Hey. Do you have a minute to talk?

Her text message showed up fifteen minutes after the last one. I’d given up on hearing back from her. When the conversation turns to weather you know you’re in trouble, but I’d panicked. I had no idea what else would be acceptable to say, and I’d been desperate to keep the conversation going.

Sure. Call anytime. I didn’t want to seem too over eager, but I wanted her to call. I couldn’t imagine what she’d want to discuss though.

A few seconds later my phone rang. I stared at her name for half a second before picking up. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She sounded slightly breathless.

It was so good to hear her voice, even if it did bring back a flood of memories with it. “How are you?”

“Fine. No. I’m not going to lie. Not fine.”

“What’s wrong?” Even without her admission I’d have known something was off by the tension in her voice.

“I have a bit of a problem I was hoping you might be able to help me with.”

“Absolutely. What is it?” Maybe I sounded too over eager, but she’d come to me. There wasn’t a chance I was turning my back on her. Well, unless the help she needed involved her trying to get with someone else. Once that thought got into my head I had to know. “What is this about?”

“Something my friend did to me.” She sighed. “Ugh, this is so embarrassing.”

“It can’t be that bad. Whatever it is you can tell me.” I hated to hear her so distraught. I knew I’d fix whatever it was. She was my weakness.

“So there’s this ball my dad’s having...”

“And the ball is the issue?” I tried to follow, even though it was hard to concentrate. Hearing her voice brought back so many memories and got every inch of me reacting.

“No. It’s just the start of everything. I want to start from the beginning.”

“Ok. Continue.” I made myself focus.

“I thought my friend would come with me, but he cancelled.”

I waited. Was that the problem? Did she need a date? Could my luck really be that good?

“Since I had no one else to go with… ” she trailed off. “Well, he did something crazy.”

No one else to go with? That meant she was completely single, which was good, but she had to know I’d go with her. Didn’t she? Instead of asking any of those questions I went with the most important for her situation. “What did he do?”

“He put up an ad somewhere.”

“An ad?” I asked for clarification that I had heard her right.

“You know an online dating ad kind of thing. Not a dating profile but a request for a particular date.” Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper. “At least that’s how he described it. I have no idea really.”

“Where did he post it?” First I’d get rid of the ad, then I’d take care of this so called friend.

“That’s the problem. I don’t know where, and he’s ignoring me.”

“And you’re friends with this guy because…?” I didn’t want to sound judgmental, but she needed better friends.

“It’s a long story.” She sighed.

“Ok. I need more information if I’m going to help.”

Janie picked that moment to interrupt. “Boss, we need you out there.” She poked her head into my office. I held up a finger to tell her to wait.

“Really. Now. We need you.”

Evidently Janie was loud enough for Nancy to hear. “You can go if you need to. Sorry to bother you at work.”

“No. You aren’t bothering me.” That was the last thing I wanted her to think. I glared at Janie. “What is it?”

“There’s an issue.” Her expression said it all. This wasn’t something that could wait.

“Nancy, I’ll call you right back.”

“No. Don’t worry about it.”

“Of course I’m going to worry about it. Give me a few minutes.” I hung up and set down my phone.

“Come on, Norm. We need you.” Janie gritted her teeth.

“What is it, Janie?” I snapped. "This had better be good."

"Good isn't the word I'd use." She hurried out of my office, and I followed her back out to the bar.

A man lay sprawled out on the floor while a grizzly bear—a shifter for sure- slammed him with his paws.

"Damn it, Oron!" I launched myself across the counter, reaching for my wolf, and letting him take over. My vision tunneled, and I felt the increased strength as I fully shifted.

Oron had size on me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t take him. I bit into his neck to get his attention, careful not to bite down too hard. Killing a customer wasn’t going to help business.

He lashed at me with his giant claws before suddenly stopping. He’d realized who I was, and that calmed him down.

I shifted back and held out my hand to catch the pair of pants Janie was launching at me. After getting stranded without clothes once or twice, you learn to always leave extras around.

I buttoned the jeans while I watched the bear transform into a man I knew all too well. I glanced over to where two patrons were taking care of Oron’s victim. I wasn’t about to say the victim was innocent— he must have done something to get the bear to strike—but asking for a fight or not, it shouldn’t have happened in my bar.

“What the hell was that?” I held out another pair of jeans for Oron.

He shook his head and refused the offer of clothing. His eyes burned with anger, and he scowled at the man who still lay on the floor. “He ripped me off! Stole my house from me.”

“You signed the paper fair and square.” The bloodied man sat up.

“What is going on?” I looked between the men. Adrenalin still surged through me from breaking up the fight, and I was anxious to call Nancy back. I had no patience for anything else.

Oron finally took the pants from me but made no move to get dressed. “He’s a warlock. He used magic.”

“Is this true?” I looked at the man on the floor. “Were you stupid enough to use magic on Oron?” I didn’t know all that many warlocks. They were new to Forest Ridge, but I knew enough.

“I didn’t use any magic.”

“No?” I raised an eyebrow. “He wanted to just give away the house his family has had for six generations?”

The warlock stood. “People have done stranger things.”

“If it’s found you used magic, the contract will be void.” Warlock or not, the man was lucky to be alive. If I’d have been a few minutes later he wouldn’t be. I was no friend of Oron’s, but defending your family’s land and home was a better reason than most to fight a man.

“It’s already void.” Oron grinned. “I ate it.”

I bit back a smile. Of course he did.

“As if I don’t have other copies.” The warlock smirked.

Oron glared.

The smile slipped from the warlock’s face. “I’ll be going.”

“Don’t come back any time soon.” I tried to have an open-door policy at my bar, but sometimes I couldn’t.

“You’ll see me again anyway.” He smiled before walking out into the cold night. The door slammed behind him.

“What the hell is he implying?” I looked to Oron for answers. I’d sided with him, so now he owed me an explanation.

“They are trying to destroy us.” Oron was still standing there buck naked.

“Go home, sober up, and then come back to talk to me about it.” I had a lot to process, and it wasn’t going to happen with a naked bear in my bar.

“They’re going to come after the wolves too. Just wait and see.” His blood shot eyes set on my own.

“I’ll make sure he gets home.” Marcel, another bear and one of the regulars, headed over to us. “But put on some pants first, Oron.”

Oron mumbled something under his breath as he stepped into the borrowed pants. I wasn’t going to ask for those back.

"Next time don’t let it get so far." I glared at our bouncer Derick, who had come over to the bar. “We don’t need trouble in here.”

“I didn’t mean to, but I was distracted.” Derick smiled sheepishly.

"Distracted by what?” I knew the correct question was by whom, but I’d at least pretend to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Janie nodded toward the corner of the room where a panther shifter stood laughing with some friends.

"I should have known.”

“That was easy enough for you to take care of. What took you so long?” Derick continued to eye the panther.

“None of your business.” He wasn’t turning this on me.

“You were on the phone.” Janie moved back behind the bar. “It was her. Wasn’t it?”

“Who?” Derick tore his eyes from the girl.

“The girl he kissed.” Janie leaned forward on an elbow.

“What girl he kissed?” Derick didn’t hide his interest.

“Janie.” Nagging me when we were alone was one thing, but doing it in front of Derick was another. I might never hear the end of it.

“Come on. It was her, right?”

“When were you kissing anyone?” Derick leaned on the bar. “You’ve been acting like a freaking monk lately.”

“It’s the girl from the wedding.” Janie grinned. “Alex’s friend.”

“Oh yeah?” Derick walked around the bar and grabbed a beer. “She’s cute.”

“Don’t get any ideas.” I felt a growl build inside me.

“Ideas?” He popped open the beer.

“You know exactly what I mean.”

“Well, by all means call her back.” Derick laughed.

“How can I do that when I can’t trust you two to run things?”

“You can. You scared everyone away for the night anyway.” Derick was right. The bar was now mostly empty.

“Not everyone.” I gestured to where the panthers stood.

“True, but I think we can handle a few.”

“I hope so.” I headed back into my office.

After pulling on a t-shirt I called Nancy back. It went right to voicemail. Normally I hung right up after heading the start of someone’s message but not hers.

Hey, It’s Nancy. I’m not available right now, but leave a message and I’ll call you back.

There was something about those few lines that felt real. As if she really wanted you to leave a message. Of course that was probably me grossly reading into it, but I felt it nonetheless. It was by far friendlier than mine: I’d settled for the robotic one that came pre-programmed with the phone—the one that simply read back your number.

The beep came all too soon so I sputtered out a message. Just calling you back. I’m here.

I hung up and waited. Two seconds later my phone rang. It wasn’t Nancy. It was Alex.

“Alex? What’s going on?’

“You couldn’t help her? Seriously?”

“Wait. Slow down.” I sat down in my chair. I had feeling this chewing out might take a while.

“Nancy. She said she tried to talk to you, but you were busy.”

“I was busy putting out a fire of fight at the bar. I tried to call back as soon as I finished.”

“I thought you liked her.” Alex’s words hit me hard.

“Wait. What?”

“Don’t play dumb. I know the way you look at her. Don’t lie.”

“I think these are the pregnancy hormones talking, Alex.” I was glad I’d sat down.

“Don’t you dare. No pinning this on me being pregnant. Go help her. And while you’re at it, take her to the ball.”

“Her dad’s ball?” I spun in my chair so I was facing the door rather than my computer.

“You know about the Christmas ball?” Alex’s voice lilted.

“Only that she needed someone to go with her.” And that some idiot made an ad, but I wasn’t 100% sure what Alex knew so I would keep my mouth shut until I knew more.

“You knew and didn’t offer?”

“I would have—I barely had time to talk to her.”

“She’s gotten twenty emails from random guys. Leif thinks this is hilarious and isn’t—”

“Wait. Leif? That’s the clown who did this to her? The one who showed up for your wedding?” I should have assumed it was him since she’d taken the guy as a date before, but I hadn’t connected the dots yet.

“Yes. This is weird even for him.”

“This is weird for anyone. What kind of ad did he put up?” Maybe Alex could give me the details Nancy didn’t have the time to give me.

“You have to talk to Nancy.” She was preaching to the choir.

“I tried.”

“I have an idea.”

“What kind of idea?” I asked suspiciously.

“Want to take Langdon and me up for his appointment?”

“With the specialist?” Growing up as a shifter can come with its share of complications, especially during the first few years of shifting.

“Yes. Ryder usually goes with us, but he can’t this time. I’d appreciate the company, and then you can stop in and help Nancy.”

“Are you sure she’s going to like that?”

“She is. She might not admit it…” Alex trailed off.

“I could help her from here too.”

“Yeah, but then she’d be less likely to invite you to go the ball with her…”

“When’s the ball?” I didn’t even have the basic details. Oron’s timing couldn’t have been worse.

“On Saturday night.”

“Seriously?” That was soon.

“Yes. Leif promised he’d go with her. That’s why this is all so last minute.”

“And what ball is this exactly? Why is her dad throwing it?” There was so much I didn’t know about Nancy and her family.

Alex sighed. “I’ll fill you in during the car ride. You’re in, aren’t you?”

Of course I was in. I’d have done it just to help out anyway. I loved my nephew, but any excuse to see Nancy was one I’d take. Especially if it might lead to a second chance. “Sure. I’ll drive.”

“Perfect. Pick us up at 8 tomorrow morning.”

“Got it.” Now I only had to hope Nancy still wanted my help.