Page 8 of Purrfectly Trapped

She simply didn’t have the extra cash to eat out. Even cheap take out. Not that she had to explain herself to anyone. Gretchen gave up on that a long time ago.

She sighed and stretched some more, allowing the flowery scent of her bath wash and the warm water to relax her. Thank goodness for good water pressure.

Gretchen lathered her hair with shampoo then conditioner, the good stuff so there were few bubbles but extra moisture and damage control she needed since she dyed it so often. She wondered what had possessed her to grow it.

She used to keep it super short because it was so thick, and it grew ridiculously fast. But ever since she’d started toying with the idea of landing a man of her own, she’d decided to grow out her hair.

How many times had she heard plenty a customer remark on how their boyfriends loved their hair long? So, while she did not have a boyfriend yet, she figured she might as well try it.

It was shoulder length now, healthy, and glossy and surprisingly easy to manage. She loved the different braids and twists she could put in it, not to mention the colors.

She might have started out growing it with a man in mind, but the truth was she liked it this length. It was a little bit extra, but Gretchen was a business owner now. Having good hair was kind of her whole shtick.

She dressed for bed, lying on the soft and fluffy duvet that smelled good and clean like her favorite fabric softener. Biting her lip, she felt her anxiety and excitement warring within her. Her new life was about to start, and she could not wait.

Maybe she should check her emails one last time before she went to sleep? Grabbing her cell phone, she opened the app and scrolled, hoping to see a reply to the missive she’d sent out recently.

Sigh.

Still no message from that famous matchmaker Elissa had told her about. Gretchen refused to let that worry her. Tomorrow was her big day. Finally, she was the proud owner of her own business, and her own boss.

If only she had someone to share it with, she thought and rolled onto her side, tucking the blanket under her chin. Uncle Uzzi probably had more important people to match up than a little nobody from Iowa like her.

But still, a girl could hope.

ChapterThree

“Uncle Uzzi! I am so glad you dropped by,” Elissa squeaked as her favorite person in the whole world, aside from her husband came strolling in.

Uncle Uzzi, matchmaker extraordinaire, walked across the threshold and opened his arms out to the pregnant Tiger Shifter. Elissa was so happy she returned the warm embrace as she would her own father’s if he were still alive. Uncle Uzzi was a perfect surrogate.

“Look at you, darling. You are glowing,” he said, and her smile grew even brighter.

There was something so warm and open about the amazing Witch that left the Nari feeling both relaxed and energized the second she was with him. Maybe that was part of his magic, she mused, as he gazed at her with sparkling blue eyes.

“How is that mate of yours? Treating you well, yes?” he asked, with his trademark white hair and beard resting in place as if he’d just trimmed it.

The older man sat down at the table with Elissa right beside him. She noticed him looking around and laughed as she pulled out a dish of fresh-baked cookies, she’d been hiding on the chair next to her. He had a sweet tooth no one could deny.

“Ah! You were tricking an old man, shame on you,” he teased.

“Was not! You’re just in time,” Elissa said, and pointed to a warm pot of herbal tea she’d just steeped. Paired with the cookies, the two of them were in for quite the treat.

“I was just about to have a snack. Won’t you join me?” the Nari asked and giggled a little.

“Of course, and you need it, after all you’re eating for two, or maybe three,” Uncle Uzzi smirked.

“Oh my, I hadn’t considered that,” Elissa replied and swallowed hard.

“Yes, well, it is always a possibility with Shifters my dear,” Uncle Uzzi said. “I was on my way out of town for an important emergency job, but I decided to swing over here to check on some things first.”

“Really? Well, I’m glad you did.”

“Yes. Also, I wanted to tell you in person that I got an email from your old roommate.”

“Oh, you mean Gretchen? Yes, I told her about you, is that okay? I mean I should have probably asked---”

“Nonsense! Of course it is alright. But I wanted to ask you first, does Gretchen know anything about us?”

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