Chapter 3

The next couple of days were slow for Shivey, she had a couple of small jobs that only took a few hours so had time to herself. Coral had the office in order, so she took herself to the gym going through an exercise routine she’d worked out with one of the dance instructors her mother had forced onto her when she was younger.

Sean, the dance instructor was a nice man and seeing that Shivey wasn’t going to be a social butterfly, decided to help her in the only way he could. He helped her build a routine that was a cross between dance and gymnastics. The routine became hers and over time she’d built on it and changed it up to suit her needs. It was fun and kept her fit. Shivey had to wear a leotard when she did it, which she decided was a small price to pay for the enjoyment she got. She had fun, stayed fit and looked good while doing it.

Shivey had booked the room for an hour, needing time to limber up before starting and also time at the end to wind down. The gym also had a swimming pool, which was good because at the end of losing herself in her routine, she sometimes needed time to chill and the pool helped with that.

The room had mirrors covering the walls on three sides, the other was glassed so people could observe. This was the only place Shivey didn’t mind being looked at. Mainly because once she began the routine, she’d lose herself in the movements and not notice if anyone was watching her.

This day was no different; she did some stretching exercises to warm up before putting on her music and beginning. The music began slowly giving her body time to relax into it. The beat quickly picked up, as did her movements and she smiled knowing that this was her time, her space and no one could ever share it with her.

Taren stood quietly watching as Shivey moved through her routine. The longer he stood there the more he became caught up in her movements.  He wanted to step closer to the glass, but didn’t want to distract her… didn’t want her to see him watching her every move. He barely caught the voice coming from his left and was somewhat shocked to see Rhys Andrews standing beside him.

Rhys saw the surprise on Taren’s face but down played it, “She’s good. The sad thing is, she has no idea how good. If she was human she’d probably have been a dancer or maybe a gymnast.” He sighed, “Shivey told me once that this is the only way she can truly lose herself. I think it’s one of the only places she’s been able find peace.” He shrugged, “this and the kind of work she does.”

“And why is that?” Taren was curious, Siobhan should find peace or at least comfort within her Pack. Rhys didn’t answer he shook his head laughing it off. Taren let it go, realising he wanted to discover Siobhan’s secrets for himself. He watched as Rhys moved towards the door and stepped inside, making his way to one end of the room.

Shivey sensed someone watching her. It had never worried her before, hell it usually didn’t register until she finished her routine. This, she realised meant only one thing, the Alpha was watching her. She forced herself to concentrate on what she was doing, this was her time, her space and she wasn’t about give it up.

Her movements were graceful, giving the impression she’d actually become part of the music itself. She turned, spinning her body and pulling back as her routine wound down. As she looked up her steps faltered, but instead of coming to a halt, she ran throwing herself into her brothers’ arms bowling him over.

As they hit the floor Rhys turned slightly to make sure his sister was protected by his body as they hit the floor. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. They rolled around on the floor laughing, Rhys holding her as only a protective, loving brother would.

Taren watched their reunion, seeing firsthand how close brother and sister were; Siobhan held Rhys as close as one might hold a lover. Unbidden, a pang of jealousy shot through him, both surprising and scaring the hell out of him. He wanted that, that feeling of welcoming reunion. He wanted to settle down and share his life with someone. Then realisation hit like a hammer on the back of his head. He wanted her, wanted her like he’d never wanted any other woman. More frighteningly, one word came to mind, one word both he and his inner-beast agreed on. One word he knew would change his life for all time.

Taren’s heart beat picked up, his blood heated and a low growl worked its way through  his lips. He turned, quickly moving towards the exit and his car. Once inside he started the engine and sped off. He had no idea where he was going, just that he needed to move. He needed space and time alone to sort through what had happened… what he was feeling. What he now knew.

He drove for a good forty minutes, before pulling over close to a forested area on the edge of his territory. He’d done his utmost to keep any thoughts of Siobhan at bay. Releasing a sigh, he turned off the engine and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to think, to consider how to deal with the situation he now found himself in. Siobhan was his; she might not know it yet, but soon…

Mine! The word stayed safely within his mind. He was yet to speak it out loud. That would make it all too real and right now he wasn’t sure he could handle real.

Run! His wolf told him. He needed to run, to stretch his legs and let the wind rush through his fur as his paws pounded across the ground. He needed to clear his mind, to find peace enough that he could truly consider the implications of finding his mate.

                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Rhys!” cried Shivey, “When did you get back? Do the folks know you’re here yet… never mind. You’re mine for the time being. Give me five minutes and we can go get some dinner. Better yet we can get take-out and spend the evening at my place catching up, what do you think?”

“I’m all yours sis. Go get changed, I’ll meet you out front.”

Shivey got moving, phoning Coral as she changed letting her know Rhys was back and they were going to get take-out and spend the evening together catching up. By the time Shivey ran out to meet her brother she was hyped, ready for a late night of sibling bonding.

Unfortunately when she found Rhys he was surrounded by some of his old buddies, buddies that were doing their best to drag him out the front door. Shivey came to a halt realising there was no way she could compete with his friends. She caught his eye as he glanced her way, giving her a look as if to say ‘I can’t get out of this’, then let himself be led away.

Damn it!

They’d be out all night drinking and flirting and… she really didn’t want to think about what else they’d be doing. Shivey waited until they were gone before making her way to her old truck. She’d grab a pizza, watch a movie… who was she kidding!

Shivey sighed as she turned the ignition key; she’d been looking forward to spending time with her brother, just the two of them. They hadn’t had time like that since before he’d gone away. Whenever he’d come home for a visit he was always caught up with his friends and couldn’t seem to find time for her.

Driving home never felt so lonesome, but the closer she got to home, the more lonesome, started feeling like anger. Rhys was her brother, she’d do anything for him, but it seemed he didn’t feel the same way. If he’d really wanted to spend time with her, he’d have made the effort. He’d have told his friend’s no. He could have told them he’d already made plans, but he never did. Not this time… not ever.

Next morning she woke to the smell of freshly made coffee and wondered if she’d died and gone to heaven. When she opened her eyes she realised it wasn’t heaven so much as Coral and figuring beggars can’t be choosers, dragged herself out of bed and down to the kitchen.

Coral greeted her with a confused expression, “What happened?”

“Huh?” Shivey looked around and realised what she meant. The room, the entire house was spotless, not a condition it would have been in had Rhys spent the night. “He got a better offer.” She grabbed a mug off the kitchen counter and poured coffee.

She knew Coral wouldn’t leave it at that, but tried to stop her anyway. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Yeah, yeah and I don’t want to be short and cute, but I deal with it. What happened? Don’t tell me you got stood up again because his friends showed up?” When Shivey didn’t say anything Coral growled at her.

“Leave it alone Coral, please.” Shivey closed her eyes and wondered why the hell she’d gotten out of bed.

“Damn it, your my best friend! If I can’t tell you who can? Your brothers a jerk! And what’s more you need to stop letting him treat you that way.”

This was new and surprising. Shivey loved Coral and she was correct in saying she was her best friend, but Coral had never called her on anything like this before. The trouble was she was right. Shivey had always let her brother walk all over her. Aside from getting him to teach her how to fight, he’d always been able to get away with whatever he wanted where she was concerned.

“You’re right. Last night, he didn’t even try to ditch his friends. He ditched me instead.” She took a seat at the kitchen table and concentrated on drinking her coffee.

“So what are you going to do about it?”

Shivey shrugged, “Right now I need to concentrate on getting through the welcome home dinner my mother’s organised.” She shook her head, “did you know she’s invited Taren Wentworth? My mother has to be dreaming if she thinks she can set me up with the new Alpha.”

“Why not, you’re just as good as anyone else!”

“Coral, he’s the Alpha. You know; the boss man, the guy in control of the Pack and all round master of the universe! Well okay, our universe.”

“I thought you two had talked? You told me you had lunch with him.”

“Yeah and he’s the one that told me he was invited to dinner.” She sighed, “Taren seems like a nice guy, but he can be scary as hell when he wants to be.”

“Shivey, he’s the Alpha, he’s supposed to be scary as hell. But something tells me he wouldn’t be like that with you.”

Shivey looked into her now empty mug, “I told him what my mother’s like and why she invited him.”

Coral burst out laughing, “What did he say?”

“He suggested we go to dinner and show a united front as friends. My mother isn’t the only one who’s tried palming their daughter off onto him.”

“You like him?”

“He’s okay, but geez Coral, he creeps me out at times. It’s like I know he’s there watching me, I can almost feel it, you know?”

“Umm, no I don’t know. Look, you said yourself he wants to put up a united front… as friends. Go with it! What can it hurt? Oh,” she continued, “go get dressed; you are not turning up to that dinner wearing pants.”

“What?”

“You are going to wear a dress or skirt. You’ll look great and maybe shock your mother into silence.” She folded her arms and nodded her head as if to say it was a done deal.

Shivey did what Coral asked. There was no point in arguing, she’d just drag her shopping anyway. The ended up spending the better part of the day shopping. Much to her dislike, Coral had talked her into buying several outfits, all of which she could mix and match. The dinner wasn’t until the next evening so there was plenty of time, too much time actually for Coral to give advice about what to wear, how to do her hair and makeup and so on.

She hadn’t heard from Rhys all day and was somewhat peeved about it. It was usually her that went chasing him up, but not this time. Shivey wasn’t about to go looking for him. Truth be told, she didn’t want to hear his excuses.

Shivey turned her mind to something more familiar, something that would take her mind of everything else. She headed for the greenhouse out back, immersing herself in plants and potting mix. She was in heaven, at least her version of it. Tomorrow she’d deal with family and Alphas, but for now she would enjoy the feel of getting her hands dirty and helping along newly seeded plants.

All too soon it was the day of her brother’s welcome home dinner. Coral had made appointments for her to have her hair done as well as a manicure and pedicure. Shivey told Coral to cancel them, but her friend could be stubborn. In the end Shivey gave up and went with what was planned

Shivey hadn’t realised how relaxing it could feel to have someone fuss over her, so the fact she’d actually enjoy having her hair and her nails both fingers and toes done, truly surprised her. She didn’t get much done to her hair, just a highlight to bring out the slight red that was hidden in her natural colour and a bit of a trim that helped shape her hair to suit her face.

After a great deal of discussion it was decided that she’d wear a dress. The dress was cornflower blue, sleeveless with a dip across her chest that showed off just a hint of breast.

The skirt of the dress was fitted enough to emphasised her figure, it was pulled in at the waist and set off with a narrow black belt that matched the sandaled heels she wore. It also had a matching black jacket with cornflower blue trim on the pockets. The jacket was more of an accessory than something to keep her warm, but it looked good, she looked…

Shivey looked at herself in the mirror and almost panicked. “Coral!” she yelled then watched her bedroom door for her friend. When she arrived, she started shaking her head, “I look… I look…”

“You look gorgeous!” Coral had a huge grin on her face, “come on take another look.”

“But I don’t look like me. I…”

“Shivey, it’s time to embrace your feminine side. You can’t spend the rest of your life in daggy old jeans and tee-shirts. That’s your work wear! This is your fun wear. You’re a beautiful woman. You need to stop hiding that fact and deal with it!”

Shivey took another look, not fully believing it was her own reflection she was seeing. She started shaking her head again and Coral knew she was going to fight her on it. “Look! If anything, it’ll confuse the hell out of your mother. I mean how long has she been trying to get you to dress like a girl?” she rolled her eyes and Shivey laughed, which is exactly what she’d wanted.

Shivey’s hands went to her hips as she turned back to her friend. “Okay, but she better not expect me to doll up like this every time she decides to put on a dinner.” A smiled crept onto her face and she burst out laughing. “I can’t wait to see the look on her face!”

Coral looked at her watch, “Crap! You better get moving or you’re going to be late.”

Shivey moved. Fifteen minutes later she found herself parked out the front of her parents’ home.  Closing her eyes, she took three calming breaths then got out of the car and made her way to the front door.

She noticed a strange car parked just ahead of hers and realised that Taren had already arrived. She rolled her eyes. Please don’t let this be as bad as it usually is? On that thought she took one last calming breath, opened the front door and went inside.

She heard voices coming from the living room, so made her way there. Her father saw her first, surprise evident on his face. For a moment he froze, not quite believing what he was seeing. Finally coming to his feet, he smiled holding out a hand to his daughter. “Honey, we were wondering where you were. Come on in and meet our new Alpha, Taren Wentworth.”

Shivey smiled at her father, trying not to laugh at the open mouthed shock on her brother’s face. Not seeing her mother Shivey turned to the Alpha, “Hi Taren, it’s nice to see you again.”

Taren smiled, not a forced polite smile, but a genuine, ‘I’m really happy to see you’ type of smile. “Siobhan, it’s good to see you too. Owen was asking after you. He wants to know when you’ll be by so he can cook for us both again.”  Then he mock whispered, “I do believe he’s trying to match-make. Don’t worry though; he knows I don’t date people I do business with.” He held out his hand and pulled her into a hug. “I see what you mean about your mother.” He whispered.

Shivey breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Taren back. She smiled up at him grateful for his words. “You scrub up well.” She said and her brother almost choked on his drink.

Martha, Shivey’s mother had been on her way back in and almost dropped the tray of canapés she was carrying when she heard the interaction between her daughter and the new Alpha. She did however choose to disregard what Taren has said about not mixing business with dating. What she focused on was the fact that her daughter was in the arms of the Alpha.

Martha handed off the tray to her husband, making a b-line for Shivey and Taren. “Siobhan, I had no idea you knew Mr Wentworth?” she stopped short when she realised what Shivey was wearing. “You… your”

“She looks lovely,” Taren cut in, “blue is your colour Siobhan. You should wear it more often.” He turned to Martha, “Don’t you agree?”

Martha was dumbstruck; all she could do was nod in agreement. She turned back to Thomas, “Please just put the tray on the coffee table.” He did so taking his seat again.

They chatted for another ten minutes before it was announced that dinner was ready. While Martha over-saw what happened in her kitchen, she didn’t actually do the cooking. She had kitchen staff that took care of that.

They took their seats and for the first time in what seemed like forever, Shivey felt relaxed about having dinner with her family. Shivey was still unhappy with Rhys for ditching her, but this was his welcome home dinner, she wasn’t about to call him out on it tonight.

Her parents sat either end of the table; Rhys sat beside Taren and Shivey opposite them both. This suited her fine, she wasn’t in punching reach of her brother, which was a good thing and she’d be able to look at Taren when she spoke to him.

The meal progressed smoothly with general chit-chat, for once it was Shivey keeping up the conversation. That is to say, Shivey and Taren discussed the work she’d done for him and the possibility of her designing a children’s garden for the local preschool. A garden that was safe for the children to work and play in, one where they could learn from an early age how things grew.

Taren didn’t mention the job he’d offered her maintaining the gardens she’d created, letting her family assume that she was still working for him. It was nice to see Siobhan so relaxed and he couldn’t help but see how surprised her family was that they were getting along so well. He ignored it; deciding to focus on enjoying this time with Siobhan.

“So,” asked Taren, “did you and Rhys have a good time the other night?”

“No. Actually we didn’t. Rhys got a better offer,” she shrugged her shoulders, “I had an early night.” She replied with a forced smile.

Taren turned to Rhys, doing his best not to show how angry he was. “You ditched your sister? To do what… hang out with friends and get drunk!” he shook his head, disappointed in the man then turned back to Siobhan not waiting for an answer.

Shivey was watching him carefully, a wary expression on her face. “It’s all right Taren,” she shrugged again, as if trying to make light of the situation. “I’m used to Rhys ditching me. He might be my big brother, but I’m sure he’s got better things to do than hang out with me.”

Thomas growled at his son, but Shivey stopped him from saying anything to Rhys. “Daddy it’s okay, really. It was my own fault for thinking he’d actually want to spend time with me.”

“For god’s sake it was one night!”

Shivey laughed, “It’s always just one night Rhys, but like I said it’s okay. I shouldn’t have expected more.”

Martha cleared her throat, “I’m sure Mr Wentworth isn’t interested in our family squabbles.” She smiled at the Alpha in apology, changing the topic of discussion to the upcoming Welcoming Ball; the Pack was hosting to welcome Taren as their new Alpha.

They chatted for a few more minutes when Taren’s phone rang. He checked the number and came to his feet stating, “I need to take this,” and left the room for privacy.

As soon as he was out of ear shot, Martha turned to her daughter, “What was that about? Really Siobhan, why do you always have to show the family in a bad light! He’s our new Alpha and you will apologise to him for your behaviour.” She shook her head and tsked at her.

Shivey could feel the angry surfacing; coming to her feet to… she wasn’t exactly sure what. Rhys shook his head as if to tell her to back off, but that just pissed her off even more. She’d had a gut full of her mother’s cruel words.

“No!” she all but yelled at her mother. “I will not apologise for you or Rhys. I’m done with the way you treat me, the way you both assume I’ll be there whenever it suits you. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to apologise for being honest!”

“Siobhan!” her father growled, “Now is not the time to…”

“When is the time daddy? Every time I’ve ever tried to stand up for myself in this family, I’ve been shot down and made to feel like I’m the one to blame!”

Martha came around to stand beside her daughter, “That’s enough! As long as you remain a member of this family you will behave accordingly. Mr Wentworth is our new Alpha and you will show him the respect he deserves. If for some reason he still wishes to remain on friendly terms with you, you will use that to your advantage. Do you have any idea of the status you’d have as his mate… or even as his girlfriend?”

“You want me to throw myself at him?” Shivey saw her mother’s eyes sparkle, knew that was exactly what she wanted. “No, you want more than that don’t you.” She shook her head, “I’ll be damned if I’m going to spread my legs to make a man want me! You want him in the family that much, you screw him!”

Martha’s hand flew before she realised what she was doing. The sound it made when it connected with Shivey’s face was something none of them would forget in a hurry. At first Shivey didn’t feel its sting, the shock of what her mother had done numbing her other senses.

She saw surprise in her mother’s eyes, but only for a moment. Her mother would not apologise for what she’d done, would never acknowledge that she’d pushed her daughter far enough to say what she had.

Shivey turned to her father, who seemed to be as surprised as she was, but he just stood there. He didn’t say a word not to her or to her mother. It was then that she realised he would always stand beside his mate, no matter how it might affect her.

When Shivey turned to her brother she wasn’t at all surprised that he was shaking his head at her. “You just had to say something didn’t you, why the hell couldn’t you have just let it go?”

She was on her own. All her life Shivey had felt safe in the knowledge that her father and her brother loved her, wanted what was best for her. Now she realised how wrong she’d been. Lifting a hand to the sting she now felt on her cheek, she turned to leave and saw Taren standing in the doorway.

Shock and anger collided, strangely calming her. Shivey left the room to retrieve her handbag. When she returned no one had moved, it didn’t matter to her, not any longer. Taking her keys from her bag and removed the key to the front door off the key ring, unsure if she was about to do the right thing. 

Shivey took a deep breath and let go of the anger, the frustration and the sense of loss she now felt in regards to her family. “For most of my life, in one way or another you’ve all made me feel inadequate, that I was somehow not good enough to be part of this family. It wasn’t always in what you said or did, but in what wasn’t said or done.”

She sighed, ran her fingers over her cheek once more. “I’m no social climber, never will be. I won’t prostitute myself to be what you expect me to be. And if speaking my mind, being honest with myself and others means I’m concerned I’m no longer a member of this family... then so be it.” Without looking at anyone, Shivey placed the key on the dining table and left.

The room was deathly silent, until Taren let out a growl that would have scared the hell out of the strongest of men. “She is your daughter and this is how you treat her.” Taren could feel claws ready to break lose, barely controlling the urge to strike out. “As Alpha, it is my obligation, my right to care for those who live in my territory. As of now Siobhan Anderson is under my protection! If any of you harm her in anyway, it’s me you will answer too.”

Taren turned to leave, but stopped. “A Pack, a family is supposed to be a place of safety, a place where even the smallest member can seek shelter and care. Martha, Thomas, you were gifted with two children yet it would seem your care was never freely given to your most vulnerable.”

Taren stormed out of the house tapping numbers on his phone, “Owen, I need the name of Siobhan’s friend, her office manager. Call me as soon as you have it.”

He was halfway to Shivey’s when he got the call, “Owen?”

“Umm, no Mr Wentworth it’s Coral Wilson. Owen said you needed to speak with me?”

He pulled over to the side of the road. “Coral, you’re Siobhan’s friend?”

“Yes.” She replied.

Taren sighed deeply, “She’s going to need you tonight.”

“What did her mother do this time?”

For some reason Taren wasn’t surprised at Coral’s response. “Not my story to tell. She’s in bad shape and in need of a friend. Anything I can do to help, let me know. If you can’t get hold of me contact Owen.”

“Thank you. Umm…”

“What is it?”

“If this is as bad as I’m thinking it, can you keep her family away from her; at least for a few days?”

“I believe I can pretty much guarantee they’ll stay clear of her for the time being. Like I said, you need anything let me know. Siobhan and you, by association are now under my protection.”

Taren could hear the nervousness in her voice, “Yes, umm sir, umm.” She sighed, “I’ll take care of Shivey and give you a call tomorrow to let you know how she’s doing… if that’s okay?”

“That would be fine Coral, thank you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shivey walked into her living room to find Coral waiting for her. She didn’t know why, was just glad she was. Coral got to her feet taking a few steps towards her, that’s all it took the next moment Shivey found herself in her friends’ arms.

Coral pulled Shivey onto the couch holding her close, softly speaking words of comfort, doing her best to let her friend know she wasn’t alone. They sat that way for some time, Shivey finally letting her emotions take over.

When she was all cried out, Coral shepherded her friend towards the stairs, “Go wash up and get ready for bed, I’ll get the hot chocolate ready. Coral had already decided she’d be staying the night, wanting to be on hand in case she was needed her. It wasn’t until Shivey sat back down on the couch that Coral noticed her face. Putting their mugs of hot chocolate on the coffee table she took a deep breath before speaking. “What happened?”

Shivey sighed and gave Coral a rundown of her evening. Coral was her friend, had been since kindergarten. If anything she was the one person Shivey truly trusted. She leaned against her friend, “You don’t have to stay the night?”

Coral snorted, “Yeah right! Like I’m gonna leave you alone.” She got to her feet, we need comfort food. I’ll get some munchies, you put a movie on, something with blood, guts and… murder would be good.” Coral wasn’t really bossing her around; she was being a friend, trying to get Shivey to focus on something else if only for a couple of hours.

Two hot chocolates one bag of chips and a block of chocolate later, they were both tired enough to sleep. They crawled into Shivey’s bed and snuggled up together, something they’d done for as long as they could remember. That is until Shivey’s mother had deemed Coral unsuitable as a friend.

Coral didn’t come from money, her family were working class and Shivey’s mother was a social climber. Therefore she’d told her daughter she wasn’t to associate with Coral anymore. It didn’t stop either from being friend; they spent what time together they could without getting either of them in trouble. If anything what Martha had tried to do had the opposite effect, their bond becoming stronger.

They’d made a pact when Shivey first told Coral she wasn’t allowed to be friends with her anymore. They promised each other that no matter what, they’d remain friends, even if they had to pretend they weren’t when Martha was around. It worked too; they were as close as sisters, neither willing to throw away their friendship.

They were up early next day; Coral made coffee while Shivey cooked breakfast, they didn’t speak, both comfortable in each other’s company. It wasn’t one of Coral’s normal work days, but she intended hovering around the office anyway, pretending she had a great deal of work to do. She didn’t want to leave her friend alone, not after the night she’d had.

Shivey planned to work in the greenhouse, repotting seedlings, sorting what she had ready for use. She also checked off her list of what she had and what she’d need to get for a couple of the jobs she had coming up. For the next week she was free and intended to take advantage of it.

What happened the previous night, between her and her family and that Taren was witness to it all; had been the last straw. Shivey was serious when she said she was no longer part of the family. If Shivey was honest with herself, she hadn’t truly felt like part of the family since the day she turned seven.

Knowing she’d have a few days free, Shivey had organised a short trip to the city. She wanted to check out the local gardens, take photographs and do some sketches to get ideas for future work. She’d ordered several plants and seedlings from one of the large garden supply store there and knew herself well enough to realise she’d end up coming home with a truck load of goods.

The plan was to stay for two or three days. Two days would be work related the other for her to relax. She’d also made an appointment to see a doctor she’d overheard one of her customers recommending to a friend. There were several good doctors in her home town, but it was a small town and a visit to the doctor would not go unnoticed. After what had happened with her family, Shivey was considering lengthening her stay, but didn’t want to leave Coral to cover for her.

She turned at the sound of the greenhouse door opening, “Hey Coral,” the coffee in her friends hand made her smile then wince at the slight sting she still felt in her cheek. “You have great timing.”

Coral handed off the mug a concerned expression on her face. “You’re still taking off for a few days right?” Shivey nodded. “I was thinking maybe… there isn’t anything to rush back to. Why don’t you take a few more days and I don’t know, pretend like you’re on vacation.”

“I was kinda thinking the same thing, but,” she shook her head. “Rhys! He can only stand so much of living at home. He’ll want to move in here with me and I can’t… not after last night.”

“I know what he’s like Shivey. I’m actually surprised he’s not here already. You know with you away you’ll need someone to house-sit. I have a key, I can work at my own pace and in return I get access to your DVD collection. What do you say?”

“You being here won’t stop him from wanting to move in.”

“No, but Katnip might.” Coral smiled ever so sweetly.

Shivey couldn’t help but laugh. Katnip was a huge grey and orange cat; that looked like a mix of tabby and lynx. Coral had come across her in the woods when still a kitten, abandoned by her mother. The poor thing would have died if Coral hadn’t have taken her in.

Katnip showed her gratitude in her loyalty to Coral. No one could get near her if the cat didn’t like them. She was gentle, warm and snuggly with Coral and Shivey, but if she didn’t like a person they could look forward to snarls, bites and lots scratches. Katnip did not like Rhys, not one little bit.

“You’re going to move in with Katnip while I’m away?” Coral nodded, producing a smile as innocent and angelic as she could muster. Shivey burst into laughter, “I’d so like to be here when he comes knocking on the door.”

“Good. How about you get packed and organised to leave? I’ll go home and do the same.” she glanced away and Shivey knew she was up to something.

“What? And don’t say nothing, I know you too well?”

“I already adjusted your hotel reservation.  You’re booked in for seven days.” She smiled again, “You can thank me when you get back.”

Shivey should have been mad at Coral for interfering. “Thanks Coral. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Two and a half hours later Coral was back with a bag and her feline friend. As Coral opened the car door, Katnip jumped out and ran towards Shivey, who scooped her and giving her a scratch behind the ear. The cat purred and nuzzled closer to Shivey while Coral shook her head. “You know if she didn’t have me, she’d be on your doorstep knowing full well you’d let her move in.”

Shivey grinned, “Yeah well at least Katnip’s house-trained, my brother… not so much.”