Page 27 of Bear’s True Mate

Until I remembered what I looked like.

My hair was a disaster. It was half falling out of the bun I’d slept in. I had no bra on. My pajama shorts were an old pair of boxers Evan hadn’t wanted because he didn’t like the pattern, and my tank top was one I’d owned for ten years and it showed.

I was not opening that door.

He knocked again. “Rose, I can see your shadow moving in the window. Open up.”

Shit.

I unlocked the door and opened it a crack, hiding behind it as best I could.

“Morning,” he said.

“Hi.” I didn’t open the door any wider. If he noticed I was hiding behind it, he didn’t say so. “Did you need something?”

“I’d like to buy you breakfast this morning.”

“I just woke up. I’m still in my pajamas.”

“So go get dressed. I’ll wait.”

“Nolan—”

“It’s just breakfast, Rose.”

The word no was right there on the tip of my tongue, but it never fell.

“Come on.” He smiled.

“Give me ten minutes,” I said, and closed the door before I could change my mind.

I rushed back to the bedroom and pulled on a pair of cream-colored linen pants and a light gray tank top that was clean and less see-through than the one I had worn to bed. I yanked my hair down from its barely there bun as I dashed into the bathroom for a brush. When I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror above the sink, I cringed. My eyes were still puffy from crying last night. There wasn’t any time to remedy it, so I raked a brush through my hair and piled it into a neater messy bun on top of my head before reaching for my mascara. A few swipes along my lashes made my eyes look a little more open. Then I brushed my teeth while reminding myself this was just breakfast. It was a neighbor being nice to me after hearing part of my sad story. It didn’t have to mean anything more.

Except Nolan wasn’t just a nice neighbor, and I wasn’t able to ignore that fact anymore.

I opened the door. He was leaning against his truck in the driveway, scrolling through his phone, and he looked up when I stepped out.

“Ready?” he asked.

I smiled. “Ready.”

“Mind if I drive us there? We could walk, but I guarantee by the time we’re walking back from eating it will be hotter than Hades out.”

“I’ll take your word for it. Driving is fine,” I said, relieved because that also meant the trip there would be shorter.

We climbed in, and he backed out of the driveway. I could feel his presence beside me like an electric livewire, but I tried to ignore it. However, I did notice that he drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the console between us, and didn’t try to fill the silence with conversation. The ride was only a few minutes, and then he parked at the cafe. Before I could unbuckle and slip out of the truck on my own, he was there, opening my door for me. It was a nice gesture, but definitely not something I was used to.

Delilah’s was already busy when we walked in. I hadn’t been hungry before, but once the smell of bacon and the syrupy sweet scent of pancakes hit me, I was suddenly starved.

Nolan walked us toward a corner booth that was empty. As soon as we sat down, Delilah appeared with two menus in one hand and a coffee pot in the other. There was a smirk on her face, too.

“Well, well,” she said as her eyes bounced between us. “This is a new development.”

“It’s breakfast,” Nolan said, his attention fixed on the menu.

“Mm-hm.” She turned to me. “Tea, honey?”

It surprised me that she remembered I’d ordered tea the last time I was here, but I guess it shouldn’t. She seemed very observant.