Rachel passed behind me just as Gabby finished speaking.

Gabby’s expression was hilarious, and I almost laughed.

“Gabby, you need to get out more and stop talking to the dog,” Rachel said, closing herself in the bathroom.

Gabby glared at me; and I sighed, knowing I’d lost. I didn’t want her walking. Standing, I went over to the drawer, shifted my hand, and grabbed out the keys.

“Thank you,” she said.

Then she left.

I considered following her but Rachel was still in the bathroom and would notice if I was missing. So, I heaved a sigh and lay on the floor by the door.

It didn’t take Rachel long to finish her morning routine, which still included touching me way too much, before she then headed out the door. Once she left, I shifted and dressed for work. Gabby would be at school already, and Dale was probably wondering if I’d show up today.

A chill wind whipped around me on the walk to the shop, and I hoped Gabby had dressed warm enough. The right bay door was half open. Ducking under, I found Dale working on a single car. He didn’t hear me, so I went to the desk to look at the orders. There were more than usual. It meant that my absence had put him behind.

I picked the hardest one left over from the day before and grabbed the keys.

“Didn’t know if I’d see you today,” Dale said from across the shop.

“Gabby was sick.”

“Ah. Yeah, well, I’d want to take care of her too...if she were mine.”

He turned back and started working on his car before I could decide how to take his comment. Brushing it off, I went to get the first car. I had other wolves to worry about. I couldn’t start worrying about human men, too. But I did. All morning, and all afternoon. Gabby was run down. Would she be able to fend off men like she usually did? Wait...would she need to? She’d said she lost her pull the last time this happened.

After finishing the jobs left over from the day before, along with half of the current day’s jobs, I decided I’d done enough. I looked around and noticed Dale was sitting in his chair, filling out his last order. Perfect timing.

“Need to head out,” I said, returning the keys to the rack behind the desk.

He glanced at the clock, then opened his cash drawer.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “We’ll settle tomorrow.” I just didn’t want to wait for him to figure out how much to pay me.

He stopped and glanced at me.

“She that sick?”

I shrugged.

“Go. Take care of her, man. You two call me if you need anything.”

I nodded then hurried home. The house was empty. Gabby would be home in an hour, and Rachel might not be home at all. It’d give me enough time to clean up and make something for dinner.

I grabbed some fresh clothes and went to shower. While the shower still ran, I heard the back door open. A grin spread on my face. Good thing I came home early. I quickly shut off the water, dried, and dressed. When I stepped out of the bathroom, the house was quiet. She was probably putting away her books. I went to the kitchen and opened a cupboard to see what I could make for dinner. We had some onions and potatoes on the bottom shelf. I grabbed an onion just as I heard her walk into the kitchen. I turned with a smile on my face. Then froze.

Rachel and I stared at each other.

Shee’t. Busted.

My smile fell, and I started to panic. I hadn’t been in my skin around her since...I struggled to think back. She glanced at my hand; and slowly, she started grinning at me. That worried me more.

“Making dinner?” she asked, looking at the onion I held.

Was that bad? I gave a single, hesitant nod.

Her smile broadened. “I’ll help.”

Help?

“What are we making?”

My panic skyrocketed. If I spoke, she’d say something to Gabby. I went to the freezer, pulled out our bag of frozen chicken, and held it out to Rachel. She took it.

“Chicken, then?”

I nodded again.

“What do you want me to do with it?”

I pointed to the microwave. Every time I pointed or nodded, she grinned; and I realized my muteness amused her. She started to defrost the chicken while I quickly diced the onion. With the onion browning, I got out four potatoes.

“What’s next?” she asked, turning with the thawed meat.

Trading the potatoes for the chicken, I pointed at the table. She sat and started dicing. I seasoned and sliced the chicken.

“So is Gabby feeling better?”

I shrugged.

“It’s sweet of you to come here and make her dinner. Are you here often when I’m not home?”

I glanced at her unsure if she was upset by the idea. Her expression was closed but her scent sweet. She was amused.

Instead of answering, I washed my hands then took the diced potatoes from her.

“I’m glad you’re keeping her company. She doesn’t get out much.”

Moving to the stove, I added the potatoes and a bit of oil. Everything sizzled as Rachel kept talking.

“It’s not good for a person to close themselves off from other people. Without social contact and communication, a person’s mental health could deteriorate.”

Rachel stood and came to lean against the wall near the stove. She studied me for a long moment. I kept my eyes on the browning potatoes.

“How’s your mental health, Clay?”

I glanced at her. If she was thinking of taking me to another doctor...

A car rumbled into the drive. Gabby was home. I’d never been so relieved in my life.

Rachel pushed away from the wall with a smirk and moved to the cupboards. I added the chicken as she set the table.

“Do you work around here, Clay? Live nearby? I know nothing about you. Tell me a little about yourself.”

I kept cooking. Where was Gabby? I strained to hear her footsteps as Rachel kept up her one-sided conversation.

“Shy? Don’t worry. How about I tell you a little about myself? Let’s see...I’m a nursing student, which I’m sure Gabby’s mentioned. I’ll be graduating next spring. I love summer and can do without winter.”

Gabby finally opened the door and stepped inside. She looked pale again. Definitely exhausted. She glanced at Rachel then me before moving into the room and closing the door. I remained focused on the food in the pan while Rachel walked past Gabby to get silverware.

“You didn’t tell me he could cook,” Rachel said.

“He cooks, he cleans, he warms up my feet at night, and he keeps the toilet seat down...so hands off. He’s mine.”

My heart flipped. Rachel laughed good naturedly, but I barely heard. He’s mine. The words warmed my insides. Did she realize what she’d said? I turned to look at her. She met my gaze for a moment before Rachel distracted her again.

“How you feeling?” Rachel said, touching Gabby’s forehead. “I asked Clay, but he didn’t say.”

Rachel gave me a pointed look, and I shrugged and went back to cooking. Everything was almost done.

“Not the best, but it’s getting better. I think it’s mental exhaustion, nothing contagious.”

“Mm,” Rachel said. “I still think you should go to the doctor. Could it be something you didn’t think of yet? Pregnant?”

What the...?

My heart seized, and I dropped the spoon. It hit the stove, spattered me with potato shrapnel, and bounced back at me. Swallowing hard, I tried to catch it and fumbled a bit before my brain started working again and I was able to close my fist around the wooden handle.

Gabby. Pregnant. The thought consumed me in the best way. A family. I wanted that. I swallowed again and caught the silence behind me. Without looking, I went back to stirring the food.

“No,” Gabby said with a hint of humor. “Now, behave.”

I turned off the stove and brought the pan to the table. Rachel thanked me as I scooped a portion onto her plate. Gabby smiled when I did the same for her. The remaining food, I dumped onto my own plate.

It wasn’t bad eating with Rachel there. She kept up the conversation, asking Gabby questions about her weekend and her day. Her scent told me she really did worry about Gabby. So did I.