The morning was a blur of jobs—not only replacing tires but fixing the issues with the customer vehicles.Every time he looked through the glass to the lobby, Mira was talking to a customer, answering the phone, or smiling.Each glimpse of her steadied him and made him work even harder.
He caught sight of Theron as he walked by on patrol.He had the kind of watchful attention to his surroundings that only shifters had, a second sort of knowledge of things that might be out of place.He saw Auron pass by the other way, his face set with determination.
Their presence was a statement to Foley—the pack’s businesses weren’t unprotected anymore.
Just before lunch, Adam stopped at the truck Leo was tuning up.“Your mate fits right in here.And so does her family.Any word on if they’re sticking around?”
“It seems too early to talk about that,” Leo said, watching Mira once more as she talked to her mom while they both cleaned the lobby.“They’ve only been reconnected since Thursday night.”
“Good point.I have some thoughts, though, if they decide to stick around.”
“I’ll let you know and set up a chat for all of us,” Leo said.“Mira and her brother want to shift.She wants some pointers from someone who is a gryphon, and I don’t blame her.I have no idea what it’s like to fly.”
“You can definitely use the pack hunting grounds.We’re sweeping the territory and perimeter a lot more, so it’s safer.What night?”
“Sunday?”
“Sure.Her other family members?”
“Well, her mom has wings and can fly, but her sister won’t have wings until she meets her mates.I think they plan to hang out while her uncles, dad, and brother, go shift and hunt with us.”
“Then you probably don’t need any escorts with all those eyes and ears on hand,” Adam said with a chuckle.“Just let the security office know the time.”
“Thanks.”
Adam nodded and left, and Leo got back to work.
Mira wandered over a little bit later, looking adorable in one of his shirts with the garage name on the pocket.
She handed him a soda.“I thought you could use this.”
“You’re a lifesaver, thank you.”He took the soda and kissed her, then opened it and took a long drink.
“It’s been nonstop at the front desk,” she said.“In here, too, huh?”
“Yeah.Since we’re waiting for more tires, I’ve just been doing the repair work and trying to get the backlog of work done.It’ll take weeks to get out from under what Foley did.How do you like the front desk?”
“I love it!It’s been so fun being a part of things here, plus I get to work with you, and also with my family, which has given me loads of time to talk with them.”
“You’ve got a knack for working with customers,” he said.“Probably from all those years helping with the booth at festivals.”
“Yep.Of course, it’s a little different talking to people in a booth at a carnival for a fortune, and talking to them about their vehicle, but people are kind of all the same everywhere.They just want someone to listen to them and to actually hear them.”
He pulled her close and smiled down at her, tucking a lock of her pretty blonde hair behind her ear.She shivered at his touch, her eyes flashing with amber striations for a heartbeat.
“I love you, Mira.You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“I love you, too, sweet wolf of mine.”
* * *
Not long after, a delivery truck with a shipment of tires pulled behind the garage.Leo groaned under his breath at the thought of unloading all the tires.
“Need a hand?”Theron called from across the back parking lot when Leo walked out to sign for the shipment.
“Hell, yes,” Leo said.
He greeted the driver, checked out the inventory, and signed for the shipment.He and Theron hopped up into the back of the truck, put down the ramp, and got to work unloading them.Leo watched Theron grab two tires, then followed suit.Being a shifter meant they had enhanced strength and could move heavy things with ease.But there were a lot of damn tires and Leo was by himself in the bay at the moment, so he was thankful Theron was willing to lend a hand.
