“Forty-eight to twelve.”
The two men high-fived and Kitty smiled and chuckled as she dished up another piece of fish pie. The baby sat in his high chair beside the table with a bottle and made adorable baby noises. Grayson looked over at the child and imagined what it would be like to have a cub of his own. If he couldn't have a family, at least he could help families that he knew.
After they were finished with dinner, Kitty put the leftovers in the fridge and thanked Grayson again for his generosity and for sharing dinner with them.
“It was really just an excuse not to be alone,” he said with a shrug. Kitty patted his shoulder affectionately.
“You'll find your lady, Grayson. And whoever she is will be awfully lucky to have you.”
“You're a good man, Grayson. Thanks for the pie. You can bring us dinner anytime,” Charley said with a chuckle. “Next time, come over for the game too.”
“Thanks, man,” Grayson said. “I’ll do that.”
He waved goodbye to the family and headed out to his car, his heart warm and his belly full. It was good to have friends and family. He was glad that he’d decided to bring his pie to Kitty and Charley instead of staying at home to eat alone.
Chapter 5
Donika drove into the night, her heart pounding. She kept looking over her shoulder at every suspicious vehicle that drove near her on the road. Her phone had been ringing off the hook, so she finally turned it off. When she stopped in North Carolina, she ditched her cellphone and bought a new one with cash.
She didn't want Shyster and Shyster to be able to track her. With their resources, she knew that they could. The most logical place for her to go was home. She knew that they knew that already, but at least they wouldn't be able to track her every movement.
Her new phone was a cheap disposable. The kind drug dealers used. It didn't have any smart phone features except texting or particularly good cell reception. But it was better than the paranoia of her boss tracking her.
She still couldn't remember what had happened for him to want to destroy her life. It had to be more than just a punch in the face. The further she drove, the more terrified she became. At about midnight, she pulled into a hotel and booked a room with cash.
It was a crappy little room, with stained blankets and grimy rugs. She had limited funds until she got her resources back. She had to make it last. Donika took her pistol and all her valuables into the hotel for the night, stowing them under the bed. She slid her pistol under the pillow beside her.
Donika had a pizza delivered but could only eat a few bites as she sat nervously watching television. The pizza was greasy and tasted like plastic. It wasn’t the kind of food that would help her get her appetite back. Donika left the box on the table and turned off the TV. She climbed into bed, unable to fall asleep for another several hours. When she finally passed out in a delirium, late in the night, she had fitful dreams about being followed by dangerous men.
Donika woke the next morning, feeling like she hadn't slept at all. It was a sensation she’d become all too familiar with over the last two years. She pulled herself out of bed and took a long, hot shower. Wrapping herself in one of the thin, crusty towels, she hurried out into the bedroom to dress.
Pulling on her jeans, sweater and sneakers, she took a deep inhalation of the scent of brewing coffee in the tiny hotel room pot. When she poured herself a cup and tasted it, she spat it out. The flavor was horrendous. As much as she needed coffee, she just couldn't drink that. She looked at her watch. It was already almost eleven, checkout time. She groaned and left the hotel room, taking all her valuables with her.
Climbing back into the car, she let out a long sigh and turned on the motor. Sitting in the parking lot for several long minutes, she contemplated her life. How had things gotten so out of hand? She still couldn't remember what had happened at the office, and she had to come to terms with the fact that she may never remember.
She pulled out of the parking lot and headed through the small town, looking for somewhere she could get a decent cup of coffee—she would die for a Starbucks—but came up empty-handed. So, she drove through McDonald's and got a cup from there.
With the hot coffee in her cup holder, she pulled out onto the freeway. Low clouds hung gray and cold in the sky above. The air was heavy and dense, full of frozen moisture. It gave her a claustrophobic sense of being crushed as she drove down the road. Donika looked over her shoulder every few minutes, scanning the road for a sign that she was being followed. But she didn't see anything.
“You're just being paranoid,” she told herself.
The sky finally cleared as she turned onto the highway headed west, late in the afternoon. The landscape changed from coastal to mountainous as she drove through Ohio.
Late in the night, Donika found a place to stay right on the border into Illinois. She sprang for a nicer hotel, still feeling grimy and itchy from the place she'd stayed the night before. It was luxurious compared to her previous night's accommodations. With her gun and valuables stowed in the room, she ordered Chinese takeout and ate most of it.
As she sat watching TV in her room, she suddenly realized that she hadn't contacted her family to let them know she was coming. She looked at her watch and it was well after midnight. Grumbling, she picked up her laptop and typed out an email.
“Dear mom,” she started. “I'm going to be visiting Fate Valley tomorrow. I'll be staying for an indefinite period. I do hope you have room for me.”
She growled at herself and rolled her eyes. She knew her family would be happy to see her. But this was the worst possible circumstance. Arriving with short notice and no plan of leaving anytime soon? She felt like the rudest person in the history of the world.
“Love Donika,” she finished and then pressed “send”.
She slapped her laptop closed and collapsed on the bed, passing out soon after, the TV still on low and her stomach full of sweet-and-sour chicken. When she woke the next morning, she made herself all the coffee in the room, and found more with the complimentary breakfast down in the dining room.
She had a bagel with cream cheese and several more cups of coffee before packing up her car and driving out of town. When she finally made it to Missouri, her heart started to beat faster and sweat formed on her brow. She was almost home. She was going to see her family again for the first time in years. What would happen? Could she tell them she'd been fired? How would she ever live this down? What would they think of her?
She drove under the big blue sky, the big puffy white clouds gliding overhead, trying to get her heart under control. She changed the music channel several times, attempting to find something she wanted to listen to on the radio.
In an instant, her entire world went black. She gasped, waking up on the side of the road. A tapping noise came from her left window.
“Ma'am, roll down your window,” a male voice said.
Donika blinked hard and rolled down her window. The highway patrolman on the other side did not look pleased.
“What seems to be the problem, ma'am?”
“I must've fallen asleep,” she said. “I've been driving for two days. I'm on my way home to Fate Valley.”
“I'm gonna have to ask you to step out of the car, ma’am. Have you been drinking?”
“No, not at all.”
“Please step out of the car ma’am,” he repeated.
She took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping out onto the road. He made her do a sobriety test, which she easily passed, and then wrote her a ticket for being parked on the side of the road.
“I suggest you pull into town and rest for a few hours before you continue your trip,” he said. “Fatigued driving is as dangerous as drunk driving.”
“I'll do that, officer,” she said, taking the ticket.
Donika drove away, watching the patrol car in her rearview mirror. She felt like such an idiot. She’d never had a blackout while driving before. Anything could have happened. She could have driven into onc
oming traffic and killed an entire family. She couldn't believe how lucky she was that the car had simply coasted into an embankment and stalled there.
It was only another hour home, so she kept driving. At least she remembered everything that had happened before this blackout. She felt lucid, but maybe she'd forget all this tomorrow.
Soon she saw the sign that read “Welcome to Fate Valley. She was finally home. Now the real drama was about to begin.
Chapter 6
After finishing up his baking for the day, Grayson drove to the Fate Valley Event Center to watch the film crew set up for the Great American Bake-off. He'd had his entry in place for months now, but having the crew finally arrive made the event a reality. He got out of the car with a cup of coffee in hand and watched the crew pull their equipment out of a semi and wheel it into the event center.
Liam Nash stood on the sidelines, watching the crew and talking to someone who looked like an official with the TV show.
“Hi Grayson,” Liam said, waving him over. “Did you come to see the crew unload their gear?”
“I sure did.”
The TV executive excused herself and went back to directing the crew. Grayson and Liam were left to watch.
“It's awfully exciting, isn’t it?” Liam asked.
“I can't believe the show is coming to our town.”
“Having the Great American Bake-off in Fate Valley is quite an honor,” Liam said. “And having our own hometown boy represent us is even better. I know you're going to win. Your scones are the best ever.”
“I appreciate your confidence,” Grayson said. “I sure would like to win the contest. It would mean a lot to me, and my dreams for the future.”
“What sort of dreams?” Liam asked him.
“Well, it might sound silly, but…” Grayson started. He took a sip of coffee and shrugged.
“Dreams are never silly. I started my whole company with one single duplex and now look where I am,” Liam said.
“Well, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to mass-produce some of my recipes. You know, put them in packages and send them to stores around the world. It's just that I love to share good, wholesome food with people. I think it's one of the best ways to bring love into the world.”
“You're right about that,” Liam said. “I don't think your dream sounds ridiculous at all. In fact, I think it sounds practical and profitable. If you need help organizing and getting off the ground, just let me know and I'll see what I can do.”
“Well, right now, it's just a dream. I have no idea how to do it. The technicalities seem like a nightmare.”
“That's exactly the type of thing my team could help with,” Liam said.
“Well, if I win this contest then you'll be hearing from me. I’ve got my eye on the warehouse you own next to the café. The prize is a million dollars. And the fame alone would help me get off the ground.”
“It's a deal,” said Liam, reaching out to shake Grayson's hand. “I’ve been looking for a good use for that warehouse.”
“You have?”
“Yep. Just let me know when you want to sign a lease.”
“I sure will, Liam,” Grayson said.
They shook and Liam patted him on the back as Grayson smiled a big happy grin.
“You sure are a good friend,” Grayson said.
“Don't mention it. We shifters need to stick together. It's the way that we survived in this world for so long,” Liam said. “How are things on the mate front?”
“Still nothing,” Grayson said. “But I remain hopeful.”
“Layla and I are getting married soon. We just found out she's expecting. I’d like you to be a groomsman at our wedding.”
“I would be honored,” Grayson said.
Liam excused himself to continue his work with the TV show coordinator. Grayson watched the crew as he finished his coffee. He was so happy for Liam and Layla, but he couldn't help feeling a little sad. Grayson had been waiting so long for a mate that it was becoming hard to bear. He looked down at his phone and scrolled over to Mate.com. Still no matches.
He shoved his phone in his pocket and returned to his truck. He would have to concentrate on the matter at hand: winning the bake-off.
Chapter 7
Donika pulled up in front of her family’s inn on the lake and parked in the driveway. She'd been so distracted by her near miss on the highway that she hadn't even checked her emails for confirmation that they knew she was coming.
But she had her answer the moment the front door swung open. Her mother Adele came trotting out of the house into the front driveway followed closely by Grandma Pearl, her sister Kamala and her sister’s husband Franklin. Her sister held their new baby Nina. The kids trotted out behind them. The entire family approached her car, smiling and talking loudly in greeting. Donika slipped out of the car, an uneasy grin on her face.
“Donika!” her mother Adele said, throwing her arms around her shoulders. “It's so good to have you home.”
Grandma Pearl embraced her, smelling of mint and denture cream. The children also gave her tentative hugs around the waist. One of them, the older girl, Tori, who must have already been eight or nine, remembered Donika from the last time she was home. The other two were much younger. They either didn't remember her, or she had never even met them. Donika honestly wasn’t sure.
Her sister Kamala had baby Nina in a sling and Donika could smell her head when her sister gave her a half hug and patted her back. Her grandmother took her hand and patted it, the soft thin skin of her hands feeling so familiar. It had a strange and comforting effect.
“Come on inside, dear,” Pearl said. “We just made a pot of tea.”
The family pulled her into the big, old inn that had been owned by the family for generations. Franklin began unpacking her car without a word and carried her things into the front hall. When she reached the front door, the smell of the old building hit her nose. She was greeted by the creaky old staircase, leading to the second floor. The smell of fresh baking and chamomile tea wafted from the kitchen.
They escorted her into the private quarters where the family lived. Kamala and Franklin lived in a small house out back, but her mom and grandmother lived in the private section of the inn.
The family sat around the massive round kitchen table and everyone started asking questions all at once.
“I just came home for a visit,” Donika said.
“Why didn't you come home for Christmas?” Adele asked.
“We were very busy at the office,” she said.
She didn't know if she should lie or tell the truth. But she was already knee-deep in lies, so she continued to tell them. She was a lawyer, after all, and lying came exceptionally easy for her.
“You look so thin, Donika,” Grandma Pearl said, patting her hand. “Don't they have food in New York City?”
“I've been working really hard. Sometimes I don't always eat right,” she admitted.
If they only knew how sick she was, they probably would have carted her off to the hospital right then and there. She took a deep breath and let it out, thinking about the near miss on the highway.
“How long are you staying?”
“I've taken an extended leave of absence from work. I need some R&R.”
“Oh, that's awfully nice,” Pearl said. “You can keep your job and take a break like that? Your law firm must be pretty accommodating.”
“Oh yes, it's a new policy they just instated,” she said, taking a sip of tea. “They want to keep their top lawyers fresh.” The flavor of fresh chamomile and honey lapped over her tongue, reminding her of home. “But enough about me. Tell me about what you have been up to. There must be some new small-town gossip going around.”
“The Great American Bake-off has chosen Fate Valley for its production. So, a whole bunch of people will be coming to town shortly for the show. The inn is booked solid.”
“Oh, that's nice,” Donika said. “Then you should have some extra mon
ey this year.”
“Yes, it’s a boon for us in the slow season. The only problem is, where are we going to put you?” Adele asked, tapping the pad of her finger to her lip. “Usually we would give you one of the inn rooms. They are the nicest. But they're all booked.”
“I can sleep anywhere,” Donika said.
“You can have the small guestroom in the residents’ quarters,” Adele said. “I usually use it for crafts, but I'm sure we can clean it out for you.”
“I don't want you to go to any trouble for me,” Donika said.
If worst came to worst, she could always get a hotel room. But it sounded like all the hotels in town would be booked up for the show.
“Of course we’re going to go to trouble for you, Donika,” Adele said. “We haven't seen you in years.”
“I appreciate you taking me in on such short notice. It was kind of a last-minute decision.”
Pearl looked at her skeptically. Kamala was distracted by the children's antics in the kitchen. Baby Nina began to cry, and Kamala excused herself out the back door to go take care of the kids. Franklin picked up the toddler and followed her out. Donika was left alone with Grandma Pearl and her mother Adele, sitting around the ancient kitchen table.
“We're having pork ribs for dinner,” Pearl said, pulling herself up from her chair.
She opened the broiler and the smell of ribs wafted through the air. Donika felt lightheaded from the scent. She’d been driving all day and hadn't eaten a thing.
“We'll put some meat back on your bones if it's the last thing we do,” Pearl said.
“You used to have such beautiful curves, Donika,” Adele said. “You really should take better care of yourself.”
“I know, mom. That's why I'm here.”
She loved her mother and grandmother, but they could be awfully pushy and nosy. She didn't know how she was going to keep her secret for very long. She was the only one in her family who had left Fate Valley, but she had inherited her fighting spirit from the two of them. She knew that eventually, the truth would come out.