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HER MECHANIC BEAR MATE
CRESCENT LAKE BEARS #3

ARIZONA TAPE
 CONTENTS
Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Epilogue

Also By Arizona Tape

About Arizona Tape

Copyright © 2023 by Arizona Tape
All rights reserved. No part of this publication or cover may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written
permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Her Mechanic Bear Mate is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are
either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Individuals depicted in the images are models and used solely for illustrative
purposes.
For permission requests or other inquiries, write to Arizona Tape at arizonatape@arizonatape.com .
 BLURB
Bear shifter and mechanic Charlie loves her job at the garage. She never thought it could get any better until she meets her
boss’s daughter, the gorgeous Eve Artos. As if that wasn’t enough reason to stay away from her, Eve is also her best friend’s
sister. Forbidden? Yes. Tempting? Even more yes.
When estate agent Eve is made redundant, she accepts a temporary job offer from her dad to work at the family garage. There
she meets handsome Charlie who puts all her self-control to the test.
The two women do their best to stay away from each other but fate has another idea. However, what happens next is up to
them.
****
Her Mechanic Bear Mate is a fated mate paranormal romance with a bear shifter and a workplace romance between her
and the forbidden sister of her best friend. It's part of the Crescent Lake Bears series but can be read entirely as a
standalone.
 ONE

CHARLIE

CHARLIE GROANED as she tightened the last lug nut on the wheel, the muscles in her arm protesting slightly from the effort. When
she was satisfied that it was as tight as it could go, she got up from her crouched position to admire her handiwork. Changing
tyres into their winter variety was a bit of a boring job but a typical one as the colder months came around.
She wiped her greasy hands on a piece of rag and gave the Suzuki Alto a pat on the bonnet. "And you're all done."
The clatter of a metal tool hitting the ground sounded behind her and she turned in the direction of the sound.
“You fucking piece of shit.” Jack threw a rag through the garage and kicked a nearby tyre. A mild overreaction.
"You alright there?" she called in concern.
He gave her a thumbs-up. "Yeah, fine. My hands are just a bit shaky today. I think my blood sugar is a bit low. I only had a
cold burger for breakfast from yesterday’s takeaway.”
“No wonder your blood sugar is all over the place then,” Charlie said. “You should eat a proper meal.”
“Yes, yes, spare me the lecture. Can you give me a hand with this cap? I don't know who screwed it on but it's wound
tighter than my mum during the holidays. And she gets stressed.”
Charlie leaned under the propped up bonnet and clamped her hand around the cap. It protested slightly but came off with a
squeak.
She held it out to Jack with a grin. She didn't need words, her triumph spoke for itself.
“I clearly pre-loosened it for you,” Jack grumbled as he snatched the cap up.
“Sure you did.”
“I really did,” Jack said as he kicked his tools towards the toolbox, more or less getting them out of the way.
His reaction surprised Charlie and she studied her friend. He seemed worked up beyond just low blood sugar. “You okay
there? You seem angry.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just one of those days. I slept badly, my back is hurting.” Jack paused for a moment, his voice
lowering. “And I have to have dinner with my parents and Eve is coming.”
Understanding filled Charlie. “Ahh, I see.”
“It’s just going to be a whole night of ‘perfect little Eve’ and ‘why can’t you be more like Eve’ and ‘look at how amazing
Eve is’,” Jack ranted, his gaze travelling towards the glass office where his dad was working behind the computer.
Charlie patted her friend on the shoulder. “That’s tough. Is it tonight?”
 “Yeah.”
“Want to get some drinks at The Barrel And The Bear afterwards then? You can vent all you want about your sister and I
can see if that cute bartender will finally go home with me.”
“Sounds good, I guess.” Jack stared at the car he was working on and sighed. “I’m going to take my break and get myself a
snack from the corner shop.”
“Good idea, maybe that’ll cheer you up. If not, who knows, maybe the redhead you’ve been chatting up likes sad guys.”
A proper grin broke through on Jack’s face and he tossed a rag her way. “You’re such a twat.”
“I know,” Charlie returned, glad she’d managed to make her friend smile. Over the years, she’d heard plenty about his
golden sister and it was easy to see why he was upset. Whenever she returned, it was like his parents forgot about his existence
and hard work entirely.
It certainly made her glad to be an only child.
 TWO

EVE

EVE CARRIED the casserole with cauliflower cheese to the table and set it down on the designated placemat next to the gravy.
Her mother angled her wheelchair towards the kitchen. “I smell burning!”
"Mum, relax. Dad is doing a good job in there," Eve said as she sat down too.
"I'm just worried. He's never been the best cook," her mum said, her gaze flitting to the kitchen again. "Honey! Don't forget
to turn the hob off! And the oven!"
Her brother Jack came out with an enamel tray in flowery oven mitts and placed it down next to the beans. "There we go,
that's the ham. Dad is bringing the potatoes and Yorkshire puddings."
"Looks good," Eve commented, her stomach rumbling from the delicious smells. She didn't cook nearly as much as she
wanted to but when she did, it never looked this good. One of the perks of family dinner.
Her dad emerged from the kitchen with a triumphant grin. He carried the rest of the meal to the table like a victor returning
with spoils and set it down with flair. "Tadaa. Now is that a proper Sunday roast or what? Go on, dig in."
Eve didn't need telling twice. She eagerly picked a golden-brown Yorkshire pudding from the plate and dug a serving
spoon into the cauliflower cheese. Steam rose up from the white sauce and strings of melted cheese followed the spoon to her
plate.
Across the table, Jack helped himself to a healthy serving of ham.
"You're making a mess, Jack," her mum chided. "Bring your plate closer."
“Sorry, Mum,” he muttered as he doused it in extra honey before passing the bottle to their dad.
Eve got herself ham once her brother was done with the fork and loaded her plate with golden potatoes. She smothered it
all with gravy, smiling at the lumps in it. Of all the things her dad struggled with.
"This is nice, having the whole family here," her mum said as she reached for some carrots. "Evie, how’s work? You sold a
lot of houses recently?”
Eve’s good mood plummeted instantly. She considered lying but that would do her no good.
With a sigh, she put her cutlery down. “It’s, ummm… Actually, it’s not going so great. There was some reshuffling at my
firm and well, I was made redundant.”
There. Now the bandaid was off.
She expected disappointment from her Mum and perhaps a lecture from her Dad. Instead, they exchanged a compassionate
glance with each other.
“That’s rough, Evie,” her mum said. “I’m sure you’ll find another job soon. You’re great at what you do.”
Her dad nodded. “You should come work at the garage while you search for a new job. We could use the extra help and
then you won’t have a gap in your resumé.”
Eve didn’t particularly want to work at the family business but with the loss of her job, she didn’t really have a choice.
Rent and bills still needed to be paid.
She gave her dad a smile. “Thanks, Dad. That sounds good to me.”
“Great. I think you’ll like it. We have some great employees. In particular, Charlie. She’s a good influence on your brother
too. Last week, she figured out what was wrong with that Toyota Camry in minutes. It had Jack stumped for hours.”
Eve smiled while she cleared her plate, somewhat bemused. She should’ve known it wasn’t family dinner without the
conversation divulging to cars.
Her dad held up the carving fork. “Does anyone want the last piece of this fantastic ham that I made? Honey? Jack? Evie?
Come on, I slaved over this.”
Jack shook his head as he got up. “I made plans with Charlie so I’m heading out.”
“You’re leaving already?” their mum said, clearly disappointed.
“I’ll see you next week, Mum.” Jack gave her a kiss on the cheek and left.
Not wanting to disappoint, Eve obediently held her plate out. “I’ll have the ham.”
“Good girl.” Her dad piled the last slices on her plate. “Oh, I’m excited that you’re going to come work with me. Now it’s
a proper family business.”
“It’ll only be until I’ve found a new job,” Eve warned. There were many reasons why she hadn’t joined the family business
before. The first was that she knew practically nothing about cars. The second was that she wanted to earn her way in life, not
just be handed things on a silver platter.
 THREE

CHARLIE

CHARLIE ARRIVED at the garage with her hands deep in the pockets of her coat. It was getting colder and colder every day,
which meant they could definitely expect an uptick in car repairs from accidents.
She pushed into reception, surprised to find an unknown woman sitting at the front desk.
“Umm… Hello?” Charlie said, confused.
The woman looked up and gave her a smile that felt practised and polite. “Goodmorning. I’m Eve.”
“Oh. You’re Jack’s sister,” Charlie realised, her gaze travelling up and down the newcomer. Over the years, she had built
up an image in her head from all the stories she’d heard about Eve but she wasn’t sure if that image matched up with the woman
in front of her.
Eve didn’t look like a mechanic’s daughter. She was pretty, too pretty actually. Her piercing grey eyes had been highlighted
with eyeliner to make them stand out and her lips were tinted with a dark red stain. Her blue suit looked expensive and new,
which was very different from the casual attire everyone wore around the garage.
She stood out and not in a good way, Charlie thought. She couldn’t help but wonder who Eve was trying to impress.
When she realised she’d been staring, she cleared her throat. “I’m Charlie, by the way.”
“I assumed as much. Dad said there was only one woman working here,” Eve said while she got up from the desk. She held
out her hand, her perfectly manicured fingernails revealing she’d lived a very cushy life that didn’t involve any manual labour.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Charlie said dryly, only shaking quickly. She had no personal issues with Eve but her loyalties were definitely
with Jack who’d suffered a lot over the years from being the black sheep in his family. Knowing all that, she wasn’t going to
buddy up to his golden sister.
She continued on to the garage where Jack was angrily tidying his box of tools.
“You alright there?” Charlie asked as she joined him on the bench. She’d anticipated finding him in a bad state but he
seemed angrier than expected.
“Couldn’t be better,” Jack grumbled, his jaw tense. “Do you know what my dad said this morning?”
“Tell me.”
“He said he might change the name from Artos Auto Services to Artos & Kin Auto Services.” Jack tossed his wrench onto
the pile. “Can you believe that? I’ve worked here since I was sixteen. Eve hasn’t even been here a full day and suddenly, he’s
thinking of updating the name?”
Charlie’s gaze went to the reception where she could see Eve sitting through the large windows. “Wow, that’s some blatant
preferential treatment.”
“I know. Why do I even bother working here? I should quit and find another garage.”
“Aw, don’t do that. I’d miss your ugly mug.”
“You could come with me,” Jack pointed out. “I know, you and I should start our own garage. We could do a good job
running it together, couldn’t we?”
“You, me, and what money?” Charlie laughed.
“Fair point.”
She patted her friend on the shoulder. “Cheer up. You said she’s only here until she finds a new job, right? So you only have
to put up with her for a little while.”
Jack tipped out the dust from his toolbox. “Yeah, which can’t be soon enough.”
“Well, whatever happens, I’m in your corner.”
“Thanks, you’re a good friend. Let’s just hope she finds a job soon and pisses off.”
Charlie found herself looking at Eve again. It was a little ironic. If they’d met somewhere else, like a bar or pub perhaps,
Charlie would’ve been all over someone like Eve. However, seeing her all made-up and elegant like this in a grimy garage
was a big turn-off. It was like she couldn’t read the room or was trying too hard.
No, Charlie decided she found Eve anything but attractive.
 FOUR

EVE

EVE SAT behind the only computer in the reception, a deep frown hurting her forehead. Her dad had given her access to the
schedule but she couldn't make head or tails of it. Everything was written down in shorthand with numbers and abbreviations
that meant nothing to her.
She tapped her pen in frustration. She always knew her lack of knowledge about cars was going to be an issue but she
didn't think it would cause trouble for something so basic as bookings. If her dad was here, she could’ve asked him for help but
he was out on a towing job. Jack was also in the middle of something, plus Eve didn’t think he’d be too keen on helping her.
Ever since she’d started her new job at the family garage, she could tell her big brother wasn’t too happy with her presence.
If only she knew why. They used to be close as children and Eve always thought they’d grow up to be the kind of adult
siblings who hung out voluntarily, not just see each other at mandatory family dinners. She couldn’t have been more wrong.
A knock sounded and Eve looked up to find standing Charlie on the other side of the glass door. Despite the approaching
winter, she was only wearing a sweater over her coveralls.
Eve waved to let her know she could enter, not wanting to leave the other woman out in the cold.
Charlie came in with rosy blushes on her cheeks. Some of her long blonde hair had escaped from underneath her
backwards cap and framed her face.
It was impossible for Eve not to stare. She was used to women looking very different from Charlie, especially at her
previous job. Everyone dolled up to make the best impression on clients, on sellers, on each other.
Not Charlie. The garage’s only female mechanic was dazzling in a casual way. She didn't care about form fitting clothing
and instead of makeup, she had streaks of grease or oil on her face.
Eve found herself thinking about wiping them away and quickly dropped her gaze. This was not the time, place, or person
to be looking at like that.
Charlie cleared her throat as she paused in front of the desk. “Hi. Just bringing back the keys to the Mercedes. I’m all done
with the MOT.”
“Oh, great. I’ll unlock the keybox for you. If I can make sense of this program, hang on.” Eve was glad she could focus on
the computer. “Okay, you’re all set.”
“Thanks.” Charlie's voice was pleasantly smooth, like it was coated in honey.
Eve watched the other woman as she went into the adjoining room to put the key away. She’d heard so much about the
infamous Charlie, it was natural that she was a little intrigued. It wasn’t often that her dad and her brother agreed on something,
but they seemed to agree on how amazing Charlie was.
It made Eve wonder exactly what Charlie was to her brother. As attractive as she found Charlie, she didn't want to step on
anyone’s toes while she was here.
“Are you and Jack dating?” she blurted out. A little inelegant but at least she wouldn't wonder for ages.
A deep snort came from Charlie. “Me and Jack? Dating? That’s hilarious. No, we’re friends. Why?”
“Just curious. Growing up, Jack never really had any female friends so I thought maybe you two were more than that,” Eve
said, her face heating up with her little white lie. That wasn't why she asked at all.
“Definitely not. Besides, we’re both bear shifters so even if I was interested, it wouldn’t work.”
The comment made Eve's eyebrows rise in interest. She hadn't expected the woman in front of her to be a bear shifter or for
her to be so casual about it. Most shifters kept their identity a bit more hidden, certainly in the city where unaware humans
lived.
Eve cleared her throat. “I see.”
Charlie nodded. “Plus I wouldn't date at work. Things can get complicated if coworkers get involved.”
“That's true,” Eve said. “I saw a lot of that in my last job.”
“I bet. Lots of hooking up opportunities in empty houses, huh?” Charlie guessed.
“That doesn’t happen as much as you might think. But I walked in more than one affair in the office,” Eve said, shuddering
as she recalled the instances. She really wished she could burn those from her memories.
“Well, you’re safe here. Eduardo is married, Len’s boyfriend is long distance, Richard is old and decrepit, and Jack and I
are single. I guess you could walk in on your dad and mum, but she doesn’t come here very often,” Charlie said, a smirk lifting
one corner of her lips. “Pun not intended.”
Eve mock retched. “Why would you even bring that up?”
“Sorry, that was too easy.”
“I’m just going to pretend we never had this conversation.” Eve looked up into Charlie’s blue eyes. She didn’t know why,
but they looked kind and inviting. Perhaps that was why she dared to ask for help. “Can I ask you something else? Something
that hopefully won’t lead to a horrifying image.”
“Go on.”
Eve turned the computer screen slightly. "I’m trying to make sense of the schedule for today but I don't know any of my
father's shorthand. What does ‘WT Nissan 1999’ mean?"
Charlie leaned forward on the desk and more of her blonde hair cascaded out from underneath her cap. "That's winter tyres
for a Nissan 1999."
"Oh, I see.” Eve scribbled down the translation. “What about ‘RWM rep plus new WS’?"
"Right wing mirror repair plus new windscreen," Charlie said smoothly.
Eve scanned the rest of the schedule, only slowly making sense of all the letters and abbreviations. "There's a lot of wing
mirror repairs booked in for today."
"We always do lots of those after a crescent moon."
"Why?"
"Because shifters are terrible at parking. I'd bet the majority of these accidents happened at the Crescent Lake car park
before or after the fated mate ritual," Charlie reasoned.
Eve was impressed, not just Charlie's ability to understand her father's shorthand but at her deductions too. It made total
sense that external factors like events or weather influenced the type of request they got at the garage, but she hadn't thought of it
before now. She liked it though. Predictability was her friend.
"How long will all of these take?" Eve wondered out loud.
A thoughtful look appeared on Charlie's round face. "The tyres, I’d say about forty-five minutes to an hour so we usually
count an hour and a half for the task. A wing mirror replacement is about an hour. Windscreen is an hour too but it has to stay
out of the sun for half an hour afterwards too."
Eve quickly jotted the helpful answers down in her notebook. This was the type of information she wished her dad had
embedded in the system but it was likely such common knowledge, it didn't warrant writing down.
"Thank you for running through this with me, you've been a great help. Does everyone use this shorthand or is it just my
dad?”
“Just your dad.”
“Does Jack ever do the schedule?” Eve asked.
The moment she mentioned her brother’s name, Charlie leaned away from the desk. When she spoke again, her smile was
gone. “No, he doesn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Don’t know, ask your dad. Is there anything else or can I get back to work?”
“No, that's all,” Eve said, a little confused by the sudden shift in tone. She wished she knew what brought it on but the
conversation was clearly over.
She watched Charlie leave, even more intrigued by her than before, and determined to get to know her better.
 FIVE

CHARLIE

CHARLIE STRAINED as she carried a tower of boxes to the garage. If she was allowed to shift into her bear form, this would be
so much easier. Unfortunately, a big busy street passed right behind the car park which meant lots of curious onlookers with
phones and cameras. Charlie didn't mind the odd picture of herself online but she didn't fancy going viral in her bear form.
The sound of approaching footsteps sounded to her right. "That looks heavy, let me help you!"
The boxes instantly got lighter as someone supported the other side and Charlie was somewhat surprised that it was Eve
coming to help her.
"I've got it," Charlie said, trying to pull the tower back towards her. It was a reflex she developed working around bigger,
burlier men who were always underestimating her strength.
A soft chuckle came from Eve. "Alright, alright. Just trying to help. What's in the box?"
"Parts."
Eve followed her. "What kind of parts?"
"Car parts," Charlie replied. She could tell when someone was trying to buddy up to her and she didn't like it. Besides, she
had no reason to cosy up to Eve.
She staggered towards the garage. Her muscles were protesting but she was too proud to ask the other woman for help. The
tower of boxes swayed with every step and the parts inside rattled and clattered together. She turned too quickly and the box on
the top of the stack slipped off.
With her hands full, Charlie could only watch as it toppled down, releasing a rain of bolts. They pitter-pattered on the stone
ground and mercilessly rolled away towards the gutter.
A snort came from next to her, one Eve was tactfully trying to muffle. "Oh, man."
"Well, that couldn't have gone worse," Charlie muttered as she set the rest of the boxes down. It was going to take her at
least ten minutes to collect all the little parts, likely more considering her fingers were cold and stiff.
She crouched down to start the tedious task of picking everything up, surprised when Eve joined her.
"It's okay, I got this," Charlie said, a little embarrassed by the whole situation. None of this would've happened if she'd
taken less boxes. Or had been able to carry them all as a bear.
"You said that earlier and now look." Eve smiled at her, not in a mocking way.
"Fair point," Charlie conceded. She hadn't expected Eve to get involved in picking up things from the dirty ground with her
perfect little fingernails but the newcomer didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest. If anything, she worked fast and
efficiently.
Charlie tried not to stare at Eve’s cleavage. Every time Eve bent forward to pick up a bolt, her dress dipped down ever so
slightly and everything jiggled. The ultimate distraction.
It took every ounce of willpower for Charlie to tear her gaze away. Luckily, focusing on the bolts on the ground was a good
way to keep her mind occupied. There was something satisfying about the sound they made when they joined the pile in her
hand or how they clattered when she deposited them into the box.
"This reminds me a little of being at the beach," Eve said.
Charlie still didn’t dare to look up. "How so?"
"Did you never go to the beach when you were a child to pick seashells?" She deposited a handful into the box. "It's kind of
like that, except these all look the same and they're not making it into a decorative glass jar."
"What do you mean, you don't have glass jars with bolts sitting on your mantelpiece?" Charlie joked, managing to gloss
over Eve’s cleavage and look her in the face. Although that wasn’t much better, she was striking.
"Surprisingly, I don't, no." Eve shuffled a little to the side. "You know what we should've done? We should've got a broom
and dustpan for this. Or don’t you have big magnets in the garage?"
Charlie felt herself smile. "That would've been a great idea five minutes ago."
"I know, right? No point in getting it now, we're almost done." Eve dangled something from her hand, a silver butterfly
earring. "Hey, look what I found. Is it yours?"
"Nope, I don't wear earrings. I don't even have holes," Charlie said. And if she did wear earrings, they definitely wouldn't
be butterflies.
Eve gave her a blank stare. "I don't think I've ever met a girl who doesn't have pierced ears. I got mine done for my
fourteenth birthday in the shopping centre."
"I never saw the appeal. It just gets in the way.”
Eve reached up to brush her short brain hair away, exposing her ear and the golden hoop dangling from it. It glinted in the
sun, drawing attention to the soft curve of Eve’s neck. "But don't you think it's cute?"
"Umm, sure." Charlie stared, not sure why it felt like such an intimate thing to witness. Perhaps it was the deliberate
invitation to look that was making her feel that way.
"I've got two of them on the other side," Eve said, turning her head so she could show her left ear. "Look."
Charlie swallowed hard. Even though she'd never been interested in jewellery herself, she had to admit it looked nice on
Eve. And weirdly enough, Eve's ear was kind of cute with the big hoop and the small flower-shaped stud next to it. It was a
little playful and felt like she’d just discovered a secret.
"Why a flower?" she asked, long forgotten about the bolts on the ground.
"It was a gift from my best friend, she has the other one. Adorable, right?" Eve said, her smile so bright, it made her eyes
twinkle.
"Yeah, it's cute," Charlie admitted slowly, still staring. She'd never been good at ignoring pretty women and Eve was
undoubtedly that. It was everything about her, the light dusting of freckles around her nose, the long lashes framing her grey
eyes, the elegant curve of her neck.
Charlie didn't know if she was noticing all these things only now or if she'd forced herself not to notice them earlier
because of Jack. In any case, her admiration had to go back into the box because no matter how cute Eve was, Charlie could
never act on it. She wasn't just her best friend's sister, this was also her boss' daughter. Nothing good could come from making
eyes at her.
She cleared her throat and forced her gaze back on the ground. Almost all the bolts had made their way back into the box, a
small mercy.
"That'll do," Charlie announced, eager to get out of the situation. She picked the tower of boxes back up and quickly carried
them into the workshop without waiting for Eve.
The more distance she put between them, the better.
In the garage, Jack startled her by appearing from behind a car.
Charlie almost dropped everything in her hands again as guilt lashed out at her. She really shouldn't be getting all chatty
with Eve.
“What took you so long?" Jack asked.
"I had a little mishap," Charlie said as she put her load down, not daring to look at him. Jack wasn't the most observant of
guys, but she still worried he’d be able to look into her eyes and see the thoughts she just had about Eve.
Unhelpfully, Eve appeared behind her with the box of bolts. "Yeah, she threw them all over the ground. Luckily I was there
to help, wasn't I?"
Charlie couldn't help but notice how Jack's expression got unmistakably darker when he saw his sister. It made even more
guilt bubble up in her gut and she quickly stepped to the side, as if putting physical distance between them would make it clear
that they had nothing to do with each other.
Awkward silence hung between them until Eve set the bolts down and departed with a little wave. She shot a targeted smile
towards Charlie, one that made the freckles on her cheeks dance.
To Charlie's horror, her stomach did a little traitorous flip-flop.
"Good riddance. She's so rude for making fun of you," Jack grumbled.
“I don't think—” Charlie was fairly sure Eve's comment had been harmless teasing but she didn't think pointing it out would
be well received. Instead, she swallowed hard and nodded weakly. "Yeah, so rude."
Whatever attraction she felt towards Eve, it had to be squashed immediately.
 SIX

EVE

EVE SCROLLED through endless customer transactions, utterly baffled by the disorganised state of them. It seemed like everyone
had their own way of constructing itineraries and they were receiving invoices from suppliers at two different email addresses
and some via mail. The work logs and schedules were a disaster too. Just looking at it all was giving her a searing headache.
No wonder her dad had jumped on the opportunity to have her sort out their admin. The garage was a small family business
and it certainly operated like one.
She emailed the company that sent paper invoices for digitals ones instead, created a master template for itineraries, and
started a spreadsheet to keep track of expenses and income. If she worked steadily through the mess, the accounts would be in
order just in time to file taxes.
A knock came from the glass door and Charlie popped her head in through the crack. "Am I interrupting something?"
Eve pushed the keyboard away. "No, I need a break. My head is spinning from all the numbers and abbreviations. I can't
believe the business has been running like this for years. Anyway, not your problem. What can I do for you?"
"I'm actually looking for your dad. It's about the body modification course I wanted to take," Charlie said, holding up a
brochure. "He said he would put it through the business but the sign-up is due and he hasn't brought it up since."
"Can I see?" Eve asked, curious what was going on.
Charlie hesitated for a moment. "Umm, sure. I mean, I can pay for it myself, it's just that your dad said he would."
“Let me see,” Eve insisted as she held her hand out. Her gaze locked with Charlie’s as the brochure landed in her hand and
they stared for a moment, lost in each others’ eyes.
She really was gorgeous, Eve thought.
Charlie let go of the brochure like it burned her and the tension shattered as their eye contact lapsed.
Eve felt herself smile. If she could read the room right, the attraction seemed mutual. Unfortunately, she really did believe
in keeping work and personal separate so she focused on the colourful flyer in her hand. She knew nothing about these courses
or qualifications, but in her book, educating employees was never a bad thing.
"I'll ask Dad to do it later tonight. If he forgets, I'll book it for you," she said decisively. Maybe it was foolish to make
promises like that but she was sure she'd be able to convince her dad. And if not, it wasn't like he was keeping good track of
the accounts. He'd never even notice if she booked this course for Charlie. Not that she'd go behind his back.
Charlie's eyes widened. "Really?"
 "Yes. I mean, I'm assuming you'll be putting what you learn at the course to good use here?"
"Definitely. We don't really do body modifications but they can bring in a lot of money. Some of the rich dragon shifters
love tuning their cars apparently."
Eve nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Great, then I'll make sure it's booked by tomorrow."
"Wow. Okay, amazing. Thank you." Charlie sounded genuinely grateful and perhaps a little shocked.
"No problem. Now that we've got that sorted, can you help me with something?" Eve said as she picked up the yearly
calendar like it was filthy. "Can you explain to me why we're using this to keep track of work hours?"
Charlie chuckled, a lovely deep rumble. "Hey, take it up with the boss. He came up with that."
"It's rubbish. I'm embarrassed. This is supposed to be a serious business." Eve glared at the calendar, her newest nemesis.
At least it had cute puppies on it, not sexy babes like she dreaded. That would've been insult to injury.
The door opened with the chime of a bell and her dad entered the reception, whistling a shrill tune.
Eve held out the calendar to the man responsible for all this nonsense. "Why are you using a calendar to keep track of who
is working when?"
Her dad shrugged. "Because it's already got all the dates on. Nifty, huh?"
"No, not nifty. This is terrible bookkeeping. You need the employees to clock in properly for fire safety and such. A
calendar is not the right way to do it," Eve rambled, genuinely mortified by everything she was discovering. "Does Mum know
about this?"
"It's fine. It's a great system," her dad said, cavalier about this just like everything else in life.
"It's not," Eve argued back. "You should be using a program for it, or an app, or at least have the times noted down in a
spreadsheet daily."
He shrugged again and ran a hand through his greying hair. "I put them in a spreadsheet when I sort out Christmas bonuses.
It's going to be good this year, especially for my number-one worker. That's you, Charlie."
Surprise appeared on Charlie's face, together with a look that said she wished she was anywhere but here. "Umm..."
"Actually, according to the calendar, Jack's clocking the most days. He's here more than everyone, including you, Dad," Eve
interrupted, only realising that was dismissive towards Charlie after she already said it.
She gave the mechanic an apologetic smile but Charlie didn't look at all upset. If anything, she was grinning. Eve didn't
know what that was about but she decided she could figure that out another time. Right now, she wanted her dad to take her
seriously. The way he was running the garage was not acceptable. Maybe he'd given her a job out of pity, not expecting much,
but Eve wasn't going to just sit here and twiddle her thumbs. Especially not as she kept discovering horror after horror.
Her dad flipped through the calendar and hummed. "I suppose Jack has been putting in the hours. Good lad."
"Yeah, he's always been a hard worker," Eve said as she sat down behind the desk again. "While I have you both here,
you're alright with sending Charlie on that body modification course, right?"
"Oh, yeah, I totally forgot about that." Her dad gave her a thumbs-up on his way out. "Keep up the good work, Evie."
Eve drew a big breath, an attempt to curb the murderous feelings welling up in her. This was not at all what she expected
when she agreed to come work here.
She sighed and shot Charlie another apologetic smile. "Sorry you had to witness that, I shouldn't have done that in front of
you. And I wasn't trying to dismiss you, you are a really hard worker and you do lots of hours, but not more than Jack."
 To her surprise, Charlie smiled. "It's alright. And I'm not upset, I'm well aware that Jack works harder than anyone here. It's
just your dad who doesn't see it."
"I think there's a lot he's not paying attention to," Eve muttered as she glared at the calendar. As soon as she had transferred
all the data into a sensible spreadsheet, she was going to burn that thing.
With a defeated sigh, she sat down again. "Thank goodness it's Friday."
Charlie chuckled softly, a delightfully distracting sound. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Got any good plans for the
weekend?"
"I'm meeting a friend for a drink, but mostly, I'm looking forward to two days of peace." Eve pinched the bridge of her nose
as she fought the urge to clock out early. With the stupid calendar system, her dad would never even know. Of course, she
wouldn't do that either.
"I’m meeting some of my school friends too but honestly, peace sounds nice," Charlie remarked.
"It does, doesn't it?" Eve gestured to the computer. "I need to go back to sorting this out but I'll book that course for you
first."
The biggest smile broke through on Charlie's face. "Thanks. I'll leave you to it. I think you could use a little bit of pre-peace
before the weekend."
Eve chortled while she massaged her temples, a futile attempt to rub the stress out of them. "You have no idea. See you
later."
Charlie waved on her way out, her lips still donning that lovely smile. "Later, Eve."
A tingle danced up Eve's spine from the way Charlie said her name. It sounded mischievous and playful somehow, and
hearing it made some of her frustrations slip away. She watched the mechanic saunter away, her hands deep in the pockets of
her coveralls.
Eve shook her head as she turned her attention back on the records. There were many reasons why she shouldn't get
involved with Charlie like that. This job wasn't just temporary, dating one of her dad's employees sounded like a big mistake,
and she only suspected that Charlie was interested in her like that.
Yet none of those reasons curbed Eve’s desire to get involved.
 SEVEN

CHARLIE

CHARLIE SMILED as she listened to the happy chattering and cackling of her secondary grade friends. She liked having a job
with all male colleagues but every now and then, she enjoyed going out with the girls. It was a different atmosphere, different
conversation, and cocktails at a bar was a nice change of pace compared to pints at the pub.
Her oldest friend Tasha tipped her glass of wine back, draining it to the last drop. "Ahh, that's the stuff. It's not every day
Hubby agrees to watch the kids. I'm not going back home until this bar is dry!"
"We're definitely leaving before that,” Elise said, although she was already working on cocktail number three. "I need to
take my kids to soccer tomorrow, I can't show up hungover. I'm not going to be one of those mums."
Georgina held her martini glass up to Charlie. "Here’s to being childfree. Cheers!"
Chuckling, Charlie toasted to her good fortune. She wasn't against kids, far from it, but she definitely didn't want them yet.
She liked her freedom too much and she'd rather have a partner to raise kids with. Preferably her fated mate, but she hadn't
found that blessing just yet.
While her friends chattered away about inconsequential things, Charlie sipped from her strawberry daiquiri, the kind of
girly drink her guy friends at the garage would jest about. Absentmindedly, she let her eyes dart around, scanning the occupants
until her gaze latched onto a woman sitting at the bar. Even with her back turned, there was a lot to be admired. Perfectly soft
curves, a tight grey dress, legs that went on for days. It was almost irrelevant what her face looked like, she was hot. If Charlie
hadn't been with friends, that was the kind of woman she'd chat up.
"Charles, settle something for us," Tasha interrupted her thoughts.
She tore her gaze away from the sexy brunette and back to her friends. "Yeah?"
"Classy dinner or trashy kebab later?" Elise listed on her fingers. "I vote trashy kebab. I could demolish a whole, umm,
spit-rotating-thing by myself."
Charlie chuckled at the ridiculous image. "No, you couldn't."
"If I was in my bear form, I could." The conviction in Elise's voice was clear.
"Good thing for us you're not in your bear form then." Charlie finished her drink and set the empty glass back on the table.
"And I don't mind what we do for food, I'm not picky."
A light snicker came from her side and Georgina nudged her in the side. "No, Charlie wants to eat something else. I saw her
staring at that lady at the bar. Real subtle."
Instantly and embarrassingly like they were still in school, her other two friends turned their heads to look.
 "I miss the days of casual hook-ups," Elise sighed wistfully. "So who are we looking at? Is it the woman in the red leather
jacket? Oh, or the blonde in the flowery dress?"
Charlie rolled her eyes at her friends. "Let it go, I'm here to hang out with you all."
"Fine, but let us at least live vicariously through you," Tasha encouraged while she pouted over her empty wine glass. "I
want to hear epic love stories and conquests. I'm sick and tired of being surrounded by parents of young children who can only
talk about school, diapers, and day care."
"I'm afraid my non-existent love life will bore you then. I've been flirting a little with a bartender at a local pub but nothing
besides that." As Charlie said that, her traitorous mind conjured an image of Eve. Beautiful, not-at-all-what-she-expected,
totally off-limits Eve.
Maybe some fun with a stranger would be a good distraction.
Charlie looked at the woman in the grey dress again and wondered what her chances of success were if she went up to
someone at random, pick-up line at the ready. Would it end in a fun night or would she return with another rejection under her
belt? She didn't know.
The woman in grey turned to look at the door and Charlie's stomach dropped.
Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be Eve? She looked even more polished than she did at the garage, with
her short brown hair up in an elegant bun that emphasised her long neck and an even redder shade of lipstick. A kissable shade.
Before Charlie could look away, their eyes met and Eve waved casually like they were people who socialised outside of
work or friends even.
All her friends noticed and conspiratorial giggles filled the air.
"So that's who you were staring at," Elise noted with glee in her voice. "She's cute."
Georgina chuckled. "Looks like you're in luck."
Charlie shook her head. "No, not in luck. That's my boss' daughter. We work together."
Tasha only squealed in excitement. "Now that's the kind of love story I'm after. Tell me more, tell me more."
"Oh, keep it in your pants," Charlie grumbled, her gaze inevitably travelling to the bar again. She shouldn't be looking but
there was an undeniable magnetism to Eve that made it impossible not to stare.
"She looks lonely. You should buy her a drink," Georgina encouraged.
This was exactly why Charlie preferred to work with men. They kept to themselves and didn't pry into her personal lives,
unlike her clucking friends who couldn't keep their noses out of her business. And yet, it was their encouragement that gave
Charlie an excuse to approach Eve. She told herself it was to shut her friends up but in reality, she knew it was more than that.
She reached the bar and ordered more drinks for the table with the bartender, a transparent excuse when there was table
service.
"Girls night out?" Eve asked.
Charlie pretended to be surprised. "Eve? Hi, I didn't see you there."
"Sure you did, you were looking at me earlier. I waved," Eve said, the confidence dripping from her voice. She grinned in
a way that made her freckles dance and her eyelashes flutter.
Charlie only had one word to describe her. Beautiful.
When she realised she was staring, she averted her gaze to the empty chair next to Eve. "Are you here on your own?"
 "I'm waiting for my friend but she's running late," Eve said with a sigh and a look at her phone. "She's the kind of person
who says 'almost there' when they haven't left yet. I don't know why I bothered showing up on time."
"Aw, that's frustrating."
"A little, but now I get to chat to you. Want to keep me company until my friend arrives?" Eve proposed.
"Oh, I can't. My friends are waiting for me," Charlie said, turning to find them waving excitedly and giving her encouraging
thumbs-up. Traitors.
Eve chuckled. "Looks like your friends are okay with it."
"These friends," Charlie muttered darkly.
Confusion danced on Eve's face. "What?"
"Nothing." Charlie stared at the beautiful woman next to her and felt her resolve waver even more. What was the harm in
sticking around for a moment? It would be the friendly, collegial thing to do.
She ignored her screaming conscience as she climbed on the bar stool. It was only until Eve's friend arrived and Jack was
never going to find out. Besides, there was nothing to find out. This was nothing more than a chat by the proverbial watercooler
with her smoking hot coworker.
Charlie’s drinks arrived but before she could pick them up, Georgina appeared behind her with a big knowing grin.
“I’ve got it. You stay right where you are!” she exclaimed with an encouraging pat.
“This is not what it looks like,” Charlie protested, her gaze flitting towards Eve in concern. She didn’t want her newest
coworker to get the wrong idea.
Georgina laughed. “Sure it’s not.”
“It’s not!” Charlie denied, sighing in defeat. She had plenty of experience dealing with her friend, there was no point in
arguing. Instead, she just waited until Georgina was gone before turning to Eve. “Don’t mind my friends, they’re idiots.”
“Noted,” Eve said with a little smile. “So what are you drinking?”
Charlie held up her cone-shaped glass. “Strawberry daiquiris.”
“Really? I didn’t pick you as a daiquiris girl.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I rely on outdated stereotypes,” Eve said with a bemused smile.
"How about this?" Charlie pushed her hand into her side, and dramatically flicked her hair to the other as she channelled
her inner Tasha. "Hiiiii, I'm Charlise. Let's get drunk, babes."
Eve choked on her sip. "That was uncanny. Also, Charlise?”
“I know, awful name.”
“No, it suits you. It’s a hot-girl name.”
“Are you flirting with me?” Charlie asked, mostly joking, and expecting a bit of embarrassed stuttering.
To her surprise, Eve fluttered her eyelashes. “Maybe. Would that be an issue?”
It was Charlie’s turn to choke on her drink.
Eve smiled innocently like she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell and leaned on her elbow. “I have a question for you.”
“You keep saying that,” Charlie said, glad they were just moving past the loaded topic.
 “You keep having answers,” Eve pointed out with that amused smile of hers.
Charlie picked up her drink, genuinely curious. “Go on then, what’s your new question?”
“As a bear shifter, do you have a particular preference for honey?”
“That’s your question? How random.”
Eve smiled over her glass. “Both my dad and brother love sweet stuff. They say it’s because they’re bear shifters, that’s
why they’re putting honey on everything.”
“You know, I have noticed Jack doing that. Last week, I saw him putting honey on his fish and chips. Disgusting.” Charlie
shuddered just thinking about it.
A delightful chuckle came from Eve. “So it’s not a bear shifter thing then.”
“No, definitely not. It’s a crazy person thing,” Charlie said, realising she was leaning in so much, her knee was practically
between Eve’s. It was an intimate position, one that very much suggested she was open to flirting. As tempting as the idea was,
there were plenty of reasons why she should keep her distance. That being said, sitting across from the beautiful alluring Eve
with her striking eyes and lovely smile, Charlie had trouble remembering why she was supposed to stay away.
 EIGHT

EVE

EVE SWAYED a little as she staggered out of the bar, her legs not working quite as well as they usually did. She blamed her
impractical heels, the booze, and mostly Charlie who was making her weak in the knees.
A cold breeze pulled on her clothes and Eve wished she'd worn a thicker coat, but she never intended to be out this late.
More things to blame Charlie for, not that Eve was actually upset.
"Your friend is pretty shite," Charlie exclaimed, still holding onto the door.
"What friend?" Eve asked, entirely distracted by how good Charlie looked with tipsy blushes on her cheeks.
"The one who stood you up."
"Oh, that one. Right." Eve had barely thought of the friend she was supposed to meet once Charlie had sat down. It was
hard enough not to stare at work when Charlie's nice body was hidden in the baggy overalls but she looked banging in her shirt
and tie.
Eve loved a good tie, especially on a woman, and Charlie wore the garment like it was made for her.
"What about your friends?" Eve wondered as she hugged herself. "They just left without you."
"Oh, they'll get an earful later," Charlie muttered darkly. "Meddling witches."
Eve wondered if she should be insulted but decided she wasn't. Charlie could've left at any moment, including when her
friends made a big show of leaving. Even now, instead of parting ways, they were still standing in front of the bar with their
feet pointing at each other.
"So what now?" Eve wondered out loud, her head light from the alcohol and the company.
"Depends. Are you in the mood for a cheeky kebab?" Charlie asked, her eyes sparkling.
"How specific. Count me in," Eve said, grinning. It could've been so easy to go their separate ways but since Charlie was
seeking out reasons to spend more time together, Eve was going to consider that as a sign of interest. It made her glad too. She
was enjoying her evening, likely more than if her friend had shown up, and she didn't want it to end yet.
"There's a good place around the corner," Charlie said as she set in motion. "I want to eat an entire kebab log-thing. I don’t
actually know what they’re called but it’s Elise’s fault."
Eve fought the unwarranted jealousy bubbling up inside of her. "Elise is one of your friends, right?"
"Yes, she talked about kebabs before, claimed she could eat a whole log by herself. She's always full of nonsense like
that," Charlie said, the affection shining through in her voice.
 "And she’s just a friend?" Eve inquired, realising she had no idea whether Charlie was single or not. She hadn't heard any
rumours or whispers that Charlie was taken but they did work with men. The lack of office gossip was both a blessing and a
curse.
"Yeah, we've been friends since third grade. We all hang out every few months or so, when Tash and Elise can get away
from the kids."
Eve hummed as they continued on to the kebab shop. "That's nice. So does that mean you're single or...?"
A confident grin appeared on Charlie's face, one that made the tipsy blushes on her cheeks stand out even more. "I am.
What's it to you?"
"Just making sure I'm not hitting on a kept woman," Eve said. Despite her hushed voice, the admission was loud enough to
fill the space between them.
More blushes appeared on Charlie's cheeks and she didn't say anything, just stared. There was an intensity and hunger in
her gaze, like she wasn't looking at anything else in the world but Eve.
It made Eve feel warm and fuzzy and a little bolder than usual. It made her want to be daring.
She reached for Charlie's arm and gave a slight tug, bringing the other woman to a standstill. She could see the question in
Charlie's eyes and decided to answer in a way that erased all ambiguity.
Gently, she cupped Charlie's face and moved closer, pausing for a moment as their faces were mere inches apart. Just like
when they were in the bar, this was the perfect opportunity for Charlie to bail, but she remained exactly where she was with
just the slightest hint of a smirk on her face.
Eve nervously wetted her lips before pressing them on Charlie's. Sparks exploded in her stomach and the world around her
became a blur until it disappeared, leaving just Charlie and her warm mouth. She tasted sweet, like strawberry and lime from
her cocktails, and every so slightly salty from the crisps she ate earlier.
As tempting as it was to linger, Eve made herself pull back. Desire tickled her stomach and every atom in her body wanted
more, but it wasn't fair to overwhelm Charlie with what could possibly be very new information.
Eve extended one last moment of intimacy by brushing some of Charlie's loose hair back before she stepped away. The
breeze was just as cold as before but she didn't feel it anymore. Instead, there was a heat inside her that was keeping her warm.
She took a breath and smiled. "So... Kebab?"
Charlie blinked slowly before nodding. "Yeah, sounds good."
"Great." Eve smiled as they set in motion again. She didn't know whether anything was going to come from this but at least
now she'd made her intentions clear. If Charlie wanted something to happen, all she needed to do was reciprocate.
And Eve really hoped she would.
 NINE

CHARLIE

CHARLIE THOUGHT about how to avoid Eve the entire ride to work, only for her stomach to keep churning. Not just because
there was no real way to escape her but because a part of her didn't want to.
She paused in front of the reception where she could see Eve sitting behind the desk. Even though she'd only been there for
a few weeks, it had quickly become a familiar sight.
With her heart practically hammering out of her chest, Charlie stepped inside. Her mouth was dry like the desert and her
lips still tingled from the memory of their kiss.
"Good morning," she said, her voice slightly shaky with nerves.
Eve looked up from her computer and smiled politely. "Good morning, Charlie."
Unsure what else to say, Charlie just stared. She always knew that Eve was going to be professional and reserved and yet,
she had expected something more from their first time seeing each other again. More than such a dry greeting, maybe a different
kind of smile, just... more.
“It’s cold,” Charlie noted.
“It is almost winter.”
“Yeah, I don’t know where the year has gone.”
Eve smiled again, but it was a totally different type from the one she wore in the bar. “Time sure flies.”
The stunted conversation made Charlie want to sink through the floor. She wondered if she’d completely misinterpreted the
events of Saturday. Maybe Eve had been drunker than she let on and considered the kiss a mistake.
Charlie should’ve been grateful because that kiss should never have happened. It made her a bad friend, which was the last
thing she wanted to be. And yet, the idea of them pretending there hadn’t been a kiss left her uncomfortable to her core.
An eternity of silence passed, filled by the clicking of Eve’s mouse and the faint hum of machinery.
When it became clear the conversation was over, Charlie gestured to the garage. "I should start work then."
"Okay," Eve said simply, almost like she didn't care. She didn’t even look away from her screen.
It made no sense, Charlie thought. The kiss had been entirely Eve's doing and yet, now she was the one acting aloof and like
it never happened. Charlie should've been glad and relieved that everything could return to normal, but she wasn't.
Charlie waited a few more seconds in case Eve was going to bring up yesterday, but she didn't.
On her way out of reception, she could feel Eve's burning gaze on her back but nothing else was said. It baffled Charlie to
no end but she decided not to let it bother her. She had other things on her head, like making sure Jack never found out about
their kiss and the endless slew of MOTs.
Despite her best intentions, she entered the garage feeling frustrated and dismissed. Guilt only added to the feeling when
she spotted Jack sitting on top of a pile of old tyres.
Maybe she should've just called in sick today.
With her best smile, she approached her friend, desperately hopeful that he wouldn't be able to tell something was off. Jack
was never the most observant so maybe he wouldn't notice anything was amiss.
"Morning," Jack mumbled, the dark bags under his eyes rather unflattering. He was eating a child sized box of cereal and
looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.
Charlie kicked a tyre down so she could sit in it too. "Morning. You don't look so good."
"Oh, don't mention it. I had a terrible weekend, I can't believe I'm glad it's Monday." Jack gave a nearby tyre a miserable
kick. "How about you? Did you have fun with your friends?”
Memories of the Saturday night flooded Charlie's mind with the moment that Eve kissed her as the most notable one. It was
seared in her brain vividly, like a video on repeat. Just thinking about it made her flutter and fluster.
Jack tossed a cornflake her way. "Charlie?"
"Sorry. Umm, yeah, I had a good time with my friends," she said. It was not a lie although the technicality didn't make her
feel any better. It was a lie by omission, and a bad one at that.
Charlie told herself she didn't have another choice but to hide the kiss with Eve. Jack already looked like he was having a
rough time, her confession would only be kicking him while he was down.
She cleared her throat, eager to change the topic. "Why was your weekend terrible?"
"The neighbours' newborn kept me up all night with their crying, my roof started leaking, and I'm fairly certain I got food
poisoning from my latest takeaway."
"Oof. That's one shitty weekend."
"Tell me about it. And to add insult to injury, Dad is making me tidy up the offices upstairs so Eve can have her own
space," he complained.
"What's so bad about that?" Charlie asked.
"He's making me and Eve do it. I don't want to work with her. It's bad enough that she's here. I bet he’s hoping that she’ll
stay forever. Ugh, he’s going to pass the business onto her, isn’t he?”
More guilt bubbled up in Charlie's gut. "You don’t know that.”
"No, I do know. He’s always preferred her over me. I’ve worked here for so long and he won’t even let me do the
schedule.” Jack’s head hung low. “I don’t want to clean up the offices.”
“I’m sure it won't take too long,” Charlie said.
“I don't care, I don't want to. I know! Can you do it for me?”
Images of her and Eve alone upstairs flashed through Charlie's mind, including multiple in which they were repeating the
kiss from Saturday and doing far worse.
She quickly shook her head. "No, better not."
"Please. You'd do me a solid and I'll owe you one.”
 Charlie hesitated. She knew she shouldn't give in, for a variety of reasons, but it was just too tempting of a prospect. And if
she didn't take over the job, then there was always the risk of Eve telling Jack what transpired in the bar.
She couldn't let that happen.
"You know what, sure. I'll do it," she said even though her conscience was screaming at her.
The whole of Jack's face lit up. "You will? Oh, you're a legend. You're the definition of a friend."
Charlie forced a smile as her guilt grew heavier and heavier with the moment. "It's nothing."
"No, you're saving me so much trouble. You're the best."
"Don't mention it," she said, feeling terribly bad. And yet, she wasn't doing anything to change the situation. She told herself
it was so she could talk to Eve in private about the kiss to make sure it never happened, but even she knew that was a lie.
Whether she liked it or not, she was deeply attracted to her best friend’s sister.
 TEN

EVE

EVE COUGHED VIOLENTLY as she chased the old dust out of the office, genuinely horrified by the state of them. The abandoned
desks were littered with papers, boxes, and throwaway things that never found their way to their rightful place. It was a mess
worthy of being called a tip.
"This is going to take ages," she grumbled, her gaze flicking to the stairs. Jack was supposed to help her with this task but
her brother was nowhere to be seen. Somehow, Eve wasn't surprised. It seemed he was doing everything he could to avoid her,
although she wasn't entirely sure why.
She filled an entire bin bag with empty wrappers, paled receipts, and old outdated stationary. In her estimation, it would
take weeks to clear all this out.
The sound of someone coming up the stairs made her shake her head. "You're late."
"I am?" a delightfully hoarse voice replied.
Eve's head snapped up as heat rushed to her face. She hadn't expected to be joined by Charlie and she quickly pulled her
unflattering messy bun loose.
"I was expecting my brother," Eve said quickly, her heartbeat quickening at the sight of the other woman. She didn't know
how, but Charlie really made those overalls look good.
The mechanic gave her a lopsided smile. "Sorry to disappoint."
"No, not at all. You're a sight for sore eyes, but what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to tidy." Charlie set her hands on her hips as she looked around. "What a pigsty."
“I thought my brother was going to help.”
“He made me come in his place.” A furious blush darkened Charlie’s cheeks. “Well, ‘made’ is a strong word.”
A grin lifted Eve's lips. She’d worried she’d made Charlie uncomfortable with the kiss but if the lovely mechanic was
seeking her out, then it was reasonable to assume there was some sort of mutual interest.
As tempting as it was to flirt and tease, Eve decided to rein herself in and keep things light and professional. The last thing
she wanted was to cause unease with unwanted advances. Especially since they worked together.
Maybe later, she could ask Charlie out on a date and see if there was more than chemistry. But for now, she was continuing
with caution.
Charlie also coughed from the dust. “No wonder your Dad pawned this off. This room is one step removed from a
biohazard.”
Eve chuckled. “It’s a disaster. I was almost finished clearing away all the rubbish. Then I was going to sort everything of
worth, move everything to the side, and give it a good hoover and mop.”
“Not all today, I hope.”
“Goodness, no. I’m good but not that good,” Eve quipped. “Shall we divide and conquer?”
“At your service,” Charlie said with a playful salute.
“Oh, obedient. Good to know,” Eve blurted out before she could stop herself. Heat rushed to her ears as she quickly turned
away. So much for being professional at work. Even if they hadn't kissed, that was not an appropriate comment.
Luckily, Charlie simply raised one eyebrow and ignored the comment.
They got to work, tidying the ridiculous amount of rubbish. Even though they weren’t speaking, Eve noticed they worked
well together. She watched Charlie from the corners of her eyes, admiring how the mechanic lifted boxes and moved desks
with effortless ease.
Eve was fairly certain she’d be dreaming about those strong arms tonight.
“Why did you kiss me Saturday?” Charlie asked quite suddenly.
Taken aback, Eve paused what she was doing. She hadn’t expected this to come up, especially not after the cold distant
vibe earlier in reception. The awkward interaction from the morning had half-convinced her Charlie considered their kiss a
mistake.
She realised the other woman was still waiting for an answer and cleared her throat. “Because I find you really attractive
and it seemed nicer before our breath smelled of raw onions from the kebab.”
A faint smile appeared on Charlie’s face. “I see the logic in that.”
Eve tied her bin bag shut. “I didn’t do it to pressure you or anything. If you’re not interested, then we can forget about it.”
“It’s complicated.”
“That’s alright. Like I said, no pressure.” Eve wafted some dust from a nearby desk and inevitably choked and coughed.
She stumbled towards the open window for air and almost tripped over a stray box.
Charlie was by her side in a flash and patted her on the back. “You alright there? Try not to die.”
“Believe me, I’m trying,” Eve coughed, terribly distracted by Charlie’s warm hand between her shoulder blades. It was the
first real touch they shared after the kiss and it was making her yearn for more.
Her desire spiked when she felt Charlie’s gaze cloud as it dipped down to her lips. Eve felt tempted, oh so tempted to
bridge the gap again. Instead, she remained where she was, determined to leave the choice in Charlie’s hands.
She waited, wished, wondered about what might be until Charlie broke the impasse and captured her in a kiss.
Eve practically melted from the intensity. Charlie’s lips were soft, warm, and divine against hers. In her mind, there was
nothing better than kissing and being kissed by someone she desired. Charlie definitely fell in that category.
She slipped her arms over Charlie’s broad shoulder, pulling her in closer. The encouragement caused Charlie’s lips to part
and Eve allowed the kiss to deepen. There was something about the softness of Charlie’s lips and the roughness of her
coveralls that was overloading her senses in a wonderful way.
The creak of the stairs made them jump apart and Eve fought the panic threatening to well up in her.
“Evie?” Her dad’s voice carried up, a reminder of where they were.
 Eve cleared her throat and called back in a slightly shaky voice. “Yes?”
“If you find a blue binder with receipts, can you bring them to me? I just remembered that an old friend owes me but I don’t
remember how much.”
“O-Okay, I’ll keep an eye out,” Eve returned, her stomach twisting into knots.
“Do you need me to come look with you?”
“NO!” Eve shouted, her chest tightening from the panic. It was awkward enough that her dad interrupted them making out
like teenagers, she really didn’t need him coming up there and making things a hundred times worse.
This was exactly why she shouldn’t get involved with someone at work and yet, she regretted nothing. The memory of
Charlie’s lips still tingled on her lips and it made her want more, so much more.
She breathed a sigh of relief when it became clear that her dad wasn’t coming up.
Charlie let out a sigh. “That was close.”
“I know. I can’t believe we almost got caught by my dad. What are we, sixteen?” Eve mumbled, her ears burning like
someone set fire to them.
“You’re ten years off the mark, but yeah, that was silly. Sorry, I shouldn’t have put us in a position like that,” Charlie said,
her eyes filled with concern.
“Hey, no complaints from me.” Eve held up her hands, her lips still tingling. “But we probably shouldn’t have done that
here.”
“No, definitely not.”
Eve brushed her finger up Charlie’s strong arm. “Perhaps we should have a proper talk. Do you want to go for a drink,
perhaps?”
“Umm, in public?” Charlie’s gaze flitted to the stairs again. “I think maybe it’s better if we could talk in private.”
The suggestion made Eve slightly breathless. “Yeah, that works for me. Dinner at my place? I’m not the best cook but I
make a decent pasta.”
“Yeah, okay. Dinner,” Charlie agreed, almost too quickly. “And, umm… We should keep this between us, right? I don’t
think this is any of your dad or brother’s business.”
Eve nodded, unable to stop smiling. She definitely hadn’t expected this when she started tidying up but she was excited all
the same, and the butterflies in her stomach were too.
 ELEVEN

CHARLIE

CHARLIE CHECKED over her shoulder as she stood in front of Eve's building, her guilt and conscience stirring so much, it felt
like indigestion. She was well aware that a private dinner was the opposite of staying away from her best friend's sister. Like a
fool in denial, she told herself she'd only agreed so she could finally and properly turn Eve down.
And yet, she was wearing her nicest shirt with a bottle of wine in hand. She was going through a whole lot of effort for
'rejection'.
She pressed the doorbell with Eve’s name next to it and looked around again. It was a rather fancy area and luckily, far
away from where Jack lived. The chances of someone seeing her were ridiculously slim but she couldn't stop worrying that
Jack was going to find out somehow. It would be hard to explain why she was at Eve's flat without revealing the truth.
The intercom crackled. "Hello?"
"It's Charlie," she said, jittering with nerves.
“Come in. I’m on the third floor.”
With a low buzz, the front door unlocked and Charlie pushed into the building, relieved to be off the street. She was sure
she was being paranoid for no reason but the knowledge didn't do anything to make the feeling disappear. Every step up the
stairs gave her the opportunity to turn around but she took none of them. She wanted to be here more than she wanted to be a
good friend.
She got to the third floor and followed the smell of food to Eve's door. Colourful flower stickers brightened up the
doorframe and surrounded the peephole.
Charlie felt herself smile. That was such an Eve thing to do.
After one knock, the door swung open and all thoughts of rejection left Charlie's head. The falling sun framed Eve like a
vision and highlighted her temptingly bare shoulders. Her lovely pink blouse dipped just low enough to reveal a hint of
cleavage, something which didn't go unnoticed by Charlie's wandering gaze.
Eve's smile brought her freckles closer to her eyes. "Hi. Come in."
Practically hypnotised, Charlie could only nod. She crossed the threshold, leaving all her good intentions in the hallway.
Eve's flat was spacious and Charlie was pleasantly surprised by the amount of natural sunlight and the high ceilings. The
furniture looked expensive and it had real wooden floors.
"You have a nice place," she complimented, mentally comparing it to her own place. There was no contest, hers was a
dump.
 Eve beamed. "Thanks. Perks of being an estate agent. Well, former. Current. I don't know what to call myself now I'm
between jobs.”
“I'd say current? I'd call myself a mechanic whether I'm working somewhere or not." Charlie shrugged her jacket off, a
rather impractical action while she was holding her bottle of wine.
"Good point, I guess I'm still an estate agent by trade. I like that.”
Pleased, Charlie held out her bottle of wine. “For you.”
The smile appearing on Eve’s face was blinding. "What a gentleman, thank you. Shall I take your coat? Dinner will be
ready soon, I just have to put it in the oven. I have some nibbles and cold Prosecco if you're interested. Or I can offer you a
beer or fresh apple juice."
"I'll have what you're having," Charlie said as she handed her coat over, not wanting to be difficult.
"You're my guest. I'm having what you're having," Eve returned, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Charlie considered her options. As tempting as a bit of Prosecco sounded, getting tipsy together was what landed her in this
mess in the first place. It was a wonderful, delightful mess, but still... She shouldn't have let it happen.
"Fresh apple juice sounds nice," she decided.
"Excellent choice. It's from a local bear-run orchard. Isn't that neat?" Eve beckoned as she made her way to the open
kitchen. "My friend Pomme's family owns it and I like supporting small businesses."
Bemused, Charlie followed her. "You have a friend named Pomme? Like apple in French?"
"Yes, her parents are absolutely apple-obsessed. Her brother is called Ringo. I'm told that's Japanese for apple. Isn't that
over the top?" Eve twisted the metal cap on a rustic glass bottle and filled two glasses with the amber juice. "Here."
“And here I thought Charlise was bad. That's so over the top. That’d be if I called a child Mercedes or Otto or something
just because I love cars.” Charlie accepted her glass, her fingers brushing against Eve's and causing sparks to dance along her
skin. This was exactly why she was having trouble staying away from her, even if it was the right thing to do.
She clinked her glass against Eve's and took a sip, hoping to still her nerves. Maybe she should've said yes to alcohol after
all.
“What are you cooking?” she asked, feeling uncharacteristically nervous.
“I made a chicken and chorizo pasta bake. It has some bell peppers and I used those cute little shell shapes.”
“Orecchiette?” Charlie guessed, trying her best to pronounce it as authentically as possible. And failing miserably.
“No, those are little ears. These are called, ummm…” Eve snapped her fingers. “Conchiglie or something.”
“Oooh, because they look like conches?”
“Yes, that makes total sense! Now I'm never going to forget that name.”
Charlie grinned, secretly proud of herself. She sipped from her apple juice again, barely paying attention to the flavour. All
she could do was stare at Eve who seemed to enjoy the attention. It was certainly not a coincidence that she was biting her
bottom lip and fluttering her long eyelashes. Or maybe that was just how she always looked, like effortless temptation
embodied.
Eve kept her little smirk as she brushed past, her hand touching Charlie’s hip for a moment longer than necessary. “Shall we
sit? I have crisps and those cheese biscuity things. No nuts, because I didn’t know if you were allergic and that seemed just a
bit risky for our first date.”
 First date. The words echoed through Charlie’s head. She’d been in denial about what this was, but she wasn’t sure who
she was trying to fool. Everything about this screamed ‘date’. It couldn’t be more obvious and yet, a part of her still wanted to
pretend that she’d agreed to a polite dinner where she could tell Eve that they shouldn’t get involved.
She reached the living area where Eve was settling on one side of a cream-coloured loveseat. There were other chairs,
including an ottoman, but Charlie chose none of them. Instead, she sat down so close to Eve, their knees touched.
A simple smile from Eve set Charlie’s belly ablaze and she searched around for something to distract herself with. Her
gaze landed on a large painting of a green forest that took up most of the opposing wall.
“That’s a lovely painting,” she remarked, like she knew anything or cared about art.
“Thank you. It’s an original Clarissa Foster. When I bought it, she said it was an interpretation of the woods around
Bearton that she spent most of her childhood in. The piece is called ‘nostalgia’,” Eve replied with practised ease, as if many
people had had this question.
“You know what, I see it.” Charlie stared a little longer at the wealth of green tones and the dark trees. Strangely enough, it
did make her think of running through the woods in her bear form. She could practically hear the rustle of the leaves and the
groaning of the trees in the wind.
It certainly made her yearn for another shift, something she firmly attributed to the painting and not the alluring woman next
to her.
Eve’s eyes sparkled. “I didn’t know you liked art.”
Nervously, Charlie ate a singular crisp and pushed the urge to shift away. “I don’t really, if I’m honest. I find art a bit
confusing and vague.”
“Aren’t cars art?”
“That’s different. Cars are cars. They’re powerful and complex and logical at the same time. It’s as close I can get to
freedom without shifting,” Charlie said, surprising herself by her honesty. She didn’t usually share these things about herself
but something about Eve made it easy.
“You sound like my brother and dad,” Eve replied, her voice holding a lot of affection.
The image of Jack’s disappointed face appeared in Charlie’s mind and guilt forced her to lean as far back as the loveseat
allowed. “Talking about your brother and dad… I don’t think they’d be too pleased about this. Us.”
Curiosity sparked in Eve’s grey eyes. “No? Why wouldn’t they? They adore you.”
“Yeah, but… Like… It’s complicated, isn’t it?” Charlie desperately searched for a gentle way to explain the situation with
Jack without revealing his frustrations with his sister. The last thing she wanted was to breach that confidentiality or hurt Eve.
Eve leaned her head on her hand. “What’s complicated?”
“Just that, umm… This is just very, very new so it might not even last and other people’s opinions can influence things,”
Charlie stammered. “And I mean, their opinion matters, doesn’t it?”
“You’re right,” Eve replied with a nod.
Relief lightened Charlie’s chest. “I am?”
“Yes. We should keep this between us until we’re more certain where this is going.” Eve ate a crisp too, the crunch filling
the silence.
That wasn’t what Charlie meant at all but she didn’t know how else to get her point across without outright rejecting Eve. If
she was honest with herself, that wasn’t really what she wanted. It was what she ought to do, if she was a good friend, but any
thoughts of Jack had already faded from her head.
She allowed herself to relax in the loveseat and nodded. “I think keeping it a secret is for the best.”
“Great. I love secrets.” Eve’s mischievous grin suggested she really meant it. She held up her glass of juice. “To making a
lot of secrets together.”
Charlie gulped as any rational thoughts fled her mind. Whether this was right or not, she was too invested to back out now.
Right now, she just wanted to enjoy herself without thinking about Jack, her boss, or any consequences that this dalliance might
lead to.
Yes, the best course of action was to keep Eve and Jack as separated as possible.
 TWELVE

EVE

AS THE WEEKS PASSED , Eve realised a permanent smile had made itself home on her lips. She could see it whenever she saw
herself in the mirror, passed a clean window, or took selfies for her private folder. While it was tempting to share her
excitement with the world, she wasn't about to break Charlie's trust. Even if it meant lying to her family.
"Evie, can you pass the peas?" her dad said.
Eve handed the dish across the table while she made sure to keep her expression neutral and her thoughts off of Charlie.
"There you go. Dinner is really tasty, by the way. Your cooking has improved.”
"It certainly has,” her mum agreed, looking a lot more relaxed. “Evie, I like that you're no longer working at that demanding
agency. You finally have time to come for weekly family dinners. We love seeing more of you."
"Me too," Eve said, glancing across the table. It didn't escape her notice that the only one who said nothing of the sort was
Jack. It made her wish that she knew what her brother's problem was but whenever she mentioned it to Charlie, she was met
with a wall.
Her dad helped himself to more gravy. “How are you liking working at the garage?”
“Don’t get me started on the garage. Your accounts are out of date, the offices upstairs are filthy, your bookkeeping is non-
existent. I’m honestly shocked,” Evie listed off. And those were only the things she could remember off the top of her head.
A cheeky grin appeared on her dad’s face. “So you’re enjoying yourself then?”
“Well, yes,” Eve had to admit. “But just because I like sorting out this kind of thing doesn’t mean that you can keep running
your business like this.”
“We knew you’d be an asset to the garage,” her mother said affectionately. “And don’t be too harsh with your dad, it’s been
a very busy few years with all my medical stuff. But we’ve had a good talk and we’ve decided we can’t stay here. We love this
house, it has so many great memories, but it’s impossible to navigate in my wheelchair. And the doctors are pretty certain my
mobility is only going to get worse with the years.”
Eve groaned. “I’m sorry about the wheelchair, but really, mum? You waited until I was fired from my real estate job to start
house hunting? I have suggested so many great places over the years.”
“We just weren’t ready before, Evie. Now we are. But if you can’t help us, my friend’s son is also in real estate—”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. Of course, I’m going to help find you a house. It’s what I do best,” Eve said, trying her best to
keep her eyes from rolling out of their sockets. Some days, it felt like she was the adult and her parents the children.
Her dad smiled. “That’s what we like to hear. While we’re on the topic, a friend of mine is looking to sell their houseboat.
Is that something you would do?”
“I don’t know anything about boats but I have a friend who does.”
“Great. Oh, and wasn’t Charlie looking for a new place?” her dad said, his question mostly directed towards Jack.
“You know what I’ve always wondered? What’s Charlie short for?” her mum chimed in.
“It’s short for Charlise,” Eve blurted out.
Her brother glared at. “And how do you know that? She doesn’t like telling new people her full name.”
Eve fiddled with her earring. “Umm… I, umm, I saw it somewhere when I was sorting out records at the garage. I didn’t
realise it was a secret.”
“It’s not.” Jack stared for a little longer before he let his discerning gaze lapse.
Eve sure hoped she hadn’t accidentally revealed something major.
To her relief, her dad changed the topic. “It’s almost a crescent moon again. Are either of you two going to the Lake? The
first week of winter is a great time to find your fated mate. That’s when your mum and I met.”
“Maybe, I don’t know.” Eve shrugged as casually as she could. She’d done her best not to think too much about fated mates
and all that stuff while she was still getting to know Charlie. While some people refused to date someone unless they were sure
about their fated-mate status, Eve wasn’t all that picky. As bearkin, there was a good chance she didn’t even have a mate.
“What about you, Jack?” her mum asked.
“Yeah, I’m going,” he said between bites of mash. “I’m going with Charlie.”
Eve almost dropped her fork. “Charlie is going to the lake? The lake of fate? Crescent Lake?”
Jack gave her another strange look. “Yeah, what other lake would I be talking about?”
Unease bubbled up in Eve’s gut as she processed the new information. She didn’t know what to make of the fact that
Charlie was going out of her way to find her fated mate or why she hadn’t mentioned it any of the times they’d been together.
Secrets weren’t that fun when she wasn’t part of them, Eve thought.
She shot a sly glance at her brother. “Is that something you do regularly, like as friends, or…?”
“No, we’ve only gone together a few times. Charlie’s not really the romantic type. She mostly just chases after pretty
faces,” Jack said.
Eve fought the worry welling up in her. “That’s… good to know.”
Her dad chimed in, clearly oblivious to the weird tension. “Evie, I think you should go to the Lake too. You’ve been single
for too long and you work too hard. You need someone who will spoil you every now and then.”
An image of Charlie came to Eve’s mind but she pushed it away, suddenly unsure about what they had. Maybe going to
Crescent Lake wasn’t a bad idea, even if it was just to confront Charlie about it.
She forced a smile, the first one in a while, and nodded. “Yeah, maybe I’ll go too.”
 THIRTEEN

CHARLIE

CHARLIE PACED up and down between the cars, her nerves not allowing her to focus properly on her job. Unlike Eve, she didn’t
particularly like secrets and right now, she had too many. Secrets from Jack, secrets from Eve, denial of her feelings which
counted as secrets from herself.
“Will you stop with that?” Jack called from the other side of the garage. “What are you so anxious about? It’s not because
we’re going to Crescent Lake tonight, is it?”
“No, of course not,” Charlie denied, her gaze flicking to the reception where she could see Eve sitting behind the computer,
none the wiser.
A part of Charlie just wanted to stick her head in the sand but going to Crescent Lake was serious stuff. Even if she wasn’t
looking for her fated mate, the outcome wasn’t in her hands. That was the whole point of fate.
If she came back mated, that would be a really awkward conversation to have with Eve. It would be totally unfair to spring
that on her.
Charlie stopped pacing. She had to tell Eve before the fact. It was only fair.
“I’m going for a break,” she announced.
“I could use a break too,” Jack said, stretching his arms. “Want to walk to the corner shop for a snack? I think that redhead
is really warming up to me.”
“I should let you go on your own then,” Charlie said quickly, her gaze flitting to reception. The glass walls were great for
sneaking glances at Eve but terrible for privacy.
Jack shrugged. “Nah, it’ll be better for me if she thinks I’m not interested. Casual is the way to a woman’s heart, isn’t it?”
“Not at all. That’s absolute rubbish. If you’re interested, you should show it. Declare it to the world!” Charlie said, the
irony of her advice not escaping her.
“You know what, yeah, I’m going to ask her out. And if she says no, the fated-mate ritual is later. Who knows what could
happen.”
“That’s the spirit.” Charlie gave her friend a well-meaning push out of the garage. “Go get her.”
“I will,” Jack said, nodding decisively to himself. “Oh, do you want anything from the shop?”
“Nope, I’m all good.”
“You sure? They have mince pies.”
 Charlie held back a frustrated sigh. “Sure, I’ll have a mince pie.”
“What about a—”
“Stop dilly-dallying!” She pushed Jack again, this time a little less friendly. She wasn’t proud of her behaviour but the
secrets were making her all jittery. It was high time to unload one.
She waited until Jack was out of sight before she even dared to look at reception. To her surprise, her gaze locked with
Eve’s and a little shiver tingled up her spine. It was a miracle she’d managed to keep their little thing a secret up till now
because she wanted to waltz into reception and pull Eve into a searing hot kiss. Or maybe a work-appropriate kiss.
She steeled herself with a breath and made her way inside. “Hello.”
Eve pretended she was busy on her computer. “Hi. I didn’t expect you.”
“Yes, you did. You were looking at me a moment ago,” Charlie commented with a grin, recalling a similar conversation
they’d had.
To her surprise, Eve didn’t smile. “What can I do for you?”
“I was hoping we could talk. About non-work stuff.”
“Here?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of important. I mean, it depends on how much stock you put in this kind of thing, I guess. Maybe you don’t
care,” Charlie rambled as she paced back and forth.
Eve folded her arms together. “I’m listening.”
“I… This wasn’t my idea but Jack said he wanted to go Crescent Lake this month and he didn’t feel like going by himself. I
tried to hold him off but he insisted I join him, so I’ll be going to the lake tonight.” The confession left Charlie breathless.
“Aha.” Eve’s expression remained unreadable. “I wondered if you were going to tell me.”
“You knew?”
“I heard it from Jack at the family dinner.”
A bad feeling settled in Charlie’s stomach. “If you knew, why didn’t you say anything? Were you testing me?”
“Not testing, more like… Cautiously waiting.”
“Sounds like a test,” Charlie countered, unsure if she had the right to be upset when it was her secret in the first place.
Eve hummed thoughtfully. “Okay, I can see why it looks like that. I guess it was a test in a way, but not one with a fail or
pass mark. More like, I was observing a driver’s test.”
“You pass or fail a driver’s test.”
“Enough about the test. I’m not actually mad that you’re going to the Lake, or even that you wanted to keep it to yourself.
We’re only casually dating, right?” Eve said.
“That question sounds like another test,” Charlie pointed out instead of risking an answer. They were just casually dating,
mostly because it couldn’t be more. If it became more, she’d have to tell Jack. That didn’t stop her from wanting more.
She continued pacing up and down, stealing occasional glances towards the corner shop in case Jack returned. This
conversation was too important to be interrupted which was a good reason why she should’ve waited.
“Will you stop that?” Eve sighed in exasperation. “You’re driving me crazy.”
Charlie conjured a confident grin, hoping to break the awkward tension between them. “In a good way?”
 Eve’s expression softened. “In all the ways. Okay, let’s not play the blame game and have an adult conversation. You’re
going to the Crescent Lake ritual. Does that mean you’re looking for your fated mate?”
Charlie glanced around. “You want to talk about that here?”
“You’re the one who couldn’t wait until I was off the clock to confess,” Eve pointed out.
“Fair enough. And, well, I’m a shifter so I’m not opposed to finding my fated mate. That being said, I’ve never been in a
rush to find them either. I’m not the romantic type,” Charlie admitted, finally sitting down. This conversation was more
important than not being caught plus she figured she’d make up some sort of admin excuse why she was in here if it came to it.
“I hear you have a thing for chasing after pretty faces,” Eve remarked, her usual teasing tone back to her voice.
Charlie felt herself smile and she flicked her gaze back up to Eve’s eyes. “Why do you think I was drawn to you?”
“Smooth response. Well done. Don’t think you’re going to distract me with your flattering, though.” Eve leaned forward on
the desk which drew attention to her cleavage. “I’m going to the Lake too, by the way.”
Surprise sparked in Charlie’s stomach. “You are?”
“Hmm-hmm. You’re not the only one looking for their fated mate.” Eve’s eyes held a daring glint, almost like she was
hoping for a reaction.
Charlie didn’t know how to feel about the revelation. She expected the idea of meeting Eve at the Lake to be a suffocating
one but instead, it sparked curiosity, desire, intrigue. Fate was called fate for a reason and everything about her situation with
Eve felt like it had been out of her control.
Eve sat down again, her smile back to innocent. “Jack is back, by the way. But I guess I’ll see you later tonight?”
Anticipation tickled Charlie’s stomach like it was full of butterflies and she could only nod. She always knew she’d been
playing with fire when it came to Eve but it felt like the intensity, risk, and rewards had just been ramped up a notch.
Strangely enough, she was mostly excited about it.
 FOURTEEN

EVE

THE CRESCENT MOON hung high in the sky, a beautiful silver wedge filled with promise.
Eve shivered as she stood underneath the moon on the small sandy beach in nothing more than a thin bikini. This was all the
evidence she needed to believe that fate had a cruel streak. Being practically naked at the end of November was one thing,
having to jump into a freezing cold lake was another.
The things she did for love.
She glanced around at the other individuals insane enough to participate in the fated-mate ritual, surprised that she didn’t
recognise anyone. She always thought the shifter community of Crescent Valley to be so small that everyone knew each other.
That was apparently not true.
Her gaze shifted to the group on the other side of the beach, a much more diverse and naked collection of people and
animals. A small group of wolves with glorious silver fur stood proudly in front and Eve had to admit to seeing the appeal,
however that wasn’t who she was looking for.
A forceful hit of cold wind made her shiver and she glared up at the thoughtless dragon flying over her head. She wasn’t
surprised, dragons were inherently show-offs, but it still irked her that they were circling overhead.
She decided not to let a single dragon spoil her mood and returned to scanning the group on the other side until she found
Charlie standing on the third row. Her long blonde hair was up in a sensible bun and she had swimming shorts on over her
bikini. Jack stood next to her and Eve thanked the moon goddess that he was wearing shorts too. Nothing would spoil the mood
faster than her naked brother.
A gong sounded from the shore and the village Elders approached with fire torches in hand. Their arrival instantly silenced
the chatter and the atmosphere changed.
The voice of a man carried over the beach. “Welcome to the night of the crescent moon where all your dreams or
nightmares can come true. The water will reveal the truth you seek, but only to those who are brave enough to risk it all.”
Eve searched out Charlie’s gaze but they were too far apart for that. Technically, she wasn’t here for her mechanic. Anyone
of the shifters could be her fated mate, but Eve knew that wasn’t what she wanted. If she was going to leave with a mating mark
in the morning, she wanted it to be Charlie’s and Charlie’s only.
The Elder continued his ceremonial speech. “The mark will reveal the Moon Goddess’ will and with it, your own. As
always, the hosts will enter first.”
On his cue, the group of shifters jogged towards the water. To Eve’s surprise, Charlie lingered for just a moment before
Jack encouraged her to move and they vanished into the screaming crowd.
Stupid brother. That would make it near impossible to find Charlie in the cold water.
Eve shivered just thinking about running into the Lake. The only reason she hadn’t turned around and gone home was the
potential ahead of her.
The Elder voice sounded again. "The guests may follow. I hope you find what you seek."
The remaining participants set in motion and Eve followed even though her legs were stiff and her feet cold. The dark
water of the lake was anything but inviting and yet, as soon as she was running, it was impossible to stop.
Cold like she’d never felt it before attacked her ankles and Eve joined in with a scream of her own. She kept running until
the water rose up to her thighs and made it impossible. One courageous breath later, she jumped in with everything she had and
submerged herself into the lake of destiny.
It was very much a jump of faith.
Someone kicked her in the side, either by accident or on purpose, and Eve swallowed a big gulp of water. It tasted murky
and vaguely of seaweed, and she spat out as much as she could.
“This is nonsense,” she grumbled to herself. Instead of staying longer, she started her swim back to shore. While it wasn’t
very far, there were people all around her trying to go in deeper. Fools.
A hand grabbed hold of her like some monstrosity coming from the deep and Eve shrieked.
“Just me,” a reassuringly familiar voice said.
Eve breathed in relief as she turned around. The light of the moon was only illuminating parts of the mechanic but Eve
managed to detect the smirk on her lips.
“Found you,” Charlie breathed.
“I didn’t realise you were looking for me,” Eve remarked, her heart practically beating out of her chest. She’d never
considered herself a sucker for romance or fate, but this moment felt significant. It made her yearn for something she didn’t
even realise she wanted until now.
Charlie took a step closer, the bottom of her hair wet. “I didn’t either until I was in the water, waiting. I realised I was
waiting for you.”
Eve drew a shaky breath. Charlie’s proximity was making her body burn, she couldn’t even feel the cold of the water
anymore. She let her gaze drop, scanning Charlie’s fantastic body. The little bikini top had trouble containing her surprisingly
large chest and her stomach showed the faintest outline of abs. There was no sign of her bear mark but Eve was too distracted
to care.
She inched forward, drawn to Charlie like a moth to a flame. She didn’t care that they were surrounded by people, she just
wanted to kiss her until her lips were swollen and knew no other taste but hers.
Before their lips could connect, Charlie let out an unflattering shriek and dropped into the water. Eve was so stunned, it
took her a moment to process the rejection. She was about to kick up a fuss when the splashing of water alerted her to someone
else’s presence.
She turned around and Charlie’s actions suddenly made sense as she found Jack standing behind her.
He waved awkwardly. “Hey, I thought that was you.”
“I was just on my way out,” Eve said, acutely aware that Charlie couldn’t hold her breath forever.
“Same, it’s freezing.” Jack stared for a moment, gesturing to the water. “Wasn’t there someone with you?”
 “No. No, nobody.” Eve brushed her hands over the water to cover up the air bubbles. She desperately racked her brain for
a good way to get Jack to leave because the longer he stayed, the closer they came to their secret being discovered.
More bubbles welled up and the surface rippled as Charlie emerged from the depths of the lake.
Eve braced for the awkward conversation and potential judgement from her brother, confused when none of it came.
She glanced at Charlie and a shocked laugh escaped her mouth as a smallish black bear with a long snout and cute rounded
ears stared back at her. That was one way to avoid detection.
Jack cleared her throat. “I’m going to head to the car but it looks like you might have found yourself a fated mate. Good
luck.”
“Thanks,” Eve said.
He hesitated for a moment. “Be careful. Call me if someone bothers you, okay?”
Eve suddenly felt very warm and loved. That was the big brother she knew and had grown up with. She didn’t know why
he’d been so distant in the last years but it was reassuring to know that he was still looking out for her.
“I’ll be alright. Thanks for looking out for me,” she said.
“Sure. See you.” With a simple wave, he turned and left the lake.
As happy as Eve was that he finally showed her some brotherly affection, she was even happier that he was gone because
there was a situation that required her attention.
The bear let out a soft rumble and pressed her snout against Eve’s leg.
“That tickles,” she shrieked.
Charlie’s eyes sparkled even in her bear form.
“That was some clever thinking.” Eve couldn’t resist and patted the bear’s head, running her hands through the wet fur. It
was surprisingly soft and she wanted to do it again, but when Charlie was dry.
“You are Charlie, right?” she asked.
The bear nodded.
“I thought so. Somehow I expected your fur to be blonde too but blonde bears aren’t a thing, are they?” Eve said, snickering
at the image her brain conjured.
The low grunts coming from Charlie’s bear form sounded like laughter.
Eve gave her a little push. “Now can we get out of here? I’m freezing.”
With a playful yip, the bear dashed towards the shore and nudged her in passing.
“Oh, so you’re not going to change back then?” Eve laughed as she waded out, entirely and totally oblivious to the world
around her. She just had eyes for Charlie, beautiful captivating Charlie who might be her fated mate.
That was something she would only find out in the morning.
 FIFTEEN

CHARLIE

CHARLIE SAT in the busy breakfast café, her knee impatiently bouncing up and down. The savoury smells coming from the
kitchen were delightful but she was too nervous to be hungry.
She continued scanning the entrance for Eve while her coffee grew cold. She didn’t know what was stressing her more, the
possibility that Eve was her mate, wasn’t, or was and having to tell everyone about them.
There was a good reason why she’d kept it quiet from Jack all this time and she was fairly certain her involvement with his
sister would drive a wedge in their friendship. If Eve turned out to be her fated mate, Charlie would do it though. She wasn’t
going to keep something so important a secret.
The bell above the door rang and Charlie sat up, relieved to find Eve entering the café. She wore a sensible blouse with
long sleeves that covered up her skin and any potential mating marks.
Charlie waved, the flutters in her stomach far from settling down. It wasn’t every day she might discover whether someone
was her fated mate or not.
Eve’s smile lifted in recognition and she came over to the table.
It dawned on Charlie that this was the first time they’d agreed to meet up in public and she had no clue how to greet Eve.
She stood up for a hug which turned into an awkward kiss on her jaw.
“Guess that’s something we might have to work on,” Eve said as she sat down in the opposite chair.
Charlie knew the other woman well enough by now that she could tell that Eve was nervous too. It was the slightly higher
pitch of her voice, the way she avoided eye contact, the fiddling with her earrings.
It took her a moment to properly register Eve’s sentence.
“Might?” Charlie echoed, the implications sinking in. “Does that mean you have a mating mark?”
“Right to the point, huh? I don’t even get a cup of coffee first?” Eve’s attempt at a joke fell flat as she didn’t smile herself.
“But, umm, yeah. I woke up with a mating mark.”
Charlie’s chest tightened. “Is it mine?”
Eve’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “How would I know? I don’t know what your shifter mark looks like.”
“Right… We don’t actually know each other that well, do we?” Charlie remarked as she thought back to the time they did
spend together. There’d been good conversations, playful interactions, and steamy moments. It was definitely a healthy start to
a relationship, but start was the keyword.
Another random document with
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der sich riesig zu belustigen schien und dabei ein ungemein
komisches Gesicht schnitt.
Die Augen in dem runzligen, sonst stets verbissenen
Mopsgesicht waren verschwindend klein geworden und erschienen
nur mehr als zwei schmale Striche. Den ganzen magern Körper des
Herrn Rat schüttelte es vor Lachen, und sein Kopf wackelte
ununterbrochen hin und her wie der Perpendikel einer alten Uhr. Die
Zigarre behielt er fest zwischen den Zähnen eingeklemmt und lachte
in einem fort.
Es war ein erlösendes, befreiendes Lachen, das sich nun allen
mitteilte. Einem nach dem andern. Sie wußten nicht, worüber sie im
Grunde lachten. Sogar Patscheider lachte mit und schließlich auch
der Doktor Rapp.
„Warum wir jetzt eigentlich lachen, wissen wir zwar alle selber
nit!“ äußerte sich der Patscheider über eine Weile und hielt sein Glas
dem Rat Leonhard entgegen, um mit ihm anzustoßen.
„Wohl ... i schon ... i weiß es schon!“ meinte der alte Herr
vergnügt. „I lach’ über Ihnen, Herr Patscheider. Grad’ über Ihnen!“
sagte er und nickte dem Kaufmann stillvergnügt zu.
„Über mich?“ tat der Patscheider verwundert. „Ja ...“
„Ja, über Ihnen, weil Sie so viel vergeßlich sind!“ Der alte Herr
hob jetzt seinen Zeigefinger und sagte in eindringlichem, väterlichem
Ton: „I mein’, Herr Patscheider, es sind doch immer S i e derjenige,
der davonlauft bei einem Streit, nit der Doktor Rapp. Aber jetzt täten
Sie den Spieß umkehren. Jetzt wär’s e r auf einmal, der vor Ihnen die
Flucht ergreift. Sie sind schon einer! A ganz a G’scheiter!“ Und
neuerdings bekam der alte Herr einen Lachanfall. „Sie sind schon
der Richtige, Sie! Aber so ist’s alleweil im Leben. Da schiebt man’s
alleweil den andern in die Schuh’, was man nit gern zugibt.“
Patscheider mußte nun selber herzlich mitlachen. Er hatte heute
entschieden seinen guten Tag und nahm nichts übel, was ihm der
alte Herr unter die Nase rieb.
„Recht haben’s, Herr Rat, ganz recht!“ bestätigte er zustimmend.
„Und jetzt, Sophie, bringst mir noch a Halbe Wein, weil wir so fein
beisammen sind!“ sagte er vergnügt und zwinkerte dem Mädchen
vertraulich zu.
„I bin nit per Du mit Ihnen!“ gab die Sophie schnippisch zurück.
„Macht nix. Was nit ist, kann noch werden!“ sagte der
Patscheider. Er nahm heute einmal gar nichts krumm ...
Am Heimweg raffte der Apotheker Tiefenbrunner seinen ganzen
Mut zusammen und erklärte seiner Frau mit aller Entschiedenheit,
daß er mit oder ohne ihre Einwilligung den Felix „auf die Kunst“
studieren lassen werde. „Denn,“ sagte er, „i hab’ heut’ abend
g’sehen, der Felix hat bei allen Herrn einen Stein im Brett. Und es
könnt’ mich nur unbeliebt machen, wenn wir ihm das Geld zur
Malerei nicht hergeben täten. Deswegen ist’s g’scheiter, wir fügen
uns. Gelt, Alte?“
Die „Alte“ nickte und gab völlig kleinlaut ihre Zustimmung. Sie
hatte im Laufe des Abends noch manches böse Wort der Damen mit
anhören müssen und fühlte sich ganz klein und nachgiebig.
Da war die Frau Patscheider, die ihr gehörig zugeredet hatte und
ihr erklärte, daß ein Künstler viel was Gescheiteres sei als wie ein
Beamter.
Der Zorn der Frau Patscheider über ihren Gatten war bald
verraucht. Sie war, als dieser durch sein energisches
Dazwischentreten den Doktor Rapp zum Dableiben bewog,
ordentlich stolz auf ihren Mann und verzieh ihm in diesem
Augenblick alles. Er war doch ein großer Mann, dachte sie; da durfte
man nicht so kleinlich sein. Und da sie zu bemerken glaubte, daß ihr
Mann ein Interesse an dem Felix Altwirth nahm, so hielt sie es für
ihre Pflicht, nun ihrerseits die Apothekerin tüchtig zu bearbeiten.
In allen Tonarten schilderte sie Frau Therese Tiefenbrunner das
Künstlerleben. Wie schön das sei, und wie viel Geld das trage. Alles,
was sie je darüber gehört und gelesen hatte, erzählte sie der
Apothekerin. Und jede von den Damen brachte einen neuen Grund,
warum der Felix ein Künstler werden müsse. Schließlich wurde es
der Apothekerin ganz schwummrig im Kopf. Sie sagte zu allem Ja
und Amen und sehnte sich dabei, nach Hause zu kommen und ihre
Ruhe zu haben.
Jetzt am Heimweg begann auch noch ihr Mann davon zu
sprechen, und das in so kategorischer Weise, wie er es nie zuvor
getan hatte.
Frau Therese Tiefenbrunner war im Grunde ihres Herzens gut.
Und ihr ganzer Widerstand gegen den Künstlerberuf ihres Neffen
ging von dem einen ehrlichen Beweggrund aus, daß sie ihm eine
gesicherte Existenz verschaffen wollte. Es war nicht Bösartigkeit,
daß sie sich widersetzte, sondern Verständnislosigkeit. Sie hielt die
Kunst für eine höchst unnotwendige und überflüssige Sache im
Leben. Für etwas, wo man dabei verhungern konnte, wenn man
wollte. Und trotz allem Zureden der Damen hatte sie keine andere
Meinung bekommen.
Als sie jetzt ihrem Mann ihre Einwilligung gab, tat sie es mit
innerem Widerstreben und handelte gegen ihre Überzeugung. Aber
sie sah, daß es wirklich der ernste Wille und Vorsatz ihres Gatten
war, und sie wollte den Frieden zwischen ihm und ihr erhalten. Sie
beschloß jedoch, noch ernstlich mit dem Felix zu reden und ihm
alles vor Augen zu stellen.
Nach ihrer Meinung hätte er als absolvierter Jurist ganz andere
Aussichten haben können. Und wenn ihn das Jus schon nicht freute,
so hätte er ja Pharmazie studieren können, um bei ihrem Mann ins
Geschäft zu treten ...
Der Apotheker Simon Tiefenbrunner verkündete es gleich am
nächsten Morgen persönlich seinem Neffen, daß er und seine Frau
ihm seinen Wunsch erfüllen wollten. Er könne nach München auf die
Akademie gehen.
München! Ein neues Leben tat sich vor den Augen des jungen
Mannes auf. Ein freies, schönes Land, ein Traumland von Glück,
Ruhm, Arbeit und Erfolg.
München! ... Felix Altwirth war so gerührt, daß er schnurstracks
zu seiner Tante lief, um ihr zu danken. Im Überschwang seiner
Gefühle vergaß er, wie viele bittere Stunden ihm diese Frau schon
bereitet hatte. Er vergaß die bösen Reden, die sie ihm gegeben, und
war so begeistert, daß er ihr sogar die Hand küßte, was er noch nie
getan hatte.
Aber auch Frau Therese vergaß vollständig, daß sie ihm noch
gute Ermahnungen und Lehren hatte erteilen wollen. Seine kindliche
Freude rührte sie. Sie verstand diese Freude zwar nicht, aber
trotzdem gefiel sie ihr ...
Mit leichtem Herzen nahm Felix Altwirth Abschied von seiner
Heimat. Nicht einmal der Abschied von Sophie fiel ihm schwer. Er
war voll Hoffnung und Zuversicht und voll Vertrauen auf seine
Zukunft. Dort in der Stadt der Künstler würde auch er sein Glück
erringen. Ein großes, seliges und dauerhaftes Glück.
 Achtes Kapitel.

D ie Apothekerin hatte damals abends beim Weißen Hahn den

Doktor Rapp doch nicht unbillig zurechtgewiesen. Die Damen
von der Stammtischgesellschaft beredeten es jetzt oft untereinander
und bereuten es, daß sie so unachtsam gewesen waren. Sie hatten
seitdem beinahe eine Art Ehrfurcht vor dem Scharfblick der
Apothekerin.
Eigentlich hatte sie damals nicht nur den Doktor Rapp, sondern
sie alle gewarnt. Er solle vor seiner Tür kehren, hatte sie gesagt, und
es habe nämlich jedermann grad’ genug zu tun, wenn er auf sich
selber achtgebe. Das war eine Warnung gewesen, die sie alle
zusammen in den Wind geschlagen hatten.
Es war gut gemeint von der Apothekerin, wenn es auch grob
ausgedrückt war. Das sahen sie jetzt alle ein. Die Apothekerin war
halt einmal so. Etwas grob und unbeholfen. Und deshalb hatten sie
Frau Therese Tiefenbrunner nie sonderlich ernst genommen. Mit
Unrecht. Denn Frau Therese war doch eine gescheite Frau.
Unbedingt war sie in diesem Fall die Scharfsichtigste von ihnen allen
gewesen. —
Es gab ein ungeheures Aufsehen in Innsbruck, als der Advokat
Doktor Valentin Rapp die Kellnerin Sophie Zöttl als sein eheliches
Weib heimführte. Und so schnell und überstürzt trug sich dieses
unerhörte Ereignis zu, daß die Innsbrucker erst wenige Wochen vor
der Hochzeit davon Kenntnis erhielten. Nicht einmal seine besten
Freunde hatte der Rechtsanwalt in diese Angelegenheit eingeweiht.
Und sobald die Sache in Innsbruck einmal ruchbar wurde, war der
Doktor Rapp schon nirgends mehr zu sehen.
 Die Herren am Stammtisch schüttelten bedächtig die Köpfe. Sie
waren nicht einverstanden mit der Wahl des Rechtsanwaltes. Eine
Kellnerin, und wenn sie hundertmal die Sophie war, bedeutete halt
doch keine standesgemäße Heirat. Man scherzte und lachte und
unterhielt sich mit so einem Mädel, und wenn man wollte ... Die
Herren sprachen sich nie klar aus über diesen Punkt, aber sie
verstanden einander recht gut. Wenn man wollte ... ja, das schon ...
aber man heiratete doch nicht gleich.
Der Kaufmann Patscheider äußerte sich abends beim
Stammtisch ganz besonders scharf dagegen. So scharf, daß es
endlich dem alten Rat Leonhard zu bunt wurde und er sich einmal
über die Angelegenheit ausließ. Denn der Patscheider brachte es
schließlich so heraus, als ob auf die Wirtin die Schuld an der ganzen
Heiraterei fiele.
Frau Maria Buchmayr war wirklich so unschuldig wie ein
neugebornes Kind. Als ihr die Sophie kündigte und um ihre sofortige
Entlassung bat, weil sie heiraten müsse, da schlug die Wirtin in
hellichter Verwunderung die Hände über dem Kopf zusammen und
rief: „Ja, um Gotteswillen, Sophie, bist narrisch worden ... Jetzt auf
einmal ... heiraten! Ja, wo hast denn du überhaupt an Mann
auftrieben?“
Die dicke Wirtin war so aufgebracht, daß sie vor Empörung kaum
Atem schöpfen konnte. So eine Rücksichtslosigkeit von dem Mädel!
Sie im Stich zu lassen! Von ihr fort zu gehen! Wo es ihr doch so gut
ging. Und alles nur, weil sie heiraten müsse. So was!
Die Wirtin war hochrot im Gesicht vor ehrlicher Entrüstung, und
ihre dunklen Augen standen ihr heraus wie die schwarzen Tupfen
auf den Fühlern einer Schnecke.
„Wirst dir wohl a recht’s Elend auftun!“ sagte die Wirtin in
ehrlichem Zorn. „Ihr Madeln könnt’s es ja nie nit erleiden, wenn’s enk
z’gut geht. Ganz wie bei die Goas. Wenn’s denen z’wohl ist, nacher
kratzen sie sich, hoaßt’s. Und so ist’s bei enk aa!“ Frau Buchmayr
stellte sich in ihrer ganzen Breite vor die Sophie hin und fuchtelte ihr
mit den beiden fleischigen Händen erregt vor dem Gesicht herum.
„Not und Elend wirst haben und an Haufen Fratzen. Und z’ruck wirst
denken an mi und an Weißen Hahn, wie du’s da gut g’habt hast!“
„Ja, aber, Frau Buchmayr, Sie lassen Ihnen ja nit amal erzählen,
w e n i heirat’. Interessiert Ihnen denn das gar nit?“
„Naa!“ sagte die Wirtin zornig. „Gar nit! Wird schon a rechter
Schlott sein, a Fallott, a ...“
„Sie, aber da wird der Doktor Rapp schauen, wenn i ihm das
erzähl’. Er und a Schlott und a Fallott!“ lachte die Sophie laut und
herzlich.
Die Wirtin mußte sich rasch nach einer Sitzgelegenheit schauen.
Sonst wäre sie vor lauter Schreck umgefallen. „Wa—a—a—s!“
keuchte sie nach Luft schnappend und öffnete sich die beiden
obersten Knöpfe ihrer Bluse; denn sie glaubte ersticken zu müssen.
Dann wischte sie sich mit dem Rücken ihrer rechten Hand den
Schweiß von der Stirn. „Wa—a—a—s sagst, der Doktor Rapp?“
„Ja freilich!“ nickte die Sophie bestätigend. „Wer denn sonst?
Und bald wird g’heiratet. In vier Wochen bin i schon Frau Doktor.
Gelt, da schauen’s!“ fügte sie mit einiger Schadenfreude hinzu.
Die Wirtin schaute allerdings, aber ganz blödsinnig. Sie verstand
es einfach nicht. Der Doktor Rapp und die Sophie. Wie das nur
zugegangen war? Sie hatte doch nie das Geringste bemerkt, daß
sich zwischen den beiden etwas anbandelte. Und sie hatte in
solchen Dingen doch gewiß eine feine Nase. Sah und hörte mehr als
andere Leute. Aber da ... nein ... nichts hatte sie bemerkt. Rein gar
nichts.
Die Sophie war ungemein belustigt über das Erstaunen der
Wirtin. „Ja, ja, es ist schon wirklich so!“ versicherte sie. „Und weil’s
so ist, so werden’s schon ein Einsehen haben, Frau Buchmayr, und
mich gleich entlassen. I kann doch da jetzt nimmer Kellnerin sein.
Das werden’s doch begreifen!“ redete sie auf die Wirtin ein. „I fahr’
jetzt dann gleich nach Rattenberg hinunter zu meiner Ziehmutter und
richt’ mir die Aussteuer, und dann wird g’heiratet. Aber nacher, Frau
Buchmayr, werden’s sehen, wie fleißig i daher komm’ zu Ihnen mit
mein’ Mann. I muß mir doch die neue Kellnerin anschauen, die Sie
Ihnen dann eintun!“ scherzte sie. „I bin neugierig, ob die ihr Sach’
auch so gut versteht wie ich.“
„Naa, Sophie, das glaub’ i nit! So gut wie du, das gibt’s nimmer!“
erwiderte Frau Buchmayr mit starker Betonung.
Die Sophie erschien ihr jetzt auf einmal ganz unheimlich. Wie das
nur zugegangen war? Mit rechten Dingen sicher nicht. Davon war
sie felsenfest überzeugt. Und sie sagte es auch am Stammtisch zu
ihrer Verteidigung, da sie alle so über sie herfielen.
Der Herr Rat Leonhard schien ihr recht zu geben. Er war ein alter
Jurist, und in seiner Praxis waren ihm viele merkwürdige Fälle
vorgekommen. Er hatte es gelernt, alles, auch das Unerhörteste im
Leben menschlich begreiflich zu finden und zu verstehen. Auf diese
Weise war der Rat Leonhard ein tiefer Denker und ein Philosoph
geworden.
Als sich der Patscheider gar so ereiferte und der Wirtin mit
groben Worten vorwarf, sie hätte die Sache rechtzeitig verhindern
müssen und die Sophie zum Teufel jagen sollen, da meinte der alte
Herr ganz ruhig: „Sie, Herr Patscheider, sei’n Sie froh, daß die
Sophie es nit auf Ihnen hat abg’sehen g’habt. Da wären Sie auch
verloren g’wesen dabei. Denn was a Weib w i l l , das kriegt’s auch.
Auf den Willen kommt’s an, nur auf den Willen!“ nickte er mehrere
Male zur Bekräftigung vor sich hin.
„Darum hat der Herr Rat keine kriegt, weil ihn keine mögen hat!“
meinte der Baurat Goldrainer mit gutmütigem Spott.
Der alte Herr sah den Baurat einen Moment mit prüfenden
Blicken an, aber er sagte kein Wort. Nicht ja und nicht nein. Er
rauchte ruhig und phlegmatisch an seiner Pfeife weiter und machte
wieder sein verdrossenes Mopsgesicht. Hörte still und gelassen zu,
wie die Herren erregt den Fall Doktor Rapp diskutierten, als gäbe es
eine hochwichtige Staatsaktion zu verhandeln ...
Sophie Zöttl war gleich am nächsten Tage nach der Unterredung
mit der Wirtin nach Rattenberg gefahren zu ihrer Pflegemutter, der
Ennemoserin. Auch Doktor Rapp war mit ins Unterland gefahren. Er
wollte dem Klatsch und dem Aufsehen in Innsbruck entgehen und
sich erst nach vollzogener Trauung wieder bei seinen Freunden und
Bekannten vorstellen.
Hätte man den Rechtsanwalt gefragt, wieso dieser plötzliche
Umschwung in seiner Gesinnung gekommen war, so hätte er keinen
Grund anzugeben gewußt. Er war sich vollständig im unklaren, wie
er dazu kam, die Sophie zu heiraten.
Das Mädchen hatte ihre Rolle geschickt gespielt. Sie hatte den
älteren Mann sachte umgarnt. Ganz sachte. Bis sein Blut in Wallung
kam, immer mächtiger und mächtiger. Und immer mehr verstand sie
es, seine Leidenschaft zu entfachen, bis er keinen andern Gedanken
mehr nährte, sich keines andern Wunsches bewußt war als dieses
einen, Sophie zu besitzen.
Er kannte sich selber nicht mehr; er wollte sich auch nicht mehr
kennen. Er ließ sich umgarnen von der Leidenschaft und lebte in
dieser wie in einem Traum. Er war nicht mehr er selber. Es war ein
anderer Mensch, der da handelte und sprach.
Zum erstenmal in seinem Leben hatte ihn die Leidenschaft für ein
Weib in solchem Maße gefangen genommen. Er hatte ja öfter
geliebt, aber er war stets der kühle, klare Beobachter seiner Gefühle
geblieben.
Sophie hatte es verstanden, ihn zu formen und umzumodeln, wie
sie es wünschte. Das Mädchen hatte sich selbst allmählich zu der
Überzeugung gebracht, daß auch sie eine warme und innige Liebe
für den Rechtsanwalt empfinde. Sie spielte sich und ihm die
Komödie rasender Verliebtheit vor und wußte sich schließlich selber
keine Rechenschaft mehr darüber zu geben, wie weit ihre Liebe zu
diesem Mann ging.
Durch dieses fortgesetzte Spiel mit den Flammen der
Leidenschaft, die sie bei dem Manne entzünden wollte, entfachte sie
ihr eigenes wildes Blut. Sie tat sich keinen Zwang an. Sie wußte,
daß sie ihrem zügellosen Temperament volle Freiheit gewähren
durfte, wenn sie ihr Spiel gewinnen sollte. Nicht nur durfte, sondern
sogar mußte. Und so wurde sie allmählich zu jenem
leidenschaftlichen Weib, das Doktor Storf in ihr zu wecken fürchtete.
 Der Rechtsanwalt war ihr mit Leib und Seele verfallen. Er hing an
ihr und konnte sich ein Leben ohne sie nicht mehr denken. Und das
war der Zeitpunkt, wo Sophie geschickt die Forderung an ihn stellte,
daß er sie zu seiner Frau machen solle. Ohne Weigern, ja sogar mit
Freuden war er darauf eingegangen ...
In der stillen Klosterkirche zu Mariathal hatte die Trauung
stattgefunden, im Beisein der Ennemoserin und der Schwester
Salesia. So war es Sophiens Wunsch gewesen, und ihr Bräutigam
hatte sich mit allem einverstanden erklärt. Er war ein Mann, der allen
Zeremonien, mochten sie nun mit der Kirche zusammenhängen oder
nicht, vom Grunde seines Herzens aus abgeneigt war. Und er hatte
auch in diesem einen Fall nur das Verlangen, die Zeremonie der
Trauung so still und so rasch als möglich und ohne viel Aufhebens
zu erledigen.
Es gefiel Doktor Rapp, daß Sophie den romantischen Wunsch
äußerte, gerade in Mariathal getraut zu werden. Schon deshalb
gefiel es ihm, weil er dem Mädchen diese Weichheit des Empfindens
eigentlich nicht zugetraut hatte und davon überrascht war.
Sophie hatte ihm im Laufe der Zeit ihr ganzes Leben erzählt. Er
wußte, daß sie ein Karrnermädel war, und begriff jetzt auch die
Wildheit ihres Temperamentes, die ihm früher manchmal unerklärlich
erschienen war. Daß Sophie noch immer mit so viel Liebe und
Anhänglichkeit der alten asthmatischen Klosterschwester zugetan
war, machte ihm einen außerordentlich guten Eindruck. Es verriet
ihm ein weiches, dankbares, fast kindliches Gemüt.
Die Ennemoserin als Brautmutter hatte einen schönen, stolzen
Tag in ihrem Leben. Nun hatte sie es ja erreicht, was sie erstrebte.
Sie hatte das wilde Mädel in ruhige Bahnen geleitet, hatte eine Seele
dem Himmel gerettet und das Glück erlebt, ihr Pflegekind in dem
sichern Hafen einer ehrbaren Ehe gelandet zu sehen.
Nach den Begriffen der stillen, einsamen Frau konnte jetzt nichts
mehr über das Mädchen kommen. Der liebe Gott hatte das Werk der
Ennemoserin gesegnet, und sie hoffte und vertraute weiter auf seine
Güte. Er würde auch ihr Gebet erhören und ihr sündiges eigenes
Kind retten.
 Die beiden alten Frauen, die Schwester und die Ennemoserin,
knieten still und froh vor dem Hochaltar der Kirche zu Mariathal und
beteten inbrünstig zu Gott, daß er den heiligen Ehebund segnen und
schützen möge fürs ganze Leben.
Es war ein ruhig klarer, später Oktobertag. Die rotgelben und
blutroten Blätter im Buchenhain draußen vor dem Kirchhof fielen mit
leisem Knistern auf die taufeuchte Erde. Eines nach dem andern.
Ein farbenbunter Regen war’s. Drinnen in der Kirche zu früher
Morgenstunde vollzog sich still und feierlich die heilige Handlung, die
zwei Menschen zeitlebens miteinander verband.
Die alte Schwester Salesia kniete ganz abseits am äußersten
Rande der ersten Bank vor dem Hochaltar. Fast scheu sah sie aus
und tief gebückt. Aber ununterbrochen beobachtete sie die Vorgänge
am Altar.
Es war lange her, seit Schwester Salesia eine Trauung gesehen
hatte. Sehr lange schon. Bald ein Menschenalter war’s her. Und
diejenigen, die sich damals den Treuschwur geleistet hatten, waren
nicht glücklich geworden. Ob wohl diese beiden, die Sophie Zöttl und
der fremde Rechtsanwalt, glücklich werden würden? ...
Die alte Schwester hatte wenig mehr gesehen von der Sophie in
den letzten Jahren. Alles, was sie von ihr wußte, hatte ihr die
Ennemoserin berichtet, die öfters zu Besuch kam. Und das bewirkte,
daß die Sophie in der Erinnerung der Klosterschwester fortlebte als
das wilde Karrnermädel von ehedem, das aus dem Kloster gelaufen
war.
Die Sophie, wie sie jetzt war, die war der Schwester Salesia eine
völlig Fremde. Aber es rührte sie, daß die vornehm gekleidete Dame
zu ihr kam, mit ihr redete und so tat, als wäre sie noch das kleine
Mädel, das sich stets an die alte Schwester geklammert hatte. Und
gerne erfüllte ihr die Schwester den Wunsch, bei ihrer Trauung
zugegen zu sein.
„Weißt,“ fügte sie vorsichtig hinzu, „wenn’s die Frau Oberin
erlaubt. Sonst nit. Beileib’ nit! Kennst mi schon, gelt?“ lächelte sie
heiter vor sich hin.
 Der Sophie war’s, als sei erst eine kurze Spanne Zeit seit ihrem
Klosterleben verstrichen. Ihr kam die Schwester nicht verändert vor.
Sie hatte in ihrer Gegenwart das gleiche ruhige Gefühl des
Geborgenseins und der Liebe, wie sie es stets als Kind empfunden
hatte.
Die Oberin erlaubte es der Schwester Salesia. Es war eine
andere Oberin, die über das kleine Frauenkloster gebot.
„Weißt, Sophie, die, die du kennt hast, die war viel zu g’scheit für
uns da!“ erzählte die alte Schwester der Sophie, als diese mit ihrem
Bräutigam zu Besuch bei ihr war. „Die ist jetzt in an großen Kloster,
wo sie auch hing’hört. Weißt wohl, a Frau wie die eine war. Mit so
viel Willen und Verstand! Um die wär’s ja schad’ g’wesen. Wir
brauchen nit so viel Verstand da, wir nit. Weißt wohl!“ versicherte sie
lustig, bis sie zu hüsteln anfing. „Wir sind ja viel zu einfach da, wir
paar Leuteln übereinander!“
Eine vornehme Dame war die Sophie in den Augen der alten
Klosterschwester geworden. Schwester Salesia mußte sie immer
und immer wieder ansehen, wie Sophie jetzt zur Linken ihres
Bräutigams an den Stufen des Altares stand und aus der Hand des
alten Pfarrers den Ehering entgegen nahm.
Ihre hohe, üppige Gestalt kam durch das einfache schwarze
Kleid ganz besonders vorteilhaft zur Geltung. Sophie Zöttl trug als
einzigen Brautschmuck einen Kranz frischer Myrten in dem dunkeln,
modisch frisierten Haar und einen großen Strauß weißer Rosen in
der Hand. Die Myrten in den dunkeln Haarwellen waren wie eine
Krone. Und in wahrhaft königlicher Haltung stand das junge Weib an
der Seite des unscheinbaren vierschrötigen Mannes, der nun ihr
Gatte geworden war.
Doktor Rapp wirkte neben der imposanten Gestalt seiner jungen
Frau, die ihn um ein beträchtliches Stück überragte, bäuerlich,
linkisch und unbeholfen. Er hatte gleichfalls einfache, dunkle
Kleidung für die Trauung gewählt. Der Anzug war von gutem Schnitt
und feinem Tuch. Aber er stand ihm nicht. Doktor Rapp hatte eine
unglückliche Art, sich zu kleiden. Auch der beste Schneider
vermochte ihm keinen eleganten Anzug zu liefern.
 Der Rechtsanwalt liebte über alles seine Bequemlichkeit. Und
dieser zuliebe verzichtete er gern auf die Verschönerung seines
äußeren Menschen. Jede Kleidung mußte ihm weit genug sein,
durfte in keiner Weise beengen. Aus diesem Grunde trug er stets
niedere, unmoderne Umlegekragen und machte darin einen
ärmlichen und bescheidenen Eindruck. Seine Hosen, die ihm immer
zu weit waren, verloren bald ihre Form, schlotterten und machten
Falten wie der Fächer einer Ziehharmonika. Seine von Natur aus
kleinen, wohlgeformten Füße staken nach den Grundsätzen seiner
Bequemlichkeit in viel zu weiten Schuhen, die schon nach kurzer
Zeit schäbig und abgetragen aussahen. Der Gegensatz zwischen
Doktor Rapp und Sophie war so augenfällig, daß es sogar der alten
Schwester Salesia auffiel.
Infolge der inneren Erregung war das Gesicht des Rechtsanwalts
ganz besonders rot und aufgedunsen und hinterließ unwillkürlich den
Eindruck, als habe er dem Wein etwas zu viel zugesprochen. Der
blonde Vollbart und das blonde Haar schimmerten in der frühen
Morgensonne, die durch die hohen, buntgemalten Kirchenfenster
fiel, strohgelb und sahen struppig aus.
Ob diese beiden so ungleichen Menschen wohl glücklich werden
würden? Schwester Salesia mußte sich immer und immer wieder
diese Frage stellen. Es ist ein langer Weg, der durchs Leben führt.
Ein Weg, der gar hart und mühselig werden kann. Schwester
Salesia, die wissende alte Schwester, hatte nicht umsonst den
Frieden im Kloster gesucht. — — —
Ob Doktor Valentin Rapp sein Glück in dieser Ehe gefunden
hatte? ... Ganz Innsbruck beobachtete das junge Ehepaar mit
scharfen Augen. Und was die einen nicht sahen, das wußten die
andern. Sie hatten gar vieles auszusetzen an der Sophie. Kleine
Fehler und Mängel, die der Gatte nicht zu bemerken schien. In den
Augen der andern jedoch, die nun einmal diese Ehe von vornherein
mit Mißtrauen betrachteten, fielen sie schwer ins Gewicht.
Doktor Valentin Rapp war nicht der Mann, um es zu dulden, daß
seine Gattin nicht jene Stellung eingenommen hätte, die seinem
eigenen Ansehen gebührte. Als wäre sie von guter Familie, gerade
so führte der Rechtsanwalt seine junge Frau in der Gesellschaft ein.
Und mit süßsauren Gesichtern mußten die Damen der ehemaligen
Kellnerin beim Weißen Hahn den Besuch erwidern.
Sie kamen alle zu ihr. Alle, die Namen und Stellung hatten in der
Stadt. Auch Doktor Storf kam und Frau Hedwig. Seit mehr als einem
Jahr war Doktor Storf nun mit Hedwig Eisenschmied vermählt, und
ihr erstes Kindchen zählte schon etliche Wochen.
Nicht alle, die sie besuchten, waren gut zu Sophie. Und es fehlte
nicht an boshaften kleinen Seitenhieben. Aber Sophie verstand es
ganz meisterhaft, alle Anzüglichkeiten zu parieren und sie wo
möglich mit kleinen Bosheiten zu vergelten. Überhaupt war es im
höchsten Grade erstaunlich, wie rasch sich die junge Frau
Rechtsanwalt in ihre Stellung zu schicken wußte.
Die geborne Dame ... rühmte die Frau Professor Haidacher
einmal von ihr. Dafür wurde sie aber von den andern Damen, die
behaupteten, das besser beurteilen zu können, ganz energisch
zurechtgewiesen. Eine geschickte Komödiantin nannten sie die
Sophie in ohnmächtiger Empörung.
Zu den wenigen Damen, die gut gegen Sophie waren, gehörten
die Professorin und Frau Therese Tiefenbrunner. Auch Frau Hedwig
war nett zu der jungen Frau. Aber es war mehr eine schüchterne,
unentschlossene Haltung. Sie wollte gut sein, wurde aber doch
wieder zu sehr von ihrer Schwester beeinflußt, die sie davor warnte,
nicht allzu vertraut mit „so einer“ zu werden. Das dürfe man um
keinen Preis tun. So viel Rücksicht und Würde sei man seiner
Abstammung schuldig. Sophie sei eben doch nur eine Kellnerin; und
woher sie eigentlich komme, das wisse man ja gar nicht.
Die Fama hatte sich der jungen Frau Doktor Rapp angenommen;
und was es nur über sie zu erzählen gab, das wurde eifrig
herumgetratscht. Bald munkelte man sich in Innsbruck zu, die
Sophie sei gar kein Bauernmädel aus dem Unterland, sondern ein
Karrnerkind. Wer zuerst das Gerücht verbreitet hatte, wußte kein
Mensch.
 Und noch ein anderes Gerücht lief durch die Stadt, anfangs
langsam und zweifelnd aufgenommen, dann immer lauter und
bestimmter. Es hieß, daß Frau Sophie es mit der ehelichen Treue
nicht allzu genau nehme, daß sie auch Augen und Herz für andere
besaß. Wer „die andern“ waren, das wußte allerdings kein Mensch
zu sagen. Und trotzdem gab es bald niemand mehr, der dem Gerede
nicht Glauben geschenkt hätte. Sie hatten keine Beweise dafür, und
doch fand sich niemand, der für die Ehre der jungen Frau
Rechtsanwalt eingetreten wäre.
Eine große Veränderung war mit Sophie seit ihrer Verheiratung
vor sich gegangen. Sie sahen es alle und mußten es sehen. Es
sprang zu sehr in die Augen. Auch Doktor Rapp sah es ... und freute
sich darüber. Er freute sich und hatte den festen Glauben, daß er die
richtige Wahl getroffen habe.
Die junge Frau gab sich freier und selbstbewußter. Ihre ganze
Haltung, ihr Gang und ihre Sprache hatten etwas Sieghaftes an sich.
Ihre Anpassungsfähigkeit war geradezu hervorragend. Sie benahm
sich bald ganz so, als hätte sie stets unter Damen gelebt, und fiel in
keiner Weise durch irgendeine Ungeschicklichkeit auf. Ihre Sprache
hatte einen leichten Dialektanflug, der den Innsbruckerinnen eigen
ist und auf den sie auch stolz sind.
Was aber Doktor Rapp ganz besonders glücklich machte, das
war, daß er beobachtete, wie Sophie fast mit jedem Tag mehr
Temperament, mehr Heiterkeit und mehr Humor entwickelte. Jetzt,
da die bange Sorge um ihre Zukunft von ihr gewichen war, die ja
stets wie ein Alp auf ihr gelastet hatte, da sie unabhängig war und
ihre Ziele erreicht hatte, brauchte sie nicht mehr gegen ihre eigenste
Natur zu kämpfen. Sie konnte ihrer innersten Anlage nachgeben und
durfte das sein, was sie im tiefsten Grunde war: ein heißes,
leidenschaftliches Weib, das mit Heißhunger das Leben begehrte
und auch genoß.
Doktor Rapp war so vollständig in ihrem Bann, daß er es nicht
bemerkte, wie der Weg, den Sophie einschlug, ein schiefer wurde.
Noch immer glaubte Sophie daran, daß sie ihren Gatten liebe. Sie
umgab ihn täglich mit tausend kleinen Zärtlichkeiten, sorgte für ihn,
war arbeitsam und machte ihm sein Heim so behaglich, daß er sich
in all den Stunden des Tages nach ihr sehnte, wo sie getrennt sein
mußten.
Es war ein großer Sinnenrausch über den Mann gekommen.
Jetzt, da er beständig mit diesem entflammten Weibe
zusammenlebte, war der Taumel noch mächtiger als zuvor. Sein
ganzes Empfinden, sein ganzer Wille, alle Wünsche und Gefühle
hatten ihren Höhepunkt in Sophie. So glücklich war Doktor Rapp in
seiner Ehe, daß er es nicht sah, wie ein unersättlicher Lebenshunger
von dem jungen Weib Besitz ergriff und ihre aufgepeitschte
Leidenschaft Befriedigung außerhalb der Ehe suchte.
Ein sinnliches Fluidum strömte von dem Weibe aus. Überall, in
jeder Gesellschaft hatte sie die Männer zu ihren Füßen. Sie
beherrschte alle, ganz so wie ehedem, als sie noch die Kellnerin war
beim Weißen Hahn. Und doch wieder anders. Damals lockte ihre
herbe Zurückhaltung, die so seltsam abstach gegen das
leidenschaftliche Rassegesicht.
Es gab niemand, der diesem eigenen Reiz des jungen Weibes
widerstand. Auch die alten, vertrockneten Herren, die eingesessenen
Bürger und Bureaukraten der Stadt fühlten ein prickelndes Etwas,
wenn Frau Sophie mit flüchtigen, leichten Schritten an ihnen
vorüberging. Und wenn sie mit ihnen sprach, so waren sie schon
nach wenigen Worten vollständig in ihrem Bann.
Frau Sophie war die lachende Freude und Lebenslust, wo immer
sie auch hinkam. Und je größeres Gefallen sie bei den Herren fand,
desto zurückhaltender und feindseliger wurden die Frauen. Sie
durften nicht offen gegen sie auftreten. Dazu gab sie ihnen keine
Gelegenheit. Alles, was sie von Sophie zu sagen wußten, waren
eben nur Gerüchte, denen der Boden der Wirklichkeit und des
Beweises fehlte.
Sophie benahm sich in der Öffentlichkeit tadellos in jeder
Hinsicht. Ihre Heiterkeit war nie ausgelassen, ihre Rede witzig, doch
anständig, und ihre Koketterie einwandfrei. Und doch wußten es alle,
Mann wie Frau, daß dieses Weib den Teufel im Leib hatte, daß sie
den Gatten belog und betrog und ihn trotzdem unbändig glücklich
machte ...
Es dauerte gar nicht lange, so spielte Frau Sophie Rapp eine
führende Rolle in der Innsbrucker Gesellschaft. Sie war sogar
tonangebend geworden. Beteiligte sich bei den verschiedenen
Vereinen und übernahm selbst die Leitung eines von ihrem Gatten
gegründeten wirtschaftlichen Verbandes.
Mit viel Geschick, mit Takt und Anstand füllte sie ihre Stellung
aus. Sie mußten es alle anerkennen, auch die Frauen, unter denen
sich bald keine einzige mehr befand, die ihr wohlgesinnt war. Nicht
einmal die gutmütige, lustige Frau Professorin. Auch diese hatte sich
von ihr zurückgezogen und fühlte sich solidarisch mit den übrigen
Damen.
Die Professorin wußte es selbst nicht, warum sie sich von der
jungen Frau immer mehr abgestoßen fühlte. Sie hatte keinen
eigentlichen Grund dazu. Es war ein unbestimmtes Element, das sie
sich nicht zu erklären vermochte.
Frau Haidacher war der Sophie in der allerersten Zeit mit ganz
besonderer Herzlichkeit entgegengekommen. Gerade weil alle
gegen die junge Frau waren, gerade deshalb tat sie der Professorin
leid. Frau Haidacher war ihr eine Freundin geworden und hatte ihr
mit Rat und Tat beigestanden. Ihr Verdienst war es zum größten Teil,
daß Sophie sich so rasch in die Rolle einer Dame einlebte.
Die Professorin hatte anfangs auch nur mit Selbstüberwindung
gehandelt. Ihrem innersten Empfinden widerstrebte es, die
ehemalige Kellnerin als ihresgleichen anzuerkennen. Aber das
Mitleid und ihre angeborne Gutmütigkeit errangen den Sieg. Und
Frau Haidacher ging so weit, daß sie der jungen Frau Doktor sogar
das Duwort anbot.
Sophie hatte wenig Sinn für Frauenfreundschaft. Sie nahm es
deshalb auch gar nicht sonderlich schwer, als sich die Professorin
immer mehr von ihr lossagte. Es war ihr sogar recht; denn sie hatte
schon angefangen, die Freundin und deren Besuche lästig zu finden.
 Nun sahen sich die beiden Frauen nur mehr in Gesellschaft, wo
sie liebenswürdig und zuvorkommend gegen einander waren. Es
war aber nur der Firnis einer schlecht verborgenen Abneigung. Nicht
auf Sophiens Seite; denn sie fühlte weder Liebe noch Abneigung für
die Professorin. Ihr war jede Frau mehr oder minder gleichgültig.
Und sie hatte sich auch nie zu einem warmen Gefühl für die
Professorin aufschwingen können. Aber Frau Haidacher empfand
mit der Zeit einen immer größeren Widerwillen gegen Sophie. Das
steigerte sich derart, daß sie es endlich vorzog, bei geselligen
Veranstaltungen oder Festlichkeiten fernzubleiben, um nicht mit
Sophie zusammentreffen zu müssen.
Die andern Damen verstanden es besser, als die Professorin,
ihre wahren Gefühle zu verbergen. Aber Sophie kannte sie trotzdem
ganz genau. Sie wußte, wie hoch sie die süßfreundlichen Mienen
einzuschätzen habe. Da war ihr die immer mehr zutage tretende
Abneigung der Professorin entschieden lieber.
Es kümmerte Sophie im Grunde gar nicht, ob man sie leiden
mochte oder nicht. Sie gab sich auch darüber gar keine
Rechenschaft, und sie erstrebte es auch nicht, sich das Wohlwollen
der Damen zu erhalten. Was sie erstrebte, das hatte sie. Eine
Stellung, die in kurzer Zeit diejenige der andern weit überragte ...
Obwohl Sophie der Wirtin damals versprochen hatte, recht oft
zum Weißen Hahn zu kommen, so war sie doch nur ein seltener
Gast geworden. Sie hatte als Dame der Gesellschaft so viel zu tun,
daß sie für die bescheidene kleine Stammtischgesellschaft nur
wenig Zeit erübrigen konnte. Und vielleicht fühlte sie es auch, daß
sie ihrem Ansehen nur hinderlich war, wenn sie sich allzu häufig an
der Stätte ihres einstigen Wirkens zeigte.
Frau Doktor Rapp war mit der Zeit den Gästen des Weißen Hahn
eine Fremde geworden. Eine Dame, von der man sprach, weil sie
viel in der Öffentlichkeit tätig war, und auch deshalb, weil sie eine
außerordentlich interessante Persönlichkeit war, die Geist, Rasse
und Temperament besaß wie selten eine in Innsbruck.
Sie verkehrten noch alle beim Weißen Hahn. Genau so wie
früher. Und saßen auch in derselben Rangordnung. Doktor Rapp
führte seinen lustigen Krieg weiter mit der dicken Wirtin. Und Herr
Tiefenbrunner lauerte wie immer mit ängstlicher Miene auf den
Augenblick, wo er als Friedensvermittler zwischen die Gegner Rapp
und Patscheider treten mußte.
Die alte Gegnerschaft zwischen diesen beiden war besonders in
der letzten Zeit ziemlich scharf zutage getreten. Ihre
Unversöhnlichkeit war bereits so weit gediehen, daß jeder von
beiden den andern haßte. Das kam daher, weil der Einfluß, den
Doktor Rapp in der Stadt besaß, die Selbstherrlichkeit des Herrn
Patscheider ernstlich verdunkelte. Dafür haßte Patscheider den
Rechtsanwalt. Haßte ihn glühend und leidenschaftlich. Und je größer
das Ansehen des Rechtsanwalts wurde, desto tiefer wurde der Haß
des Kaufmanns Patscheider.
In Doktor Rapp sahen viele Innsbrucker ihren zukünftigen Führer.
Seinem Geist, seinem Willen und seiner Energie vertrauten sie.
Patscheider, der sein ganzes Leben nur dem Aufblühen und
Gedeihen der Stadt gewidmet hatte, fühlte es mit innerem Grimm,
daß ihm in Doktor Rapp derjenige Gegner erstanden war, der seine
Verdienste für immer in den Schatten stellte.
Aber weder Patscheider noch Doktor Rapp ließen es sich für
gewöhnlich anmerken, daß sie einander ehrlich und vom Grunde
ihrer Seele aus haßten. Nur bei seltenen Gelegenheiten kam der
unterdrückte Groll und Haß zum Vorschein und warf plötzlich grelle
Schlaglichter auf ihre wahre Seelenstimmung.
Der Rat Leonhard saß noch immer als Ehrenpräsident am
Stammtisch beim Weißen Hahn. Er schnitt sein zuwiderstes Gesicht,
aß, was ihm schmeckte, rauchte seine Pfeife und sprach gar nichts.
Ein neuer Gast war jetzt schon seit geraumer Zeit an dem
Honoratiorentisch. Das war Doktor Storf, der sich selbständig
gemacht hatte und ein sehr gesuchter Arzt geworden war. Böse
Mäuler behaupteten zwar, dies verdanke er keineswegs seiner
ärztlichen Kunst, sondern seinem hübschen Äußeren.
Tatsächlich hatte Doktor Storf vorwiegend Damen zu Patienten.
Weil die Menschen schon einmal bösartig sind und gerne Unrat