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Burked nodded and grabbed his brother by the back of the neck. “No problem, Ty. We’ll be good. I promise.”
Grady held up his fingers in what was supposed to pass for a Boy Scout salute. “Me too.”
Ty groaned. “Go home, you two. I have to go back in and deal with the McKays as soon as the eagles show up.”
“Oh boy. I’m out of here.” Gerald zipped up his jacket. “I’m representing Kyle Stovall against Roberta McKay’s son. Best if we don’t interact before his court date.”
“When is that, exactly?”
“This coming Thursday. Judge Daniels put it on the books in a hurry. She wants this all taken care of before the holidays.”
“Good. Daniels will be fair.”
“I know.” Gerald slapped Grady in the back of the head.
“Ow.” Grady rubbed his head. “What was that for?”
“Happy holidays, bozos,” Gerald said. “That includes you too, Burke.”
“Bozos? Aw, now my feelings are hurt.”
“Whatever.”
Burke stopped him before Gerald could slip past. “Hey, bring a date to our party on the 21st. And yeah, it’s a Wednesday. Blame my wife. That’s when she wants it.”
“Another party?” He had his parents on Tuesday and the firm’s annual holiday festivities on Thursday. “Fine.”
The brothers walked away, but not before Ty added, “He’ll be there with Laura. I’ll make sure of it.” He winked then darted away.
Not that it was Ty’s business, but Gerald could appreciate having a man on the inside when it came to dealing with Laura.
Now he had to grab some groceries so he could wow her the next morning. He texted Julia for more details about Laura and smiled, realizing it was almost unfair how easy it would be to seduce the stubborn deputy.
Ha. The poor woman had no idea how fast she’d start falling. He just had to figure out what do with her when she eventually landed at his feet, lost in love and lust and begging for that pretend mating to become real.
That thought in mind, Gerald whistled Jingle Bells as he made his way back to his car.
Chapter Twelve
Laura had no idea why she’d agreed to Gerald’s farce. Brunch then dinner a few days later with his parents? People who believed she intended to mate with their son?
Bears who didn’t approve of interspecies dating would shrug off an announcement as if it didn’t exist. If they were in favor of the pairing, they’d offer a warm congratulations before resuming whatever they’d been doing. Not much got in the way of a bear’s day.
Not like foxes. They’d have panic attacks, do something stupid, and/or freak out before giving any non-fox the third degree. And yes, she’d watched more than one fox family spiral when their child didn’t do as intended by the parents, resulting in feeble attempts at breaking the law.
Still, at least this thing with Gerald broke the tedium of the holidays. She couldn’t say she was bored.
With a wry grin, she let herself out of her home Sunday morning and nearly tripped over a small box.
“What the…?”
Wrapped in red with a small gold bow, the small box had been tagged with her name on it.
She sniffed but didn’t scent any shifter nearby, on the present or around the steps. Interesting.
Beyond curious, she unwrapped the box to find a small confectionary bear. Made of maple sugar, the candy was her favorite. It melted on the tongue and more than satisfied her sweet cravings. This one came from a specialty shop in town; she recognized the packaging.
Her mouth watered. But no, she’d save the treat for later after verifying it was in fact the real deal and not some prank to turn her mouth a funky color. She tucked the gift inside before leaving for Gerald’s.
