Thankfully, Valens had a trusty stress ball with him. This one was in the shape of a little red devil.
He had definitely not picked it because it reminded him of Isa.
Nope.
If Isa focused her article on the beach, maybe a few people would get the idea to come to spend their summer days at the beach, eating at the diner, shopping in the small shops. It would pump money into the economy and ensure the tigers’ foothold on the mountain.
It might even help them keep the mountain away from lions and other less-than-pleasant neighbors who would only bring trouble. They didn’t need any of that.
“So, tell me, Doctor. Has your family always lived on the mountain?”
“We sure have,” he answered. “We’ve been on this mountain for generations now. We only leaned into the tourism angle a little while ago, but it’s been a good way to keep the town alive and thriving.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Small towns are great. I’ve seen some all over the world, and I gotta admit… One day, if I ever settle down, it will be in a small town. Probably one similar to this one. Loaded with stuff to do so I don’t get too bored.”
Valens chuckled. “Not a fan of sitting still, I see.”
Isa shook her head. “I’ve always driven the adults in my life insane.”
“Did you grow up in a small town? Too bored to do anything but get into trouble?”
She sighed heavily, and he immediately knew he had stepped on something. “I grew up in a loud, crowded, busy city, but somehow, I always felt very lonely.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He meant it too. “I shouldn’t have asked or pried.”
“You’re fine,” she assured him. “It’s not like you knew it was a sore subject for me. Besides, I can give you a bit of information on myself if you’re going to show me around your family’s town.”
“There is that, yes. How about for every piece of information I give you about the town, you offer one about yourself in return?”
Isa laughed. “How would that even be fair? This is a whole town. I am but one single person. Not that interesting, either.”
Valens thought he was being smooth with his question, but he could see now that it had been a mistake. She didn’t want to share who she was or her history with him. And why would she? He was a stranger and one who had antagonized her from the second he laid eyes on her.
The reasons for it weren’t exactly great.
It wasn’t Isa’s fault that she was a human and his mate.
Valens wondered if he would ever tell her the truth. That would mean admitting to himself that his heart was vulnerable to being broken in a very big way.
It would also mean he would need to be honest with Isa about shifters.
He didn’t see that happening any time soon.
If you won’t tell her, I will, his tiger argued. We can’t just go on like this without telling her. She’s here for only a short amount of time. If we can make her fall in love with us, mate her, then she will never want to leave. This will be her home. Good thing she wants to settle down in a small town similar to this.
His beast continued to chatter at him, but Valens focused on Isa instead.
She was much more interesting, anyway.
“I’ve been on every continent except Antarctica,” she said to him. “Not because I haven’t had the opportunity, but because I really don’t want to freeze my butt off. I ski in the winter, and that’s enough for me.”
He chuckled. “Winter here stays pretty mild, but we do get lots of snow.”
“Did you ever think of getting a ski hill in here?”
He blinked at her in shock. “We would have to cut down way too many trees for that. It would destroy the natural beauty of our mountain. We can’t do that.”
She grinned. “Right. Sorry. I see why the winter months are a dead season up here, then. Are there many rentals?”
He shook his head. “Not many. Most years, there is only a handful. There isn’t much to do but play in the snow. Some of the stores close down too. The owners go to warmer climates.”
Isa nodded. “I totally get that. I chase the sun and warm climates too. I don’t hate the snow or anything. I just prefer a beach.”
“Then that should be our first stop,” he insisted. “Right after we grab some iced coffee.”
Valens led them to the small coffee shop, where he insisted on purchasing her drink for her. It might not be a date in the strictest of senses, but Isa was still his mate. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know. He knew, and that was good enough for him.
They settled on the edge of the docks, feet in the water as they sipped their drinks. The water was calm, but the sandy beach was full of people. Happy shouts of games and all kinds of conversations filtered through.
“What was your favorite part of growing up here?” she asked him after spotting a group of people setting up a game of Marco Polo.
“The sense of community. Yes, people own their businesses and want to succeed. But if you eat at one restaurant, they’ll tell you to check out another spot for dessert.”
“Wow, that’s kind of amazing. I can’t imagine that happening in the city.”
He smiled. “I know. It also helps that some of the people are related. Actually, most townsfolk are related.”
“That’s wonderful. But is that really what you enjoyed as a child?”
“Yeah. In a way. We would play outside until the sun would go down, but parents knew we were okay instead of being worried about us. They knew the others would keep an eye on us. It also had a bad side of things.
"When we messed up or broke a rule, all of the adults knew and could chew us out. My brothers and I were playing on the beach, and Oz cheated at a race. He was younger, and he was used to people letting him get away with things, but he was caught that time. Egon was so mad, he chased him until he apologized. It got back to our parents before we even made it back home for dinner that night.”
“Doesn’t sound too bad.”
Valens flinched. “We sort of took his clothes. He had to walk back to the house in a wet swimsuit.”
In fact, Oz had been nude and didn’t have a choice but to get home in his tiger form. Valens couldn’t tell Isa that. Mom and Dad had been furious with them. They had risked exposure by letting a tiger cub walk through town like it owned the place. Thankfully, no one was the wiser, but the boys had been punished.
They had to wash all of the cars in town and mow all the lawns for free.
The risk of exposure was the biggest threat to the town.
If word got out that there was a wild animal on the mountain, either people would descend to spot it, or the Forest Rangers would come with tranquilizer guns.
Now, the only risk of exposure was Old Man Warner, but thankfully, he kept more to the mountain. Besides, ever since Bree had come to town, the old tiger was doing a lot better. He was spending more and more time in his human body. He even sold a few of his art pieces to tourists.
It was progress.
That gave him an idea.
“Have you ever done woodworking or pottery?” he asked Isa.
“No, I can’t say I have.”
“Oh, I totally need to introduce you to Old Man Warner. The man is a brilliant artist with an art studio on the mountain. I bet he’d love to teach you a thing or two when your arm heals up.”