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I arrive earlier than my usual time, and to my surprise, she’s already seated on the doorstep as if waiting for me, two glasses of water and a tray of cold meats at her side. My heart aches at how beautiful she is. Her eyes are dark, her mane even darker, and I think about how soft her pillowy mouth was against mine, and what it felt like when her tongue nudged against my own. She looks vaguely troubled, though, and my aching pleasure at the sight of her recedes, replaced by worry. I hurry out of the sled, the boxes under my arm and a bright, disarming smile on my face. “This is a charming sight,” I call out as I approach. “Is all this for me?”
Her focus turns to me and she shoots a puzzled look in my direction. “Who else would it be for?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps you found the vet’s assistant charming and decided to run away with him.” Ah kef, now I sound like a jealous asshole when all I’m trying to do is make her smile. Shut up, Jrrru. Shut up. “Was he handsome?”
She makes a face. “Ask his wife. Why are you being weird?”
“Because you look sad and troubled and I want to distract you,” I say honestly. “So I’m just blurting out random things.” I hold the boxes out to her. “Sweets?”
Tabitha looks at me in surprise, as if she’s just now realizing I’ve brought her something. She manages a small smile. “Did I blank out and not remember asking you to bring me food?”
“You did not. I did this on my own. I thought you might need a treat after a long day.”
She sags, as if all the bones in her body have suddenly turned to liquid, and I realize the distant expression on her face is a defense. That she’s exhausted from whatever happened today. “How did you know?”
“Because I know you, and I imagine it’s hard to be around people after pushing them all away for a long time.”
Tabitha gives me a small smile, and I realize I’ve guessed right—she’s mentally drained after having people on her property. It had to be a lot for her, and here I’ve been stewing in my own head when I should be taking care of her. I set the boxes down on the porch step next to her and then sit in front of her, on the ground, and take her boot into my hands.
“What are you doing?” she asks, puzzled.
“You need a foot rub after a long day, and I am just the male to give you one. Can I take your boot off?”
“Kinda tricky to rub my foot with it on,” she teases, and then bites her lip. “You…do you want to come in?”
Her expression is flustered, and her shoulders tense again. Is she afraid I’ll say yes? Or that I’ll refuse? “I’ll come in, but only if you want me to. I’m content to wait out here, you know…as long as you warn me if I’m about to fall into a pit trap, that is.”
Tabitha’s smile widens. “I do want you to come in.”
“Then I would love to.”
She pulls her foot from my grip and opens the door, and I take a moment to gather the boxes of sweets and the plate of meat. She snags the drinks and brings them to the kitchen, and I follow her inside. I’m not entirely surprised to see that her stun-stick is humming beside the door, and that there are several weapons stacked next to it. My fur bristles, and I wonder if this male gave her problems. “Did he bother you? This vet?”
“Hm? Oh no, he was very nice. Didn’t speak much. His mate did all the talking.” Tabitha sets the drinks down on the counter, and again, she looks exhausted.
I suspect the female talked her ear off, not realizing that it would mentally and physically drain Tabitha even more. I set the food down on the counter and take my mate by the hands, pulling her towards the living room and the standard issue sofa that’s identical to the one Chelsea has at her farm. “Come and sit.”
She follows my lead. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.”
“Just because you didn’t make thirteen clubs today doesn’t mean you weren’t busy.” I steer her over to the sofa, glad that I can get a chuckle out of her. “People can be exhausting. We worked with an older mesakkah a few jobs back, and he had spent a lot of time alone on guard duty at a distant crop station. Being around everyone else on the crew tired him out because he wasn’t used to being around people. You’re not used to it either.”
“They were very nice,” she admits as she sits down. “But I’m still glad they’re gone.”
