“Hello!” he called brusquely before turning away again.
Nearly every table was occupied, and the two free ones were covered with piles of used dishes. I looked up at Jordy, about to ask if we were to wait or order at the counter, but he was staring at me again in that unnerving way of his. It almost made my hair stand on end. What was his deal?
And why did that dark stare make me all squirmy inside? Yeah, Isowasn’t over my bad-boy era.
Not knowing what to do with myself, I grabbed two dirty plates from the nearest free table and carried them to a trolley in the corner, obviously meant for the purpose. A few crumbs dotted the surface, so I wiped them off with a napkin and sat down.
Jordy loomed above me, looking a little puzzled.
“Can you order the meatloaf for me?” I asked.
For some reason, he was suddenly smiling. “Sure. Drink?”
“Just water, thanks.”
“On it.”
Now that I was seated, I caught a few curious looks from the patrons, all of them bulky, muscular alpha dudes who seemed to be shifters. Judging by their coveralls, a lot of them must have worked at the lumber mill. A couple of young omegas sat at a nearby table. One of them, a bespectacled, mousy guy, was staring at me with his mouth open. When I caught his gaze, he blushed bright red and looked down at his plate.
Jordy returned and lowered himself into the rickety chair. It groaned under him. He leaned back, spreading his legs, and folded his arms across his chest.
“Who’s that?” I jerked my chin to the omega who’d been staring at me, now engrossed with his food.
Jordy briefly looked that way. “Martin Beckett. He’s our new librarian. Oliver recruited him to help with our hybrid high school program. And the guy sitting opposite him is Ed Limbaum. He rents a cottage here. He works remotely, doing data analysis or something like that.”
I was tall for an omega, and I liked that. I wore boots to enhance that. But looking around the diner, I felt tiny. Martin Beckett and this Ed person were the only human-sized bodies in the room.
“What’s the shifter-to-human ratio in Beauville?” I asked Jordy.
“I’d say three to one, and many of the humans are shifter mates. In the summer, we have people coming as tourists and renting cottages, but those rarely stay longer than a week.”
“Do you know everyone in town?”
“I guess. Everyone comes to the pub sooner or later.”
“And how didyouend up in Beauville?”
He straightened in his seat and put his hands on the edge of the table. Suddenly, he didn’t look so self-assured.
“Heard about a town full of bear shifters and figured I might feel at home here. Came to visit and stayed.”
That wasnotthe whole story. “I’d heard something about Chickie putting you in jail overnight when you arrived.”
He flashed me an almost threatening look. Did he know what effect his expression had? Was he really trying to intimidate me?
“I got into a little scuffle at the pub,” he said. “Monty was behind the bar. The next day, he explained to Chickie what happened and got me out. Gave me a job.”
“You got into a fight at his pub, and the next day, he gave you a job?”
Jordy shrugged. “Monty’s like that.”
“He really is a different species, isn’t he?”
“You have no idea.”
A hoarse voice cut through the air. “Jordy! Food’s ready.”
I was about to stand, but he shot up faster. “I got this.”
