his thumb across her full lips. He leaned close and whispered, "Here, I'll help you count two bears for your survey right now."
April's eyes went wide.
The restaurant was in that quiet time between the morning breakfast rush and the lunch customers. There was no one in sight except for Ellen, a strikingly tall woman with pale streaks in her long dark hair, briskly wiping down tables. "Nathan! Hi there!" she called in a booming voice as big as the rest of her. Then she caught sight of April, and a teasing sparkle came into her dark eyes. "Well, well! Who's this, now?"
"This is April," Nathan said, squeezing April's hand reassuringly. "She's my, uh ..."
"I can see what she is." Ellen caught up Nathan in a hug that made him stagger. "This is wonderful. Dave! Get out here! There's someone you need to meet."
Big, burly Dave appeared from the back, wiping his hands on a towel. "Well, I'll be damned. Little Nathan's found a mate," he said, laughing.
" Little Nathan?" April murmured.
"Ellen and Dave have known me since I was this high," Nathan said. He staggered at Dave's friendly slap on the back.
"And they're ..." April began, and hesitated.
"April knows about us," Nathan said to the other two. "Yes, April, they're like me. There are a few others in town as well." Though none he got along with quite so well as Dave and Ellen.
"Sit, sit." Ellen ushered April to a chair. "Whatever you two want, it's on the house today."
April sat down, looking dazed. Nathan hoped she wasn't getting hit with too much, too soon. Her rapid changes of mind—deciding to leave, then just as suddenly deciding to stay—were, he knew, nothing but symptoms of the confusion she must be feeling at having her worldview upended.
Still, she didn't seem to have been scared off yet, at least not permanently. So that was something.
"What's good here?" April asked, picking up one of the folded paper menus.
"They serve breakfast all day," Nathan said. "And Dave grills a mean burger."
"I haven't had breakfast yet." April smiled up at the couple. "How about the sourdough pancakes with scrambled eggs on the side?"
"Coming right up." Ellen playfully poked Nathan in the side. "And I'm guessing this one's going to have the triple-decker burger, like always."
"What, I'm getting predictable?" Nathan complained jokingly.
Dave snorted. "Is that why you crashed your airplane in the middle of nowhere, just trying to shake things up a bit?"
Nathan winced. "I take it you saw the paper."
"The only reason why we weren't beating down your door this morning was because it sounded like half our regular customers had already done it for us," Ellen said, laughing. "And I know how much you hate people to make a fuss. But, really, Nathan, I hope you're all right."
"I'm fine." Nathan smiled softly at April. "Better than fine."
"You crash-landed an airplane in the middle of the tundra with this girl and she still wants to hang around you." Dave laughed and shook his head. "Hoo-eee, Nathan my boy, you found a keeper."
"Or maybe just someone crazy enough to want me," Nathan said softly. Under the table, his hand found April's and gave it a squeeze.
Dave and Ellen took turns hanging out with them at the table, chatting with April and getting to know her. Underneath, Nathan got the impression that they were gently feeling her out on his behalf, vetting his new mate as thoroughly as any doting parents. And, for him, this was an even bigger thing than introducing her to his family. She needed to be able to get along with the local shifter community.
Well, it amounted to the same thing, really. Dave and Ellen were family, too.
He was relieved to find that she soon relaxed in Dave and Ellen's presence, laughing at their playful jibes and joking back at them. When Dave came back from the kitchen with two plates, April gratefully dug into her food.
People were starting to trickle into the diner as the lunch crowd arrived. To Nathan's dismay, no one seemed to be able to pass up
April's eyes went wide.
The restaurant was in that quiet time between the morning breakfast rush and the lunch customers. There was no one in sight except for Ellen, a strikingly tall woman with pale streaks in her long dark hair, briskly wiping down tables. "Nathan! Hi there!" she called in a booming voice as big as the rest of her. Then she caught sight of April, and a teasing sparkle came into her dark eyes. "Well, well! Who's this, now?"
"This is April," Nathan said, squeezing April's hand reassuringly. "She's my, uh ..."
"I can see what she is." Ellen caught up Nathan in a hug that made him stagger. "This is wonderful. Dave! Get out here! There's someone you need to meet."
Big, burly Dave appeared from the back, wiping his hands on a towel. "Well, I'll be damned. Little Nathan's found a mate," he said, laughing.
" Little Nathan?" April murmured.
"Ellen and Dave have known me since I was this high," Nathan said. He staggered at Dave's friendly slap on the back.
"And they're ..." April began, and hesitated.
"April knows about us," Nathan said to the other two. "Yes, April, they're like me. There are a few others in town as well." Though none he got along with quite so well as Dave and Ellen.
"Sit, sit." Ellen ushered April to a chair. "Whatever you two want, it's on the house today."
April sat down, looking dazed. Nathan hoped she wasn't getting hit with too much, too soon. Her rapid changes of mind—deciding to leave, then just as suddenly deciding to stay—were, he knew, nothing but symptoms of the confusion she must be feeling at having her worldview upended.
Still, she didn't seem to have been scared off yet, at least not permanently. So that was something.
"What's good here?" April asked, picking up one of the folded paper menus.
"They serve breakfast all day," Nathan said. "And Dave grills a mean burger."
"I haven't had breakfast yet." April smiled up at the couple. "How about the sourdough pancakes with scrambled eggs on the side?"
"Coming right up." Ellen playfully poked Nathan in the side. "And I'm guessing this one's going to have the triple-decker burger, like always."
"What, I'm getting predictable?" Nathan complained jokingly.
Dave snorted. "Is that why you crashed your airplane in the middle of nowhere, just trying to shake things up a bit?"
Nathan winced. "I take it you saw the paper."
"The only reason why we weren't beating down your door this morning was because it sounded like half our regular customers had already done it for us," Ellen said, laughing. "And I know how much you hate people to make a fuss. But, really, Nathan, I hope you're all right."
"I'm fine." Nathan smiled softly at April. "Better than fine."
"You crash-landed an airplane in the middle of the tundra with this girl and she still wants to hang around you." Dave laughed and shook his head. "Hoo-eee, Nathan my boy, you found a keeper."
"Or maybe just someone crazy enough to want me," Nathan said softly. Under the table, his hand found April's and gave it a squeeze.
Dave and Ellen took turns hanging out with them at the table, chatting with April and getting to know her. Underneath, Nathan got the impression that they were gently feeling her out on his behalf, vetting his new mate as thoroughly as any doting parents. And, for him, this was an even bigger thing than introducing her to his family. She needed to be able to get along with the local shifter community.
Well, it amounted to the same thing, really. Dave and Ellen were family, too.
He was relieved to find that she soon relaxed in Dave and Ellen's presence, laughing at their playful jibes and joking back at them. When Dave came back from the kitchen with two plates, April gratefully dug into her food.
People were starting to trickle into the diner as the lunch crowd arrived. To Nathan's dismay, no one seemed to be able to pass up
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