Mary and the Bear

Chapter Three

The week flew by pretty fast. She saw little of her landlord or anyone else as she spent her days unpacking and decorating, turning her apartment into a comfortable home. When she wasn't painting or shopping, she was sleeping. She got plenty of rest and felt much better.

On her second day in Refuge, she reluctantly called home to let her parents know she arrived safely. Her reward for being considerate was another thirty-minute lecture from her mother on what a big disappointment she was as a daughter and how Babs would have never gone off and left right when she was needed most. Her dad earned her undying gratitude when he got her mother off of the phone.

A couple of days later, Charles called. Mary Elizabeth was covered in paint at the time. “Hello?"

"How's the new job?"

She sat down on the floor. “I haven't started yet. Kiesha is giving me time to settle first."

"You know, I never realized how big a part of my life you were until you left. I miss you. I wish you'd come home."

"Charles, I just arrived. It's only been a few days since I left. Besides, it's not like we spent a lot of time together before Babs died.” After her death, Charles was constantly at her apartment. Mary Elizabeth understood how difficult things were for him and hadn't complained. He was a welcome addition when he chipped in and helped her prepare to move.

"But I knew you were there, and now you're not. Why didn't you call and tell me you were okay?” He sounded hurt.

"I honestly didn't think of it. I called and spoke with mother. Didn't she tell you?"

"Yes, that's how I got this number. But it should have come from you. Don't I mean anything to you?"

"Ummm..."

"I'm still family, aren't I? Even more than that, I thought we were friends."

Damn, now she felt guilty. “You're right. I should have called. It didn't cross my mind that you would worry. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you. Have you given any more thought to what I said?"

"About...?"

"About us. I told you, that wasn't the alcohol speaking. Lately, I've been giving it a lot of thought."

"Charles, we can't recreate the past. You're my brother-in-law and my friend. Let's leave it at that."

"You give it some thought. I know you're busy, so I'll go and let you get back to what you were doing."

"Charles ... Charles!” He hung up. She didn't understand this need of his to revisit the past. When the split first happened, she was so hurt, she would have been happy to hear that he'd made a mistake, but that was almost eight years ago. It was too late to change things now.

She hadn't told her mother about the incident with Charles. She would just accuse Mary Elizabeth of being jealous, a scheming seductress out to steal Babs’ life now that she was gone. She hoped Charles didn't go to her mother with this nonsense.

It was funny really. While she'd never been jealous of Babs a day in her life, at times she'd wondered if her twin could say the same. Babs had convinced people that Mary Elizabeth couldn't bear to be separated from her. In truth, it had been just the opposite. Babs needed Mary Elizabeth because she made Babs shine. She'd refused to enhance her own natural beauty because it intimidated Babs and left her feeling insecure. Babs needed to be the focus of attention and, with the exception of their mother, Mary Elizabeth could have cared less who noticed her.

Growing up, their mother focused so much attention on Babs’ looks that her life had revolved around her image. Babs needed to believe in her beauty because she was convinced it was all she had. Her mother had taught Babs to use her beauty to get what she wanted in life, and Babs had learned her lessons well. That's how she nabbed Charles.

After the fiasco with Charles, Mary Elizabeth turned her attention to earning her degree and becoming financially stable. She was saving money to purchase her own home. She'd been saving for her dream house since high school. One day, she would have it. It would be hers, on her land, built to her specifications. She had enough money now to purchase the land and put a good down payment on the house. She was looking for property when the call came about Babs.

Now that she was in Refuge? Well, time would tell. Life was short and she wasn't getting any younger. One day, she'd have children and give them all the attention, love and acceptance she never received as a child, with or without a husband. There were a lot of children in this world that needed a loving home. She was more than willing to adopt and remove some poor child from the system.

Enough introspecting. She'd been cooped up in this apartment long enough. It was time to get out and meet some of the locals. She'd start by eating dinner at the diner. From there, she'd find out what Refuge had to offer in the way of entertainment. If nothing else, there had to be a local watering hole. She didn't drink, but even the bar scene would be better than spending another night at home.

It was about five when Mary Elizabeth entered the diner. To her surprise, Anne was still working.

Anne called out to her as she rushed by with a platter full of food. “Grab a seat, Hon. Be right with you."

"What are you still doing here? I thought you got off at three?” She grabbed her usual seat at the counter. She and Anne had become friends over the last week. Mary Elizabeth came down for breakfast every morning, more for the company than for any other reason. She usually stayed for an hour before going back to the apartment to finish whatever project was slated for that day.

"Cyndi called in—again. Hugh didn't have anyone else so I'm working a double.” She distributed the food and rushed back to the window to pick up an order that was ready.

Ouch, that had to be rough. Business was picking up as the dinner crowd streamed in. Coming to a sudden decision, Mary Elizabeth grabbed Anne on one of her passes by. “Point me to an apron and an order pad and I'll help."

"Oh, that's sweet honey but you don't have to. I can handle it. This is not the first time this has happened."

"Let me help. I don't mind. I was tired of being upstairs. This will give me something to do and let me meet some of the locals. Besides, I know what I'm doing. This is how I supported myself in college."

"Okay, Hon. If you're sure you want to help, the aprons are over there and the pads are under the counter. You handle the counter and I'll handle the tables. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure. Whatever you say."

Finding the items right where Anne said, she donned the apron right as the first dinner rush began. Behind the counter she took orders, greeted customers and basically handled herself like a pro. She could see Anne watching her closely, but once she saw that Mary Elizabeth knew what she was doing, she stopped and concentrated on her own customers.

The next few hours went by quickly. Many of the male customers chose to sit at the counter where the pretty new waitress was serving. It had been a long time since men flirted with her. She actually found herself enjoying it, not taking any of the things they said seriously. She was a lot more mature and self-confident then she'd been in college when she'd last done this.

Finally business slowed down and even the men lingering at the counter ran out of excuses and were forced to leave or appear foolish. When business trickled down to just a few customers, she made Anne sit down and take a breather while she took their orders. She knew Anne had to be tired. She was slightly tired herself and she hadn't been on her feet for twelve hours. She placed a ticket in the window and then sat at the counter beside Anne while she waited for the order to come up.

"Thanks, Hon. You're a life saver."

"Is it like this every night?"

"Most nights, yes. I think we had a few more tonight than usual. There were folks coming in to check you out, but for the most part, this was normal."

"And there's only the two of you? I mean, doesn't Hugh have more waitresses?"

"Actually there are five of us, two for each shift and one relief. Candy is out on maternity leave and won't be back for another two weeks. Misty had to go out of town unexpectedly to see about a sick relative and we aren't sure when she'll be back. The other girl quit. Hugh is going to have to hire some more help. I can't keep doing this and that Cyndi's getting more and more unreliable."

When the bell rang, Mary Elizabeth got up and took the food to her waiting customers, checking to see if they needed anything else before coming to sit back down. “Will he have any problems finding help?"

"Lord, no. Jobs in Refuge are hard to come by and Hugh pays good. The tips are decent, too."

"Speaking of tips, where do you want me to put yours?"

Anne looked at her in astonishment and then shook her head. “Hon, you keep the tips. They're yours. I appreciate the thought but you've more than earned them."

Prepared to argue, Mary Elizabeth let it go when she saw how adamant Anne was. The longer she sat, the more she realized how hungry she was. It was close to nine. It was a little later than she liked to eat, but she was hungry. She wrote out an order for a burger without the fries and stuck it in the window. Anne took advantage of the quiet spell to eat as well.

Instead of placing the food in the window, Hugh brought it out of the kitchen and sat it on the counter. He usually came in to help with the lunch and dinner crowds before disappearing into his office to handle the paperwork. He was surprised to see his new tenant helping out in the diner, and doing such a capable job of it, too. He hadn't seen her since the night she arrived. Hugh set the plate down in front of her, grabbed a cup of coffee for himself, and then sat on a stool next to them.

"Dinner's on the house. It's the least I can do for all your help. You handled yourself well. Where'd you learn to waitress like that?"

Anne spoke up, beaming like a proud parent. “She used to waitress in college and I was glad for the help. Hugh, you have to do something. I'm too old to keep working these kind of hours."

He smiled at the idea of Anne being old before responding. “You're not old and I'm working on the problem. When I get into the office, I'll pull some applications and see if any of the applicants are still interested. Thanks again for staying over. I know it's not easy."

He finished his coffee and moved to get up. He still had paperwork to do in the office. Before he could rise, Mary Elizabeth placed her hand on his arm. Her action caused him to stop and stare at her hand, which she snatched back. “I need to give you my rent and deposit, but I left it upstairs. When do you want it?"

"If you have it ready and you're done eating, I'll come up and get it now."

"Now is fine.” She finished her drink and said goodbye to Anne before leaving. He was right behind her. He waited while she stopped to take a deep breath of fresh air before continuing up the stairs to her apartment.

Mary Elizabeth opened the door and stood aside to allow him to enter before crossing over to the table where she'd left the check. He stopped right in the doorway. The difference in the place was amazing.

"You said I could fix it up. I took you at your word. I hope you don't mind?"

Her words snapped him out of the daze he was in and he looked around. He closed his eyes, and then looked again. The change was incredible. “This is what you've been doing up here all week?"

"Yes, I only have two weeks to get settled in before I report to work. I wanted to get everything situated."

"You mind if I look around?"

"No, help yourself. It's your place after all."

He walked into the kitchen and took in all the changes. He liked what she'd done with the hooks, displaying the pots while at the same time placing them within easy reach. On the counter was a mouth-watering, chocolate cake, a favorite of his.

"You made this?"

"Yes. Would you like a piece? I like baking but haven't learned the art of making smaller portions yet."

Rubbing his hands in anticipation, he sat at the kitchen table while she served him a slice. He moaned in pleasure as the rich chocolate flavor exploded in his mouth. Man, this was good. It was so moist that it was melting in his mouth. All he needed was a glass of milk and he'd be set. He wondered how he could get more without appearing greedy. “This is really good. My customers would love this."

"You want to take it down to the diner? If it sits here I'm just going to eat it and I certainly don't need the extra calories."

Her comment drew his attention to her body. He gave it a slow once over from head-to-toe, smiling when she blushed and started fidgeting. “If you're sure you don't want it, I'll be happy to take it with me."

He rose and placed his dirty dishes in the sink. Then he turned and looked the place over again. “Did you do anything to the bedrooms?"

"Just mine. I haven't decided what to do with the other one, yet. I'm thing about making it into an office, but I really don't work much from home. Of course, that may change with this new position. I'll just have to wait and see. You can see it if you'd like."

He headed for the bedroom, curious to see what it looked like now. The rest of the place looked great. The blue/green color scheme she'd chosen was very relaxing, creating a homey feel to the place that wasn't frilly. It was a place a man could kick back and relax in. He could easily picture himself spending time here.

When he stepped through the doorway of the bedroom, her scent permeated the room, almost driving him to his knees as his beast stirred, it's interest roused. His cock hardened and lengthened, and like a homing beacon, sought the source of that amazing smell. Lust hit him hard, and his eyes began to shift as his beast rose to the surface, demanding he take action. He backed out of her room quickly, holding his breath until he was back in the living room where the strong scent of paint, chocolate, and the perfume she wore lingered, covering her natural fragrance.

She stared at him like she was questioning his sanity, but he couldn't be concerned with her impression of him. Let her think he was a lunatic. He had to get out of here before he threw her down on the floor and fucked her.

From his beast's reaction, one would think she was his mate, but that just wasn't possible. There was no way that she could be his One. He didn't know what to make of it. He'd never had that strong of a reaction to a woman's scent before. All he knew was that he had to get out of here and do it now before he did something criminally stupid.

He snatched the cake off the counter. “The place looks great. Thanks for the cake. Gotta get back to work.” With those words, he rushed out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

He hurried down the stairs and into the diner, not stopping until he was closed in his office. His breathing was labored and his hands shook. He'd fought for every step he'd taken away from her, his beast fighting against him to remain and take what it wanted. He leaned against his office door and stared at the cake in his hands, sweat pouring down his face. He didn't know what it was about her that triggered this reaction, but it couldn't be allowed to happen again.

Brrringg! Brrringg! Brrringg!

What the hell was that sound? She shoved the pillow over her head to drown it out.

Brrinngg! Brrinngg! Brrinngg!

The phone! She flipped over and jumped out of bed. Her feet got tangled in the covers and she fell to one knee. Pushing up off the floor, she raced into the living room to catch it before whoever it was hung up.

"Hello?” She panted, out of breath and slightly lightheaded from the adrenaline rush.

"Mary Elizabeth, it's Kiesha. I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Yes, but it's alright. What's up?"

"We haven't spent any time together since you've been here. I've been busy with finalizing the purchase of the building and getting permits, but today is for you. I thought we could get together and catch up. What do you think?"

Mary Elizabeth sat on the arm of the couch. “I think it's a great idea. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, since you can cook and I can't, how about I come over to your place for lunch? Your food's better than anything around here."

She laughed in delight. “Come on over. You can see what I did with the place. I'm sure I can whip up something for us. What time?"

"I have a meeting with a contractor at ten. What about noon? I should be finished by then."

"Works for me. See you then."

Hours later, Kiesha arrived just as she was taking the last item out of the oven. “Come in. Door's open."

"Wow, it smells great in here. What are you cooking?” Kiesha placed her things on the couch and came into the kitchen. “This is really nice. When Alex first told me about this place, I wasn't too sure. But this is great."

"Thanks. It looks a lot better now than when I first arrived. I've been working on it for the last week. I hope you're hungry. I made lasagna, heavy on meat and cheese—the way you like it—and homemade garlic bread. Food's on the table. Help yourself."

Mary Elizabeth knew the moment Kiesha spotted the brownies because she squealed. “Oh, you doll. You made brownies. I love brownies, especially now. I can't get enough chocolate."

"I know, you dope. Why do you think I made them?” Plates, forks, serving utensils, glasses and napkins. What was missing? The tea! She got the pitcher out the refrigerator and placed it on the table. Now they could eat.

Mary Elizabeth took a seat at the table facing Kiesha. “So, tell me what's going on? The last time we talked, you weren't seeing anyone and then bamm! A new man and a baby on the way. Talk about moving fast. What happened?"

Kiesha got this look on her face that Mary Elizabeth couldn't decipher. “You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Yes, it's all happening really fast but you know? I'm happier than I've ever been. He really completes me."

She paused with her fork in the air. “I'm happy to hear that. Really, I am. Just be careful, okay. Know what you're doing. You're making a lot of changes for this man. I hope it works out for you."

"It will. There are things going on of which you're unaware. Things we need to discuss, but let's eat first and then we'll talk. It's kind of complicated. In the meantime, tell me what's been going on with you. How you holdin’ up since Babs’ death? And what made you decide to come? Don't get me wrong. I'm totally glad you did. I just wasn't sure you would."

Mary Elizabeth brought her up to speed on all that happened while she was gone. She told her about Babs’ affair, the visit from Charles and the phone call from her mother. “You know how Mother is. She pulled out all the stops this time, and got everyone in town involved. If it wasn't for dad, I'm sure I would have caved.” Then she told Kiesha what her father said.

"Wow! Your dad stuck up for you? You must have been floored. And that Charles! Is he crazy? After seven years, he thought he could just show up and say he made a mistake and you were supposed to just fall into his arms?"

"No, just a little lost. I think he's taking Babs death worse than he's letting on and he's using me as a crutch. I just hope he doesn't go to my mother with this foolishness."

Kiesha's hand hovered over the bread as her mouth dropped open. “You think he would do that? Your mother would go ballistic."

"Don't I know it. Yet another reason that it was time for me to leave. I don't need the drama that he would bring into my life. I've finally got a chance to be free of my family. Don't get me wrong. I'm not happy Babs died. She was a big part of my life. That was the problem. She and mother took up so much of my time and energy that there was barely any left for my own life. I never realized it until dad and I had that heart-to-heart talk. Now I have a chance to do what I want, when I want and how I want without worrying about what mother will think or how it will affect the family. I intend to enjoy every moment of it."

Kiesha gave her a huge grin. “Good for you. You know I told you a long time ago that you needed to cut them loose, especially Babs. She was entirely too dependent upon you."

Mary Elizabeth shrugged. “I know you did and I agreed totally, but it was something that was easier said than done. It's hard to turn loose of someone that doesn't want to let go. As much as I resented her at times, I understood her too well. She was my sister, my twin. That's a bond that's not easily broken."

"Not having a twin of my own, I'll have to take your word for it. Well, this is your opportunity. Have you thought about what you're going to do?"

"Not really. I'll let things settle for a while. Give myself time to adjust to these changes before deciding where I want to go from here. After all, I just had two major life changes—a new home and a new job. Let's save something for next month, okay?"

Laughing, Kiesha agreed with her. They spoke of more mundane topics until they finished eating, then they carried the brownies into the living room with them. Once they were seated comfortably, Kiesha turned to Mary Elizabeth and began.

"I'm going to tell you some things that will be hard for you to believe, but I want you to know that it's the absolute truth."

After that introduction, she began telling Mary Elizabeth all that happened to her, beginning with Alex finding her hanging bound in the woods, right up through the funeral three week ago. She explained about true mates and the effects of the bonding process. Mary Elizabeth sat there listening quietly as she spoke, saying not a word until Kiesha was finished.

"So you're telling me that Alex is a werewolf, and you're slowly changing into one as well?” Mary Elizabeth found it difficult to believe what she was hearing.

"Don't let Alex hear you say werewolf. They prefer the term shape-shifter, but yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Do you believe me?"

"It's a lot to take in. It's evident that you believe what you're telling me. I'll need some time to think about it. What made you decide to share? Why not keep it to yourself?” If it was me it happened to, I wouldn't have told a soul, she thought.

Kiesha shrugged, then grinned. “Because you're my best friend and I desperately need someone like me I can talk with about this. It's all new to me, too. But more importantly, because this affects you as well."

"In what way?” Try as she might, Mary Elizabeth couldn't see what Alex being a werewolf had to do with her.

"Well, Alex is the Raven pack's alpha. That means he's their leader. When I became his mate, that made me alpha as well."

"That's very generous and forward thinking of them, but I'm still not getting the connection. How does this affect me?"

"Because you are my friend, Alex extended the pack's protection to you, making you an honorary pack member. Remember what I said about true mates and the logic behind them?"

"Yes. True mates are the one person that can speak to both the nature of the human and beast. They are recognizable by scent and taste. In human mates, the human has a gene or something in their DNA that makes them compatible and allows them to mate and have offspring together.” Mary Elizabeth spoke by rote.

She'd listened to every word Kiesha said. The jury was still out on whether she believed any of it. But for right now, she was willing to give her friend the benefit of the doubt.

"Good, you were listening. What I didn't tell you is that most of the males in the Raven pack are looking for mates. All of them are anxious to meet you to see if you could be their One. That's why Alex put you under the protection of the pack. This way he'll have control and you won't have all of the unmated shifter males bombarding you at the same time."

Mary Elizabeth drew back in surprise. “Wait a minute. There are more men like Alex around here? And they all want to meet me? Just how many men are we talking about here?” Maybe she hadn't been listening as well as she thought.

"Well, Alex said there were about seventy men in his pack. Of that seventy, about half are unmated."

Quickly doing the math in her head, she looked at Kiesha in shock. “Thirty-five! We're talking about thirty-five men sniffing me to see if I could be the future mother of their children?” Even if she didn't believe this shifter nonsense, that was still a lot of men. Maybe coming here hadn't been such a good idea after all.

Kiesha waved away her concern. “Don't worry. Alex is taking care of it. That number may be slightly exaggerated. I don't know how many are too young or too old for a mate, and some of them who are of age may not even want a mate. Alex is having a party to introduce me to them. All of the members are required to be there. He wants you to come as well so that you can be introduced. I think it's a good idea. The men can get a sniff of you without being obvious about it and you can meet some of the locals."

"What if one of them decides I'm his mate? What happens then? I have enough going on in my life right now without a man trying to complicate things.” She shook her head forcefully. Not going to happen. Not if she could help it.

Kiesha smiled at her in sympathetic understanding. “No one will force you to do anything. But if it's anything like what happened to me, no one will have to. The attraction will be mutually overwhelming. Alex and I could barely keep our hands off of each other."

She must have saw that Mary Elizabeth needed further convincing. Kiesha laid her hand on her arm. “Look, you won't be the only single female there. We just had a new young female join our pack. She'll be introduced at the party as well. Her name is Shannon McFelan. She's the CPA I hired to handle all of the store accounts. You two will be seeing a lot of each other at the store, so it'll be a good time for you to meet."

"When's the party?"

"Friday night at our place. I'll give you directions to the house. Go out and get yourself something stunning for the party. Consider it your ‘coming out.’ Just think, these people don't know Babs. You can be you without anyone making comparisons."

Mary Elizabeth liked the sound of that. A ‘coming out party’ to introduce the new her, only no one there would know it was a new and improved version of herself. She'd have to think about the other part—the part about the men. She didn't have a lot of experience and she wasn't sure she was ready to be the object of so much attention.

Kiesha rose to leave, but not before making one final remark. “See you Friday. Wear something sexy and let them see how attractive you really are. Stop hiding. Be the attractive woman God created you to be."

"I'll think about it.” She gave Kiesha a hug and closed the door behind her. As she cleaned the kitchen, she thought about Kiesha's tale. It was hard to believe, but what did she know. There were a lot of things in this world that couldn't be explained. Believing that humans were the only intelligent species on earth was as arrogant as believing that humans were the only intelligent beings in the universe. Humans came in all sizes, shapes, and colors. She shouldn't be so surprised that there were other species, as well.

She thought again about the attraction Kiesha spoke of between mates. For some reason, Hugh came to mind. It was a foolish thought. He was as human as she, and as far as she knew, wasn't even attracted to her. As for her, well, she liked his size and how small and feminine it made her feel, but that was as far as it went. Like she'd said to Kiesha, she didn't want a man in her life right now. Maybe later, when things settled down somewhat and she'd adjusted to all the changes in her life. Even if she were interested, her taciturn landlord would not be a consideration.