Burning Springs by T. L. Haddix

Author:T. L. Haddix
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Streetlight Graphics Publishing
Published: 2017-02-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“I hear you have a date,” Trevor drawled from over Jonah’s shoulder.

Jonah looked up from the ticket he was signing with a small laugh. “I do?”

“Yep. And you’re getting a home-cooked meal and everything.”

Shaking his head, Jonah handed the receipt back to the clerk and thanked the girl. “You saw Molly, I take it. Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s not a date.”

Ignoring the sign that prohibited just such behavior, Trevor leaned against the counter. The move earned him a dirty look from the clerk before she walked away to wait on another customer. “Damn it, that’s what she said. I’m invited over. Let me know if I need to make my excuses, and I’ll stay away. Bow-chicka and all that.”

Jonah slapped his shoulder as they stepped away from the counter. “You absolutely should not stay away. As to the other, the woman is living under my roof and is therefore under my protection. I’m not going to take advantage of that.”

He was glad they’d walked away from the clerk when he heard what Trevor said next.

“What if the lady wants to be taken?”

With a groan born of exasperated affection, Jonah rubbed his jaw. “Trevor…”

“I’m just saying… maybe she’s not the one whose virtue needs protecting. Maybe you’ll wake up in the middle of the night and you’ll be getting seduced.”

There was no way Jonah was going to admit that idea sounded like a dream come true. Judging from the grin on his best friend’s face, Trevor was already aware.

“You’re a troublemaker, Absher.”

“Sure I am. I’ll see you tonight. Buzz me if you change your mind, and I’ll come up with an excuse.”

As Jonah headed east toward Johnson City and the supplier he needed to visit, he thought back to his conversation with Molly from the day before. He’d been surprised that she hadn’t brought up his being a shape-shifter to her grandfather, and after the call had ended, he asked her why she hadn’t.

She’d shrugged. “It didn’t feel right. Didn’t feel like the proper time. I know he’d get a big kick out of the news, but that’s probably something you should discuss with him on your own without my interference.”

At first he’d taken her reticence as reluctance, but the more he thought about it through the day, the more he wondered if he was wrong. In the end, he’d used the phone number Owen had e-mailed him following their discussion.

“It’s Jonah,” he said when the older man answered. “Do you have a few minutes? There’s something else I’d like to tell you about. It… could be relevant to your research.”

“By all means, let me get my notes. You caught me sneaking another piece of coffee cake.”

Jonah smiled, though his heart was pounding. When Owen gave him the go-ahead, he took a deep breath and spoke. “One of the things Molly didn’t mention to you was something she learned this morning. I’m a shape-shifter.”

Owen cleared his throat. “I beg your pardon?”

“I’m a panther. She caught me coming back from a run with an injured foot.

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