"Yeah. She loved this century right away. It was something else, to see how quickly she would absorb everything thrown at her. Everything was different, changed, new, but she embraced it all." Jake's face lit up with pride as he spoke about his fiancée, his blue eyes sparkling. Harper noticed how his entire demeanor shifted whenever he mentioned Becca, radiating pure joy and devotion.
From the back seat, Katerina made a pointed cough. "We've wandered away from our earlier topic," she noted.
"Right! The redcoats," Jake said with a snicker. "The bottom line is, that evening Kelly and Ethan received a quick education about shapeshifters and supernatural beings. Naturally, they were stunned..."
"The scotch made it easier," Katerina commented with a sardonic tone.
Harper let out a soft chuckle. "I bet it did."
Jake glanced at Katerina in the rearview mirror, his expression brightening.
"Hey, did you know Carter's Bank is where I work security?"
Katerina's golden eyes went wide. Harper's mouth dropped open as she stared at Jake, her mind struggling to process this new connection. The coincidences were starting to feel almost supernatural in their convergence.
"You're joking," Katerina breathed from the back seat, leaning forward between them. "How did none of us realize this before?"
Harper's gaze darted between them, her heart racing with a mixture of anxiety and hope. Not only would she have a familiar face at her new workplace, but a fellow shifter - one who could watch her back if needed. The tight knot of tension in her chest loosened slightly.
"So I'll be working at the same bank as you?" Her voice came out higher than intended, squeaking with surprise.
Jake nodded, a grin spreading across his face as he navigated through traffic. "Looks like it. I'm usually stationed in the main lobby, but I patrol all floors throughout my shift. We'll probably cross paths pretty often. In fact, I figured I can give you a lift to and from the bank until you get a new car. I don't live that far from the inn, it's no big deal to swing by there."
The revelation settled over them, and Harper sank back against her seat, processing this latest development. First the perfectly-timed job opening, then discovering the bank's new president already knew about shifters, and now learning Jake worked there too? It felt almost too perfect, like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place.
"The universe works in mysterious ways," Katerina mused from the back seat, echoing Harper's thoughts.
"It does. I ran into them when I was picking up Becca at the inn the other day, and they recognized me from seeing meat the bank, and we got talking. Carter's Bank has apparently been in their family since before the Civil War," Jake explained, navigating through a series of traffic lights. "Their great-great-grandfather founded it. Their dad's been running it for decades now, but he's ready to step down."
Harper absorbed this information, her mind automatically calculating the historical significance. A family-owned bank surviving that long was impressive.
"Ethan was supposed to take over last year," Jake continued, "but some big merger kept him in London longer than planned. Their father wasn't happy about the delay. He's staying on as chairman of the board, but Ethan will handle day-to-day operations." Jake drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Kelly came with him to help smooth the transition. She's got a marketing background."
“And they are staying at the West Side Inn, where I'm told lots of shifters stay?” Harper inquired. “Isn’t that… well, I mean. The coincidence factor is…” She hesitated seeking the right word.
"Off the charts," Katerina finished for her. She raised a single digit. "Consider this - Jake was working at the same bank as you in San Francisco, and moves to the East Coast before the shifter revelation. Second, this British guy comes to take over at the bank where Jake is a security guard. Third, they are staying in a bed and breakfast in the heart of the shifter community, an inn not only owned by wielders of magic, but where any number of shifters are staying at any given time. And here's the kicker - they land in America and check into that specific inn the exact same night the world learns about shifters."
Katerina pressed on. "Actually, the string of coincidences was so bizarre, I suspected Angus and Renee might have orchestrated the whole thing - their arrival time and their choice of lodging. So I asked Angus about it a few days after."
Harper furrowed her brow, trying to place the name. "Angus… that's the owner of the bed and breakfast, correct?"
"Yes, Angus and Renee, his wife. Angus manages the inn, Renee is in charge of the kitchen and dining."
"So, what did he say?" Harper asked, intrigued.
"Would you believe it? He just gave me a wink!" Katerina exclaimed. "A wink!"
Harper and Jake both started laughing.
"Well, there's your answer then," Jake said, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. "Honestly, I wouldn't put much past their abilities… even if no one knows what they are, exactly."
Startled, Harper stared at him, her amber eyes widening. She'd assumed Angus and Renee were some type of supernatural being she hadn't encountered yet - perhaps something rare or exotic. But to learn they were a complete mystery? "No one knows what they are?"
"No, but they have magic powers beyond anything I've known or heard of," Jake said. "And considering my family's been around shapeshifters and other paranormals for generations, that's saying something."
"Me, too," Katerina admitted, her golden eyes alight with enthusiasm. "When that bad Djinn came after Becca, however, they said the ward they'd put around the inn and its property would repel anyone short of a minor deity."
“You’ll meet Becca when we get there,” Jake said, smiling. “She’s staying in the pack house for now. We’re both Catholic, and she’s from the 17th century, besides. She won’t be moving in with me until we’re married. At first, we were going to have her move in, but she was so uncomfortable with it, we decided to wait. We were going to get married sooner than later but then… well… there was this video popped up, and things got put on hold.”
