Bearly Hanging On (The Jamesburg Shifters #6)(29)

"Expecting, dear," Cora was smiling in the way only a grandmother can, "you know, with child. Bun in the oven, what is it they say these days? The name of that funny movie with that unfortunate looking fat boy and the cute girl? Marmite, what was that?"

"Knocked Up?" Ryan asked, helpfully. "That was a good one. Listen," he tried to steer the conversation to other topics, but that wasn't going to happen.

"Yes!" Cora smiled again. "That one. So, when are you due? And it is with Ryan, yes? I always thought he'd make a good father for a brood of cubs. Although, you're going to have to stop wearing such tight-fitting clothes soon, what with the bump and all."

Jamie was just staring, eyes so wide it almost hurt to keep them that way. "I'm not, er, I—"

"Are those wings?" Marmite said, squinting again.

"Of course they are, you damn fool," Cora said, whapping her husband on the back of the head. "She's a halfsie, anyone can see that. Rare things, those. Don't see them often."

Of all the things to get her blushing, that was the one. Pregnancy could be laughed off, hell, even being called Ryan's girlfriend and being advised to stop wearing clothes with slim-fits. But... that? The thing that had haunted her since she was old enough to realize she wasn't like everyone else? Why did that have to come up and why did it have to happen right then?

She felt her face get hot, and she felt anger well up. Not the time, Jamie, she told herself. She didn't mean anything by it. She is just talking. Calm the hell down.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cora said, sensing Jamie’s discomfort. "I didn't mean anything by it, only that there aren't so many of you around. Used to be more. My best friend as a little girl was – was it the word I used?"

"No," Jamie said, her voice low. "It's just... I don't like to talk about it much."

"Oh humbug!" Cora said, smiling and chipper. She grabbed Jamie's arm and dragged her by it. "Come in here, I've got a photo album I want to show you. I don't have any way of doing all that Face business or the Tweetering. I've got old bones and do things the old way. Come on."

She shot a glance back at Ryan who just shrugged and smiled. He sat down beside Marmite with the bucket, and began to set up the chess board that the old koala had beside him, as Cora and Jamie disappeared. "Want to go a game or two, old man?" she heard Ryan say. "I'll go easy on you."

"Aw hellfire!" the old man swore in one of those cute, semi made-up swears that her own dad used to use in place of real ones. Just that was enough to get Jamie a little misty eyed, but she didn't have long to think about it before she was sat down in front of a massive old book that looked a whole lot like one of those coffee table bibles.

"Look here," Cora said. "I'm sorry dear, if you told me your name, I've forgotten."

She laid an aged hand on Jamie's shoulder and pushed her with a surprising amount of strength, down into the chair at the head of the very old and very well cared for dining table.

"Jamie Ampton, and no, you didn't forget."

"Very good," Cora said with a smile. "I'm Cora Dufresne. Tom doesn't mean all his anger. He's just... he's very protective, and, well, he's a lot like Ryan. But you could probably tell. The way you two were looking at each other, you've got a rare thing. Reminds me of us at your age."

Jamie cocked her head a little to the side. "I didn't know we were looking at each other."

Cora patted her gently on the shoulder. "Sometimes the most powerful looks don't have to be made with the eyes, you know. I saw how his hand on your shoulder made you relax when Tom started getting his cockles all riled up."

Jamie didn't quite know what to say.

"And I'm sorry about the baby thing. I just figured Ryan wouldn't bring anyone around to meet us unless he was planning to court her. He's like that, you know, he acts all rough and tumble, but he's as soft hearted as they come."

Jamie unconsciously brushed one of her tendrils of hair back behind her ear. "I've gotten that from him, but you want to know what's funny?"

"Hmm?"

"I only met him a few days ago. He came into the courthouse and stared down the town alpha. Then I saw him at a friend's field trying to boost a cow, and I bit him."

Cora was giggling. "He does things that get him in trouble. He always has, but he means well, Ryan does. He thinks we need more help than we do. We let him believe it. Gives him a purpose, you know?"

Jamie was, once again, unable to come up with anything to say, intelligent or otherwise.

"When Tom and I met, we were both on the run from families that weren't... well, not supportive, let's put it that way to keep things friendly. We fell in together, and were married a week later. Every one of our friends told us we were crazy, but here we are. Fifty years later. Fifty one," she corrected herself.

"And it feels like a hundred and eighty!" Marmite shouted from the other room.

"Oh, shut up with that," Cora shouted back, though there was a smile on her face. "No one wants to hear an old koala bellyaching!" Then she turned back to Jamie. "Now look here, see this one?"

"With the tail? Is that a dingo-shifter?"