“Don’t worry,” Liam said. “We’ll make sure Zach watches today.”
“Seriously?” her brother asked.
“Can’t piss off Tawny, now can I?”
“You’re pussy whipped, Liam,” Zach shot back.
She cracked up. “Trust me. These men are not.”
Once she downed her coffee, Tawny tackled the English muffin coated in strawberry jam. “Okay, I have to get to work.”
“Are you going to ask Brett to make sure nothing happens to you?” Alex asked.
“Is it really necessary?”Please say no.
“Liam and I would feel better.”
“Okay, I’ll tell him to watch out for any suspicious male wandering around. I won’t mention that some human vigilantes are after my family though. I’ll say I have a stalker. After what Ariel went through, he’ll believe me.”
“Great. I have to drive by the center anyway, so I’ll follow you there,” Alex said.
That was lame. He didn’t have to go anywhere if Benson was coming to them, but there was no use arguing with him. “That works.”
She wiped her mouth, and then retrieved her jacket from her room. With her backpack in hand, she motioned they leave.
“Be careful,” Zach called out.
“I will be.”
* * *
When Tawny explained to Brett about her apparent stalker, he seemed honored to be asked to protect her. When he questioned if he should buy a gun, she told him that wouldn’t be necessary. She reminded him that shifting was out of the question though, and he said he understood. "Just call Alex or Liam at either one of these numbers if anything happens." She handed him a piece of paper.
"Alex and Liam?"
"Alex is my boyfriend.” No way would she say she was into both of them just yet.
"Oh."
Darn it. While she didn't like to see anyone hurt, Brett needed to understand that she was with someone else.
Once she was certain everything was running smoothly at the center, Tawny headed back to her office.
“Oh, Tawny,” Julia called as Tawny walked by the reception desk toward her office.
She stopped and turned around. “Yes?”
“Any news on Zach? Have the search and rescue team found him?”
Darn. She’d forgotten to keep up appearances. “No. We are now thinking that maybe he left the forest for some reason. His truck wasn’t in the parking lot.”
“That’s strange. I thought you said he was helping some climbers.”
“He was. My uncle checked the clinics in the area to see if Zach brought in a patient, but so far nothing. He recently broke up with his girlfriend, and I’m hoping he needed some breathing room.” Tawny sighed. “But not calling me is unacceptable. We’re telling ourselves that he decided to explore another park for a change of pace and that he’s in the mountains where there isn’t any service.”
Julia nodded. “I hope so. Before I forget, thank you so much for recommending Brad to your brother. He has an interview today.”
She sounded so excited. “I’m happy I was able to help. Mason said he could use a hand.” Her cell rang, and Tawny checked her caller ID. It was her dad. “Hey, what’s up?” she said as she continued down the hallway to her office.