Page 4 of A Bunny for the Bear
I’d heard Sheriff Nolan, whom my aunt adored like he was her own, and his partner had already had their first child and wereexpecting their second. I knew it wouldn’t be long for them to wind up pregnant again. The pair were clearly fertile and eager to grow their mini pack.
Aunt Souli likely saw his happiness and wanted to thrust the same feelings onto me. She’d stepped in whenever my mother passed away nearly two decades ago. Most days. I appreciated having someone who cared for me, considering my father never called. He was too busy with his new mate and children. It was as if I never existed.
I pushed away the dark thoughts as I dialed the travel agent I used on the rare occasion I took a trip for work. She’d get me sorted in time for the visit to Collier Cover.
“Whit’s Wonderful Weekends, how may I help you?”
“Hey, Whitney. It’s me,” I replied.
She snorted. “You know, if it weren’t for the fact that I can see who’s calling, I’d be concerned you expect me to know your voice. We talk maybe once a year, Hutton.”
“Yeah, well, it still worked. You knew it was me.”
Whitney sighed, much like she always did when we spoke. I knew I was a handful for her to deal with. My need for tedious outlined itineraries and only the best places to stay would often have her working longer for a trip that should take a third of that time.
“Let’s not get into an argument about this, Hutton. What type of trip is it? How long? And how tedious is this going to be?”
“It’s a personal trip. It'll be the duration of my annual break, so two months. Tedious is not the word I’d use.”
“What word would you use?”
“Challenging. Have you ever heard of Collier Cover?”
“The shifter-only town?” she asked, her voice hesitant. “I’ve heard of it.”
I wanted to ask why she didn’t seem as eager as most shifters did about the place. Most who knew about its existence wanted to visit.
Could it be that she’d already been? Or maybe she knew something about the town that I didn’t?
It was a mystery I’d have to solve later. My current goal was to get everything squared away so I could leave next week.
Of course my aunt would push this change down to the wire. At least I hadn’t already stocked up on food. That would have been a waste.
It also would have been a good reason for me tonotgo.
Damn. I’d have to think ahead next time. Maybe put a reminder on my calendar ahead of hers. I had no doubt the woman would remain true to her word about trying again if this time didn’t work.
“As much as I’m sure my family wants me to stay with them, I need you to find me a separate place. I don’t care if it’s a house or hotel. Anything will do,” I told her.
“I’ll get started right away. We should be able to find something. I’m not going to let you break my successful booking streak. Not after all this time.”
Yet another reason I consistently used Whitney’s services was her high standards for herself. I appreciated the dedication she gave every client.
“Call me when it’s done. Use the last card you have on file. Add a good commission for yourself too.”
“Thanks, Mr. Moneybags. I was going to do that anyway.”
She hung up to the sound of my laughter.Damn, it felt good.Here’s to hoping my trip would be filled with more funny moments than awkward matchmaking from my aunt.
Chapter Three
Ross
I thinkthe carrots Arisha gave me were laced with some magic. Ever since I took them and started chomping on those beauties, life felt like a dream. It’s almost as if I was drifting through this perfect place where nothing bad ever happened.
Reality doesn’t ever go that way for me.
I’d started my new part-time job in the pharmacy at the convenience store shortly before that day in the market. The pharmacy area was a new addition to town since there was a need for when the occasional human made their way through.
