, “Uhm, she lived in San Diego before here.”
“So, integrator?” Integrators were therianthropes who lived in human populated areas and hid their real selves from everyone around them. Technically, I was an integrator now since going to work for the Council, but my dad had raised my brother and me in a small therian town in southern Kansas near Oklahoma.
“Sure,” Ruth said a little too brightly. She blinked then lightly smacked her forehead with her palm. “Oh, shoot. I’m supposed to pick up Linus from his summer camp. I don’t know what’s going on with the boy, but he can get a little dramatic if I’m late.”
I snorted. “My brother once cried because I got one more marshmallow in my bowl of cereal than he did. Believe me, I know dramatic.” My younger brother Hans is needy, which is just a nice way of saying he’s a big fucking baby. “You get on out of here and get him, I’ll meet you over at Sunny’s Outlook when you get back.”
While Sunny gave last minute orders to her cast, Eldin Farraday made his way down to me. His gray-green eyes made his ordinary face memorable. He was tall, thin, and handsome, and close to my age, and to top it off, he was a really good deputy. He’d been instrumental in taking down the Lowry brothers last June. Why couldn’t I fall for a guy like that? Sweet, uncomplicated, and reliable.
“Hey, Willy,” Eldin said. “Nice to see you back in town.”
“It’s nice to be seen.” I smiled. “Laertes, huh? You know he buys it in the last act.”
“Now you went and ruined the whole play for me.” Eldin chortled, an easy laugh, his eyes crinkling at the edges. “And here I thought I was playing the hero.”
“Well, they don’t call the play Laertes, do they?” I laughed. He really was a nice man. “You want to come over to Sunny’s Outlook for some lunch with Sunny and me?”
A throat cleared behind me. Eldin’s face brightened. Taylor Thompson, the thinner of Ruth’s oldest boys, raised his brow at the deputy. I nearly got burned from the sparks arcing between the two. Well, that was that. I checked Eldin Farraday off my list of eligible bachelors.
Eldin smiled at me. “Sorry, Willy. I’ve got plans. Maybe another time.”
“You got it,” I said. As the two men walked out of the community center, I felt a small pang of jealousy. How awesome would it be for Brady to look at me like that?
The next thing I knew Evelyn Meyers stood next to me, her arms crossed over her chest. “Those two should be ashamed.” The unpleasant woman was a few inches taller than me, no big shocker. I was usually the shortest girl in a room of therians. “It’s unnatural.”
“Oh, c’mon,” I said. “A deputy dating a civilian isn’t against the law.”
She gaped at me. “Are you seriously that dense?”
I took a tool from Sunny’s people-skills bag and smiled widely. “Don’t you find intolerance more unnatural? I’d rather be around two dudes in love than someone bitter and judgmental.”
Evelyn glared at me. “I know why you’re here, Ms. Boden. You’ll be better served by doing your job and keeping your opinions to yourself.”
Same to you, honey.
She stomped off, muttering under her breath.
Sunny joined me as I watched Evelyn go.
“That woman needs to get laid,” said Sunny.
I choked on a laugh. “She needs something.” One thing was certain, I might not know Sunny’s secret, but Evelyn Meyers probably did. My heart sunk at the thought that awful woman was the whistleblower. I’d have to have a private chat with the wicked witch of Peculiar, and soon.
Chapter Two
At one in the afternoon, Sunny’s Outlook was a packed house. The cowbell over the door rang out every minute like a warning bell. Chavvah Trimmel stood behind the counter. She wore her dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, which highlighted her high cheekbones and generous mouth. I’d read a little about her history from the report Sid Taylor had turned into the council. She’d been kidnapped and tortured for several weeks by a bunch of rich asshole humans who’d discovered our kind and decided we were big game sport. There wasn’t much written up after her rescue. I imagined it had been hard to come back from something so heinous, but she not only came back, she was stronger than ever.
“Hey, Willy!” Chavvah grinned.
“Hey, Chav.” I hugged her when she came around the counter to me. Again, the guilt. I hated that I wasn’t in Peculiar for a simple vacation.
Sunny came up behind me. “Get this girl a jackfruit burger, extra jalapenos and a side of sweet potato fries.”
“Wow, how did you know that’s what I wanted?” I’d been craving that damn burger for months now.
Sunny tapped her temple and smiled. “Mind like a steel trap.”
“More like a rusty colander,” Chavvah said. “Didn’t you forget that you were supposed to relieve me an hour ago so I could go meet Billy Bob at the courthouse?”
“Shoot!” Sunny’s panic was palpable. “I’m so sorry. Is it too late to go now?” She was already tying her hair back. She fixed it with a blue cotton hair band. She sighed and sagged against the counter. “Don’t be mad at me. I know the mayor. I can make this right.”
“I know the mayor, too,” Chav said crossly.
“What do you need to go to the courthouse for? Traffic ticket?”
“To speak with Mary Jane Adams about renting her wedding venue. She works part-time at the courthouse and said she’d fit us in today. Her place really books up.”
My eyes widened. “Really? It’s about time!” I’d been privileged to witness Billy Bob’s proposal. It had been sexy and romantic. “When’s the wedding date?”
“In three months, if we can get our ducks in a row.”
Sunny slung on an apron and shoved Chav toward the door. “Get to quacking, missy. I got this place covered.”
Chav snickered and shook her head. “I’ll be back in an hour.” To me, she added, “If you’re going to be around later, I’d love to catch up.”
“You got it.”
Sunny went around to the kitchen door and called back my order. There was a line forming behind me. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Just grab an empty seat if you can find one. I’ll join you as soon as I can.”
There were people in every booth, and two of the three tables were taken. The third, near the bathroom door, was the only one open.
Jo Jo passed me with a tray of empty dishes. “What can I get you to drink?”
“A root beer would be nice.”
He winked. “You got it.”
Jo Jo looked nothing like his dad. He was taller, thinner, and a lot more pierced. I counted twelve piercings on his head alone. But that charming smile, that was all Brady. “Don’t get cheeky,” I teased.
I swear he looked like he grew two inches as he strolled back toward the kitchen. I was still smiling when I noticed Brady sitting alone in the corner booth, just a couple feet away. He stared at me like I’d grown three noses and whistled through each of them. When our gazes met, he turned his attention to his steaming cup of black coffee. I could almost see the wheels spinning as he contemplated what to do next.
“Don’t fret. I won’t bother you if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’m not worried,” he said, meeting my gaze once again.
I forced a smile. “Liar.”
A slight sheen of sweat from a day of hard work coated his brow. He had a five o’clock shadow, and his hair looked like it was three weeks overdue for a trim. He wore jeans and a white T-shirt stained with dirt and sprinkled with sawdust. Basically, he fulfilled every blue-collar fantasy I’d ever had. God, why did this man have to look so damn good?
“I’m not worried,” he said again. His eyes softened, and his lopsided smile deepened the dimples in his cheeks. T
his was the Brady who I’d been dreaming about since October.
Jo Jo came back with my root beer. He gave his dad an odd look. “You okay? You need your coffee heated up?”
“No, I’m good.” Brady cleared his throat. “You, uh, remember Ms. Boden don’t you?”
“Yep.” Jo Jo took his lower lip barbell between his teeth. “I know Willy. Why are you acting so weird?”
I widened my eyes. “Yeah, Brady, why are you acting so weird?”
He grunted. “I’m not.”
“You should join him, Willy. I think eating alone is dulling his brain.”
“Why, Jo Jo, I think you might be right.” I got up and went to the booth, sliding onto the bench opposite Brady. “Hello there.”
His cheeks flushed, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he looked pleased. “Hello.”
“Good.” Jo Jo grabbed the root beer from my table and set it in front of me. “Your food will be ready in a few minutes.”
I leaned on my elbows and took a sip of my cold, sweet root beer. “What’s up?”
“The usual.” He took a drink of coffee. “What’s up with you?”
“Oh, you know, the usual.” Since we’re being so honest with each other. “Nice weather we’re having.”
He raised an annoyed brow. “What are you doing?”
“Small talk. I thought that’s what we both were doing.”
“All right,” he said. “I’ll play. Yes, Willy. Nice weather. The Royals played a good game against Minnesota last night.”
I smiled. “They played the Mariners last night.”
Brady shrugged and took another drink of coffee. “I took a stab. I knew it was something with an M. I don’t really watch, but Jo Jo had the game on when I got home last night.”
“Okay, you don’t like sports. What do you like?”
“Short redheads with pert freckly noses, bright green eyes, and curves that would give J-Lo a run for her money,” Sunny said. At our surprised expression, she added, “It’s only a guess.” She put down two plates of food, the jackfruit burger plate for me and a monster cinnamon roll for Brady. “You two enjoy your food now.”