Penny could hardly sleep last night. For one thing, she missed being wrapped up in Ben's arms. She couldn’t even call him. He had explained that he’d be in bear form for most of the evening as he patrolled the mines, so he wouldn’t be able to text or call her. So, she tossed and turned the whole night until she was so tired her eyelids felt heavy and she finally fell asleep.

She woke up late and knew she wouldn’t make it in time for her lunch with Mia. There wasn’t enough time to put on makeup or fix her hair, and though she knew she looked terrible, she didn’t want Mia to think she was standing her up.

Penny breezed into the cafe where they set up to meet, craning her neck for a sign of Mia. But she was nowhere in sight, so Penny sat down at one of the empty tables. She was perusing the menu board when Mia walked in.

“Sorry about that,” Mia said as she plonked herself down on the empty chair. “I slept in.”

“I was a little late, too, so no worries.”

They both got up to order at the counter, then brought their food back to the table.

“So, you’re not from Blackstone?” Mia asked as she took a sip of her iced tea.

Penny shook her head. “I live over in Greenville.” She gave Mia the short version of her story, about how her neighbor knew Tim and got her the job. “And you? Did you just move here?”

Mia laughed. “Oh, I just moved back.” She took a bite of her sandwich. “I mean, I grew up here, but my parents had to … move away.”

“You did? I mean, so you know some people here?”

Mia nodded. “But most of them probably don’t remember me. That’s okay, I wasn’t one of the popular kids, you know?”

“Sure.” Penny knew how that was. She had been the most unpopular kid in school. “So, thanks for inviting me here.”

“Oh, no problem. I hate those other bitches, you know?”

“Yeah, most of them were nice or just left me alone when I started.”

“Until Olive spread those rumors about you.”

Penny’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah. I don’t know why she's doing that.”

“You know, I heard something about an incident in Greenville—”

“Oh no.” Penny covered her face with her hands. No, no, no. Her throat burned with tears of humiliation. She bit her lip.

Mia pulled her hands away from her face. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t believe any of that.”

“Really?” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Thank you.”

“Look, I’ll do my best to stop those girls from talking about you, okay?”

“You will?”

“Of course!” Mia assured her.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Penny said. “I just don’t want any trouble, you know? I just want to do my work.”

“I understand.” Mia looked over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “Now, there’s something else I need to say. Uhm—” She stopped suddenly and shook her head. “Never mind. It’s not my place.”

“What is it?” Penny searched the other girl’s face. There was a flash of apprehension in Mia’s eyes. “Please, I owe you a lot. Just tell me.”

Mia’s eyes scanned the room, then she hunched her shoulders forward. “Well, it’s about Ben. And … what he is.”

“Huh? What do you mean? I know he’s a bear shifter.”

“Yeah, but … did you see him that night he shifted at The Den?”

Penny nodded.

“No bear is that big. Not even shifters.”

“No?”

“No. Grizzlies, like Ben, are one of the biggest, but even they grow to ten feet max. I’m only six feet myself when I shift.”

Penny shrugged. “He’s big, so what?”

Mia lowered her lashes. “It’s not just his size. The way he lost control like that? Shifters don’t do that. I mean, not the ones in their right mind.”

Penny grabbed the edge of the table, her fingers digging into the wood. “What are you saying?”

“Well, there have been rumors. I went to the same high school as him. I was two years younger.”

“Did something happen?”

Mia paused, biting her lip. “It’s none of my business really.“

“No, please, tell me.” Penny’s heart was racing, but she wanted to know.

“Ben, he’s different. So big and … dominant. There was this incident when he was at homecoming and he nearly mauled another student because he couldn’t control his bear. Good thing the kid was a shifter and healed fast. If he had been human … he would have died instantly.

Penny couldn’t control the gasp coming out of her mouth. “And then what happened?”

“No one knows for sure, but they probably paid off the family.” Mia looked her straight in the eyes. “Penny, you should be careful. He’s not what you think he is. He’s … well, some say he’s got a monster bear.”

Penny stopped breathing. Fury was choking her. When the feeling passed, she expelled a breath. “You don’t know what you’re saying. Ben’s no monster.” Surely there was a good explanation. She stood up. “I think I should go.”

“Penny, wait!” Mia grabbed her hand, her grip firm. “There’s something else.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Penny tried to pull her hand away.

“He doesn’t want you to know.”

“Know what?” she asked.

“He and I—” The door slamming open cut Mia off. A group of women with young kids walked in, chatting as the children laughed and scrambled toward a group of tables in the corner.

Penny took the chance to pull her arm away from Mia and make a run for the door. She walked back to where she had parked her car, rubbing her arm. Mia’s grip was so firm she left marks. What was she trying to say? Penny huffed. No, she didn’t want to hear anything Mia had to say, not if she was going to talk about Ben that way.

It was still a couple of hours until her shift but too late to go home. She contemplated going to Ben’s, but she didn’t have a key. Plus, it sounded like he’d be tied up all day. After giving it some thought, she decided to just park at The Den and stay in her car until it was time to clock in.

* * *

By the end of her shift, Penny was exhausted. Not just physically but emotionally, too. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Between the coldness and the snide looks, getting the wrong drinks from Heather, and no one helping her out, being at The Den was draining.

Then there was Mia. She’d avoided the other girl all night, though Mia tried to corner her several times. She didn’t want to listen to what she had to say. If anything, she’d rather Mia ignore her, like the other girls did.

The work she once enjoyed was making her miserable, and she wasn’t sure she could last much longer if they kept treating her like this. She didn’t want to tell Tim; what could he do anyway? Tell the other girls they needed to be friends? Besides, she knew what happens when you tell someone in authority about people bullying you—you get labeled a tattletale and things get worse.

Penny didn’t bother to say goodbye to anyone. She got changed, clocked out, and headed to the parking lot. As she was about to unlock her car, her phone began to ring. The name BEN flashed on the display. She wanted to weep in relief. “H-hello?”

“Penny.” He sounded aggravated. “Where are you?”

“I’m just leaving work.” She bit her lip. It was nice to hear his voice. “Should I drive over now?”

He let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry, Penny. Something came up.”

“Is it bad?” She tried not to let the disappointment in her voice sound obvious.

“I can’t explain now. But I’m not coming home.”

“Oh.” Her heart sank.

“I think you should sleep at your house tonight.”

“Sure, that’s no problem at all.”

“Good.” He paused, and she heard voices in the background. “Sorry, I gotta go. Lock your door, okay? Do you have Kate’s number? Call her if you need anything.”

“Sure.”

The voices grew louder in the background. Was he at a party? “Penny, I—”

“You should go,” she said, cutting him off.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll swing by The Den. I—”

“Bye,” she whispered as she took the phone away from her ear and let the call drop. She leaned against the side of her car, her shoulders stooping. What was going on? Ben sounded agitated on the phone. Was he mad? And why couldn’t he come tonight?

Penny sighed and climbed into her car. She needed to get some rest. No use getting worked up over this. She and Ben could talk in the morning. Putting the car into gear, she drove out of the parking lot.

Driving home from The Den was automatic at this point, and Penny found herself zoning out as she pulled onto the highway. Her thoughts kept straying back to Ben. They’d been apart for almost twenty-four hours now. Was he at some party? She didn’t mind if he was, but she just wished he would tell her.

She was so distracted, she didn’t notice the headlights approaching from behind her. “Argh!” She covered her eyes with her hands as the glare blinded her when she tried to look in the rearview mirror. “Jerk.” Some asshole in a jacked-up truck with his lights on, most likely.

Penny huffed and moved to the other lane, hoping they would pass. Instead, the vehicle switched lanes as well, and moved even closer behind her.

Her heart beat against her ribcage. “Don’t panic,” she told herself. She switched lanes again, and the truck followed her.

Annoyance was replaced by fear. It was strange because she’d never been scared driving alone back in Houston. But then again, no one had ever followed her.

She stepped on the gas, pulling as far ahead as she could and going over the speed limit by a few miles per hour. The truck sped up, too, and now her heartbeat was going a mile a minute. “Oh please, go away,” she said aloud. Her exit was coming up, and they came up right behind her. Were there going to follow her all the way home? She racked her brain, trying to figure out what to do. An idea popped into her head, and she was suddenly thankful for whatever articles she had read that told her to do this.

Penny pulled off at the Greenville exit. The truck followed her. Instead of turning toward home, however, she went the opposite direction. Right into the parking lot of the Greenville P.D. The truck sped right past the police station and she let out a long sigh of relief. What the heck was that about? Was that guy drunk? Or was it just some asshole looking to get his jollies off?

She waited for a few minutes and then started her car again. She thought about giving Ben a call. Maybe the sound of his voice could help calm her and stop her hands from shaking.

She fished her phone out of her purse and dialed his number. It rang and then went to voicemail. Maybe he couldn’t talk. He did ask her to call Kate if she needed anything. But then again, what would she tell her? It was silly now.

Penny straightened her shoulders. No, she should just go home. It was just some jerk driver being a Jerky McJerkface for the hell of it. She shouldn’t bother anyone because she was being a silly worrywart.