Chapter Two

Vinnie

"What the fuck is that noise?"

I rub at my eyes, not realizing it's already so late. I was completely engrossed in a new book when the most horrendous grinding noise hit my ears. Standing up, I move over to my window, trying to see what's making such a racket outside.

Gods, I sound like an old man. I mean, I am an old man, but that doesn't mean I have to sound like one. If I'm not careful, I'll be yelling at kids to get off my lawn soon.

Scanning down below, I see a black car near the gas station. My eyes widen in surprise as the car loses a fucking wheel! Oh my gods. The wheel rolls down the hill and slams into my neighbor's jeep. The passenger side door is completely dented in and the wheel just lays there.

Despite my surprise, I find myself laughing my ass off, thinking about how Veronica is going to react. Fucking hell, good thing her wife is a mechanic because otherwise this would all go downhill very fast.

The person who owns the car stumbles out, looking between their car and the tire that's rolled away, back and forth. The sight makes me giggle even harder until there's tears streaming down my face and my stomach begins to ache. Fuck. I haven't seen anything as entertaining in a long fucking time. Living in a small town means exciting shit like this very rarely happens.

Veronica comes outside, no doubt from the noise of the impact. I quickly close my shades, not wanting to get caught snooping. I'm sure they'll be able to figure everything out without me sticking my nose into it.

I set my book on my nightstand, stretching my arms over my head. Now that I've put my book down, I realize how fucking tired I am. I spent the day cleaning my house and resetting my nest. The sheets were starting to smell rank and it was time to freshen up.

A little voice at the back of my head tells me it needs to be clean if I want to ever bring a potential mate home, but I shove the voice down. Like there's anyone around here I'd wanna show my nest to. No, thanks!

It's not that I don't get offered dates, because I do. Quite frequently. But none of them are really my type. I'm not looking for a fling, I'm the age where I'm tired of meaningless relationships. I'm ready to settle down with my mate.

Most people in this town understand that. It's nice to live around so many other shifters, but on occasion, people still want to test their luck and see if I'd be down for a quick tryst.

I'm a phoenix shifter. Not that anyone here knows that little detail, they just assume I'm some type of bird. Which isn't necessarily wrong, but the less people who know I'm of the mythical brand the better. As a phoenix, my feathers are sought after for their regenerative properties and if I'm not careful, the wrong person could hear about that and come hunting me.

Fucking hunters.

I've made a home here and I'd rather not have to go on the run.

After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I head to bed. I tuck myself into my nest, pulling my giant afghan over my chest. I dream of a mysterious mate tucked into my nest alongside me, whispering soft words of affection.

When I wake up the next morning, I can't help but sigh. I've been having this dream for a few years now. At first I couldn't be happier, assuming that it must be a sign that I'll be meeting my mate soon, but now, I'm always left frustrated. I can never see his face or anything that'll help me identify him. All I know is that he's a bit broader than me with short hair and has a voice that leaves me feeling soothed to my very soul.

That's not much to go on.

As I get ready, I wonder if the person from last night will be stopping into the diner. Maybe I should take a little extra time getting ready. I put my long, red hair into a messy bun, carefully letting a few strands fall around the sides of my face. At the last second, I throw on a little mascara, hoping it'll make my eyes pop even more than they already do.

One of the benefits of living in such a small town is that I can walk to work every morning. It only takes about ten minutes before I'm stepping through the door and making my way to the kitchen.

"Good morning!"

The line cook, Chief, nods in my direction, giving me a grunt. He's not very chatty before he's had his morning coffee.

There's something incredibly comforting about this job. There's a routine to it. I get here around the same time as Chief and the two of us open the diner. We get everything turned on and go through the steps of making sure everything is ready for when our regulars begin to show up.

Marty is our first customer, an older gentleman who comes and sits at the diner counter. I pull out a mug, the coffee pot already in my hand.

"Morning, Marty. How're you, this fine day?"

"Real good, Vinnie, real good," he says back, giving me a grin. Marty always starts his morning with a cup of coffee and an order of pancakes. He owns the hardware shop down the road. Really nice guy but I can tell he gets lonely. I'm glad he can come here and interact with people to keep the loneliness at bay.

"Want your usual?"

"You know it. The day I mix things up is the day we know everything has gone to shit."

I chuckle at the familiar joke. "You got it. Give Chief a few minutes to get that hot and ready for you and I'll have it out in a jiffy."

"Thank you," Marty says, pulling the newspaper he had in his back pocket and opening it up. I quickly turn towards the kitchen, letting Chief know that Marty is here and he'll have his usual pancakes.

As that gets going, I move around the diner, making sure all the tables are clean from last night and that we have plenty of silverware rolled and ready. It looks like the closer vacuumed so I don't have to worry about that. Once everything is clean to my satisfaction, I head back into the kitchen, knowing the pancakes should be done.

The morning flies by quickly as I take care of all my usuals. It's a satisfying feeling, knowing who's coming roughly when. I know my people and they know me. I don't have to deal with shitty customers because they all know I'd never put up with being treated like that and in turn, they come here knowing they're going to be taken care of.

It's not very often that I'm surprised. Sure, once in a while one of my regulars will come in at a different time or someone I'm used to coming in on Monday will come in on Tuesday instead, little things. But for the most part, I have a routine.

So it comes as a bit of a shock when the hair on my arm stands on end, my stomach swooping with something like anticipation and excitement. I'm carrying a tray through the diner towards my table when the front door swings open. Wind blows into the diner, carrying the most delightful scent I've ever experienced.

It takes all of my self control not to drop the tray of food I'm holding onto the ground. My hands begin to shake and I have to readjust my grip. My eyes snap over to the door, finding the most gorgeous man stepping inside, looking sheepish as the wind disturbs a few papers up by the counter.

"Oh. My. Gods," I breathe out, my eyes widening.

This man is stunning. He's got broad shoulders, a strong build, dark hair and bright eyes. He looks strong. But the thing that draws me in the most is his scent. Not only does he smell downright sinful and good enough to devour, he smells like mine.

Holy shit. He smells like mine because he is. That's my true mate!

I'm frozen in place, just taking in every detail as quickly as I can. The wind continues to blow through the diner and he has to turn around and pull the door closed. He looks out of place and flustered. I start to take a step towards him, wanting to make sure he's okay, to help put him at ease but a voice pipes up from beside me.

"Vinnie? You okay?"

I quickly pick my jaw up off the floor, trying to get my mind back on track to do my job. I give my table a grin as I turn away from the door to keep myself from getting distracted again. "Yeah, I'm all good," I say, stepping over to them and passing over their food. "Just checking out the guy who lost a wheel last night."

They all look over at the newbie who's doing his best to make himself appear smaller. It's kind of adorable because it's not working even a little bit. He's too big, too new to go unnoticed.

"That's him, huh? Heard Veronica grumbling about something this morning. Must have been that."

I nod my head. "How's she taking it?"

"You know her. Always taking shit like this in stride while also grumbling about it nonstop at the same time."

"That's her," I say with a warm chuckle. "Alright, did y'all need anything else?"

"We're all good, Vinnie. Thank you."

I tuck the tray under my arm and make my way over to the door. My heart is slamming against my ribs. I truly cannot wrap my brain around the fact that my true mate just walked into my diner, looking adorably lost. I cannot believe he's actually here. He's somehow found me in the middle of nowhere.

Gods, I feel like I might literally burst.

The man straightens as I walk towards him, his eyes widening as he takes me in. I just barely keep myself from outright preening under his gaze, watching him check me out and clearly enjoy what he sees. There's a light blush to his cheeks when his eyes meet mine, catching him staring but he doesn't look away. Maybe he's like me and can't.

"Hi," I say with a grin. "Booth or table?"

"Huh?"

I chuckle. "I'm assuming you'd like some breakfast?" He nods. "Would you prefer to sit at a booth or a table?"

"Oh! Umm, sorry. I'll take a booth please."

"Follow me." I pick up a menu and head into the diner, ignoring the way some of my usuals are watching me closely. Most of them are checking out the new guy but a few of them are watching me, wanting to make sure this guy doesn't do something weird like slap my ass the moment he gets the chance.

Thankfully, that's only happened once and Gordon, the owner, immediately got in his face and threw him out.

"Here you are," I say, gesturing towards a booth. My mate slides into it, smiling up at me with the most lovesick smile I think I've ever had directed at me. Which is saying something because a lot of people hit on me here. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, please."

"Perfect. Take a moment to look over the menu while I grab that for you, okay?"

I hurry back into the kitchen, placing a hand at the center of my chest, trying to get it to stop feeling like my heart might actually leap out of my chest. I can't believe this is happening. How can the guy who's fucking tire flew off his car be my true mate? If that's not fate making sure he had to stop in this town, then I don't know what is.

"You alright, Vinnie?"

"I'm okay, Chief," I say softly, swallowing around the lump in my throat. "I think I need to take my break."

Chief gives me a long look before finally nodding. "I'll make sure Charlotte can cover your tables. You want anything?"

I nod, trying to find the words but unable to. I don't think I've ever felt this much like a fish out of water. I've never felt this out of control. I don't like it, but at the same time, how could I not like the fact that I've just met my true mate? Gods, I feel all jumbled up inside.

"I'm gonna make you your usual. I'll have Charlotte bring it out for you. Go sit down, Vinnie."

"Okay," I finally get out. "Thank you."

I quickly make a cup of coffee for my mate and a glass of water for myself before heading back out to the dining room. As I step towards the table, my mate looks up at me. My breath is stolen from my lungs all over again. This doesn't feel real! Maybe I'm still alone in my apartment sleeping. Maybe this is the most elaborate dream I've ever had.

I set the coffee down in front of him before sliding into the booth across from him. For a moment, we just stare at each other, our eyes darting over the other's face. I'm not the only one in disbelief.

"So," I say softly, breaking the silence. "Hi."

My mate's face breaks into a wide grin. "Hi," he says back. "I'm Tatum."

Tatum. My mate's name is Tatum. It suits him. "I'm Vinnie."

"I cannot understate how much of a pleasure it is to meet you," he says, his cheeks turning the prettiest pink color. Tatum is built like he could toss me over his shoulder without much effort yet he seems to have this softness about him. I'm being drawn in, like an invisible tether is pulling us together.

And maybe there is. We are true mates, after all.

"This feels unreal," I confess softly, putting my hands around my glass of water. "Like I'm dreaming."

"I feel the same way because there's no way someone like you could be my mate. I mean you look like you've crawled straight out of a romance novel about an elven prince."

My stomach flutters with butterflies. "Don't sell yourself short," I say, shaking my head with amusement. "You seem exactly like the type to whisk an elven prince off his feet and carry him to safety."

Tatum looks down at his coffee, a small smile on his lips. "Only if the elven prince is okay with that of course."

"And a gentleman on top of good looks. Be still my heart."

"Of course," Tatum says, nodding his head. "My moms raised me right. If they heard I was anything less than a perfect gentleman they'd have my ass."

I chuckle, slowly getting a bigger picture of the type of person my mate is. He was raised by what sounds like two strong women, he's respectful, he's shy. Not only does he smell amazing and have dashingly good looks, but he seems like a really nice guy.

I feel so incredibly lucky.

Tatum looks around before turning back towards me with a frown. "I'm not distracting you from work, am I?"

I follow his gaze, rolling my eyes. Many of my usuals are keeping an eye on me, making sure everything is okay. I give them a look before flicking my finger at them, gesturing towards them to mind their own business.

"I'm on my break," I explain. "There was no way I would be able to focus with you here."

Just then, Charlotte walks over to our table, dropping off two baskets of chicken tenders for us. I can't help but smile, knowing Chief had two of my usual for me. No doubt he looked over here and saw I was with someone and put a few things together. He's always been incredibly insightful.

Charlotte gives me a look and I give her a small smile and a nod, wanting her to know that I'm okay. My chest is warm, brimming with affection, realizing how much my people care about me. I love them all so much.

"Chicken tenders for breakfast?"

I pick up a fry, dipping it in ranch before eating it. "Mhmm, I've been here for like six hours already today. This is my lunch."

"You come in at five am? Fuck, that's early."

I chuckle, wondering what type of morning person Tatum is. My stomach swoops, thinking about waking up next to him, all rumbled and sleepy. I want to wake up snuggled against his broad chest. Gods, where is this coming from? I need to stay present instead of daydreaming about this man I literally just met.

"I actually get here around four thirty so I can make sure everything is clean and set up for opening at five."

"Jesus," he hisses out, digging into his basket. "That's so early. Do you live off coffee?"

I shake my head. "I'm just used to it. Though I'm pretty tired today. I stayed up way too late last night reading a book. And on top of that," I say with a grin, "this asshole lost a wheel right outside my window."

"Oh my gods," Tatum says with a groan, covering his face with his hands. "You did not see that."

"I totally did."

"That's so embarrassing. You must think I'm an idiot."

Reaching across the table, I touch Tatum's hand. Sparks run up my arm at the simple touch and I suck in a sharp breath. Oh my gods. Closing my eyes, I get my breathing back under control so I can say what I wanted to say. "I don't. Maybe it's too soon for you to see this but it was pretty fucking funny. Plus, if that hadn't happened, you'd probably still be driving instead of here in this diner."

Tatum's eyes soften. "You're right. You're very wise, another thing to like about you."

Now it's my turn to blush. There's something about how earnest Tatum is that makes all my walls come crashing down. I want to let him in, I want him to know me fully.

I finish eating my chicken tenders, pushing the basket away from me. The diner is starting to fill up and Charlotte is having a hard time with all of her tables and mine.

Letting out a sigh, I look at Tatum. "I should probably get back to work."

"Oh! Yeah, don't let me keep you from your job, Vinnie."

"Where are you staying?"

"In the only motel in town. I'm in room B."

"Can I come see you after work? I get done at one."

Tatum nods, his face lighting up. "I'd really like that."

"Perfect," I say, standing up from the booth. I place a hand on Tatum's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "And don't worry about your meal today, it's on me. Perks of being my mate," I tell him with a grin, giving him a wink.

I quickly get back to work, dodging everyone's questions as best as I can. I feel like I'm on cloud nine. The rest of my shift breezes past and I only fuck up one person's order, too occupied with thinking about Tatum. Thankfully, they were incredibly understanding.

At the end of my shift, I pack up my things and head over to the motel to see my true mate.