Page 9 of Bear’s True Mate

Finn brought my beer over without a word and went back behind the bar. I took a long pull and leaned back against my chair.

“So what else is new?” Omar asked, taking another pull from his beer.

“Alister rented his unit out to some woman.”

Both of them looked at me.

“What?” Danny set his beer down. “While he’s gone?”

“Yep. Without telling me.”

“That’s cold,” Omar said.

“It gets better. She knocked on my door yesterday and told me I was being too loud.”

Danny snorted. “She’s not wrong. You’re always loud.”

I gave him a look. “She’d been there one day at that point. One day, and she’s already telling me to turn my music down like she owns the place. I’ve been there two years.”

“What’d you say?” Omar asked.

“I told her it wasn’t a library and to go be the quiet police librarian somewhere else.”

Danny winced. “You didn’t.”

“I did.”

“And she took that well, I’m guessing,” Omar said.

“She thought I was making fun of her glasses. Got all fired up about it. Then she told me she had a lease, she’d paid in full, and she wasn’t going anywhere.”

“She sounds fun,” Danny said, grinning into his beer.

“She’s not fun. She’s—” I took a swig from my beer. “She glares at me. Every time I see her, she’s glaring, like I’m the problem. I live there. She’s the guest.”

“What’s she doing there? Vacation?” Omar asked.

“I’m not sure. She said something about trying to write a book she was on a deadline for.”

Danny and Omar exchanged a look.

“What?” I said.

“Nothing,” Omar said.

“No, what was that look?”

“There was no look.”

“There was definitely a look. Danny, what was the look?”

Danny leaned back and took a slow swig from his beer. “You must really like this girl.”

“I don’t like her. Did you hear anything I just said?”

“Yeah, man. Every word. That’s the problem. You’ve been talking about her for five straight minutes.”

“Because she’s annoying.”