"You know that young woman, too? Katerina?" His father asked, clearly as interested as Regina, but more dignified about it. To his right, Nathan was aware of Harper struggling to control her laughter.
"Er, yes."
"Do you think we could meet them?" His mother asked eagerly. "Maybe we could go to this restaurant while we're here! Ever since those videos came out, I've been wishing I could meet a shapeshifter. There are so many questions! There's a whole other world out there, one that apparently has always been there, but we never knew."
"It makes us wonder what else is out there," Charlie said, agreeing with his wife. "If there are shapeshifters, which is a kind of magic from the way that young woman described it, are there other magical beings? And if magic is real, what other kinds of magic are there? The possibilities are mind-boggling."
"Also," said his mother, having eaten a few more bites of her dinner with clear relish, "I want the recipe for this. But seriously,dearest, do you think we might be able to meet any of your shapeshifter friends?"
Nathan and Harper exchanged glances.
Putting down her fork, Harper looked across the table at his parents, her eyes dancing with mischief. She lifted her right hand and waggled her fingers at them.
"Hi!" she said brightly, trying not to laugh aloud. Inside, her fox was spinning in delighted circles.Heehee!
Charlie and Regina stared at her a moment, uncomprehending. Charlie was the first one to get it, and he froze, his hand with the wineglass halfway to his mouth. A moment later, Regina's mouth dropped open in a perfect "O". There was a moment of silence as they digested this news. Then a frown creased Regina's brow, and a hint of anxiety crossed her face.
"I hope we didn't say anything to offend you, dear." She turned her anxious gaze on her husband. "We weren't rude, were we?"
"No, no," Harper hurried to reassure them. "It's fine. Like you said, a whole new world has opened up for you, and so far you've only had a glimpse of it. Anyone would be curious."
Nathan watched as Harper's expression softened, clearly seeing the barely contained curiosity in his parents' faces. His mother kept opening her mouth as if to speak, then closing it again, while his father fidgeted with his napkin - something Nathan had never seen him do before.
"It's okay to ask questions," Harper said gently. "I can see you're bursting with them."
His mother's shoulders relaxed slightly. "We don't want to make you uncomfortable..."
"You won't." Harper's smile widened. "And since you're probably wondering - I'm a fox shifter."
"A fox!" His mother's eyes lit up with delight. "Oh, that's wonderful! Like the woman who saved that family in Yosemite!"
Nathan tensed slightly at the mention of the incident that had exposed shifters to the world, but Harper remained calm beside him.
His father leaned forward, his scholarly interest evident. "Is it difficult? The transformation, I mean?"
"Not at all," Harper replied. "It's as natural as breathing for us. We're born with the ability, though we don't start shifting until we're toddlers."
Nathan watched in amazement as Harper fielded his parents' questions with grace and patience. The tension had completely melted from her shoulders, replaced by an easy confidence he'd come to associate with her discussions of shifter nature. His mother had produced her infamous notebook from her purse, but Harper just laughed when she saw it, giving Nathan's hand a squeeze under the table.
"I told you they'd be excited," he murmured in her ear, and she turned to give him a bright smile that made his heart skip.
"Your fox form," his mother was saying, pen poised over her notebook, "is it the size of a regular fox?"
"Yes," Harper nodded. "We maintain natural proportions when we shift. A wolf shifter becomes a normal-sized wolf, a house cat shifter becomes a regular cat, and so on."
His father set down his wine glass, expression thoughtful. "And you can change whenever you want? It's not tied to the full moon or anything like that?"
"That's werewolves," Harper explained. "They're something completely different. Shapeshifters can change at will, any time we choose."
Nathan felt a surge of pride as he watched Harper handle his parents' enthusiasm with such ease. Gone was the nervous woman who'd been anxious about meeting them just an hourago. In her place was someone confident and comfortable, happy to share her world with others who showed genuine interest rather than fear.
Nathan scanned their half-eaten dinners, and gave an audible sigh. "I should have just ordered pizza."
Guiltily, his parents returned their attention to their plates. "It really is good," his mother assured him.
Charlie spooned some of the salad onto his plate. "This is unusual."
"It's Greek also," Nathan replied. "Tomatoes and cucumbers with cumin, and a light dash of olive oil."
