“We have an opening at the shop,” I heard him say. “If your boyfriend’s looking for work, send him by. We’ll see how good he is.”

I wanted to laugh. Whether or not he was serious, I’d be seeing Dale again soon.

Oblivious that I was now in the driver’s seat, he opened the door for her. I growled a low warning. He looked down at me in surprise and backed up a step.

Gabby was quick to get in and pull the door from his loose hold. She had the engine started and was pulling away before the man thought to move again.

“Well, that was a challenge if I ever heard one,” she said as she reached over to pet my head.

Human men weren’t a challenge; they were an annoyance. But, that one might just be helpful.

“However, no challenges until you fix the sink,” she said with a smile.

When we got back to the house, Gabby grabbed the things from the trunk and carried them into the house.

“You go shower while I unpack. Then you can look at the sink and see if we can avoid calling that big-headed plumber back.”

I went to the bathroom, shifting just after I rounded the corner. Gabby hadn’t followed me after that first time. I turned on the water and let it warm before stepping in.

A few minutes later, Gabby tapped on the door.

“I’m coming in, so please stay behind the curtain.”

I grinned and rinsed the shampoo from my hair as I waited for her to gather the courage to open the door. It took several heartbeats.

“I have some clothes for you. Better stuff for looking at a sink than what I bought yesterday.” She paused a moment. “Clay, I’m so sorry. I’m being rude and making assumptions.” She took a deep breath. “Will you look at the sink? Please?” She was teasing me. I could hear the laughter in her voice. I cupped my hands under the water then squeezed them together, aiming the squirt of water over the curtain.

“Ok, ok. I’ll just leave the stuff here on the floor. If something doesn’t fit,” she said, her voice taking on a nervous pitch, “or you don’t like it, leave the tags on it, and we’ll take it back. I guessed on the shoes. Some of the stuff isn’t for now, but I figured you could try it on.”

Why was she so nervous? Beyond the curtain, I heard a rustle of clothes. Was she taking back what she’d gotten me? My curiosity had me turning off the water.

She squeaked and fled the bathroom. I chuckled and pushed aside the curtain. On the toilet, she’d laid out socks, those tight underwear, a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt. A pair of grey and blue running shoes waited on the floor beside the toilet. All of it new.

First the car guy, now clothes. Finally, things were falling into place for me.

I eagerly dressed but left off the shoes and socks. I wasn’t planning on going anywhere and didn’t want to dirty anything more than I needed to. Everything fit well. She’d done a good job guessing at my size. Maybe she’d been paying more attention to me in my skin than she’d let on.

Grinning, I stepped out of the bathroom. But Gabby wasn’t there. Curious, I checked the kitchen. Not there either.

I peeked in her room and saw her sewing a flannel shirt. It was large. Too big for her. The ache in my chest surged. She was sewing my shirt. I quickly left before I did something stupid, like tackle her with a hug.

From the basement, I grabbed a few of the tools I’d collected, then went back upstairs to work on the faucet. It wasn’t too complex. The handle seemed as if it was simply loose.

I leaned closer, studying how the handle was connected. Behind me, I heard Gabby walk into the kitchen and pause. She didn’t say anything or move, and it took all my effort to remain focused on the sink. Did she like the clothes? Did she like seeing me in my skin again?

Finally, she moved. I listened to her walk to the fridge, open it, then walk to the table and set a few things down. Her movement stirred the air enough that I caught the subtle change in her scent. Interest. In me.

My canines grew larger. With care, I set down the wrench I’d been using. It took all my willpower to walk past her and go down into the basement where I stood for a full minute, shaking. I listened to her steps on the floor above me. If she had any idea what she’d just done...I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and ran my tongue over my teeth, willing them smaller.

It helped calm the shaking, but the teeth didn’t budge. I went to the small pile of tools and grabbed the Allen wrenches I’d acquired. Unable to stay away from her any longer, I headed back up the stairs.

Gabby glanced at me when I reappeared.

“The shoes didn’t fit?” she asked as she moved to the potatoes on the table.

I shrugged, having no idea if they fit. Shoes were the last thing on my mind. As I walked past her, I inhaled her scent again, needing to know if the interest had been a fleeting thing. It was still there, a light and fragile sweetness added to her already enticing scent.

“So they fit, but you didn’t want to wear them?”

How did she know me so well? Because we were meant for each other.

I bent to the sink again and started checking which size Allen wrench I needed. Behind me, she shifted in her chair, and I listened to the rasp of the peeler as she removed the potato’s skin.

“Did you like them, or should we take them back?”

Return them? I almost straightened from the sink, but she kept talking in a rush.

“I wasn’t sure what style you liked. There were several different colors. They’re cheap shoes, but I figured it was better than walking around barefoot in the snow. That’s got to be cold, even for you.”

She was worried I didn’t like the shoes. I turned and looked at her. Interest and now concern.

“I just don’t want you to think you have to keep them if you don’t like them. It won’t hurt my feelings if we take them back. Just wear the flip flops for now, and you can come in with me next time and pick out what you like.”

She quickly stood and went to the stove.

While her back was turned, I used my speed to get the shoes and socks from the bathroom. I couldn’t tell her I hadn’t wanted to put them on and risk wrecking them before I had a chance to use them to get a job. But if I didn’t do something to show that I liked them, she’d take them back. There was no way I’d surrender a single item she picked out for me. Not even the underwear.

I sat in the kitchen chair, put on the socks, and was in the middle of tying the shoes when she turned again.

“No, no, no, Clay,” she said in a rush as she moved toward me. “I wasn’t saying you had to wear them.”

I knew that. But I also knew they were a gift from her, and by not wearing them right away, I’d hurt her feelings.

“It’s okay to bring them back if you don’t like them.”

I finished tying, stood, and looked down at my feet. The shoes hugged the sides of my feet, but I had room to move my toes. They were much more comfortable than the ruined boots. Gabby remained where she was, and I was certain her gaze never left me. I wanted to look up, but I didn’t trust myself. Instead, I moved to finish working on the sink.

“You like shoes, but you don’t wear them much. Right?”

I shrugged again, wanting her to keep talking to me, but she turned back to the stove and fell silent. She didn’t seem upset by anything so the quiet wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact, it seemed pretty typical of our time together. Sometimes, she didn’t feel like talking. I didn’t mind those quiet moments with her.

The aroma of bacon, eggs, and potatoes had my mouth watering, and I couldn’t wait to eat. I finished the faucet and tested the work, happy to see a full stream of water.

“Good to have a handyman,” she said.

She’d called me a man. I wanted to pick her up and spin with her in my arms. Instead, I took the tools back downstairs and spent another minute trying to calm down.