Chapter Six
With the death of my cousin and everything else that seemed to be going wrong lately, I needed something to smile about. Something to take my mind off of everything happening. Maybe it was wrong of me, but I stopped back in at the bookstore with a coffee and scone in hand, hoping to find Rose working.
It was early, right after the store had opened, and she was alone, putting some books up onto the shelves. When I walked in, she smiled at me and I felt my pulse race a little. Many would probably think I was crazy for letting myself feel a little bit infatuated with someone else when I had a fiancé like Mariana. But Rose was different. Yes, she had more curves to her than Mariana, a little more roundness to her hips. Her auburn hair fell in natural waves over her shoulders, and she wore very little – if any – makeup. She was a natural beauty. And I hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since that first day I'd met her.
Her blue eyes looked startled when I stepped into the bookstore. But she still smiled brightly showing off the dimples in both her cheeks. She was a beautiful woman. Not in the made-up, almost artificial way Mariana looked sometimes. There was something wholesome about Rose. Something natural. She definitely had that girl-next-door vibe about her and it was something that was incredibly appealing to me.
“Well, welcome back,” she said as she put some books on the shelf nearby. “Finished with the book already? Looking for something else?”
“Actually, I've had a lot going on lately and not nearly as much time to read as I would have liked,” I said, putting the coffee down on the counter. “But I was in the neighborhood and thought I might stop by to say hello and bring you a little something to thank you for your help the other day.”
She looked down at the coffee, her smile fading slightly. I could see the discomfort in her as her body tensed, as if she was afraid of something. Afraid of me? Of course, it wouldn't be the first time, I tended to have that affect on women, especially more timid women like Rose seemed to be. Which was why I'd approached with caution.
“Let me guess, you're more of a tea drinker?”
“No, it's not that,” she said, taking the cup from me. “Thank you. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. I love coffee actually. That was very thoughtful, so thank you.”
“Smart girl,” I said with a wink and handed her the scone. “The place down the street makes the best pastries. You absolutely have to stop by if you get a chance. Donna is an absolute wizard. And pro tip, they're even better first thing in the morning – fresh out of the oven.”
“I probably shouldn't wait to try it then, huh?”
“Probably not,” I said.
Rose took the pastry and the coffee and motioned for me to follow her to a small table in the corner of the bookstore. We sat down as she took dainty, delicate little bites from the scone. Her eyes widened slightly and she nodded, a smile spreading across her face.
“Wow, that is really good. Thank you,” she said.
“You're very welcome,” I said. “Thank you for helping me find my book the other day.”
“I didn't really help with anything. It was just sitting right there –”
“Don't sell yourself short Rose,” I said. “You helped me, and you made my day on top of that. It's not too often that I can talk astrophysics with someone. Most people have no idea I'm even interested in the subject. Most of them wouldn't be interested or able to actually speak intelligently about it. So, it was nice to find a fellow nerd.”
“Yeah, I understand,” she said. “It happens to me a lot too. Since I'm a woman, they assume I couldn't possibly want to read about science. Or even worse, understand science. Even though I was a science teacher –”
“You were a science teacher?” I asked. “Where at?”
She looked down at her hands on the table. “Uhh – in Seattle,” she said.
“Very cool,” he said. “Why did you leave?”
“I didn't really have a choice,” she said, a bitter, haunted look in her eyes. “But I really don't want to talk about it, if that's okay?”
She still didn't look me in the eye and I could hear the emotion choking her voice. Whatever happened to her had to have been bad.
“I'm sorry,” I said. “I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories. You're here now though. And you seem happy, so that's good. That's a step in the right direction.”
“Yeah,” she said, smiling a little for me as she glanced up and blushed. “I guess I am.”
My phone buzzed – Mariana's ring tone. I reached down and silenced it.
“I can let you go if you –”
“No, it's fine. Probably just a telemarketer.” I said, meeting her gaze and giving her a gentle smile.
Her eyes were so clear and blue, I couldn't help but stare into them. She was so sweet, gentle and modest. After months of being with Mariana, it was nice to be with someone who seemed down-to-earth and so – real.
“So, ask me anything,” I said. “I feel like I've pried into your life enough. At least for now. So, ask me something. I promise to answer.”
Her smile brightened a bit, and I could tell she had questions swimming in her brain. There were so many things she could ask that might get me in trouble if I were honest, so I knew that I had to tread a bit carefully.
I half expected her to ask about my family, our business or about what we were. Most people in town knew we weren't fully human, though they tended to look the other way. No one really talked about it, but it was the elephant in the room during most conversations.
The bottom line was that the clans had basically founded the town a long time ago. The clans were what kept the town prosperous. Kept the town safe. We wanted Black Salmon Falls to be an idyllic place to live and raise a family – for human and bear alike. And we bent over backwards – sometimes even did things I couldn't be proud of – to ensure that our town remained that way.
And because of that, the people of Black Salmon Falls didn't pry too deeply into our lives or our businesses. They accepted us as just another part of the town's charm and mystique. In other words, they didn't poke the bears with spoons. It was a beautifully symbiotic relationship.
But instead of asking me what I'd thought she was going to, she asked me something simple. “Why didn't you go into astrophysics if it interests you so much?”
Her question took me by surprise. Few women seemed to care about that. About what I was interested in or what I wanted out of life. Most of the women who put themselves in my path were pretty much focused on my money and family name. It was just another reason I liked Rose.
“To be honest? I had no choice in the matter. I was always slated to run the family business. I probably would have made the choice to do it anyway, it's a point of pride for my family,” I said. “But science is fascinating. I absolutely love it, but part of me thinks it would lose some of its magic if I studied it for a living, you know?”
“I know exactly what you mean,” she said.
My phone buzzed again, and instead of simply declining the call, I put it on silent. I knew Mariana would be pissed, but I didn't care. For the first time in a long time, I was having a conversation with someone who actually seemed to understand me. Someone who wanted to listen to my thoughts and opinions, who didn't automatically want something from me. Somebody who was interested in me as a person, rather than in what I could do for them.
I sat in the bookstore for several hours, talking to Rose on and off in between customers. I lost track of time, honestly, because for the first time in days, I felt happy again. We laughed, joked around and had some deep conversations about everything from astrophysics, to religion, to current events.
We moved so easily from topic to topic and the conversation never lagged. There was never one point where I found myself looking at my watch, wondering when I could check out. I found that the longer I sat there, the longer I wanted to sit there and talk to her. She was so smart, so witty – talking to her and bantering with her was something I genuinely enjoyed more than I'd enjoyed anything in what felt like forever.
In the back of my mind though, I reminded myself that we could only be friends. Not only was I to wed another, but even if Mariana and I weren't to be married, I could never be with Rose. Sure, maybe as a one-night stand or a fling – that was acceptable. We could have human lovers, but humans and my kind were not allowed to be together. Not officially, at least. We could never marry. We could never be a real couple. And she deserved more than what I could give her. She was not the kind of girl I wanted as my side piece – I already had way too much respect for her.
As I left the bookstore that day, I couldn't stop thinking about her and couldn't seem to get the smile off my face. I couldn't wait to come back in and talk with her some more. But at the same time, I knew I should stay away. Because she looked at me the way I looked at her – with a longing we were both doing our best to shut down within ourselves. And I couldn't hurt her. I couldn't let her down. Still, I was grinning like an idiot as I stepped out into the street, my head filled with thoughts of her eyes, her smile, the sound of her laughter. I was feeling great as I stepped back into the street.
That is, until I ran into Mariana.