Small Moments

by Kimberly Forrest

  As it turned out, Mike had been right – on all counts. The thick gel got really warm on her skin, but within minutes her muscles were loosening enough where Rin felt halfway normal, and her nose quickly adjusted to the smell. Oh, she could still smell it, but it was becoming less and less noxious – at least to her. He was also right that Margaret Tully would want her out of The Cedars post haste. She had barely gotten down the stairs when Margaret had come out, a look of disgust on her face. “What is that smell?” The older woman had sniffed at the air a moment more before her eyes narrowed on Rin. “Good Lord, dear, what have you been doing?”

  Mike, who had been waiting for her near the front door, had let out a loud bark of laughter and snatched his coat from the rack. “Come on, Rin. We’ll go for a ride.”

  Margaret was busy grabbing up a can of air freshener and spraying frantically. “Yes, do go, dear. Have fun!” She finished with forced cheer, spraying in Rin’s wake.

  Rin made it out the door and onto the porch before the laughter burst free. Great peals of it split the air, her eyes watered with it, her belly hurt with it, and still she laughed… because it felt so wonderful. Mike laughed with her, and that felt wonderful too. Shared merriment. Such a small thing, but a wonderful moment.

  Still chuckling, Rin wiped her eyes and looked at a grinning Mike who dangled a set of keys before her. “I brought a sedan.” He said, his tone cajoling. “It’s an automatic.” He gave the keys a jingle. “And it already needs body work so you don’t have to worry if you scratch it.” He added tilting his head in the direction of a nondescript, primer gray car. “Want to learn to drive?”

  Rin stared dubiously at the keys. “Don’t I need a permit for this?”

  Mike winked, “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t. Besides, we can always go to the DMV at some point if you insist on being all legal,” he added with an infectious grin.

  Obviously, the fumes from that ointment had gone straight to her head because at that moment, she was feeling invincible. She gave an eager nod. “Let’s do this. I’m ready.”

  Chapter Seven

  “I’m not ready.” Rin groaned as she laid her forehead against the steering wheel. It had taken so long just to adjust the seat so that she could see over the steering wheel and still reach the pedals, that she had lost all her nerve. Of course, the sight of the packed down snow on the road didn’t help. “Maybe we should wait until spring to do this.”

  Mike seemed way too relaxed in the passenger seat for someone who was putting his life in her hands. “Na, best to learn in the winter. If you can handle a vehicle under these conditions, the rest is cake.”

  “But I like cake.” Rin said, looking back out over the winter landscape. “Cake is good. Let’s have cake.”

  Mike let out a chuckle. “I’d suggest you drive us to the diner and we’d celebrate your fist outing with cake, but Lucy would probably kick you out just like Mrs. Tully did.” He reached across the seat and gripped her gloved hand in his, and Rin could feel the zing of electricity shoot up her arm despite the cloth between their joined hands. It felt so unbelievably good and, surprisingly, that connection gave her strength. Even more so when he said, “I won’t make you do this if you don’t want to, but I promise that I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

  Rin stared at Mike for a moment. Hazel. His eyes were hazel and filled with so much sincerity that her courage immediately returned. With a nod, she turned back to the view outside the windshield, took a deep breath and started the car.

  It took a few moments for Rin to become accustomed to the sensitivity of the gas and brake pedals – there may have been screaming – but she was finally driving a car. Cruising down the empty main street of town, Rin had the steering wheel in a death grip, her teeth clenched, and her chin almost resting on the top of the wheel as she scanned the road in front of the vehicle like a hawk, but she was doing it. She was driving.

  “You’re doing great. You could even go a bit faster if you want. You’ve got this.” Mike said with a chuckle.

  Rin shook her head but didn’t take her eyes off the road. Five miles per hour was a nice, comfortable pace; no matter what Mike might say. Five was a perfectly acceptable number. A safe number. This she could handle.

  She had no idea how much time had passed, but before long, her tight grip on the wheel loosened, the muscles in her back eased, and she unclenched her backside and thighs. Mike must have noticed because she caught the flash of his smile in her peripheral vision. “That’s right, you’ve got this. You’re a natural.”

  She didn’t quite agree that she was a natural, but now that she was finally beginning to relax, she was actually starting to have fun. She may have even upped her speed to just below ten miles per hour. Yup, she was a daredevil.

  By the time Mike convinced her to attempt pulling into a parking space in front of the diner, Rin was grinning. Perhaps she’d grown a bit too confident. She didn’t anticipate braking on the slippery surface of the packed down snow in front of the diner. The car went sideways, only about a foot or so, but the sensation of losing control had her letting go of the wheel to throw her hands in front of her face and a high-pitched scream leaving her mouth while her foot stomped hard on the brake. It took her another moment to realize that, aside from the engine running, everything was silent. There had been no crunch of metal, no screams – aside from her own – and the car was stopped. She hadn’t hit anything. She was in fact, sitting in front of the diner, just slightly skewed from where she had originally intended to park.

  “Are you okay?”

  Rin turned wide eyes on Mike, who had placed a comforting hand on her arm when he had asked the question. To give him credit, he wasn’t laughing at her, or glaring at her for her foolishness, he simply looked concerned.

  Once she nodded he let out a little chuckle. “You did great. A slide like that would make any new driver panic. Just do me a favor, okay?”

  Rin nodded again, unable it seemed, to actually form words, and he continued. “Don’t take your hands off the wheel.”

  Another nod, but this time her voice actually worked. “Got it.”

  Mike ran his gloved hand up and down her arm. “You did great. I’m telling you, you’ve got this. You just need practice. Before you know it, you’ll be driving like you were born to it.”

  Rin’s first thought was that she was never going to get behind the wheel again, but Mike’s encouragement helped squash it, and his next words restored the grin to her face when he nudged his chin in the direction of the diner and said, “Cake?”

  Her chuckle was cut short when she remembered the goo she had slathered on her no longer aching muscles. “Do I still stink?”

  Mike eyed her for a moment in consideration and then drew in deeply through his nose. “You smell great to me.”

  Rin narrowed her eyes wondering if he was just being nice and then let out a huff of disbelief. “You’ve probably just gone nose blind to the scent.”

  Mike grinned and opened his door. “Probably. Let’s go see if Lucy’s going to kick us out.”

  Rin was grinning, imagining the customers inside wrinkling their noses as they caught a whiff of her. Then Mike opened the door to the diner and Rin caught the scent of something that had her throat closing off in fear. Bear. She could smell bear shifters. She was frozen for several painful beats of her heart, and she could barely pull air into her lungs. Run. Run away. Now. Run. Her brain was screaming at her frozen limbs and Rin suddenly lurched into motion. Without a word she ran past the skewed car that had brought her such delight, her feet slipping slightly on the road as she crossed but she refused to slow. Her vision locked on the bed and breakfast – her safety.

  She could hear Mike calling her name, his concern evident, but she couldn’t stop, not even to explain. She needed to escape. Throwing open the door to the bed and breakfast, she slammed it closed behind her and raced up the stairs to her room. Another slam as that door banged shut as
well and Rin finally collapsed on the floor, knees drawn up to her chest, she tucked her head between them as memories bombarded her. The scent of the bear shifter – the Brooks’ right-hand man – as he muffled her scream with a heavy hand. The pinch of the needle jabbed into her neck as she was shoved into the back of a van. Then later, waking up in a strange place, disoriented and sick, only to be told the method in which she would be murdered and mounted in some hunter’s collection as a trophy.

  Rin’s stomach rolled and she lost every bite of her breakfast on the floor.

  Chapter Eight

  Mike was at a loss. He had no idea what had just happened or what he should do for that matter. Everything had been going so well. Rin had been smiling and having fun and he’d been proud of himself for behaving like a gentleman. How many times had he wanted to reach out and touch her, touch that smiling face, pull her into his arms, and kiss her? There had been a few times when it had been a herculean effort to remain casual. The sound of her laughter, the sparkle in those dark brown eyes, well, they made him feel almost bubbly. Rin had been through a trauma, he had to keep reminding himself. The last thing she needed was to deal with a horny wolf. Slow and steady would win this race. He’d let her get to know him, become comfortable around him, and then maybe he could test the waters, so to speak; see if she was amenable. It was a good plan, a solid plan, and things had been progressing nicely.

  Then suddenly, it had all changed. The smile was gone, the sparkle disappeared. Her skin had gone waxen and the scent of fear had brought his wolf dangerously close to the surface. He let out a growl even now and had to take a few deep breaths to keep himself from chasing after her, scooping her up into his arms, and bringing her back to his place where he could properly protect her from whatever had sent her running.

  He’d kept his eyes trained on her as she entered The Cedars. He’d give her a few minutes so she didn’t feel like he was stalking her, before walking over to check on her.

  “Michael Myers. The man with the fictional serial killer’s name. How are you?”

  Mike’s head swung in the direction of the door he was still blocking. He had heard comments regarding his name all his life; comparisons to Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise, or Shrek, Austin Powers, or references to Wayne’s World thanks to Mike Myers, the Saturday Night Live alumni, so it certainly didn’t bother him anymore, but Mike didn’t feel at all sociable at the moment. Still, he pasted a smile on his face in greeting as Susan Fuller, no, she was Susan Black now, exited the diner with her mate Sebastian by her side and Sebastian’s brother Christian bringing up the rear.

  It had been around Thanksgiving of the previous year that Susan had come to Malsum Pass in search of Sebastian. To say she had changed the cranky bear shifter’s life would be an understatement. The male had gone from unapproachable and scary to downright pleasant to be around. Some might now even call him personable. In fact, the male was currently smiling and holding out a hand in greeting whereas the Sebastian Black formerly tagged with the moniker Black Bastard, would have snarled a warning that earned him a wide berth.

  “I heard you guys had come for a visit.” Mike returned with a smile he wasn’t feeling as he was introduced to Sebastian’s brother Christian who was almost as big as his brother. “How long are you in town?”

  “A few weeks, maybe longer. I wanted to have a snowmobile adventure, but someone,” Susan looked pointedly at her mate and cleared her throat loudly, “said it wouldn’t be safe in my condition.” She rolled her eyes at this while Sebastian let out a little chuff of sound as his free hand settled possessively over the slight mound of his mate’s belly and she continued with a grin. “So we came for snow angels and snowball fights.”

  Christian Black glanced back into the mostly empty diner with a look of speculation, before returning his attention to Mike and grinning. “I’m actually thinking I may stick around. The views in this town are spectacular.”

  Sebastian let out a snort. “She’ll tear your balls off and feed them to you, but hey, it’s your call.”

  Mike took a step back, not sure what the two brothers were talking about and not particularly caring at the moment. He needed to go check on Rin. “Well, ah, it was great to see you all again. I’m sure we’ll cross paths before you leave.”

  Susan shot him a bright smile as he continued to edge away. “Good to see you too. Take care.”

  That was all the encouragement Mike needed to take off across the road like a shot. His female needed him. Maybe he didn’t have the right to call her his as yet, but it was the truth. He knew it, his wolf knew it; he just needed to figure out how to convince Rin to take a chance on him. That he would be there for her if she needed to lean on him. That he would bolster her when her courage was flailing, support her, protect her… She just needed to let him in.

  Of course getting into the bed and breakfast was easier than actually getting to Rin. Margaret Tully was in a huff as soon as he made an appearance, going on about doors being slammed, but Rin had barricaded herself in her room and wouldn’t come out. His wolf wanted to break the door down, luckily the human side of him was in control enough to suppress the urge. “Please just tell me that you’re all right.”

  Several hard beats of his heart passed before he heard her. Her voice was weak and slightly hoarse, but the message was clear. “I’m fine. Please. I just need to be left alone.”

  It went against every instinct to walk away when he knew she was in distress, but what choice did he have. He nodded, knowing she couldn’t see it, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. “If you need anything, anything at all, please call me, Rin. I’m your friend. Even if you just need to talk to someone, day or night.”

  Mike hesitated, his ears straining to hear a sound that she might be coming to the door to open up for him. When the silence continued, he hung his head and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he moved away from the door and made his way back downstairs. He wouldn’t let this defeat him. She needed time and space and he would honor that.

  Leaving his number with Margaret to give to Rin, Mike made his way back to the car that was still parked in front of the diner. She would call, or she’d come by the garage to use the gym. Now to head home and sit by the phone like the pathetic love-sick fool he was. He would see her again. No need to feel like this was the end. It was just the beginning.

  Mike had barely gotten into his apartment above the garage when he scented, Tim, the town’s fire chief, paramedic, and Mike’s lifelong best friend, who currently had his head stuck in Mike’s refrigerator.

  “You know you have nothing to eat in this place, right?”

  Mike flopped down on the couch and leaned his head back against the cushions with a drawn out sigh. “I have beer.”

  Tim closed the refrigerator door and shot Mike a look of disgust. “Beer is not food.”

  “If you want food, go to the diner.” Mike shrugged. “Here you take your chances.”

  Tim stared at him for a moment, hands on hips, before letting out a grunt. “What’s got your panties in a bunch, Runt?”

  Ah, yes… Runt. Not only did he have to deal with comparisons to movie characters because of his name, but his lack of size had earned him the ignominious nickname of Runt early on, that had, unfortunately, stuck.

  Mike let out a pitiful sigh. “Have you met Rin?”

  “The little fox shifter that came home with Connie?” Tim flopped down on the couch beside Mike, picked up the TV remote and started surfing through channels. “What about her?”

  “I think I’m in love.”

  Chapter Nine

  It had taken hours for Rin to feel like herself again. She hadn’t even been aware of the time passing, locked up tight in her panic attack. She remembered Mike coming by to check on her, then both Margaret and David had knocked on her door, but they had all gone away when she had asked for solitude.

  Her legs had felt stiff and uncooperative once she had stood from her
spot on the floor in front of the door; her backside aching, her mouth dry, and her stomach queasy. The only indicator of the hours that had passed – aside from the aches in her body – were the bedside clock and the darkness outside of her window. Moving slowly to her bed, she had collapsed down on the cheery, bright comforter, reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a small cream colored business card. She had stared at the black lettering with a grimace. She’d been doing so well, she hadn’t bothered to keep up with the visits to the therapist that had been recommended. It seemed like such a waste of time and money. Now she couldn’t help but wonder, would she have had such an extreme reaction if she had been going to the appointments?

  Tomorrow, she had thought to herself as she tossed the card back on the nightstand. She’d wait and see how she felt after a good night’s sleep. If she was still feeling agitated, she’d call. But the next morning, it was like the incident never happened and any thought of therapy was forgotten. She felt good; ready to take on the world. It was her first day at her new job and she was excited.

  The small accounting firm adjacent to the law offices in town was a short walk from the bed and breakfast. Rin's space was small, but clean, set up with everything she would need to start working immediately, and Ginny Weller was a joy to work with – happy, accommodating, and grateful for Rin’s presence. It may only be her first day, but so far, this was Rin’s idea of a dream job.

  “Have I told you how happy I am you’re here?” Ginny said with a grin as she came into Rin’s office with a stack of files in hand.

  Rin returned the grin, then eyed the files expecting Ginny to drop them on Rin’s desk but the older female just hugged them to her chest and sat in the chair across from Rin, an excited gleam in her eyes. “With you here, once tax season is over, I can take a vacation. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve taken an honest to God vacation?”