Chapter 4
Julia was nervous as she didn’t know why Mike wanted her to stay, but she knew she had not messed up at all over the past few weeks so she couldn’t imagine it being for anything bad. Once she finished wiping the bar she sat down on a bar stool, waiting for Mike to come find her. She knew John was still there and assumed he was with him, as John was officially leaving town the next day.
They had thrown a large goodbye party for John after his last official workday, but he had continued to stop by occasionally to see how things were going or to help out. Now that he was truly leaving town they knew he wasn’t going to do that anymore, and the atmosphere had been different that day. John had provided a smooth transition in ownership, but they all knew that everything would still be different, despite the fact that Mike tried to keep everything the same. For starters, Mike had announced that he would be promoting some employees to shift managers, as Mike had many businesses to run and couldn’t continue to be at the club every night. Those interested had been asked to submit their applications, and practically every employee had done so as it was a huge opportunity to move up. For Julia it would mean getting management experience, which was exactly what she went to school for. Bartender definitely looked less impressive than shift manager would.
“Thank you for waiting,” Mike said with a smile when he joined her. “I had a bit of a parting gift for John, but we’re alone now. Do you have any idea why I asked you to stay?”
“No, I do not.”
“First, thank you for submitting your application for one of the management positions. You are the only employee with a management degree, so I’d say you definitely have a good shot at the promotion. Now that I’ve said that I’d like to forget that we are boss and employee, and pretend we are just Julia and Mike. Do you think you can do that and make the distinction?”
“I can. I do that with everyone else here anytime I see them outside working hours. It makes things easier.”
“Excellent. What I’m going to tell you is not easy for me to tell anyone and I must request that you do not discuss this with others as it could quite easily ruin everything I’ve worked very hard for. I like you Julia, a lot. I would love it if you would do me the honor of going out with me, but there is something you need to know about me before you say yes or no. I will respect either answer and will not let it affect any other aspect of our lives. If you say yes and it doesn’t work out, I will not treat you any differently. If you say yes and it does work out, I will not treat you differently while at work. Now, what I need you to know is complicated and please hear me out before you run. Have you ever heard of a lion shifter?”
Julia was ecstatic that he asked her out, but worried about what it was that had him assuming she’d say no. What was so important that she had to know even before their first date? When he asked her about a lion shifter, she shook her head, as she had never heard of that before. The image of the lion in the bushes popped into her mind and she wondered if the two were related somehow. There’s no way that could be possible though, could it?
“Some people have the ability to shift into an animal at will, and we often have some of the characteristics of that animal in everyday life. A lion shifter is someone who can shift into a lion, and he or she is often more dominant and protective of those he or she cares about. I want to tell you this because it’s a big part of my life, and you should know before deciding what to do. Julia, I’m a lion shifter.”
“You’ve been following me, haven’t you?”
“I have. Despite the fact that you turned down my offer to walk you home each night, I feel protective of you and made sure you got home safely each time. I’m sorry if I scared you at first.”
“I honestly don’t know what to say. Can I see?”
Mike stood up and shifted into his lion form, much to Julia’s fascination. She watched as he slowly changed, limb for limb, into an animal she should be terrified of, yet she couldn’t do anything but watch. She couldn’t deny he was a beautiful lion once he was fully in front of her, but something about it just didn’t sit well with her. No man should be able to do this, no man should be able to change their entire body to suddenly become an animal, and no woman should trust a man who can do something so unbelievable. If she hadn’t see it with her own two eyes she would have probably laughed at him, but seeing it in front of her she couldn’t deny it. She jumped off the bar stool and grabbed her purse, getting ready to leave. She had to get out of there and think, something she couldn’t do with him in front of her, because everything inside her was screaming for her to run and never come back. She was barely aware of Mike shifting back, the only proof that he had being the fact that he was once again the gorgeous man she knew. “I have to go.”
“Julia, please. Don’t run.”
“Mike, I need to think about this. Before this I would have said yes in a heartbeat, but this is a little bit surreal to me and I need time to think. I will see you tomorrow.”
Julia was out the door before Mike could say anything else, and she ran the entire way home. She couldn’t talk about this with anyone, especially not Sarah whom she knew wouldn’t approve, yet she needed to either talk with someone or leave town to collect her thoughts. She suddenly remembered that John was leaving town the next morning, and the second she was inside she started packing. John had mentioned that he was packed and ready to leave, so he wouldn’t notice if she snuck into the back of his car and hitch hiked across the country with him. She could get out somewhere along the way and find a place to stay for a few days without anyone knowing where she was.
As soon as she was done packing, and before Sarah could come back from whatever date or one night stand she was on, Julia left for John’s house. She had written a note for Sarah to let her know not to worry, and to please let Mike know that she was taking a week off. Mike would know why she left, and she hoped Sarah would forgive her when she got back. She arrived at John’s just as the first sunlight was visible on the horizon and she quickly slipped into the back of John’s car. He drove an SUV and there was plenty of space back there for her without being seen, unless he opened the trunk, and still be fairly comfortable.
Fairly comfortable turned into fairly uncomfortable after several hours, and when John stopped for lunch she quickly got out of the car, slung her backpack over her shoulder and started walking. She had no idea where she was, or even what state she was in, but it looked like a small town which she preferred. Small town people were generally nice and welcoming, and life was cheaper. Julia wasn’t necessarily short on cash, but she didn’t want to splurge either so the first thing she did was find a small diner to eat lunch, hoping to find a place to stay afterwards.
“Passing through?” the waitress asked after coming up to her and filling her coffee cup while putting a menu in front of her.
“I just arrived and I’m hoping to stay about a week. This looks like a nice little town to relax for a bit.”
The waitress smiled and nodded. “It definitely is. Jotson is a small town, and we don’t get many visitors since there isn’t much to do, but if you are trying to get away from something or someone, it is perfect. I get off after lunch, and I can show you where to find the local bed and breakfast if you’d like? We don’t have a hotel but the bed and breakfast is run by Mr and Mrs Singer and they take excellent care of their guests.”
“That would be great, thank you. Anything you recommend on the menu?”
“The club sandwich is always good if you are looking for lunch. We are still serving breakfast as well so if you’d rather have that you can’t go wrong with some eggs, bacon and pancakes.”
Julia’s eyes lit up at that, and the waitress laughed. “My name is Erica by the way, and I can tell you want breakfast. I will let the chef know to make it extra good for you.”
When Erica came back with Julia’s food she also had an extra coffee cup and a pot of coffee which she placed on the table, before sitting down across from her. “My shift is basically over, they aren’t assigning me new tables and you are my only one. You looked like you could use the company.”
Julia took a bite of her pancakes, royally smothered in syrup, before answering. She let out a soft moan of indulgence while chewing, causing Erica to laugh. “Sorry, but it’s been entirely too long since I’ve had good pancakes. My compliments to the chef. And you are right, I could use the company.”
“Job, man or family?” Erica asked.
Julia laughed and shook her head. “I’m a bartender. That’s my job. And it’s a man who is also my boss.”
Erica joined in the laughed and refilled both their coffee cups, not asking further for a little while since Julia was eating. “I’m a terrible person. I’m Julia.”
“Nice to meet you Julia. You’ll love this place, and if you let Mr and Mrs Singer know that you don’t want to be found, nobody will reveal that you are here if said boss man comes looking for you. Does he know where you went?”
Julia shook her head. “I hitch hiked in the trunk of a friend’s car while he is on his way elsewhere. He didn’t even know I was there. I really do not want to be found until I have figured out what I want.”
“Well, I don’t work again until breakfast, so why don’t you get settled in at the bed and breakfast, and then I’ll take you to the local bar. You might be a bartender but I’m sure you enjoy being on the other side of the bar at times.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan. If you bring me the check I’ll pay for this so we can get going,” Julia said with a smile. She really liked Erica and had a feeling she was exactly what she needed to figure out this mess.
The bed and breakfast was in reality a large manor house with wrap around porch and Julia instantly loved it and its owners, Mr and Mrs Singer. “Oh you poor dear, we’ll make sure nobody disturbs you. Now I serve breakfast but if you want to chat and have dinner with us as well you just let me know, alright?” Mrs Singer said as she showed Julia up to her room.
“Thank you Mrs Singer. Erica is showing me around this afternoon and I’ll get something to eat while out but one day this week I’d love to spend time in your company.”
Three drinks into what was starting to turn into a drunken outing Julia finally opened up to Erica. “He asked me out, and let me tell you I really wanted to say yes. He is absolutely perfect, and highly protective which I like in a man. Then he tells me he is a lion shifter and turns into a lion right there in front of me! I freaked and ran.”
Erica smiled and nodded, calling the bartender for another drink. “We used to have a lion shifter right here in town, in fact, he still lives only one town over. Nicest guy I’d ever met, and highly protective of those he loved. It can be quite intimidating at first, but those who are lion shifters are fiercely loyal. You honestly can’t find a guy who would be more devoted to your happiness than him. This friend of mine, he once helped me when I was in a bad situation. After helping me out and making sure I was safe I got the scolding of my life for ending up in the situation to begin with, as it had really been my own fault, but I knew he would always be there for me no matter what.”
“He has offered to walk me home every night since he bought the club, and I’ve seen him following us to make sure we’re alright when I decline. I just didn’t know how to react and needed to get away to figure it out.”
“Completely understandable. Use this time to sort your feelings and if you need to talk, I’m here.”
“Thanks. Next round’s on me.”
While Julia was enjoying her time with Erica, Mike was interrogating Sarah without getting anywhere. “What do you mean you don’t know where she is? She can’t just disappear!”
“All I know is that she stayed behind to talk to you last night, and when I came home early this morning she was gone and so were some of her belongings and her backpack. She left a note that she needed some time to think and she’d be in touch. I don’t know what that means and she’s never disappeared like that. She didn’t take her cell phone with her, so there’s no way to contact her until she contacts us. What happened?”
“I asked her on a date and then told her something about myself that I felt she should know before agreeing to a date. It must have scared her because she practically ran out of here and disappeared. How could she have gotten out of town so fast?”
“Have you called John? He left town this morning, maybe he gave her a ride somewhere?”
Sarah had never seen a man move as fast as Mike did when he ran out of her apartment, down the stairs and down the road to places unknown. She had no idea why he didn’t just pull out his cell phone, but she had decided long ago that sometimes it wasn’t worth the effort to figure out what a man was thinking or doing.
Mike was running down the street, trying to get to the club as fast as possible. He didn’t have John’s cell number programmed in his cell phone and belatedly realized that Sarah probably had it. The second he had looked it up he called, and almost sighed in relief when John answered on the third ring.
“Hi John, it’s Mike. Hey did you by chance give Julia a ride this morning?”
“I was wondering how long it would take someone to call. She clearly needed some space so I was waiting for someone to ask. She hitchhiked in my car, she was gone after I had stopped in a town called Jotson. I purposely stopped there as I know there’s another lion shifter there and you had told me you were telling her before asking her out, so I had a feeling that’s why she was running. Hopefully she’ll confide in someone and get another perspective on it.” John was one of the only people who Mike had told, as he had instantly taken a liking to the man and had trusted him fully with his secret. He had also inquired after Julia and after John had acted slightly protective of Julia Mike had realized that John was a lion shifter himself. John never transformed but he had the protective tendencies that Mike did, and after recognizing it in Mike he had known the club would be in good hands. It was actually what had pushed John to finally agree to the sale.
“How far away is this town?”
“About four hours. Look, give her at least another day to get her bearings, then go after her. You have to be patient with Julia, give her time to come to terms with everything. The only thing she has in life is her friends from the club, and she is terrified of ever losing that.”
“Alright, thanks. She’ll be safe there?”
“Yes. There is only one bed and breakfast in that town and it’s run by a Mr and Mrs Singer. I’ve stayed there multiple times, the lion shifter there and myself are old friends and I used to visit him regularly. I let him know Julia was there and her reason for being there before leaving town so she is being watched over. Mr and Mrs Singer know about lion shifters, Jason is their son.”
“Perfect. Thank you John, I owe you one.”
With that the conversation ended and Mike sank back into his chair in relief. Julia was safe and would be alright. He’d give her the night and go see her tomorrow afternoon, hopefully convincing her to come home with him.
He still held that hope when he arrived in Jotson the following afternoon, and spotted Julia on the porch of the bed and breakfast with an elderly lady, who he assumed was Mrs Singer. “Good afternoon ma’am, Julia. I merely came to make sure that Julia was alright.”
“I know about you,” Mrs Singer said with a smile. “You are just like Jason. Jason had breakfast here and had an enlightening talk with Julia. I’ll leave you two to talk, but I expect you to have a proper tea with me in an hour.”
Mike joined Julia on the porch swing and for the first ten minutes neither of them said anything. Finally Julia decided that they needed to talk instead of just sit there and she looked at Mike, trying to figure out if he was angry or not. “Are you angry?”
“I’m frustrated with you for leaving like that. I want nothing more than to scold you for doing something so reckless like hitchhiking in someone’s trunk but as we are not a couple, I’m not going to.”
“If we had been a couple, would I be in trouble?”
“Absolutely. I would have tracked you down the second I heard where you were and would have given you a very stern scolding about the danger you put yourself in before hugging you to death out of happiness that you were alright.”
“I like that.”
Mike looked at Julia, but Julia didn’t give anything away. “Explain. Please.”
“I spoke to Jason earlier, and based on your reaction you knew he was a lion shifter as well. He told me that lion shifters are incredibly protective and loyal, it’s in their blood. He also told me he had been told about you by John and that it sounded like I had acted rashly without really giving you a chance. I met Erica and she knows Jason and she told me that lion shifters aren’t bad people, just different. I had already decided to give you a chance, but I needed a little longer to get the courage to go back because I knew you’d be upset with me.”
“So you’ll go out with me?”
“Yes, I will. And if you need to yell at me I understand. I suppose I deserve it.”
“I will never yell. There is a difference between a stern scolding and yelling. I don’t want you to ever be afraid to come to me just because I might be upset. I will never hurt you in any way, and if I ever do something to upset you feel free to scold me right back. Of course once I’ve had you in the bedroom, I will torture you there afterwards.”
Julia flushed bright right and turned her head away from Mike, not wanting him to see it. He put a hand under a chin and turned her face back. “And don’t hide your beautiful blush from me. I’m not going to scold you this time, as long as you promise to talk to me instead of running next time?”
“I promise. I think we should go inside before Mrs Singer scolds both of us for missing tea.”