The Feline Gaze

Oh, something tells me I’m going to like whatever she has planned next. I’m not used to women who know exactly what they want. It’s a real treat. It’s nice to see someone who isn’t afraid to speak her mind and express herself. A lot of girls are scared or shy when it comes to saying what they want or need.

Cassidy doesn’t seem to have this problem.

“I have a different plan, but I’m going to need your help.”

“I’d love to be of service,” I tell her. “What can I do?”

“For starters, you can be my date to Alastair’s wedding.”

I grin. She wants me to be her date. Fantastic. I had hoped for this, but I didn’t quite know how to broach the topic. I’m more than happy to accompany her to her cousin’s wedding and in fact, it makes me wildly excited. Cassidy is the type of woman who goes after what she wants and I kind of love that about her.

I want to get to know her better. She intrigues me in a way that leaves me feeling more and more curious.

What other surprises does this girl have for me?

“It would be an honor.”

“Good,” she says. She reaches for her glass and lifts it. “To making good memories and saving the world,” she says.

“I’ll drink to that.”

I reach for my own glass and we sip our drinks at the same time. My belly feels warm and sated. The liquor has effectively warmed me up, relaxed me, and made me comfortable enough to know that whatever happens next is fine. Perfect. Good. I’m more than happy to spend the rest of the night in exactly this spot just talking to Cassidy.

Besides, how often do I get the chance to pick the brain of a pretty real estate professional who happens to be a tiger shifter?

Not often at all.

“So, tell me,” I say. “Any luck recently with the dating mixers?”

She laughs and shakes her head.

“Not at all. You?”

“Haven’t tried again.”

“Yeah, they’re just so awkward, you know? It’s like, you show up, and you’re thrust into this group of people who are all totally nervous and also awkward, and it’s like, ‘Okay, everyone find a partner!’ It’s as bad as grade school. It gives me anxiety.”

That makes me chuckle because I feel the same way.

“In school, I always had a hard time finding a partner.”

“Really? That surprises me. I would have pegged you as the guy who got picked first.”

“Not at all. I was kind of scrawny, for a lion, and that held me back.”

“Like the Tawny Scrawny Lion?”

I laugh. “You’ve read that book? It’s a children’s book from like, the 50s.”

“It’s good, though. I’ve read it. My grandmother loved it. We read all sorts of animal books together when I was a kid.”

“Did you always know you were a shifter?” I ask her, curious to hear more about her childhood and upbringing.

“Nope. My parents didn’t tell me.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. Puberty came as a real shock. One day I was minding my own business. The next I was a tiger in math class. It was horrifying.”