They sat down their plates and then got coffee and orange juice. Five minutes after they had started eating, Sam came into the room. She checked the dishes, chatted with some of her guests and cleared a table someone had left. Then she walked over to Patrick and Ginny.
“Sleep well?” she asked.
“Sure did,” said Patrick. Ginny nodded as her mouth was full.
Sam smiled. “Glad to hear it. Enjoy that breakfast. Lots of sausages left and some ham too,” she said with a wink. Then she walked off to the next table.
Patrick about choked on a bite of egg. Ginny smiled. “Before you ask, no she isn’t one of us. However, I suspect she knows what we are,” she said softly.
Patrick swallowed. “You sure?” he asked. He was not use to people knowing about shifters with the same ease that Luc and the pack was in this area. He sniffed, trying to catch a whiff of Sam’s scent, but all he could smell was sausage and eggs.
“Yes, almost positive. Think. Heavy duty beds, levers instead of knobs on the doors, and the meat. How many places do you know that have that amount of protein available for breakfast now?” she asked.
Patrick thought about it. The bed hadn’t squeaked or groaned. Levers were the norm from what he could see and he had been astonished to see all the meat in the chaffing dish. He was just about to say something when Sam came back their way.
“Oh, before I forget, I have two kinds of cookies in the hall cupboard in case you need a snack. Chocolate chip in the round bin and peanut butter cookies in the square bin,” she said. “Oh, and juices and soda in the fridge next to the cupboard.” She smiled, patted Patrick on the shoulder and walked out of the dining room.
“Yeah, she knows what we are,” said Ginny.
“And your reasons?” asked Patrick.
“First off, she didn’t say what color the bins were, but the shapes. Second, she was very specific as to which was which. That, and the smile. Makes me wonder just how many shifters do visit,” she finished.
“I don’t know, but we have a schedule to keep unless you intend to abandon it on the first day,” said Patrick.
“Nope! Just let me finish this food and we are out to explore,” said Ginny. She dug into her eggs with gusto.
*
Meg had been working steadily when she heard a knock on the door. She looked up to see Angie standing there with a bag in her hand.
“Hungry?” Angie asked.
“Yes! Oh gods, it’s 1pm?” asked Meg as she looked at the clock.
“Uhuh. I remember when my sister was pregnant. If she didn’t eat, it just made her morning sickness worse. Didn’t know if you were having any, but I knew you needed to eat. So, I had Kevin pick us up some lunch,” said Angie as she sat down across from Meg. She took out cheeseburgers and onion rings for the two of them. Drinks were in the other bag.
“I’ve had a little, but nothing bad. This smells so good!” Meg said snatching up an onion ring. “Oh, Luc said you had some questions for me?”
“Umm, yeah,” said Angie blushing slightly. She walked over to the door and closed it and then came back to her seat. “I have some questions about… about shifters,” she finally said.
“Okay, what do you want to know?” asked Meg.
“Oh god, I can’t believe I’m asking this,” she said and then paused. “Um… are they different than humans?” she said.
“Well, yeah, they shift,” said Meg teasing Angie.
“Geeze! You know what I mean!” said Angie a bit exasperated. It had been difficult enough to ask Meg and being teased wasn’t helping.
“Yes, I do. I just couldn’t resist. In all honesty, they are like any other guy. Unless they shift, the only thing you might notice is that they don’t each chocolate and they are a bit stronger than they look,” said Meg. “At least as far as I’ve noticed. Who had your eye?”
“Oh…” she started and then rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “George,” she said softly.
Meg blinked. “I could have sworn it was Kevin you were looking at,” she said.
“Him? No! He’s gay. Or at least bi,” said Angie.
Meg’s mouth dropped open. “I… I never… How did you find out?” she finally asked.
“Meg! How could you miss it? The nice clothes, really nice undies, the way he is nervous around us and fine around the guys. Plus, I asked him. He only goes out with women so his mom doesn’t bitch,” said Angie. She was amazed that Meg didn’t know this bit of information.
“I’m gob smacked. I never even thought about it. I figured he was just buddy buddy with the guys because they are all shifters,” said Meg. “What else do you know after less than a week on the job?”
“Kevin is buddies with the guys because they are shifters and they help him confuse his mom. Cal, Peter and Andrew are all straight. Cal is dating a cousin he knew from home. Peter has a mate who is human shy. She is more wolf that human is what Peter says,” Angie ticked off her fingers as she thought. “Andrew still loves Ginny, but knows it will never work, and is very happy Patrick loves her. Ysabel has more boyfriends than sense and George is lonely,” she finished.
Meg was stunned. She chewed her bite of burger and tried to think of what to say. She swallowed and took a drink. “So you are thinking of dating George? Has he asked you out?” Meg asked.
“Yes and yes. At the dinner party. He talked to me in the kitchen when we were getting everything set up. I like the way his voice makes my skin tingle,” Angie answered.
“Subvocals. They um,… They will more than make your skin tingle,” said Meg. “So, you really want a dating 101?”