“What do you think?” Brendan asks, looking over at me. He loaned me a pair of sweats, which are far too big for me, but I’m thankful all the same. It’s nice to have something like this to wear today. It’s definitely better than wandering out naked and having to admit to the town that I was out in my shifter form last night. Not that I’d ever walk around naked. It just wouldn’t surprise or shock people. Shifters are a strange bunch.
“I love it,” I tell him honestly.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “I like that you did this. It’s good that you followed your dream.” I look over at him carefully. “I’m proud of you, Brendan. Not everyone has the guts to go after what they want.”
My words kind of hang between us for a minute. Neither one of us has talked about the future yet. I don’t know if this “thing” that’s blossoming between us is supposed to continue forever. I don’t know if he wants to take a chance on “us” again. I broke his heart. I know that. I don’t know if it’s something that either one of us is ever really going to heal from.
I’ll do my best, though. There’s a part of me that really loves getting to see the person he’s changed into. The Brendan I knew was drive, but the Brendan now…he’s something else entirely. I can
’t believe that he built his own business from the ground up and now he’s one of the most well-respected bakers in the area. It’s incredible, really.
“Thanks,” he says. “I’ve worked hard.”
That just makes me respect him even more. He doesn’t brush off his accomplishments and act like they’re no big deal. They are a big deal. He doesn’t brag about it, but he also doesn’t act like he got to where he is by pure luck. Brendan moves and pushes open the door. He holds it for me and I walk in, and he follows behind me.
Henry is behind the counter, but he looks up at us when we walk into the store.
Correction: he looks up at me and he glares at me like I’m the worst person in the world. Suddenly, I have the distinct impression this guy views me as a sort of villain, and I kind of hate that.
Why do I have to be the bad guy?
Yeah, I get that Henry’s loyalty is to Brendan, but our breakup, despite being forever ago, hurt me, too. We were both injured in that situation. Neither one of us walked away unscathed. Then again, I understand now that I should have fought harder. I should have told Jeanette to suck it and to leave us alone. I’m guessing, judging by the way Henry is staring at me, that he feels the same way.
“Hey,” Brendan says, striding toward the front counter. He doesn’t bat an eye, nor does he take the time to look around the little shop. It’s empty, save for the three of us, but I know it won’t be empty for very long. This place is bustling all day, every day. Everyone in town likes to stop in and get treats. Even the people who like to go to Beans for a cup of coffee will come here and get a couple of baked items to have with their morning drinks.
“You’re late,” Henry looks down at something he’s working with. He ignores me entirely for a second, and I bristle at the rudeness. Okay, he could at least say hello or something. I’m obviously not invisible, and if Brendan is bringing me in here, it means that something important has happened.
“Sorry about that,” Brendan tells him. “I should have called to let you know I’d be late. Something came up.”
“I can see that.” Henry looks me up and down, and then he scents the air. He raises an eyebrow, but he’s discreet enough not to say anything. Shit. I’m sure he can tell that we had sex this morning. That’s one of the problems with being a shifter: there really isn’t any privacy. Not when it comes to stuff like this. I wonder if I’m blushing because right now, I kind of feel like I’m blushing, and I can imagine how it looks: Brendan’s ex-girlfriend from years gone comes in, sleeps with him, and makes him late for work. Is it any wonder that Henry isn’t my biggest fan right now?
Brendan either doesn’t notice the smelling his friend is doing, or he ignores it entirely. I’m not sure which one would be better, but apparently, I’m going to have to take winning Henry onto my side into my own hands. Whether or not Brendan and I end up being together after this entire situation is over, I’m going to have to deal with Henry for awhile. I’d like for him to be on my side during this time. I’d like for him to be rooting for me as he helps us figure out whatever it is that’s going on with my Team Shifter date. That is, if he even decides to help us, and judging by the look on his face, that’s not a guarantee.
“Hey,” I say. “I’m Foxy.”
“I know,” he looks at me sharply. I’m getting a big fuck off sort of vibe from him that makes me instantly uncomfortable. Is he seriously going to give me a hard time today? Shit. Coming here was a bad idea, I realize. This guy might be able to help me. That doesn’t mean he’s going to want to help me.
Brendan clears his throat, and Henry rolls his eyes. Apparently, these two have been working together for so long that they no longer need words to communicate with one another.
“I’m Henry,” he says, pasting a big smile on his face. Okay, so this guy just really doesn’t like me. I get it. Maybe he thinks I’m the big bad whatever from Brendan’s past. Maybe he just doesn’t like the idea that someone would hurt his friend.
Either way, he’s going to have to get used to me, and I’m going to have to grow a spine when it comes to asking people for help and communicating with Brendan’s peers. If Brendan and I actually start to date or anything like that, I’m going to encounter a lot of people who aren’t happy with me.
I’m going to encounter a lot of people who view me as a bad guy.
That’s okay.
I’ve been a teacher long enough to understand that you can’t please everyone. Hell, you can’t even please most people, so most of the time, it doesn’t even matter. Besides, I did hurt Brendan. I hurt him very deeply, and that? That’s not going to change. Us falling in love now or finding each other isn’t going to change the fact that I did something terrible that wounded him. Eventually, I’m going to have to deal with the fact that he’s had a lot of friendships over the years, and many of these friendships involve people who know what happened between us.
“Nice to meet you, Henry,” I tell him.
Another nod.
Brendan just shakes his head.
“Look, you two, I… Henry, Foxy’s in trouble.” He blurts it out and lays it all on the table. Mad respect. I appreciate the fact that Brendan is doing this for me. Let’s be honest: he doesn’t have to. He could just as well tell me to get lost. After all, I really am the one that messed up. I made a lot of mistakes. I did a lot of bad things. I broke his heart deeply. He doesn’t have to help me, but he’s choosing to.