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asshole who ran off with my
mate.”
    “Your mate?”
    “My girlfriend.”
    He’d wanted Joanne to see him with someone
else to let her know he’d moved on, yeah, make her jealous, but now he was face
to face with them, the whole thing made his blood boil.
    “She’s very pretty,” Eve said.
    Ian chose not to answer. Celia, another
bear shifter who’d started working at Hannah’s as their Monday night waitress,
walked over to the table.
    “It’s going to be a ten minute wait for
salmon tonight. We’ve had a rush and Joanne and Max just had the last piece of
our first batch, but more’s just about to hit the grill.”
    Ian gritted his teeth. The bastard had even
taken the last piece of fish. When did cougars start liking salmon that much?
    “Can I get you something to drink?” asked
Celia.
    “Beer for me,” Ian said.
    “I think I’ll have the same,” Eve said.
    He was impressed. A woman who wasn’t
afraid to order a beer. Most of the shifter women thought it was much way too
macho. Someone started to play the piano and Ian glanced over to see Dane
sitting there as he began singing.
    “That guy has a great voice,” Eve said.
    “Yeah, Dane could probably get a record
contract. He sings at just about everyone’s wedding and birthday parties, too.
That’s his wife Melanie, and their little boy sitting over there.”
    “So you know everyone here tonight or
what?”
    “Just about.”
    Celia arrived with their beers and placed
them down in front of them, along with a basket of bread. “The chef’s assured
me it will be just five minutes until the next batch of salmon is ready.”
    “Wait till you try the salmon,” Ian said.
He could actually smell it grilling back in the kitchen and it was making his
salivary glands water no end.
    Eve crossed her leg and while doing so
brushed his. He didn’t know why, but he reached under the table and placed his
hand on her thigh just above her knee. He half expected her to push it away,
citing that they didn’t know one another that well, but she didn’t.
    He gave it a squeeze, getting what he
interpreted as ‘I like it a lot’ look from her. In fact, she licked her lips
and put her hand on top of his.
    Celia appeared again, this time with two
plates of salmon and rice pilaf. “Sorry for the wait, but at least you know
it’s fresh off the grill.”
    A few minutes later Eve took her first
bite. “You’re right. This is the best salmon I’ve tasted. So much better than
wearing it on your raincoat.” She nudged his foot with hers.
    For a human, she was a hell of lot of fun
to be around. He nudged her foot in response while thinking about the condoms
in his jacket pocket.
    ****
    Eve rested back on the chair and finished
the rest of her beer. A few people had joined in singing along with the guy named
Dane. Half way through their meal, Ian’s ex and her new man had finished their
meal and left, but not without giving Ian what Eve knew was as an icy stare.
    She was pretty and Eve had felt just a tad
jealous, but she wasn’t sure why. Sure she’d envy some people, but jealousy
wasn’t a trait she’d ever possessed.
    “You ready to go?”
    Ian’s question jarred her out of her train
of thought.
    “I sure am and that’s one of the best
meals I’ve had in a long time.”
    Ian held the chair for her as she stood
and then they made their way outside where it had started raining again. They
rushed to her car and got inside.
    Ian turned on her heater as they sat off
down the road with the windscreen wipers working double time, attempting to
clear away the sudden downpour. Eve pulled into the lot of her practice.
    “Your bike’s getting wet,” she said.
    “Yeah, and I don’t feel like riding home
in this.”
    “I could drive you home, but then you’d
need someone to bring you here in the morning to get your bike.”
    “Or you could stay the night and then I’d
have that someone to chauffeur me here.”
    Eve looked at him. “Remember it’s only