Te
ri blinked, surprised. Maybe she should say no, if Joel still wasn't happy with the situation? But really, it would make the most sense to get to know him well, so that they could be friends, and Teri-the-person would outweigh Teri-the-fated-mate.
"I'd love that," she said finally. "I'm starving too."
"Great, let's go." Joel jumped up from the bench. He was full of way more energy than Teri would've been after a night in a frozen crevasse with a frightened child, but she was getting the sense that this might just be how Joel was.
She stood up more slowly, but he waited for her, and they headed down the path together. Teri smiled to herself. Maybe this would work out after all.
***
Lunch was surprisingly pleasant. Teri asked Joel what it was like working at the Park, and it turned out that talking about work was where Joel really shined. He loved Glacier, it was very clear, and was happy to go on and on about his favorite places, what he thought was the toughest hike, where was the most dangerous, where was best to shift and run without anyone seeing.
Teri enjoyed it immensely, not least because she was able to come back with her own opinions. Joel had done harder hikes and gone further into dangerous climbing territory, both because of his job and because he was able to shift, but Teri had grown up by Glacier and so had had years and years to explore, when Joel had only had months.
They got into several good-natured arguments about details of terrain and opinions on hiking, and by the end of the meal, they were both having a good time.
"So," Joel said finally, polishing off his Coke, "do you need a ride anywhere? If you don't have your car, I can run you home or wherever. I should get back at some point to grab a shower and some sleep."
"Do you have to work tonight again?" Teri asked.
Joel shook his head. "I got the day off for being a hero." His voice was ironic, like he was making fun of himself.
"You were a hero," Teri pointed out. "You saved Andy Morrison's life."
Joel shrugged briefly. "It wasn't that big of a deal."
He was obviously uncomfortable with the idea, so Teri left off it and just said, "No, I'd rather not go home. I'll probably just stick around here for a while."
Joel raised his eyebrows. "Waiting for Zach, huh?"
"No!" Teri protested. "Well—all right, yes." Somehow her determination not to be the girlfriend who hung around her boyfriend’s work had faded. Joel was wearing a self-satisfied look, and Teri qualified, "But really, if he's tired or just wants to head home or something, I'll go back home on my own. I'd just...rather be here."
"I can understand that for sure," Joel said. "Is today your day off, or did you have to take off work to come keep Zach company while I was missing?"
He made it sound like a joke. Teri wondered if he had a hard time expressing strong emotions. If so, she was impressed that he'd managed to honestly explain to her why he had a problem with the idea of mates earlier.
And that meant that she owed him the same courtesy. "No," she said. "I'm out of work right now. I was in a car accident." She explained, as briefly as possible, her situation.
"So I'm happier to spend time here than at home, that's all," she finished. "It's nice to finally be able to get out."
"No wonder." Joel sat back in his chair, looking overwhelmed. "You weren't kidding about Zach wanting you to move in, were you?"
Teri hesitated, and then admitted, “No, I wasn’t. But I still don't want to if you don't want me there!" she insisted quickly. "That would be worse than living at home."
"I just didn't realize, that's all. It's too bad you aren't a shifter," he said thoughtfully. "A car accident like that wouldn't have been fun for one of us, but we wouldn't have had to spend months recovering."
Teri didn't know quite what to say to that. "Well, I was born into the wrong family, I guess."
"Sure. It’s just too bad you didn’t meet Zach a few months earlier.”
Teri frowned. “How would that have made a difference?”
“He could’ve turned you. I mean, maybe he wouldn’t have, maybe you wouldn’t want to, but if he had, you would’ve recovered much more quickly. Maybe not even gotten into the accident in the first place—shifter reflexes are better than humans’.”
“Turned me?” Joel couldn’t mean what it sounded like he meant, could he?
Now it was Joel’s turn to frown. “You and Zach haven’t talked about this?”