But Magic knew better. He knew it’d only take time before Renner’s cat would bend to its instinct to bed another. Maybe he hadn’t actually done it yet, but clearly, Bethany was feeling the heat and it made Magic want to smash someone’s face.
Pulling his gaze away from the female, he stalked to the front of the lodge. Halloween cleanup was in full swing. There was much to do before Thanksgiving, and even more to pull off before Christmas.
Thinking of Thanksgiving left him mulling over his problem with Eagan. As head chef for the lodge, Turkey Day was Eagan’s gig. It was his job to make their visitors feel as if they were enjoying the holiday from the comfort of their own home. Or even better, their grandma’s. And he was good at it. Old Granny Whoever didn’t have shit on Eagan’s homemade rolls and cornbread dressing. And his gravy… he must put the dust of angel’s wings in his gravy. There was no other excuse for it tasting so heavenly.
From a business standpoint, sending Eagan and his mate away would be crippling. But allowing them to stay could be damaging to his people. Already, he’d let Renner talk him in to letting them stay through Halloween. And people were taking to the wee little human with her unique ideals and her… lizard. The visitors thought the bastard thing was cute. They liked to pet it.
Magic shivered as he pushed through the front doors.
Layna rolled her eyes at him from behind the front desk of the lobby. “You’re late.”
“I’m the boss. There’s no such thing.”
She closed the ledger she was writing in and shoved it under the counter. “Funny. But I meant you’re late for your appointment with Doc Davis.”
Shit.
He glanced at his phone. He’d stayed on the bridge watching Bethany too long.
“She waiting?”
Layna nodded, smirking. For some reason she seemed to like seeing him screw up. If he didn’t know she loved him like a brother, he’d think she hated him. He narrowed his eyes to a glare as he pushed past her.
Doc Davis was a werecat like the rest of them, except she had a PhD. Her office was just past the spa, and was where she treated anyone who needed help. Shifter or human.
Well, Magic needed help. He was man enough to admit it. To himself at least. And Doc. To anyone else, he was fine. Middle-fucking-finger fine.
He knocked on the door and waited for her to ask him inside before edging it open.
Doc sat behind a heavy solid wood desk. Rows of bookshelves lined the wall behind her and a small leather couch sat off to the side. A second door led to an exam room full of equipment.
The female looked up from her work, peering at him over her thin-framed glasses. She was younger than Magic by a couple years, but had always seemed older. Maybe it was the way she pulled her hair back in the slickest bun imaginable, or that her glasses always sat too low on her nose.
She smiled. “Magic. What can I do for you today?”
He stared at the small sign that sat on her desk while he tried to think. Christina Davis, M.D.
“We had an appointment. What I talked to you about the other day. Remember?”
She sat back in her chair looking uncomfortable. “You realize I’m the wrong kind of doctor for this, right? I’m a medical doctor. Not a therapist.”
Magic shrugged, his irritation growing. “A doctor is a doctor is a doctor. You’re bound by patient confidentiality, right?”
Doc Davis frowned. “Yes, of course. But—”
“Then you’re the one for the job.”
“What is the job exactly? What do you want to accomplish with these… meetings?”
Magic thought about it. “I want to be able to say her name without losing my shit.”
Even revealing just that much left him shaking like a newborn bird. He shoved his hands in his pockets so Doc wouldn’t see.
Maybe he couldn’t do this. Maybe it was asking too much of his panther to finally deal with memories of his mate.
But he’d lose everything he’d worked for if he couldn’t learn to control himself. The fight with Eagan proved that. The mere mention of what had happened to Mandi, and Magic’s cat had come out in the lodge, putting their guests in danger, and it was unacceptable. Luckily, he’d been contained to his office by Renner and Owyn, but it could never happen again.
Which meant Magic had to learn how to talk and think about Mandi without going all batshit.
He clenched his jaw so tight, he felt it pop.
Hells bells, he didn’t think it was possible. Simply thinking about it was making him raw.
Doc pursed her lips, cocking her head to the side and looking him over. Like he was a puzzle she couldn’t figure out.
And she was the one with the higher education.