Page 21 of Shift of Heart (Shifter Lords #1)

Chapter

Sixteen

I awoke much sooner than I expected, still in my wren form. Rising, I stretched my wings, expecting a tugging pain.

But there was nothing. No pain, only a delicious stretch. Confused, I looked around my basket, expecting to see a pile of broken glass shards, but there was nothing there either.

I hopped onto the edge of the basket before leaping off and onto my bed, shifting as I landed. A deep sigh escaped me, and I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling.

It was early enough in the morning that darkness still stretched across the land. A quick glance at the clock made me blink. Five a.m. Holy crap. Why was I up so early?

I rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom to mark the places I’d need to have Moira extract glass from, but when I examined myself in the mirror, my skin was smooth and unmarred.

“What the hell?” I breathed. Moving my body to the left and right, I lifted my arms, then my legs, then got a hand mirror to look closer, but there was nothing. No glass to be found anywhere.

Bemused, I turned on the shower and got ready for the day. Getting to the shop early was a good thing. I could clean up the worst of the damage before the other shop owners got to work and started asking too many questions.

Filled with caffeine and half-stale scones, I pulled up to my shop less than forty-five minutes later, lucky enough to get a spot right by my front door.

Ash and the others usually got here before I did, so ninety percent of the time I had to park at least a block away.

Being the owner, I could push it and insist on a front parking spot, but the exercise was good for me, and downtown parking came at a premium.

I grabbed my travel mug and got out of the car, not paying attention until I turned to walk inside and saw...nothing.

No evidence of any damage existed. A brand-new window complete with the exact hand drawn logo I had before was in the place where the shattered window had been last night.

I stood on the sidewalk, dumbstruck. All the glass on the sidewalk had been cleaned up, and the shattered pots were replaced, the greenery from before carefully re-planted. My heart sped up, thudding painfully in my chest.

I opened the shop door and peered inside, sending my senses out to see if anyone else was in the shop, but there was only me. Bewildered, I hurried inside and set my purse down on the register desk, then inspected the shop.

Every stray piece of glass had been collected, every broken pot repaired, though some of the plants were seriously damaged, and I’d have to see if I could nurse them back to health later this morning.

The wooden work table was still broken down the middle, though someone had hastily repaired it with duct tape.

Another repaired potted plant sat on top of the surface.

Multiple shelves were repaired the same way, a couple of them lopsided enough to concern me.

I thought for sure I’d be shut down for several days, but all I needed to do was move some shelves and plants to the back and replace the table, which, all things considered, wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be when I got up this morning.

I loved the work table, but I was still alive.

One of those things was more important than the other.

Shaking my head at the odd turn my morning had taken, I made a cup of coffee and went over to the work table to see if it was truly beyond repair.

The plant was stressed but better than it was last night, but when I moved the pot, I spotted a folded piece of paper underneath.

When I picked it up, a familiar scent rose. My heartbeat spiked as I unfolded the note.

I did what I could. You have a new table on order with the same dimensions and material, and several replacement shelves are scheduled for delivery today.

I cannot apologize for what happened because an apology will never be enough to repair the damage, both material and immaterial.

I’d like to speak with you soon. If you allow it.

The note was signed simply: Caelan .

I sank down into the chair next to the table and stared at the paper. Hating him would be much easier than feeling whatever I felt. He’d come back sometime after I’d left, after sending the police away, and did his best to repair the damage that he caused.

As much as I wanted to pretend I was innocent, I’d knowingly pushed his buttons because he pissed me off.

Ugh. Being a grown-up was so ridiculous sometimes. Folding the note carefully, I tucked it into my back pocket and chewed the side of my lip as I pondered what to do. When my mind stayed blank, I tried to push the Shifter Lord from my thoughts and focused on my shop.

My shop was here and inanimate, and I didn’t have to do anything other than some clean up. The plants were a different story, but most of them should be okay.

So that’s what I did. The work table wasn’t steady enough to balance all the plants I needed to heal, so I pushed it into the back and pulled out a large fold-up table. The shop wasn’t scheduled to open for several hours, so I topped off my coffee and got to work.

Magic buzzed against my skin as I worked.

Two hours in and most of the plants were on their way to being good as new, and I had a ton of cuttings to start.

As I worked, I whispered apologies, telling them I was dumb to do what I did and that, while they didn’t deserve what happened to them, I might have.

Of course, my plants were loyal, and they vehemently disagreed with my low opinion of myself, which made me smile. Once all the plants were fixed, I went to the back for seedling pots, rooting hormone, and potting soil, then got to work making new plant babies.

An hour before the shop was scheduled to open, a large van parked in front of the shop and two burly men hopped out. One, a massive blond guy with muscles for days, knocked on the shop door. When he spotted me through the window, he waved and pointed at his van.

“We have shelves for you, courtesy of the Shifter Lord. Mind if we drop them inside?”

Would there be a price for accepting these? If I opened the door, was this one more crack in my resolve to keep Caelan away? I couldn’t open the shop with the janky ones I had now. Maybe I could set them up and send Caelan a check.

“Miss Quinn?” the man said, his brow furrowing.

Yes. I’d write him a check for everything. Resolved, I opened the door.

The man presented a clipboard. “If you wouldn’t mind signing for everything, we’ll bring them in, get them set up, and remove your damaged shelves.”

I scanned the paper, but there were no prices listed. “How much are the shelves?” I asked, glancing up.

He blinked. “Err. I was instructed not to say, ma’am.”

I gritted my teeth. “If you don’t tell me, you won’t be bringing those shelves in.” My gaze flicked to his name tag. “Jeff.” I smiled to soften my words.

“Miss Quinn?—”

“I understand you’re under pressure from the Shifter Lord to do as he bids, but I think it’s worse if you return to him with a truck full of shelves than it is for you to tell me how much these are. Don’t you think?”

The second man stood like a statue, a blank expression on his face. Jeff flicked a glance at him, but his partner stayed silent. Finally, Jeff blew out a breath and pulled out his phone. He scrolled to something and turned the screen to me.

I made a mental note of the price. “Thank you. I’ll move the plants off the shelves.”

“No need, ma’am. We’ll take care of everything. Just tell us where everything goes.”

The two men had the shelves installed in less than half an hour, and just as they were finishing up, another truck pulled up. A woman hopped out and waved when she spotted me.

“Evie Quinn?”

I stifled a sigh. Was this what it felt like to be a female main character in a billionaire romance? Completely bowled over and helpless to do anything? “Let me guess. You have a delivery from the Shifter Lord?”

To her credit, the woman winced. “I do.”

The other delivery guys nodded and headed out the door with little fanfare.

“I’m Jennifer Markham. There’s a truck full of pots out here for you.

” She pointed over her shoulder. Jennifer was tall, dark-haired, and lean.

She wore adorable floral overalls, a white tank, and scuffed leather boots, and her hair was done in a long, thick braid she’d slung over one of her shoulders.

The sigh escaped me this time. “Do you have prices for everything?”

She opened and shut her mouth before a rueful laugh escaped. “Like a bulldozer, isn’t he?”

I grinned. “Have you ever delivered pots this early to a random woman before?”

“No, but I redid his landscaping and didn’t sleep for a full month because he kept me on call at all hours of the night.”

“For a landscaping job?” I couldn’t keep the disbelief from my voice.

Jennifer laughed. “Yes! That man has serious opinions about salvia.” She grimaced. “And sometimes those opinions come after midnight.”

We grinned at each other. Jennifer peered through the window. “I don’t get downtown too much, but this looks like a cool store. What kind of events do you do most?”

I opened the door and let her in. “All kinds, but we get the most requests for weddings. Fredericksburg is a popular place to get hitched, and we get good word of mouth from there.”

Jennifer’s jaw dropped. “Holy smokes. All these plants are yours?”

I nodded. “It’s easy enough having cut flowers in a cooler, but I want people to know I have a green thumb twenty-four hours a day.”

She laughed. “Smart.”

I let her browse for a bit before she came back, holding out her clipboard. “Gotta have you sign. Shifter’s orders.”

Once I handed the paperwork back, she jerked her head toward the truck. “Come on out. I stacked everything I had. You can pick whatever you want up to twenty pots.”

I followed her out and meticulously sorted through everything, and when I was finished, I insisted she write up an invoice for me with the prices and taxes, so I could write Caelan a check. When I saw the total, I sucked in a gasp.

“I’m the potter,” Jennifer said with a chuckle. “And that’s the wholesale price. I’m not sure what Caelan did, but from the last delivery truck and mine, I’d guess your shop took some damage. It’s none of my business, but I’d let him pay for this one.” She winked. “Because I’m very expensive.”

“A potter and a landscape designer?”

“Blame the economy.” Jennifer shrugged. “I have a touch of plant magic, and my parents convinced me it’d be a terrible idea to skip college to be a potter full time. As much as it pained me to listen to my parents, I went to college for landscape design and sell ceramics on the side.”

She rolled the truck door down and hopped off the tailgate. “Unfortunately, my parents were right. I sell enough pottery to keep the shop lights on and pay a few bills, but the vast majority of my income comes from resident and corporate landscaping.”

I blinked at her casual mention of magic. Noticing my expression, she chuckled. “Magic beats from you like a furnace, Evie. Anyone with a hint of power can feel it.”

“Well. Um.” I waved the paper. “He already paid you, right?”

She snorted and pulled her keys from her pocket. “Oh yeah. While I’m more inclined to do favors for the Shifter Lord, I require payment up front, no matter who it is.”

I held a finger up. “Wait a minute.”

Hurrying back into the shop, I grabbed a business card and scribbled my cell number on the back before heading back outside. “Call me sometime. Maybe we can grab a cup of coffee or something.”

She waved the card at me. “I just might, Evie Quinn.” Jennifer winked and hopped into the truck. “Not sure what you did to him, but he was mighty remorseful when he called me last night.”

I groaned. “You don’t want to know.”

She grinned. “Oh, but I do. Maybe we’ll grab a drink instead of coffee.” Jennifer waved and started the vehicle. “Be careful out there. And watch out for Caelan. He’s a charming sonofabitch, but you don’t want him fixated on you.”

Good advice, but I was beginning to worry it might be too late. “Don’t I know it.”

Jennifer drove away, her words ringing in my ears.