Estelle walked slowly to her car and sat behind the wheel for a few moments, contemplating Blaine and his gruff way of speaking to her. For some reason, she had thought that they had something more than that; that he would treat her as kindly and patiently as she wanted to treat him. But the sad fact of the matter was that what they had wasn’t special in the slightest. To him, she would probably always just an ignorant human, nothing more than someone convenient to help out when nobody else would.
It had been a lucky thing that her first task of the day had been to drive to each mine so she would learn her way around the mountain and begin to feel comfortable driving on the terrifying and narrow roads that wound around it.
The task had made her smile; had made her think that maybe Blaine was a considerate and kind man, a man with a good heart and minorly tender feelings toward her. however, upon encountering him at the disaster site, she realized suddenly that she was sadly mistaken. He was just being a practical boss, helping the helpless human and aiding her in being more useful. It was always the same with powerful men; make sure every gear is in the right position so that the machine will function as a whole. No matter what it takes.
She cursed herself for being so naïve before heading up the mountain toward Oak Mountain Community hospital, where she found Helen waiting outside fighting with her cell phone.
“No service up here,” Estelle said out her open windows, pulling up beside Helen. Helen got into the car and sighed, slamming the door shut.
“No shit,” she mumbled.
“So how are the other two guys doing?” Estelle asked. And why had Blaine refused to ride up with her to check on them for himself? He had glowered at her when she asked, and said he could make his own way up on his own time. Maybe he didn’t want to be held back by her inexperienced driving. Whatever the case, he could have just said so!
“They’re all right, actually. It looked close for the one guy, but the doctors here managed to save them. They’re miracle workers.”
“That’s great news,” Estelle said, feeling optimistic for the first time since Blaine had snapped at her. “I’ve heard that bear shifters heal much faster than humans do, but I guess I wasn’t sure if it was all rumor or not.”
“There’s so much we don’t know about shifters,” Helen agreed. “I wish there was some kind of public relations course everybody could take or something.”
“Yeah, that would be ideal,” Estelle agreed. “But it would work best if the shifters could get along amongst themselves too, you know? There’s always some kind of problem, whether it’s between the wolves and the bears, or the bears and the dragons…it’s hard to keep up.”
Helen nodded. “Stonybrooke seems to have its own set of rules regarding relationships between shifter species.”
“As does Oak Mountain,” Estelle said. “I just have to try to figure out what’s going on up here so I don’t get myself into trouble. I don’t think they trust me with the whole truth up here. They keep shifter business pretty secretive around here.”
“Who can blame them?” Helen sighed. “Considering how many humans like to stick their noses into things and think that their way is the only way, it seems safer just to deal with their issues on their own. I would do the same thing.”
“So would I,” Estelle said.
Still, the way Blaine had spoken about her had been harsh to say the least. She didn’t want to think about it, but it stung despite her thick skin. She was used to people insulting her because of her weight, but somehow it seemed worse to be insulted by Blaine. Even if it wasn’t about her weight, it didn’t feel good at all.
“Anyway, I guess we should get you back to work,” Helen said. “I have some things to do around campus tonight.”
“Thank you so much for all of your help,” Estelle said.
“Sure,” Helen said, before smiling mischievously at her. “So, what’s the deal with your boss?”
“What do you mean?” Estelle asked.
“I saw him come in just before you pulled up. He’s handsome! Have you noticed?”
Estelle’s cheeks reddened and she gripped her steering wheel hard. “It’s hard not to notice that kind of thing. But he’s a shifter. Most of them are attractive.”
“That’s a cop out. You like him, right? I heard it in your voice before when we were on the phone. And now I know why.”
“You’re full of crap,” Estelle laughed. She didn’t have to let on that she was attracted to Blaine. Besides, how could she possibly justify it if he was just going to treat her like some unwanted pest hanging around the mountain when it had been his idea to hire her in the first place? No thank you!
“Sure, sure,” Helen said, an obnoxious smirk still lingering on her lips. “You obviously don’t know what in the world I’m talking about.”
“I don’t!” Estelle insisted. And even if she did, that didn’t mean she had to be pathetic about it. She wanted a man who knew her worth; not a man who was going to treat her just as badly as her family always had. Screw that!
She was almost relieved when they reached her cabin and Helen got back into her own car and waved good bye. Somehow it felt wrong for her to be on this mountain with a human like Helen, who, although she had been able to help save the bear shifters lives, was really out of place up in a mountain full of bears. She was used to the wolf shifters, but that didn’t mean that she belonged on Oak Mountain. Neither did Estelle, for that matter. Blaine had made that much clear.
Estelle glanced at her watch once Helen was gone out of sight and cursed. It was time to get back to work. Now that the disaster was averted, or at least taken care of to the best of their abilities, she was going to have to head back to the office. It was the last thing she wanted to do really, but what choice did she have? She had volunteered for this position, for better or for worse, and if she was going to keep it, she would have to get herself through it. Her whole college career depended on it, even if that meant dealing with the unpredictable Blaine again.
***
“Where have you been, Estelle? There’s paperwork on your desk I need dealt with at once!”
Blaine’s greeting to her was less than special, but she hurried to her desk where, indeed, a stack of papers was waiting for her.
“I need you to go over those documents. Just to make sure that all the conditions on this sheet are met. I know the lawyer means well, but I can’t take any chances.”
A confusing warmth surged through her as she studied the documents. They were private, official, really, and she wasn’t sure she was qualified to do this type of work. But for some reason, Blaine, who refused to look her in the eye, was asking her to double check his lawyer’s work to make sure it remained in the best interest of the company.
“Of course,” Estelle stammered, sitting promptly and putting on her reading glasses. “I’ll get these to you as soon as I can.”
She opened one of the folders and then froze, glancing up at Blaine, who was staring at her with a strange expression on his face.
“What is it?” she asked, frowning. “Because if you’re going to tear into me for no reason again, you should probably just get back in your little office and leave me alone.”
Blaine was surprised by the words but grinned at her, an expression that seemed to shock them both. He took it in stride though, and pointed to her face.
“You wear spectacles, huh?” Blaine asked, looking at her with wide, sparkling eyes.
“So, what if I do?” Estelle demanded, slapping the folder back on her desk. “Are you going to make fun of those too?”
“Make fun?” Blaine asked, his smile faltering in confusion. “I don’t think I ever made fun…”
“Nothing a simple human could understand?” Estelle went on, glaring at Blaine right in the eye. “You don’t find any issue with the way you were speaking to me out there?”
Blaine bristled visibly and for a moment Estelle almost regretted letting her temper out on him. But not for very long.
“Well I was worried about my men!” Blaine exclaimed. “Excuse me for that.”
Estelle sighed and shook her head. “You know what? It doesn’t even matter to me anymore. Just let me do my work in peace, will you?”
Blaine opened his mouth as if to reply but clamped it shut again, as if unsure of whether it was safe to continue. One warning look from Estelle seemed to be all he needed to make his mind up, and he turned away from her and headed back toward his office.
“You’re only here because I hired you, remember. Don’t get make me regret that,” Blaine said.
Of course, he was the kind of man who had to have the last word. Estelle scoffed, but somehow, the interaction made her feel a lot better. Whether he cared for her or not wasn’t even the question, it was whether they would be able to work together successfully. She would have to cut him a break. It was clear he had a lot on his mind, and if he wasn’t going to let anybody in on any of it, he was just going to get more and more aggressive. What he probably needed was a friend. And she could be a friend.
The only issue was, would he want a friend at all?