Chapter Two

"I do love the sight of a man with a fine ass bending over my garden," Angelle said with a cackle. I shook my head and laughed along with her. She'd pretended to sip tea all morning, but my bobcat picked up another scent. Lavender tea, yes, but gin filled most of her cup. By the time the sun peaked in the sky, she was making all kinds of inappropriate comments and had settled herself under an umbrella at the table on the deck.

I had been in Jones a few days, which was usually my limit. Angelle paid well, and the jobs were easy for me. Not that I minded hard work. I loved working with my hands. Being busy. "Is that right?" I egged the older woman on while I finished picking up the leaves and other weeds I'd plucked from her perfect rose garden. Most people picked one or two colors for their rose beds, but Angelle had one of each color she could find and was meticulous about their care, even though she could no longer bend down to tend them herself.

"It's absolutely right. My grandson Aster would go weak in the knees for you."

"I thought you said he's mated and they have a child," I responded, throwing everything into her compost bin and turning it a few times, making sure the material mixed in with the rest. I turned around, hands on hips, assessing the yard. Over the last few days, I'd fixed up her yard and even tended to a few jobs inside. Her leaking kitchen faucet. The air vent that made too much of a whooshing sound. The rattle at the back of her refrigerator. All simple things, but Angelle was a shifter like me, so those little sounds became nuisances with our enhanced hearing.

"They do. He and Quinn are so happy. But anyone can look."

I snorted and slipped the garden gloves Angelle insisted I wear, from my hands. "Once you've found your true mate, there's no looking. At least, from what I've heard. My fathers never looked at another male. I know that for a fact. They were over the moon for each other."

Angelle snorted. "My mate wasn't my fated. I loved him the best I knew how, but I never did meet the one meant for me. Sometimes I wonder if I did and I didn't know because I was wrapped up in Joseph and our children. Maybe he passed me at the grocery store or in some other chance moment."

I turned to see her running her finger over the rim of the teacup, trying to turn back the hands of time, if only in her mind, scouring the bits for a flash of where Fate pushed but she hadn't pick up the sign. "There's no point in regret, Angelle." I'd called her Mrs. Bennett the first day, but after we got along so splendidly, she insisted on being called by her first name. Said it made her feel young again.

"Yes, that's true. Aren't you going to give up on this life of travel and try to find your mate, Pike?"

I sighed. No matter how many places I roamed, the question remained. Honestly, I didn't know the answer. If I managed to find my mate one day, I would consider making roots, but that hadn't happened to me. "I'm not even sure where I will go next. Today is my last day here with you. Everything on your list is complete."

Angelle sighed. She was lonely since her mate had passed a few years ago. They may not have been fated, but they were companions. "Stay with me for lunch. I've already got it in the Crock-Pot."

"If you insist." I chuckled. I'd been all over the country since deciding the nine-to-five life wasn't for me. I wanted to see the country I lived in. Meet all the people I could.

And yes, a small part of that was about finding my mate.

At least, that's what I told myself.

"Where does your grandson live? Does he visit you often?" I helped my new friend serve up some chicken and dumplings and brought both plates back to the table outside where she preferred to eat.

"Aster and Quinn live in Oliver Creek. Quaint little town about a half hour from here. Well, perhaps I shouldn't use the phrase little town. It's more like an up-and-coming small city but, according to my grandson, it still feels like a small town. Charming and quiet but bustling with new food trucks and restaurants and businesses."

"It just so happens that food is one of my favorite things." I laughed.

"Name one person who doesn't love food," she giggled, taking a sip from her glass. She must've hit a wall with her gin because her lemonade was only lemons, sugar, and water this time.

"I can't." I scanned her backyard for anything I may have missed. I would move on after lunch. Leaving a place always tugged at my heart, but the excitement at seeing somewhere new overpowered the sadness.

"You did well. My garden hasn't look this put together in a long time. I hire people from time to time, but it's hit or miss."

"Thank you."

This was the part that sucked. Saying goodbye—especially to those who were kind like Angelle. There were so many people in this country and world, sometimes it surprised me that there were still lonely souls.

"Leave the plates in the sink for me, Pike. And keep my number in your fancy phone. There's an envelope on the table—your payment. I'm not good at long goodbyes. So, how about I'll see you later?"

I nodded. "See you later, Angelle. It's been a pleasure."