he was here right now instead of me, if he was, he’d be doing the same impression of a statue he was doing when we carried him out of here earlier.”
“I was the reason he did that?” Kee knew his eyes were almost falling out of his head. “Is that because… you know…” he didn’t want to say the words in case he was wrong. “How? He didn’t even scent me. Dave said he was down the hall when it happened, and there’s no way he could’ve scented me from there. I… I might have caught his scent after you guys left…”
“He heard you.” Eagle seemed keen to explain which was good because Kee didn’t want to make a fool of himself. “He heard you and he wanted to shift, and that wouldn’t be a good idea in here, so he froze up and now he’s lurking in the alley just outside in the hopes I can get your phone number.”
“I don’t have a phone.” Well, shit. I’ve got a shy one. Not what I expected from someone built like a mountain. “I’ve only been here a few months. I was completely flat broke when I got here and the last phone I had…” The least said about that the better. “I might be able to get one this Friday when I get paid.” Although, given it was only Tuesday, that seemed a lifetime away and while Kee could get something cheap, he’d have to cut down his trips to the bakery.
“Perfect.” Eagle tapped the counter and took a larger swig of his beer.
“How can that be perfect?” Kee was getting a bit peeved at the friendly Eagle with his perpetual smile, especially knowing his mate was lurking outside. “That’s four days away.”
“You misunderstand me, my cute little hybrid fox. It’s perfect, because Dian wants to woo you. It’s what his kind does. How long before your shift ends?”
“Er…” Kee hadn’t even been thinking about the length of his shifts. He had questions like how did the eagle know what he was, and what on earth did he mean by ‘woo’? “Sue will be in here shortly to help with the dinner rush, and then I’ll head home when Cam comes back in because Nick opened up this morning. So, probably around eight o’clock.”
“Do you walk home, or do you have a car?”
“I walk. I have a small apartment on the other side of the library, and it’s quite safe here.”
“Yes, I know, it’s a very safe little town. We’ve already met the men from your Sheriff’s department.” Eagle winked. “Had to let them know we were holidaying, not here on a job.”
Kee wasn’t sure whether to be worried or relieved. But Eagle hadn’t finished. “I’ll be back before your shift ends, with a phone and a number you can call if you want to, and don’t be surprised if you have hidden company on your walk home. He might lurk in the shadows, but Dian would never hurt you, regardless of what form he’s in.”
It would help if I knew what this mysterious Dian was, but Kee didn’t have a chance to ask because Eagle skulled down the rest of his beer, threw a ten dollar note on the bar, and sauntered out with a wink and a wave. Kee stood on tip toes, trying to see out the small window that was set in the door, but he couldn’t see anything.
“Your friend was all kinds of sexy.” One of Pierce’s friends, another wolf leaned on the bar, holding out his empty glass. “Is he local?”
“I only met him today.” Kee went through the motions of pouring another drink automatically. “I think he’s just passing through.”
“Hmm. Maybe I can get him to pass through my way before he heads out of town.” The wolf winked and picked up his glass.
Is there dust in here? Everyone seemed to want to wink at him, and Kee worried he was missing the punchline of a damn good joke.
/~/~/~/~/
Eagle came in and dropped off a brand-new phone, all set up with his and one other number on it under the heading ‘Dian’, just before six. Kee stashed it in his locker. Most of the local business owners, construction workers and the like called in for a friendly drink before heading home and he was rushed off his feet. By the time Cam came in at eight to relieve him, Kee’s feet were throbbing in his worn sneakers, but his tip jar was full.