Free Brock's Bunny by Jane Wakely Page A

was more than just work. It had to be.
    Now
that Christina had found her bear, and knew about Hollie ,
she’d been invited to several weekend get-togethers at Christina’s or Jenn’s . Christina and Jenn were
best friends, but they welcomed her into their group, and Hollie was grateful. It was nice to be around shifters again—even if they were
predators.
    Shifters
aren’t natural joiners. They’re used to keeping secrets and spend most of their
time alone. With no one to share their lives, many shifters border on
depression and some can even die of loneliness if they don’t find a mate. Hollie envied the friendship her four friends shared. Why
more shifters didn’t try and stick together, she didn’t know.
    Hollie thought about the other shifters she knew of in Chestnut Rock. She
hadn’t met them, but she’d picked up their scents easily enough. Maybe she
should reach out and try to befriend them. Could it be dangerous for them to
stick together? Not likely. She’d have to see what Matt and Bull thought. The
cougar and skunk cousins seemed friendly enough. They might be fun to hang out
with.
    The
waiter came, and her date finally ended his call and cut her off to place his
order. Hollie ordered a Caesar salad and a baked
potato. Being a vegetarian meant her choices were often limited, but she was
surprised there wasn’t even a fish option on the menu. The steakhouse had
several steak options, obviously. There was one pork dish and three chicken
choices, but no fish and nothing meatless. Both were very poor business
decisions by the owner, in her opinion. Though she didn’t eat fish, Hollie had several friends that were pescetarians .
    Hollie was surprised at the popularity of the eatery. A Chestnut Rock exclusive,
many people from nearby towns visited on the weekends. Everyone knew there
would be a waiting list on Friday and Saturday nights. It was a place you
brought a date if you wanted to impress her—unless she was a vegetarian. At
least, in the beginning, her date had tried. Unfortunately, after the thirty
minute wait outside, it was clear they really weren’t compatible.
    “A salad and a baked potato? Really, Hollie ? This is a steakhouse, one of the best; I
brought you here to try the steak.”
    She’d
thought about leaving several times, but something held her back. Hollie couldn’t figure it out. Her date was turning out to
be more of a jerk than anything else. “I’m a vegetarian, Ronald. I told you
that when we met in my store, and I reminded you of it again when we were
waiting outside. I don’t eat steak. Or any type of meat.”
    “You
should try it just this once. It won’t kill you. Look around, everyone is
fine!”
    “It’s
not a matter of it killing me, it’s a choice. I choose to not to kill and eat
animals for food.”
    “Why
did you come here then?” His slightly raised voice spat the words like venom.
    Was he
seriously mad because she wasn’t eating a steak? Why had she agreed to go on a
date with him? Fear slithered down her back.
    “You
brought me here.” She calculated where she could run and cursed herself for
allowing him to pick her up at home.
    “Yeah,
well, I wish I hadn’t!” He started looking at his phone again, using his finger
to scroll down the screen and Hollie scooted out of
the booth. She was just about to stand up and run when a man stopped at their
table.
    “How
are you two doing tonight?”
    Hollie looked up and read his name tag. Brock Smith. The owner. She’d read enough news about the place to know
who he was, but she’d never seen him before. Not in a photograph or on the
street. She’d remember if she had. Hollie understood
why she hadn’t left sooner.
    Brock
was her mate.
    ****
    Brock
Smith walked out of the kitchen and smiled. Another packed night. Every weekend
had been packed since he opened the restaurant three years ago. People drove
for miles to eat the signature dishes prepared perfectly by his chefs. He was
so glad he took the leap