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“Not from Zach, but I did speak with his best friend who spoke with him day before yesterday. My brother is our forest ranger, and apparently, some hikers were injured in a climb. He needed to help them.”
“That’s a relief. You two are close, I take it?”
It was nice to talk about family for a change instead of work. “Very close. We’re twins. My other three brothers are older, but it’s Zach and I who enjoy nature the most.”
“What are the others like?”
“Let me see. Dan is a high school math teacher. He’s gentle but stern with the kids. If I’d had him as a teacher, I think I might have actually liked math.”
Julia smiled. “I hear you. The sciences were not my thing either. And the last two?”
“Brandon owns the car dealership in town, and Mason is a private investigator.”
Julia’s eyes widened. “Really? So is Brad.”
“What a coincidence. Mason works way too much. Maybe he could use some help.” Tawny was saying that to be nice, but Mason might benefit from expanding his business.
“Do you think you could ask him? I know Brad would really appreciate it.”
“No harm in doing so.” Mason usually worked alone, but who knows? Having a partner might be good for him.
“Thank you.”
Their drinks arrived, and the first sip did wonders for Tawny’s mood—or perhaps it was being in the bar with a newfound friend that did the trick.
Once they ordered, they talked a lot about the center and the usual types of animals that showed up.
“Tell me your favorite memory of Zach growing up.”
Tawny had so many stories about the two of them that it would be hard to choose—but she would pick one. “We were maybe eight or nine, visiting my uncle who owns the Double G ranch on the outskirts of town. Zach loved to climb trees.” She smiled at the memory. He’d tried to climb them in his wolf form and failed miserably. Of course, she wouldn’t mention that to Julia. “We found one with a few low branches, and my brother scurried up the tree as if was a ladder. When I climbed up, my foot slipped. I fell and broke my arm.”
“Oh, no. What did Zach do?”
He hurried down the tree, shifted, and raced back to the house to find our parents. “He ran for help. I walked back partway, but my arm really hurt. I was in a cast for months.”
Had Zach been injured, he would have healed in days. Werewolf men were so lucky.
“A lot of kids break their arm.” Julia sounded a bit wistful as if she’d broken a bone or two.
“Tell me something fun about Brad,” Tawny said.
Julie sipped her drink, as if she needed time to think what to say. “I think the best time was when we decided at the age of eleven and ten—I’m the older one—to run away from home. He said it was to prove to our parents how adult we were.”
“How did that work out?”
She laughed. “Let’s say it was the last time we tried that.”
Once their food arrived, they ate in relative silence. Coming here with Julia had taken Tawny’s mind off of Zach for a bit.
Out of habit though, she glanced to the main entrance, hoping her brother would rush in, look around, and race toward her. The apology would be epic.
When that didn’t happened, worry seeped in once more.
THE END
