"Jake? But he's engaged to Becca." Nathan's confusion made her smile.
"I know, right? But I'd rather focus on the positive aspects. The work itself is fascinating, and I already have ideas for helping some of the clients optimize their investments." Her enthusiasm grew as she described the opportunities she'd spotted in various portfolios. "And Kelly - she's the new bank president's sister and is on the board - she's just lovely. We had lunch together and she told me all about the family's history with the bank."
The arrival of their steaks provided a brief pause in the conversation. Harper breathed in the mouthwatering aroma of her perfectly cooked New York steak.
"It sounds like you're settling in well, despite those three," Nathan observed, cutting into his steak.
"I am. The bank has such a different atmosphere from my last position - more personal, more connected to the community. And knowing there are other shifters there at the bank, that I don't have to hide who I am from absolutely everyone..." She smiled. "It feels right, you know?"
Harper set down her fork, eager to shift the conversation away from herself. "But enough about my day. Tell me about you - how did you get involved with the shifter community? I mean, besides finding Jill?"
Nathan's face lit up with warmth as he took a sip of his wine. "After bringing her to the vet clinic, things just... snowballed. Katerina started inviting me to these amazing barbecues at their place. The first time, I was nervous - I mean, I knew about shifters by then, but still."
"I can imagine," Harper said, remembering her own initial anxiety about being open with her nature.
"But everyone was so welcoming. Troy grills these incredible steaks, and everyone brings food to share, so there's always a ton of it. Their house has this huge backyard that backs up to the barn and horse pasture, lots of room for the kids to run around." He chuckled. "And the Friesian horses are gorgeous - I'd never seen one outside of that movie, Ladyhawk. And everyone has questions about Jill, of course."
Harper leaned forward, fascinated. "So the whole community knows about her?"
"Word spread pretty quickly. Some of the shifter parents started enrolling their kids in music lessons at the conservatory where I teach. And now on Saturday mornings, small groups of shifter children come by to visit Jill." His brown eyes crinkled with joy. "You should see their faces when they meet her. Even the teenagers can't hide their excitement."
"That must be amazing to witness," Harper said softly, touched by the image of children discovering the magic of a real jackalope.
"It's become this wonderful bridge between the human and supernatural worlds. The children get to meet Jill… their parents, too," he said with a chuckle. "Everyone's crazy about her. I get to learn about shifters and magic." Nathan's voice held a note of pride. "I never expected to be part of something like this, but now I can't imagine my life any other way."
"I can understand that," she said, taking another bite of her baked potato. The rich, buttery flavor melted on her tongue as she listened to Nathan. His enthusiasm sparked a warm glow in her chest - here stood someone who, like her, had stumbled into this hidden world and found a sense of belonging among its extraordinary inhabitants. "What was it like, those first few gatherings? Meeting everyone?"
"Well, at first I worried I'd say or do the wrong thing." Nathan's eyes crinkled with amusement. "But Katerina has this way of making everyone feel at ease. She'd introduce me around, making sure I never felt left out."
"That sounds like her," Harper agreed, taking another bite of her steak. She watched Nathan's expression soften as he recalled that first meeting with Troy, the dim restaurant lighting catching the warmth in his brown eyes.
"And Troy - he's this big guy, right? But he's got the gentlest touch with animals I've ever seen. When I brought Jill to the clinic, she was terrified. But Troy..." Nathan shook his head in amazement. "He was totally freaked out, but he still spoke to her in this low, soothing voice while he checked her over. Within minutes, she stopped trembling. By the time he finished treating her injured leg, she was eating a bit of lettuce someone brought in from their lunch, from his hand."
"It was amazing to watch," Nathan continued. "Here was this mythical creature - something I'd thought existed only in tall tales - and Troy handled her as calmly as if she were any other injured rabbit. He showed me how to clean her wounds and change her bandages. Taught me what to feed her, how to care for her."
Nathan's voice held a note of reverence that made Harper's heart flutter. His genuine appreciation for Troy's gentle nature, his obvious love for Jill - it warmed something inside her.
"And I love when the kids come to visit her," Nathan went on, his face lighting up. "There's this one little girl, Sarah - she's a rabbit shifter. The first time she met Jill, she just sat there for an hour, completely still, watching her nibble hay. Now she brings drawings of Jill every time she visits." He chuckled. "Her mother says Sarah is planning to ask Santa for antlers for Christmas this year."
His enthusiasm was infectious. Harper found herself smiling as he described how the children would gather around while he explained Jill's care routine, asking endless questions about her favorite treats and toys.
"Did you know anything about rabbits before Jill?" Harper asked, genuinely curious.
"Hardly anything! I had to learn everything from scratch. Troy gave me books on rabbit care, and you know about the construction crew that came to build her pen. The whole community pitched in with advice and support."
Harper smiled, warmth spreading through her chest as she thought about her own experiences. "I understand that completely. From the moment I arrived, everyone has been so welcoming. Even before I got here, Katerina was texting me about places to visit, things to do. And Renee at the inn - she's been amazing, making sure I have everything I need."
"It's different here," she continued, her voice soft with wonder. "Back in San Francisco, I had to be so careful all the time. Hide what I am, watch every word, every gesture." Her fingers traced the stem of her water glass. "But here... even at the bank, there are other shifters. People who understand."
And a mate who accepts us completely,Reyna whispered in her mind, making Harper's cheeks flush pink.
Harper met Nathan's warm brown eyes across the table. "They've made me feel like I belong here, in a way I never belonged before, like I'm part of something special."
The genuine understanding in Nathan's expression made her heart flutter. Here was someone else who knew exactly what it meant to discover this hidden world, to be welcomed into its extraordinary embrace.
"I've been so used to hiding what I am, it's still surreal to think about being open with you like this," she confessed.
"The West Side Inn feels like that too," Harper continued. "Everyone's so welcoming, and there's this sense of... belonging. Like I've found my place." She paused, feeling her cheeks coloring. "Sorry, I'm probably rambling."
