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I didn’t understand. “Butyou’rehalf shifter.”
“Exactly. Only half. The White Claws’ reaction to my inability to shift isn’t unique. I know some shifters don’t care, but when they’re looking to date another shifter, they do.” She pressed her lips together.
Someone had made her feel not enough. I wanted to find the guy and tear him to pieces.
She shrugged. “I wasted almost two years of my life with a lion shifter. He said it didn’t matter at first, but eventually it did. He ended up cheating on me with someone who could shift; he said he needed someone he could run with on the full moon. They announced their mating two weeks after we broke up. Then there was the lynx shifter. That only lasted a few months. He mated with the next girl he dated, too.”
No wonder she’d said being part snow leopard hadn’t done her any good.
“Their loss is my gain.” I smiled.
She smiled back at me. “It was years ago. I’m over it. More recently, I didn’t date because there are human guys coming to town just to bang a shifter now, like those idiots you helped me with when we first met.”
“Monster chasers. Yeah. The world is still adjusting. It’ll take a few more years, even with how fast things change today.” Some strange-looking trees caught my eye. “You don’t have anything like these at home. They’re neat.”
“You mean the cycads?” She turned her gaze to the ancient tree-like plants. “I’ve always wanted to add one to my collection, but never had the room. No more ferns, though.”
“Why not?”
“Whatever magic Iris thinks I have, it doesn’t work on ferns. They turn crispy every winter when I turn on the heat.” She looked around her. “I kind of imagine them like really old people who refuse to follow new rules because they are so set in their ways. Theyareancient.”
We continued wandering through the different exhibits. They had one on medicinal plants full of flowers and herbs, many of which hadPoisonous!signs stuck into the ground in front of them. The alpine rock garden was charming, with the cutest little flowers beating the odds and growing out of the tiniest cracks between rocks. The special exhibit featuring edible plants had Lillian talking about starting a vegetable garden.
But it was the large parklike display at the center of the conservatory holding the tropical plants that held her interest the longest. I recognized some of the plants she had at home, but the specimens here dwarfed the ones currently sitting in front of my window. Upon closer inspection, some of the plants only looked like the ones at home at first glance. The leaves at eye level looked similar, but as they climbed up the exhibit’s bark-lined walls, they morphed, developing additional fenestrations and changing shapes.
The air was humid and smelled like green, if color had a smell, and the waterfall they’d installed added the sound of rushing water to the scene. It truly was a tropical paradise.
Lillian spun in a happy circle. “I love it! I never thought I’d say this, but I totally want my own waterfall in a greenhouse full of tropical plants. If I had a boring desk job, I’d put my workstation right in the middle of it all.” Then she turned serious. “Damn it, that reminds me: I still need to find a new job.”
I frowned, remembering how her old job had mysteriously let her go right after The White Claws had called, and how her co-worker, who Lillian wasn’t even close with, had called on Monday when they couldn’t find her.
“I’m not sure I’d want that job anymore. I mean, I still find how the human body works fascinating, and I love the idea of helping people get their mobility back after an accident, but I’m not sure physiotherapy is what I want to do for the rest of my life, you know?”
I turned her to face me. “You have time to figure it out, Kitten. And if you want to do nothing but take care of your plants, that’s fine with me. But I have a feeling you’ll find something you’re passionate about. Maybe you can start a greenhouse for exotic plants that doubles as a frog sanctuary.”
She giggled. “Until the crickets take over.” Her smile was genuine as she got up on her tiptoes—and I surreptitiously bent down so she could reach—to place a kiss on my cheek. “Thank you.”
A warmth filled my chest at the simple gesture.
I spotted the stone path Jason had mentioned, and we went over to pick our way carefully through the densely growing foliage and to the hidden spot behind the waterfall. Even the walls here had plants, the aerial roots clinging to the wall as the leaves extended out beyond the darkened overhang as they searched for light.
“Oooh! It’s almost magical here,” she said with a note of wonder.
We stayed there for a long moment, just holding each other and listening to the sound of the waterfall. I didn’t think there was enough room in the greenhouse at the cottage for something this elaborate, but we could definitely put in a small water feature.
It was my rumbling stomach that prodded us to keep walking. It was so loud that Lillian had cowered for a moment and thought it was thunder.
“What’s the plan for lunch?” she asked as we moved through the final exhibit before the exit, a desert room full of cacti and succulents.
“I have us booked in at The Starving Aardvark, if that’s okay.”
“Yes! I love that place! I already know what I’m having: Chicken and Waffles, and an Affogato for dessert!” Her excitement was palpable. “Let’s finish up here and get you fed, Husband.”
Chapter 22
Lillian
IsatsandwichedbetweenGunnar and Shelby at a U-shaped booth as I picked at my giant plate of the world’s crispiest sweet potato fries and chipotle mayo. It was Saturday night, and we were all at The Howling Wolf, just a few blocks down from where Gunnar and I had first met.
