“Good thinking,” he approved. “The wife and I plan to move to a quieter place once I retire in a few years. We’ve been saving up.”
He was a friendly, chatty driver, and enlivened the rest of the drive with descriptions of his wife, his three children, and seven grandchildren. In cheerful detail he outlined their plans for Thanksgiving, coming up in a few weeks, along with a vehement hope that his daughter-in-law didn’t go into labor during Thanksgiving dinner… apparently a real possibility. Naomi listened, hiding her amusement.
They parted on the best of terms, Max giving her his business card and pressing her to join his family for Thanksgiving.
“And a plus one,” he assured her.
She promised to think about it, and waved a cheery farewell as the taxi disappeared down the street and around a corner. Turning to the security gate, she input the code to get into the complex of storage units. Anxiety ratcheted up as she approached the unit she’d rented. Her car had been here for a year, and she’d heard that car batteries didn’t like being unused for long periods of time. She had her phone with her and could call for a jump if she had to, but she really hoped she wouldn’t need to. Unlocking the combination padlock, she rolled up the heavy door. There was her car, a nice-looking blue four-door Ford Focus, a bit dusty but otherwise looking just the same as the last time she’d seen it. Retrieving the key she’d placed in a magnetic box beneath the wheelwell, she unlocked her car, and with some trepidation slid into the driver’s seat. She held her breath as she turned the key in the ignition, then blew it out in relief as the engine turned over smoothly.
She pulled out of the storage unit and parked in the aisle, getting out to roll down the door. Getting back in her car, she reached under the passenger seat, pulling out her purse which she’d had stashed there. Everything was there… wallet, ID, bank cards, cash, a small bottle of her favorite perfume, lip moisturizer. Closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. It was going to be okay. For the first time, she let herself feel the glimmer of hope that had been growing in her. She wasn’t Rogue… and she wasn’t ever going to be one. She was starting a wonderful new life, in a community of other shifters. A real life, not one always shadowed and hounded by fear.
She rolled down all the windows, letting the musty air out. Conscientiously she checked her turn signal lights, and even the brake lights, contorting to lean far out of the car, her foot on the brake pedal, to be sure they worked. Satisfied, she drove slowly through the complex to the office, where she closed out her rental agreement. That only took a few minutes, and soon she was wending her way out of the city. An hour later, she pulled off at the exit for the inn. Rolling down the windows, she breathed in the crisp fall air. Happiness filled her, and a sense of contentment she’d never been able to achieve in Florida, nor in Manhattan, as she drove along the sun-dappled country roads with their overhanging branches. The leaves were turning with a vengeance now, having apparently been delayed by the Indian summer. They’d never had anything like this down in Miami, and she found that she was loving the countryside here. It appealed to her cat, too, who wanted nothing more than to romp in the leaves and jump into the trees.
Soon, she promised her cat self. First things first, she needed to go through the clothes in her suitcase and get them freshly laundered. The inn’s laundry was in the basement, but fortunately the elevator Angus and Renee had added onto the inn went down to the basement. While exercise was fine, that didn’t mean she relished the thought of carrying loads of clothing up and down two flights of stairs.
Oh! And she had her jewelry, too! That made her cheer up even more. Not that she had much, but each piece was special to her. They were packed in a small case inside her large suitcase. Maybe she’d splurge on something shiny and pretty, a necklace, perhaps, or earrings, once she was working again, to celebrate the beginning of the new life she was creating here.
It wasn’t long before, following the instructions on the B&B’s brochure, she was pulling up to the bed and breakfast in triumph. She drove around to the parking lot on the back side of the inn, and went around to open her trunk, grimacing at the dust that had accumulated on her car.
“I got that!”
Naomi turned to see a young man charging out the back door of the inn. He lifted the larger of her suitcases from her trunk with apparent ease, and grinned at her.
“Hi! I’m Martin. Angus told me to look out for you, and take your luggage up to your room.”
“Oh.” She blinked at him, a little startled, then smiled, holding out her hand. “Hi, Martin. I’m Naomi.”
They shook, and he unloaded the rest of her luggage while she grabbed her laptop bag from the back seat.
“Sorry about all the dust,” she apologized. “The car’s been in storage for almost a year.”
“No sweat,” Martin assured her. “There’s a full-service car wash over by the mall, with inside detailing, too. They have a waiting room with drinks and popcorn and everything, then they’ll come call you when your car’s done.”
“That does sound good,” she agreed. “Much better than doing it myself.”
He lifted the handle on the large suitcase, and propped the smaller suitcase on top. “Let me get your luggage upstairs.”
She smiled at him. “I appreciate it.”
Detouring at the dining room before heading up to her room, she poured herself a lemonade and grabbed a handful of cookies. Martin met her at the foot of the stairs with a cheerful grin.
“Got all your stuff up..”
“Oh!” Feeling her cheeks heat in embarrassment, she juggled the cookies and lemonade to reach into her purse, pulling out some cash to press into Martin’s hand. “Thank you very much.”
He blushed at that, too, and she was amused to see the tips of his ears turn red. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Just Naomi is fine.”
“Thanks, Naomi.”
Suppressing a laugh, she waved at him, and headed up to her room to begin unpacking and sorting laundry.
Two hours later,she sat on her bed, surrounded by piles of clean, dry clothes to be folded. In the middle of rolling a pair of fuzzy socks, she faltered, and her hands dropped to her lap.
These last three days had been a whirlwind of activity, ever since the moment she’d Changed in the back of the van driving away from the zoo. It was hard to believe it had been only three days, yet at the same time it felt like it was yesterday. For a moment, a strange sensation came over her, like this wasn’t real. As if any minute she would wake up and find herself back in the zoo, laying limply on the cold cement floor at the back of the leopard enclosure. Could it really be that she wasn’t a Rogue, that she never would become… that? It boggled the mind. She’d grown up knowing she could never have a ‘normal’ life… no husband, no children. No family. She could never even consider letting a man get close, because her cat, raging, would be the last thing he would ever see.
She caught her lower lip between her teeth, gnawing at it anxiously. They were so sure… Liam, and Maroulla, and everyone else. They knew a lot more about shifters than she did, there was so much her family had held back from her. And they were trusting her, welcoming her. They wouldn’t do that, unless they were very sure about her. And yet….
