Hers (5 page)

“It’s not alive, angel, so you can’t hurt the car.
It’s also the cheapest of both mine and Slater’s cars for you to drive. I’m
insured, and you’re on my policy.”

“Oh. You didn’t have to do that. How much do I owe
you for that?”

“Nothing.
Slater and I put you on our policy because we wanted to. We don’t need your
money. I have enough that if I stopped working I could live off my inheritance
very nicely and still have money left over for whoever I left everything to
when I die.”

Sammy stared at Brock. He said this like having that
amount of money meant nothing at all. Sammy and her mother had worked hard for
everything they had. Sammy’s mother had received a small inheritance when her
father had passed away, and she had paid off the house they lived in. Sammy
wished the inheritance had been larger so her mother didn’t have to work.

“Why, if you have all that money, do you work?
And in such a dangerous job?”

“I’m not one for sitting around at a desk. I like
using my abilities to catch bad guys. Plus shifters are pretty durable. We heal
quicker and can run faster, have better vision and hearing, and live a little
longer than humans.” Brock turned down the beach street to the car park.

“Do all shifters have money like you and your
family?”

“Yeah, most.
It’s
easy for us to make money. When you can smell a lie and live longer than you
humans, you get good with business and know where to invest and put your money.
Although having said all that, my family has been very lucky and clever in
business. Slater’s and my inheritances came from our grandparents.”

“I can still give you money to help pay for some of
the insurance. You don’t have to pay for me.”

Brock pulled into a park at the start of the car
park, turned off the car. He reached over into the glove box and pulled out L
plates. Brock got out, and Sammy watched as he walked to the front of the car
and leaned down, stood up and went to the back of the car before he came back
to her side and opened her car door.
“Out.
No more
talk of money.”

Shaking her head she got out. Sammy knew she
wouldn’t win. She would learn to pick and choose her fights and let the small
ones go.
 
She walked around and stopped
as she came to the back of the car to see he had bought plate holders for his
car.
 
She walked to the front to see
there was one there, too.

Opening the driver’s door she got in, shut it, and
sat in the driver seat. She couldn’t even reach the pedals with the seat so far
back.

Brock chuckled. “You’ll need to use the lever under
the seat on the left hand side to push the seat forward.”

Turning to him she leaned over and kissed him. She
gripped him tight and let herself go for a moment before she pulled away.
“Thank you. I really appreciate this. I can’t believe you put plate holders on
your new car.”

“It’s nothing, really.” He winked at her. “Come on. Stop
stalling.”

Sammy grinned at him and turned back to the steering
wheel and leaned forward and moved the seat forward.

****

Slater sat out the front of Sammy’s house waiting
for her and Brock to get back from her driving lesson.
 
He’d spoken to his parents this morning, and
they were eager to meet Sammy. His brothers were even going to take time out of
their busy schedules to attend a dinner. His older brother, Kayon, was a lawyer
and a part owner of a huge shifter firm. His younger brother, Jordan, was a
doctor, a family doctor. His father was head of the shifter council, and his
mother called herself a professional spender. She was a great mother, nothing
like Brock’s mother or Jake’s.
 

Brock’s black Commodore pulled into Sammy’s
driveway. As soon as the car stopped Sammy got out and ran to his car. He opened
the door, and Sammy squealed.

“Brock is so good. I just had an hour lesson. I
drove a car for an hour.” Sammy bounced up and down.

Slater looked over at Brock. He looked ragged. Slater
could see his eyes were flashing bear, and his hair looked messier than usual
like he’d been running his hands through it or pulling it out. Brock was
breathing deeply and clenching and unclenching his fists. Slater couldn’t help
laughing as he hugged the excited Sammy.

“You okay?” Slater patted Brock on the back.

Brock shot a glare his way as he walked by with an
excited Sammy. “Argh, yeah, but you can take her tomorrow.” He pulled Sammy
from him and kissed her. “I’ve called
Kegon
to come
pick me up. He’ll be here any minute. The Commodore can stay here.”

“You’re not going to come in?”

“No. Go have a late lunch with Slater. I’ll see you
tomorrow.”
 

Sandy beamed up at Brock, and Slater thought that
whatever Brock had just gone through would be worth the smile she was bestowing
on him.
Kegon’s
car pulled up, and Brock got in,
leaving Slater alone with Sammy.

Sammy waved Brock off then turned to him. “Let me go
to the bathroom and freshen up, and then we’ll go out for lunch.”

 
“Sounds good.”
 

He walked in, and the first thing he noticed was the
big picture of her and a woman who must be her mother as they looked so alike,
and a photo of a younger Sammy with Susie, Jane, and Sandy. The photos hadn’t
been there the last time he’d been into the house.

Slater studied the photo of the older woman and
Sammy. He could see the love that shone from the woman’s eyes as she hugged her
daughter. He stared at the picture of Sammy with her friends. She was laughing
and had her arms around Jane and Susie. Sammy looked carefree. He wanted to see
that look on her again.

“That’s a pic of a girls’ weekend we had away before
my mum got sick.”

Slater turned to see Sammy with her hair in a braid
and light makeup on. She had her handbag on her shoulder. “Are you ready to go?”
he asked. “Do you have any idea where you want to go for lunch?”

“Yeah, I’m ready. I’d love to check out Glaser. I
hear it good, and it’s one of yours, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. Are you sure you want to go?”

“Yes. Do you not want me to see one of your
restaurants?
 
Or do you not want to go to
work?”

Slater stroked her cheek. “Of course I want you to
see my restaurant. I just thought you might want to go somewhere different.
Everyone is eager to meet you.”

Sammy beamed up at him and held his hand as she
walked to the door. “Well let’s go see this restaurant everyone raves about.”

The drive to his restaurant was uneventful. Sammy
talked about the driving lesson and everything they did. Slater told her he
would be teaching her tomorrow. He walked through the front doors of his
restaurant instead of the back employee entry he always took, so Sammy could
get a look at his top restaurant.

Anna, his maître d’, greeted them with a smile. “Hi,
boss. You like work so much you can’t stay away.”

“Hi, Anna, I’ve come to show my mate my restaurant.”

Sammy stood forward. “Hello, Anna. I’m Samantha.”

“Hello, Samantha. We are eager to meet you. Slater
talks about you quite a lot.”

Sammy shot a wide eyed look at him and turned a
light shade of pink.

“Anna, I’m going to show Sammy around, and I’ll take
the corner table twenty. I’ll tell Richard while we’re in the kitchen what
we’ll have to eat.”

“Sure.
Nice to finally meet you,
Samantha.
You have come at just the right time. The lunch crowd has died
down.”

“You, too, Anna.
I
look forward to seeing you again.”

Slater placed his hand on Sammy’s back and steered
her to the back of the restaurant to the kitchen, his pride and joy.

“It’s almost full, Slater. I thought Anna said the
lunch crowd had died down.”

He glanced quickly around to see it was quiet, well,
quiet
for Glaser. “This is quiet for Glaser.” He moved
closer to her and held her hand.

They walked back to his kitchen, and his head chef,
Richard, waved him over.
 
He watched as
Sammy seemed to take everything in. She slowed to
a dawdle
as they walked over to Richard.

“There are so many people back here, and it’s so
big.”

“When I designed this kitchen, I wanted it bigger
than most, so nobody was stepping on anyone and everyone had room to do their
magic.”

“I haven’t seen many restaurant kitchens, well
besides on TV and movies, but I think it’s fantastic.”

Bringing the hand he held up to his lips, he kissed
it. “Thanks, beautiful.”

They stopped next to Richard, who stood at the front
directing people and checking quality. “Richard, I’d like you to meet my mate,
Samantha.” He said her full name as he noticed with Anna she didn’t use the
name he’d gotten to know her by.

“
Hiya
, Samantha. It’s nice
to put a face to a name we hear so often.” Richard held his hand out, and Sammy
took it turning a shade of pink at Richard’s words.

“Nice to meet you, too, Richard. I have no idea what
Slater could have told you, but I hope it’s all good.”

Richard let go of Sammy’s hand. “Everything he’s
said is positive. He told us what a strong, brave woman you are.”

Sammy looked extremely embarrassed, so Slater took
over. “We’re here for lunch, and I’d love for you to cook your creamy garlic
salmon.” Turning to Sammy he asked, “You do like fish, don’t you?”

“I love fish. I’m not a huge meat eater. I don’t eat
red meat at all, but I love salmon. It’s my favorite fish.”

Slater’s bear preened at Sammy’s comment, and Slater
himself was happy as he loved his fish and wasn’t a big red meat eater.

“Sure, I’ll make my salmon dish. Go sit down and
relax, and I’ll bring it out personally,” Richard said.

Slater reached out and held Sammy’s hand again as
they walked out of the kitchen, and he guided her to the corner table he had
for them. Letting his hand drop from hers he pulled her chair out, and Slater
waited until she sat in it before he slid her into the table and took his own
seat.

“Slater, your restaurant is beautiful.
 
I love the natural colors and the soothing
waterfall outside.”

“Thank you. It’s one of my favorites. I own a couple
with my cousins. My brothers even have shares in this one.” Moving his legs
under the table so his feet sat between her legs, he held one of his hands out,
and Sammy held it and they twined their fingers together.
 
“Speaking of family, my mother and father
have been asking me to bring you around to meet them. Well begging is more like
it. My mother is super excited that one of her sons will have a mate.”

Slater watched as Sammy froze. Her eyes went wide,
and she tried to snatch her hand from his. She bit her lip, and her gaze darted
everywhere but him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. We’ve only
started dating, and … um … what about Brock?”

He could see how scared and uncomfortable she was.
Maybe he should wait and bring this up another time, but he really was sick of
telling his family about his mate and them never seeing her. “My parents are
nothing like Brock’s. I didn’t have nannies raise me. My mother stayed home and
was a soccer mum. My mum is like you, human.”

Sammy gasped. “You never said anything about that.
How did she meet your father?”

Slater chuckled.
 
“Like any normal person. At a concert I believe. My mum doesn’t call it
that. She calls it a festival.
 
I’m sure
she’ll tell you the story when you meet her.”

Sammy nodded. “Okay, if you’re sure, I’ll meet
them.”

He leaned down and brought her hand up and kissed
it. “Thanks, beautiful.”

Sammy grinned at him and relaxed. “Did you say one
of your mother’s sons? Do you have brothers or sisters?”

He told her about his brothers and reminded himself
that he needed to call his mother tonight. She would be so excited.

****

Slater arrived early to take Sammy driving. After
the success of yesterday’s lunch he was keen to spend more time with Sammy. She
opened the door before he even had the chance to ring the doorbell.

“You’re early. That’s good.” Sammy grabbed his hand
and held it in hers as she almost ran to the Commodore. “Come on. I can’t wait
to get in the driver’s seat again.”

Slater chuckled at Sammy’s enthusiasm as she opened
his car door and pushed him in, ran around to the passenger side, opened the
door and got in her seat and shut the door.

“Where are you going to take me? The same place as
Brock,
or somewhere new?”

Starting the car he put the car into gear and drove
toward the beach.
“The same as Brock.
I think that’s
the best for the first couple of lessons.”