Shelter (Heroes of Big Sky 2)

“Good morning,” I say with a smile. “What can I get for you?”

“I need a sandwich,” the one on the right says. “Turkey with cheddar and extra onions.”

“Dude, Cara won’t let you kiss her.”

Extra onions must be Josh.

“Cara lets me kiss her no matter what.” Josh’s smile is cocky as he turns to me. “You must be Remi. Seth has told us all about you.”

“So you came in to check me out?” I guess.

“Just to say hello,” Zack replies easily and leans on the counter. “And I’ll take a breakfast burrito and three peanut butter cookies.”

I fill their orders and laugh at their antics. They give each other a hard time but laugh easily.

Yes, I can clearly see where Seth gets a lot of his personality as well as his looks.

“Have a great first day, Remi,” Zack says before the two of them leave.

“Thanks. Enjoy your lunch.” I turn when I hear Annie giggle. “What?”

“I think it’s cute, that’s all.”

“What’s cute?”

“The fact that Seth has clearly talked about you with his family and that they’re coming in to say hello. It’s nice. You’re clearly more than friends.”

“Is it weird?”

Her smile fades, and she tips her head to the side, staring at me. “Why would it be weird?”

“We just started seeing each other. Isn’t it soon for him to tell his family about me?”

“I guess that depends on the person. Seth’s close to his family, so it doesn’t surprise me that he confided in them. If he’s moving too fast for your comfort, you only need to say so, Remi. It’s natural for him to be open with his family.”

“And it’s not natural for me,” I reply softly. “Because I’m not close to mine the way he is. But that doesn’t mean he’s done anything wrong.”

“Agreed.” She pats my shoulder. “Okay, I have to check on the last of the soup I have on the stove. We’re about to get busy for lunch, so I’ll come out and help you.”

“Thanks.”

She’s not wrong. We do get busy, with a line to the door at one point, which makes the time fly. Everyone smiles and introduces themselves to me.

The owner of the yoga studio, Fallon, who happens to be married to Noah, invites me to a class for free. Even the police chief, Brad Hull, stops in for his lunch.

“I’ll never remember everyone’s names,” I mutter to Annie as I fill a bag with bagels for a nice woman named Aspen.

“You’ll remember Aspen,” she whispers. “She’s married to Prince Callum.”

I stare at her and almost swallow my tongue when I stand up and smile at the princess. “Here are your bagels. Um, Your Highness?”

Aspen’s smile is kind. “Just Aspen around here. Thanks for the bagels, Annie. I ran out down at Sips.”

“Just call if you need more, and I’ll bring some down.”

“You’re the best,” Aspen says as she hurries out. “Nice to meet you, Remi!”

When the door closes behind her, I turn to Annie, who’s laughing into her hand.

“You could have warned me!”

“Aspen owns Drips & Sips, the café down the block. And, yes, she’s a princess. The royal family all lives here part-time. They’re casual about it and don’t expect anyone to bow or curtsy.”

“I don’t even know how to curtsy,” I mutter, then turn to smile at the three women who come through the door. “Good morning. Or, afternoon now, I suppose.”

“Hi there,” the brunette says, and then I realize that I know her already.

“Hi, Jillian.”

Zack’s wife.

I can hear Annie laughing in the kitchen. She must have run back there to hide her delight.

“This is Cara and Lauren. We thought it would be fun to stop by for a little snack.”

“It’s nice to meet you both. The muffins that Seth brought this morning were amazing,” I tell Jillian. “Thank you so much.”

“Oh, he did bring them by. I’m glad. And you’re welcome.”

“You’re beautiful,” Lauren says. “Jillian didn’t exaggerate.”

I feel my cheeks heat. “Thank you.”

“It’s probably a little over-the-top to come by,” Cara adds. “But when Seth told us you’d be here today, we wanted to come say hello and wish you well.”

“Thank you,” I say again and soften a little. Annie sets some treats on the counter.

“Annie knows what we like,” Jillian explains. “And don’t worry, you’ll learn. I hope you have a great day.”

“You, too,” I reply and turn to stare at Annie after the three women choose a table near the back to enjoy their snacks. “They literally all came in to check me out.”

“Not all of them,” Annie replies, but her eyes are dancing with humor. “It’s sweet. They mean well.”

“They’re very nice,” I concede.

The afternoon slows down a bit. Just before we close, a bunch of kids file through after school to buy up the rest of the baked goods.

When we finally lock the door, I turn to Annie and sigh. “How did you do this by yourself?”