Beth shrugged and then straightened from where she’d been leaning on the counter. “You never know...” Wandering over to the coffee maker, she filled two mugs with the freshly brewed beverage and handed one to Mel, who had moved to join her at the back of the office. “So, what are your plans for today? The usual web surfing, walk about town and then coffee at Ruth’s?”
Mel accepted the mug before sitting down at her work station and powering up her computer. “Not exactly. I’ve made up my mind that Ryne’s giving me a full interview today whether he likes it or not. He’s been stringing me along ever since I arrived here and now I’m putting my foot down. No more delays.”
“Maybe he’s been dragging his feet, so you’d stick around longer.” Beth gave her a speculative look over the rim of her cup.
“No,” Mel let her shoulders slump as she admitted the truth. “I sort of wondered and half hoped that was the case, but last night... Well, let’s just say I found out otherwise.”
“Are you sure? I don’t know Ryne well, but he seems to be paying you a lot of attention. You’ve had dinner together, been out to his house, people have seen you sitting together at the cenotaph...” Beth numbered off the interactions on her fingers.
“What is this? Am I under twenty-four hour surveillance or something?” Mel looked at her aghast.
“No, just staying in a small town.” Beth chuckled and pulled out a box of cookies from her bottom desk drawer, taking one before politely sharing.
Mel took one as well and nibbled on it thoughtfully. She didn’t like the idea that people had paid such close attention to what she’d been doing. It was sort of like being under a microscope. Perhaps that was yet another reason to head back to Chicago. There, no one noticed anything; you were completely alone despite being surrounded by hundreds of people. A slight grimace passed over her face. Somehow the thought wasn’t as comforting as it was supposed to be. Turning her attention back to Beth, she addressed the issue of the town’s gossip. “Well, despite what everyone thinks they’ve seen, there’s really nothing between Ryne and myself. As a matter of fact, once I’m done with him today, I’ll probably be leaving.”
“Really? Gee, that’s too bad. I’ve enjoyed your company.” Beth looked disappointed for a moment, but after a second or two smiled and started cajoling her. “If you’d stay longer, I’d be able to talk Josh into getting a new sofa with the extra rent money!”
“Well, with a request like that, how could I not?” Mel laughed, just as Beth had probably intended her to. “Don’t worry; you might not be rid of me as fast as you think. I still have to see what flights are available back to Chicago.” Mel set down her coffee and pulled her chair into place in front of her computer. “Where’s Josh today?” She asked idly while waiting for the internet to hook up.
“He’s home, still complaining about his tooth, the big baby!” Beth shook her head. “I told him to stay away, because I didn’t want to hear him whining all day after listening to him all last night. He said if it quit hurting by noon, he’d do a bit of work around the cabins, trimming bushes and a doing few repairs.”
Mel nodded in acknowledgement of the information and went to her e-mail account. She’d check for any messages and then try to book a flight home.
“Will you be heading out to Ryne’s when you’re done here?” Beth finished her snack and put the box of cookies away.
“Actually, someone told me last night that he was working at Miller’s today, to make up for being away yesterday.”
“I wonder why he was out of town.” Beth’s eye sparked with interest. “Maybe it’s something worth reporting!”
“I have absolutely no idea, but let me get my interview out of the way before you start to question him.” Mel answered distractedly while staring at the computer screen. “Now this is funny.”
“What’s that?” Beth scooted her chair over to take a peek.
“That website I applied to yesterday sent me a reply. They’re considering my status as a ‘Lycan,’ once more research on my background is completed. I can expect to hear back from them in two to four weeks.” Mel sat back in her chair feeling perplexed. “Now that’s just weird. I thought it was all a hoax.”
Beth giggled. “So you might become a card carrying member of the Lycan community?
“I guess so.”
Both women shook their heads at the utter ridiculousness of the idea and then turned back to more important matters. Beth tapped away on her keyboard, writing articles about local happenings while Mel checked out flight information. After a few searches, she discovered there was a flight out of Toronto with seats available Friday night and another on Saturday. Mel chose the Saturday one, thinking that she’d like to spend part of the day in Toronto shopping at the Eaton’s Centre, a large shopping mall in that city’s core. If she had time, she might even go to see a show.