Until he had a better lay of the land and people, he didn’t want anyone or anything sniffing him out. Certain shifters were notoriously territorial, and he sure as fuck didn’t want a pissing match with some methed-up backwoods alpha. Not that he was worried about a fight or anything like that, he was big enough and strong enough to take care of himself.
He ran his finger over the ring on his middle finger. It was an unsightly thing but would help keep his scent under wraps. All thanks to a witch he met years ago.
“Hey. Did you need to see me?” Makayla asked, pulling him from his google search.
“Yeah. Sorry. I didn’t want to interrupt,” he said, handing her his application.
“Wow. This is impressive. You look great on paper. Assuming all of your references check out, you should be good to go.”
“They’ll check out. I’m not worried. What I am worried about is finding a decent pizza in this town. One that can be delivered.”
“Mac’s has the best pizza, and they deliver here. I’ll grab you a menu.”
“Thanks.” Nick followed her to the desk.
“Here you go.”
“What’s good there?” he asked, scanning the menu.
“Everything.” Makayla’s stomach growled.
“What do you want me to order for you?” Nick asked.
“Oh. I can’t ask that of you. You’re a guest,” Makayla stammered.
Nick rolled his eyes. “It’s no biggie. You can give me the cash. Besides, we both know I’m your new bar and restaurant manager. Until we get it up and running, this is going to be a thing with us. So we might as well get the formalities out of the way.”
“You’re awfully cocky.” She laughed.
“No. Just confident. I know what my abilities are, and you will soon enough. You need the help, and I need a job. Besides, I’m sure you could use the revenue from a successful bar and restaurant.” He knew the potential the place had, and he hadn’t even seen it yet.
“You’re right. It would help a lot to get that part of the hotel up and running again. And like I said, as long as your references check out, the job is yours.”
“Exactly. So, I’ll ask again. What do you want to eat?”
“Fine … two orders of buffalo wings with extra ranch, an order of onion rings, and a medium meat lovers pizza.”
“And I thought I was hungry.” Nick laughed. He had no idea where Makayla was going to put all that food, but whatever. He’d order what she wanted.
“What? Just because I’m a girl, I can’t eat?” She laughed. “You’re about to learn a fast lesson. Oh, grab some Cokes, too, please.” She pulled two twenties out of her pocket and handed them to him. “This will cover my food and part of the tip.”
“Perfect.” Nick ordered enough food for a small army. He had nearly an hour to kill. What better way to do that than take a dip in the pool while he waited?
The beauty and the renovation of the pool area were not something that Nick had expected. The quaint courtyard was lined with tropical hibiscus. In the center was a large rectangular pool. The size was far larger than he had expected for a hotel of this size. Setting his things on a lounge chair, he dove into the deep end of the pool. The cool water rushed past him, cooling him instantly. His beast pushed at his mind, wanting to enjoy the water as well.
Nick pushed back, knowing damn well that no one would appreciate a big-ass bear in the hotel pool. He could just imagine the screams that would ensue. Plus, he really didn’t want to deal with animal control or the DNR. Totally not a fun way to spend the rest of his evening.
Forty-five minutes later, Nick was cooled off, completely dry, and back to waiting in the lobby for his and Makayla’s food. He saw the delivery driver pull up and met him out front. The greasy-looking guy, who smelled like a shifter, eyed him up and down before taking the cash and handing him his food.
“Thanks.” He let it be and headed back inside, not wanting to deal with the drama.
“I see you met Drake.” Makayla laughed.
“If you want to call that meeting. What’s that guy’s problem?” he asked, still trying to shake off the weirdness.
“He’s harmless. He has a crush on me. Let me say his crush is his problem and not reciprocated in any way, shape, or form. I’ve also never flirted with him or even been remotely nice to him. Not even once. I’d suggest just ignoring him. That’s what I do.”
“Yeah, that’s weird. Do you have any plates?” he asked.