Fae-ted to the Bear - Harmony Raines Page 0,12

your time and his.”

“Oh, Elise can cook,” Karros said with the enthusiasm of a loving brother. “She just needs to refine her talent and learn to explore new dishes.”

“She also needs somewhere to sleep tonight.” Elise blushed at her brother’s compliments. He’d always been supportive but maybe he was blinded by love.

She mentally berated herself for not believing in herself. She’d had plenty of jobs in restaurants, working hard to get better until she’d hit a roadblock in her career. No one would take a chance on her running her own kitchen even though she knew she could do it. If she was ever going to realize her dream, she needed to have faith in her talents.

“We visited the two realtors in town.” Karros pulled a small selection of brochures out of his jacket. While they were waiting for Caleb to arrive, they’d sat on the beach, reading through the brochures and deciding if any of the apartments were worth viewing.

They had a shortlist of two.

“Great. I also have a couple of places we can look at.” He handed Elise the piece of paper Jeremy had printed. “This is a brand-new development.”

“Oh, this looks wonderful.” She glanced sideways at Karros. “It’s more than we budgeted.”

“We could go see it. I will need to get a job in town if we’re staying here long-term.”

Caleb jerked his head up at the word if. “Aren’t your plans long-term?”

“That depends,” Elise said. “But let’s not focus on what will happen if things go wrong. Instead, let’s try to make sure things go right.”

“Okay. Well, I also have a house for you to look at. I worked on it a few months ago. I spoke to the owner and he’s happy for you to go check it out. However, the front and back yards still need landscaping and there might be a few small jobs that need doing inside.”

Karros tucked the brochures from the real estate agents into his jacket. “Why don’t we see your properties? Hopefully one of them will be suitable. If not, we’ll arrange to view these apartments.”

Caleb looked at his watch. “We don’t have time to view the house before our appointment at the apartments. Shall we drive to the apartments now? We can check out the area before we go in.”

“Sure.” Elise glanced at her brother who seemed okay with the situation. Maybe things would work out. If they could find a great place to live and she could show Ivan she was a good chef who could become a great chef, then they could settle here and be happy.

Then she could take her time and get to know Caleb, who seemed like a real sweetheart. Although he might just be trying to win them over, so she’d accept being his mate.

“Shall we leave your car here and go in my truck?” Caleb asked.

“There seems little point taking two vehicles and since you know the way to both properties...” Karros raised a questioning eyebrow at his sister. “Unless you’d rather go separately?”

“No, I think it’s a good idea.” She’s expected to be the one convincing Karros it was a good idea. Her brother truly was trying to start over with Caleb.

“Okay.” Caleb turned around and headed for a blue truck, twirling his keys in his hand as he walked.

Elise took one last look at the ocean before she followed. “Is it true the town is called Wishing Moon Bay because wishes come true if you throw a stone into the ocean?”

“Sort of. I’ll help you find a wishing stone to throw in.” He put his hand on the tailgate of his truck and turned to face her. “As long as you promise not to wish me out of your life.”

“Why would I do that?” She tilted her head to one side. “I’m willing to give us a chance.”

Caleb’s warm smile spread across his face. “I’m happy to hear it. This is a shock for me, too. We can just take things slow.”

“I like slow.” Color covered her cheeks, and she ducked her head and went around to the passenger side of the truck.

Caleb opened the driver’s door and climbed in. Elise took one last look at the ocean, inhaling the tangy air before she clambered onto the front passenger seat. Karros slid in next to her and closed the door, before casting a cursory glance around the truck.

“I use it for work.” Caleb glanced down at the collection of invoices stuffed into a folder on the dashboard and the empty