Cici woke the next morning to the smell of coffee and bacon wafting up the stairs and through the open door of Thorian's bedroom. She took a deep breath through her nose as her eyes fluttered opened.

She sat up and stretched, groaning at the delicious scent. The immature growl of her bear had grown stronger overnight, and the beast was hungry. She couldn’t wait to let it out and run naked and free with her mate. Giggling, she slipped on Thorian’s oversized shirt and padded down the stairs to find him cooking in the kitchen.

He was wearing nothing but a Kiss the Chef apron over his boxer shorts. She walked up behind him and slid her arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. She pressed her cheek to his strong, muscled back. He gripped her hand and caressed it, turning around to kiss her on the mouth.

"You really are lovely this morning," he said.

"My hair is a mess, and I slept in my makeup," she said, wiping the eyeliner from under her eyes.

"You look perfect to me, and I love you in that shirt," he said, picking up her hand and twirling her around. "Breakfast will be done in a jiffy. The coffee is just finished brewing if you want a cup."

He handed her of big mug from the cabinet, and she poured herself a cup, filling it with cream and sugar just the way she liked. She padded over to the breakfast nook in his slippers and looked out the window onto the backyard and the lake beyond. There was a dock that stretched out onto the water that looked like it was in serious need of repair. A boat was moored at the end.

"Is that your fishing boat?" she asked.

"It belonged to my grandfather," he said. “Maybe after breakfast we can go for a ride. It’s warm in the cab.”

“That sounds fun,” she said. “I have to back to work tomorrow. I can’t believe vacation is already over. So much has happened.”

He finished the food and dished it up onto plates, bringing one over to Cici where she sat in the breakfast nook drinking her coffee. He sat across from her at the table and they gazed into each other's eyes, smiling as they dove into their breakfasts. He'd made scrambled eggs with cheddar, bacon, toast with jam and fresh squeezed orange juice.

"This is the best homemade breakfast I've had in a long time," she said. “Usually I just grab a muffin from the bakery and some coffee. I never put in the time to cook.”

"I’ll cook for you every day if you’ll let me.”

"I’ll count on it," she said with a wink.

"You can count on a good many other things. Now, what do you think we should do with this kitchen?" he asked.

"We should definitely get rid of the old wallpaper. I think the cabinetry is fine. Maybe a new coat of paint. But these floors have got to go."

He looked down at the bubbling old linoleum and nodded.

"I definitely agree with you on that.”

"And all new appliances and countertops."

"That was going to be the first thing I changed. I was considering putting in a master bathroom and taking a few square feet from one of the guest rooms. We could put in a big soaker tub."

"Oh my gosh, now you're talking my language," she said with a giggle.

“Soon, I’ll help you bring your bear out,” he said, changing the subject and looking into her ears. He held her hand across the table.

“When will I be ready?”

“It won’t be long. But I want to make sure you are prepared. The first shift can be a challenge for a newly turned human.”

“I know I’ll be okay with you by my side.”

After eating their breakfast, they bundled up in warm clothing and went out to the boat. It was strange how she felt less cold than she usually would at this temperature. But Thorian explained that it was her new bear keeping her warm.

She noticed how nice the boat was compared to the house. It seemed to Cici that Thorian's grandfather had definitely prioritized his boat over the last few years. It was really quite the machine.

They climbed in and Thorian drove over the lake while Cici poured them both cups of cocoa from the thermos he’d brought. Cruising around the lake for hours, they chatted about their lives and their futures, laughing and kissing the whole time. Being mated with Thorian was the most fantastic feeling she'd ever experienced.

She loved her family, her mother and father, and she loved her friends. But there had always been this deep sense of loneliness that had gnawed at her heart. It was like she knew there was someone perfect out there for her, and she just hadn't found him yet.

“That’s the Talbot’s house,” Thorian said, pointing to a big, modern mansion on the shore.

Cici picked up the binoculars from the dashboard and looked out over the water at the grounds. She saw a man walking out of the stables with a bundle in his arms.

"I wonder what the stablehand is doing," she said, handing him the binoculars.

Thorian took them and stared through the lens, his mouth turning down.

"He and Vicki were lovers, weren’t they?" Cici said.

"Let’s get a closer look.”

They drove closer to the Talbot estate and parked in a cove close by where they couldn't be seen. The stablehand disappeared into the house and then come back without the bundle. A few moments later, Mr. Talbot's car arrived, and he got out of the driver’s seat. The door of the passenger seat swung open and Sally Mace from the Fate Valley Wives’ Club got out.

"I wonder what Sally Mace is doing with Mr. Talbot?"

She handed the binoculars to Thorian.

"That's the woman who was fawning all over him the first time I met the Talbots.”

"She seemed really angry that Vicki was cheating on her husband Ralph. Spiteful, in fact."

"Do you think she was jealous enough to kill?" Thorian lowered the binoculars.

"That's a possibility,” Cici said.

Thorian lifted the binoculars back to his eyes and continued watching the Talbot estate.

"They're all three talking now," Thorian said.

"You think they were all in on it together?" Cici asked.

"They were all at the New Year's Eve party,” Thorian said. "Maybe I'll drop by tomorrow and say that I am there to check up on the fuse."

"Then what?”

"I don’t know. I wish I could let this go, but I just can't. Somebody was messing with my fireworks and ruined our first date. I just can't let it slide. I need to get to the bottom of it."