Wanted By The Soldier Bear (Heroes of Shifter Creek 1) by Clara Moore Page A

realized that her plan had only one downfall, her dad was going to be pissed if he found out about the coffee grounds.
    She frowned. Maybe the plan wasn’t so great after all.
    She approached her father and step-mother, noticing that Doran stood with them. He looked older and even handsomer than he had before. His hair looked darker and redder than she remembered. There was also something close to a smile on his face. That was new. He actually looked happy to be speaking to his mother.
                  Taking a deep breath, she walked over to them. Doran looked up just as she walked up. His smile wavered for a split second as he unconsciously looked her up and down. She couldn’t quite pinpoint the look he was trying not to give her.
                  “Ah, there you are, Isadora,” Mario grinned and wrapped his arm around her. “I thought maybe you’d run off.”
                  “I thought about it,” she gave a fake smile herself, then handed each of them their coffees. “Welcome back, Doran.”
                  “Thank you, Izzy,” he responded, taking the cup from her. “I appreciate you getting me coffee.”
                  “You’re very welcome, brother.” She knew she laid the pleasantries on thick. He took a sip of his coffee and swallowed hard. “How is it?”
                  “Fine,” he responded. “Well, should we get out of here, huh? I’m starving for some of Mom’s cooking.”
                  The parents talked enthusiastically with the returned son, seemingly more than ecstatic to see him. She strayed behind as they all walked together while chatting and laughing. She drank her chai curmudgeonly, taking pleasure every time Doran took a labored drink.
     
    “I love this coffee,” Doran whispered to his stepsister.
    “So happy, brother,” she responded.
    “I really like the extra kick of grounds in it too.”
    “Whatever do you mean?”
    “There were quite a lot of coffee grounds in my coffee. As if someone requested it.”
    “That’s messed up. Maybe you should go back.”
    “What are you two whispering about?” Angela asked, looking back at them with a twinkle in her eye.
    “I was just thanking Izzy for the delicious coffee ,” Doran grinned at his mother. “She wanted to try it,, but I don’t think I can give any of it up.”
    “Oh, Doran. I didn’t teach you to be selfish,” his mother said.
    “That was Dad’s job mom,” Doran replied as coffee almost shot out of Issy’s nose.
    “Share with your sister, ” she instructed.
    “I’m not his…” Isadora started as Doran held the coffee in her face.
    “If the coffee’s really that good,I might want to try it,” Mario said.
    “No, no,” Isadora and Doran said together.
    “I mean, it might not be your style, Dad,” she waved her hand. “You like the sweet hazelnut stuff.”
    “I have been thinking I should try black coffee though because it’s better for you,” her father continued. “Can I try it, Doran?”
    Isadora took the coffee and chugged it, getting a mouthful of grounds and a burnt tongue in the process. She tried to hold back her gags as Doran explained “Izzy selfishly drank it all.” Angela lectured them for being too much like real siblings and bickering like “cats and dogs.” Isadora wanted to say that cats and dogs don’t really fight - cats mostly ignore dogs, who sometimes chase them. But she held her tongue. Mostly, she had to hold in the vomit bubbling up from her stomach.
    She regretted her decision to play a practical joke on her not-brother.
     
     
    II.
    “I don’t understand why you hate him,” Fiona, Isadora’s oldest friend, said. “I mean, he was kind of a jerk in high school, but he’s not now. Right?”
    “I don’t know, he’s only been home for a few days,” Isadora responded, spinning around in her chair to show her complete lack of motivation for her work. “He did make me drink