Free Lucky Lion (Shifter Mail Order Bride Holiday Romance) (Holiday Mail Order Mates Book 2) by Lola Kidd

One
    Aaron Johnson sat in the dock eating his sandwich. From his position, he could see the sales floor of James Furniture. It was a slow day. He delivered furniture for the shop, and it was feast or famine. Some days, he was running around for twelve hours hoofing furniture. Then, there were these days. He sat around all day looking for something to do.
    He preferred the days when he was busy sunup to sundown. He felt like he was useful and earned his keep. It would have been easier if he weren’t salaried. If he were an hourly employee, he wouldn’t have felt bad staying home on days he knew the store would be dead. Old Mr. James was one of the nicest people in town and paid a fair wage. Aaron never complained about the boring days to his boss. Mr. James loved the store and did enough business to keep Aaron, two salespeople, and a receptionist employed. In a town like Maple Creek, that was a tall order.
    It was lunchtime and Aaron still had the entire afternoon stretching in front of him. He wondered if he could convince the salesperson, tiger shifter Nate Nathan, to toss the football around out back. Nate was a serious guy and never fooled around at work. Or at least, he didn’t play with any of his coworkers. He’d always been that way. Aaron could remember that as a little kid, Nate would never play outside with the neighborhood boys. He spent his time inside playing video games or on his computer. Everyone thought he was a big nerd.
    When they started working together, Aaron was surprised to discover that Nate was wicked funny. He was just quiet and reserved. They didn’t hang out or anything, but Aaron liked the tiger shifter. Maybe in a few more years, they would be close enough for Nate to agree to meet for drinks at Aaron’s place or go to a BBQ. Aaron didn’t think Nate had a single friend in real life. He still lived at home and didn’t have a girlfriend. Not that Aaron could talk. He didn’t have a girlfriend either, but at least he’d moved out of his parents’ place.
    He lived in a shitty trailer in Shady Pines, but it was his own place. Messing with Nate was of his favorite slow-day activities. When there were no customers and Mr. James wasn’t in the store, he’d go to the front to talk with the receptionist, Blair. She was younger than he and Nate, but she’d also gone to Maple Creek High School. Together, they would try to get Nate to talk with them or join in on gossip. He almost always refused, but when he did play along, it made their day.
    It was looking like it would be a play day. It was the week after Valentine’s Day and they’d just had a big sale. Presidents’ Week had been a big one this year. They had made enough money that week to keep the store running for six months. It meant Aaron had been running around like crazy for almost two weeks straight. But now it was Friday and most of the furniture had already been delivered. They were waiting on a few pieces to come in, but mostly, he was sitting around. There would be no customers today. He had to find a way to amuse himself for a few hours more and then he’d be free for the weekend. He could almost feel the beer mug in his hand. If he made it through the afternoon without losing his mind, he could spend a few hours with his boys at the Brazen Bull.
    He threw his lunch bag in the trash and went to the sales floor. He couldn’t see Nate, but Blair was at the front desk on her phone.
    “Candy Crush?” he asked as he got closer.
    She started, then blushed, putting the phone away. “Guilty. What’re you up to?”
    “Shit. Where’s Nate?”
    Blair looked around the store. “He was sitting on a mattress reading a book when I started playing.”
    “Got any plans for the weekend?”
    “I’ve got a date.”
    “A hot date?”
    Blair rolled her eyes. “A breakup date.”
    Aaron laughed. “Right after Valentine’s Day? Ouch.”
    “I would have done it last week, but he was so excited to take me to the ice-sculpting