The atmosphere in Miller’s Service Station was distinctly chilly. Frost decorated the edges of the window and the breath of the occupants showed as white puffs in the air. Outside a cold February wind buffeted the building, creeping in through the cracks around the service bay doors and taunting the efforts of the ancient furnace that valiantly fought to keep the small block building warm.
Ryne rubbed his hands together and stomped the snow off his feet before popping the hood of the car he’d just driven in to the service bay. The warmth coming off the engine was welcome except for the fact it was melting the snow left on the hood and the cold water was dripping down his neck.
He checked the oil and, as suspected, it was long past due for changing. No wonder the car hadn’t been running properly. When Nunnie, as the owner of the vehicle was affectionately known, returned he’d have to give her a gentle talking to about car maintenance. He smiled, thinking of their conversation earlier that day…
“I don’t know why my sweet girl is acting up,” Nunnie patted the hood.
“You haven’t had it in for tune-up in quite a while,” he suggested as he shut off the engine and climbed out of the driver’s seat. “It’s running rough.”
“I know, but I’m just so busy organizing the charity bazaar and euchre parties. And then my gentlemen friends come calling…” Nunnie shook her head.
“An engine needs care if you want it to keep running, Nunnie.” He stared down at the tiny, white haired woman who must be over ninety if she was a day. “Oil helps keep the parts lubricated and—”
“No lectures on lubricants, young man. You just concentrate on getting my girl working properly again.”
“Yes, ma’am” He nodded trying to keep a straight face at the unintended double entendre. Turning to get a service agreement for her to sign, he froze in place at her next comment.
“And make sure you’re wearing those snug coveralls that show off your butt when you work on her. My girl likes a little thrill now and then.”
Yep, Nunnie was a real firecracker, quick witted, sharp as a tack and constantly on the go. Being without her vehicle, even on a cold day like this, was probably leaving her chomping at the bit.
Well, he’d better not keep her waiting. The bay with the hoist was currently occupied by a car waiting for parts, so he drove Nunnie’s car up on a set of ramps, grabbed a socket wrench and then got down on his creeper to slide under the vehicle. He’d just finished loosening the plug on the oil pan when his phone rang.
He wiped his oily hands on a rag and pulled the device from his pocket. It was Lucy. Based on what Armand had told him, he hadn’t expected to hear from her again.
“Hey Lucy, what’s up?”
“Who is this?” An unknown female voice sounded in his ear.
“Who is this?” He countered back.
“I asked first.”
“And I’m not answering.”
“Is this Armand?”
“No.” His senses went on high alert. With a kick of his foot, he propelled the creeper cart out from under the vehicle and sat up, resting his arms on his knees. Who had gotten hold of Lucy’s phone and why were they asking about Armand?
“Damn.” There was a pause. “Okay, sorry I bothered you.”
“Wait!” He wasn’t going to let the unknown caller go until he knew what was going on. “Who are you and why do you have Lucy’s phone?”
“I’m her roommate, Roxi, and I need to get a hold of this guy named Armand.”
Roxi. Yeah, that was the name Armand had mentioned when recounting what had happened in Chicago. The girl was a demi-witch, clever and fast-talking. Armand wasn’t sure if he considered her a trustworthy friend or not, but she’d helped him get Lucy back when she’d been kidnapped.
He quickly weighed the pros and cons and decided to listen and see what she had to say. “I might be able to help you. Tell me why first.”
“There was an accident.”
“Shit!” He surged to his feet. “Is Lucy okay?”
“I don’t know. I think she is but the baby—”
“Baby?” What the fuck? His mind raced. Lucy was pregnant? And if Roxi was looking for Armand, he must be the father except Armand had never said anything about it. Did he know? He wasn’t the kind to ignore his responsibilities.
Roxi was still talking. “I’m worried she might lose it or, if there are complications, the doctors will find out the father is a….” Her voice trailed off to nothing.
“A shifter?”
“You know?” Her voice rose to a squeak and then she exhaled loudly. “Well, that makes this conversation a lot easier!”
“Yes, I know. And Armand mentioned you to me.”
“Great, you know me, but I still don’t know who you are.”
“Ryne. Ryne Taylor.”
“The dog whisperer!”
“Yeah.” He winced. Was the story going to plague him for the rest of his life? “But back to the baby. What are you worried about with regards to the doctors?”
“I don’t know how your physiology works, if the doctors would notice anything unusual about the baby.”
“It’s safe. There’s nothing discernable as an infant, only scent, and humans won’t notice that.”
“Well that’s one less thing to worry about.” She exhaled noisily. “I’ve been freaking out wondering how I’d cover things up. Now I just have to hope Lucy and the baby are okay.”
“Right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. What a mess this was. “I can give you Armand’s number. Do you have something to write it down on?”
“Just a sec…” There was a rustling sound and then she spoke again. “Okay, what is it?”
He recited the number and Roxi repeated it back to him.
“Got it. Thanks.” Roxi cleared her throat. “Umm…do you think it’s the right thing to do, to tell him?”
Did he? How would Armand react to the news? He’d been seeing a lot of Jenna lately. Had he switched his affections?
Roxi continue talking. “Because I don’t know if I should or not. It’s not really my place to make the decision but a father has the right to know. Well, unless he’s a douche and Armand isn’t one from what I could see. Anyways, I was just thinking that this isn’t the sort of news to get over the phone, right?”
“I suppose, but...” The sound of the door opening had him turning as he spoke. Oh crap, it was Melody. She was meeting him for lunch.
“I knew you’d see it my way!”
“See what your way? Wait!” He turned his back and tried to speak quickly and quietly. “You expect me to tell him about Lucy? I don’t—”
“You don’t mind? That’s awesome! Oh, here comes the doctor. I’ll text you an update. Bye!”
He stared at the phone. She’d hung up on him!
“Tell who about Lucy?” Melody was standing beside him now, a puzzled look on her face.
He shoved his phone back in his pocket and tried to think of an explanation. His mouth opened but no words came out.
“Ryne?”
“Look, why don’t we go for lunch and we can talk about this later.” He tried to take her arm.
She shrugged him off. “I know you too well, Ryne Taylor. You’re trying to distract me. I could hear enough of that conversation to know you were talking to a woman. You’re not having an affair, are you?” Her face paled. “Is that why you seem distracted?”
“Melody, don’t be ridiculous.” He pulled her close for a kiss, but she stepped back.
“No. If there isn’t another woman then who were you talking to? And why were you mentioning Lucy? She’s been dead for over two years. Oh!” An idea came to her and she relaxed. “Is someone interested in writing about her? A newspaper article or book or something like that?”
She’d presented him with a perfect excuse except…he couldn’t do it. It had been easier years ago. They’d only known each other a short time when Lucy had supposedly died. They weren’t even officially mates back then though their relationship was heading that way. Since then, they’d grown so much closer, worked through some serious problems, had a pup together. They might argue and complain but she was his other half and she knew something was wrong. She’d been giving him odd looks, sensing part of him was locked off from their mental connection and it wasn’t fair to put that kind of stress on her.
He took a deep breath. It was time to come clean.
“Let’s go into the office where it’s warmer. We need to talk.”
Lou wrapped one arm around her stomach while she used her other hand to wipe away the tears that dripped down her face.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be crying. I’m just so relieved.”
“Totally understandable,” the doctor nodded and made a note on a chart. “You had a scare, but everything is fine. Your blood pressure is slightly elevated, however, given the circumstances, that’s not unusual.”
“Can I go home now?”
“Yes, but I want you to take it easy. Bed rest for the next two days and if you feel any discomfort at all, any spotting, you’re to come here immediately, understand?”
Lou nodded.
“Is there someone here to take you home?”
“My friend is probably in the waiting room.”
“Excellent.”
After the doctor left, Lou swung her feet out of bed and slowly dressed. What was the saying about bad things happening in threes? She'd been mugged and kidnapped and now a bus accident all in a matter of months! Except….it hadn’t really been an accident, more a minor fender bender. Roxi really had overreacted by calling 911. Given the weather, there’d probably been dozens of similar accidents across the state. It was her own fault really. If she’d remained in her seat until the bus stopped, she would have been perfectly fine.
But did that mean there was still one more episode of misfortune waiting for her? She certainly hoped not! Maybe she should start carrying around a good luck charm just in case!
Roxi came in and helped her get her coat on. It was dirty from the floor of the bus.
“I’ll have to wash it when I get home.” She wiped at the muddy stains, but only managed to make it look worse.
“I’ll take care of it. The doctor said you needed to rest.” Roxi led her out of the room and towards the elevator. “I’ve called a taxi. We’re splurging tonight.”
“Thanks. I don’t think I want to ride a bus again today.”
“And once we’re home, you’re heading to bed. I’ll get you some soup and—”
“I’m not an invalid you know.”
“I know.” Roxi made a face. “It just really freaked me out. I’m not used to being responsible for someone, let alone a pregnant someone.”
“You aren’t responsible for me. I can take care of myself.”
“Says the woman who can’t even zip up her own coat.”
“Well, I guess I do need some help.”
“There! See? I told you so.” Roxi gave a satisfied smirk and jabbed at the elevator button.
They made it home without incident. Roxi relented on the soup and they ordered a pizza instead. Lou sat with her feet up munching on the melted cheesy goodness while Roxi bustled about the apartment actually tidying up between bites of pizza. How long this change in her roommate would last, Lou had no idea, but she’d enjoy it while she could.
“Do you want another slice?” Roxi held the box up.
“No, I’d better stop. I’ll probably have heartburn as it is.”
“Maybe we should have gone with the soup after all.”
“No, this was perfect. I was starving.”
“Me, too.”
“You always are.” She pushed herself to the edge of the chair, tired and not wanting to stand up. “You eat the last slice. I’m going to head to bed.”
“Okay. I’ll hang up your coat when it’s done washing. Do you want me to get a hold of Ashton and tell him you won’t be at work tomorrow?”
“No, I can take care of it. I have him programmed into my phone.” She looked around for her purse and spied it on the floor near the foyer. “Roxi, can you hand me my purse?”
“Sure! Oh…” Roxi started to move and then stopped. “No. You go rest. I’ll call him. He might ask you a bunch of questions and get you all worked up.”
“I won’t get all worked up. Ashton’s really mellow, you know that.”
“Well,” Roxi looked at the purse again, still hesitating. “You go lie down and I’ll bring it to you in a minute.”
“My purse is not that heavy. I’m perfectly capable of carrying it.”
“But—”
“Oh for heaven’s sake, I’ll get it myself!” She started to cross the room but Roxi stepped in front of her. “Now what?”
“I…um…have a confession to make about your purse.”
“A confession?”
“Yes. About your purse.” Roxi slowly walked over to get it. “While we were at the hospital, I got hungry waiting for you.”
“That’s not a surprise.”
“There were no vending machines and I didn’t dare leave to go to the cafeteria and there was nothing in my purse, so I looked in yours to get some gum.”
“That’s your confession? That you took some of my gum?” She shook her head. “Are you sure you didn’t get hurt on the bus? Bump your head or something?”
“There’s more.” Roxi took a deep breath. “I saw your phone and I know your PIN.” She held up her hand probably anticipating a protest. “I can’t help it that you don’t shield your phone when you enter your PIN. I notice things like that. It’s a gift and a curse.”
Lou folded her arms and sat on the edge of the chair. She had no idea what Roxi was getting at but decided it would probably take a while.
“Anyway, I was really worried. I didn’t know if you were hurt or if the baby was okay, so I started to look through your contacts.”
A bad feeling began to creep over her even though her contact list was quite limited and certain people weren’t even listed on it.
“I was looking for Armand’s number because—”
“I know, I know. You feel he has a right to know. Keep going.”
“Well, he wasn’t in your contacts, so I got to thinking maybe his number was in your call history.”
“I’ve never called him.”
“Which I now know but I didn’t know then so when I saw this number I didn’t recognize, I called it.”
She searched her memory trying to think of whose number Roxi had stumbled upon. Work, the doctor, the drop-in centre…
“I ended up talking to this guy named Ryne.”
“What?” She surged to her feet, then grabbed the back of the chair to steady herself.
“I thought it might have been Armand’s number and when this other guy came on, I found out he knew Armand and—”
“He didn’t give you Armand’s number, did he?”
“Well, he did but I didn’t call him.”
“Thank goodness.” She sank back down again.
“I told Ryne what had happened and asked him to call Armand instead.”
“You didn’t!” She stood up again, staring at Roxi in utter shock.
“I did.” Roxi winced. “But it was because I was worried and I—”
“You had no right! No right at all!” A wave of fury surged through her so strong she was shaking, her vision blurring, her voice raised. “It was my decision as to whether or not Armand was told and when.”
“I know. And technically I didn’t tell him. It’s Ryne—”
“Forget it.” She made a slashing movement with her hand. “Forget the ridiculous games and excuses. You made the call and now Armand knows. This is your fault and yours alone!”
Roxi’s face paled, her eyes appearing large and dark as she realized she wasn’t going to be able to talk her way out of the situation. “I was worried…”
“I don’t care what the hell you were. Everything in my life has been screwed up lately; my plans, my dreams. This was the one thing I still had control over. The one and only thing and now you’ve taken even that from me.”
“I’m sorry.” Roxi’s voice cracked, her chin trembling.
“Everything in life is like a game to you. You twist things around to suit yourself. You try to joke and fast-talk your way out of situations. Well this wasn’t a game. It wasn’t one of your scams, or a piece of information to be sold to the highest bidder.”
“I…I didn’t sell it.”
“This is my life and you’ve completely screwed it up!” She turned to go to her room, needing to get away, but the room was spinning and she stumbled into the wall.
“Lulu!” Roxi rushed forward.
“Stay away! And quit calling me Lulu. It’s a ridiculous, childish name. Grow up!”
“Okay.” Roxi’s voice sounded small and quiet, barely above a whisper. “But you don’t look too good.”
“I don’t care. Just stay away and leave me alone!” Tears blurred her vision and her head was pounding. She staggered to her room and collapsed on the bed.