The Lion’s Mate

“Listen. This is the easy part. We’ll talk to this lawyer, show him the documents, and see what he says. If you aren’t comfortable pursuing this, we’ll drop it. If you are, I’ll stand by you the whole time, no matter what.”

Annie smiled, grateful. She released the folder and entwined her fingers in Leah’s. “What would I do without you. Thank you, Leah.”

“As you said when you were being all weird this morning. You’re the closest thing I have to a sister. We have to stick together.”

Annie took a deep breath, checked her reflection in the mirror on the sun visor, squared her shoulders, and said, “Let’s do this.”

Leah laughed at her go-getter attitude. “A big stack of pancakes or an omelet will settle those nerves.”

“Food always does,” Annie agreed as they walked to the door of the café. “It’s a wonder I’m not three hundred pounds.”

“Same here,” Leah commented as they entered. She looked around, wondering if the lawyer was here yet. She knew his name but had no idea what he looked like. As her eyes roamed the room, they landed on the lion shifter. Leah gasped as their eyes met. His grin was huge as he rose to greet them.

“What a pleasure,” he said by way of greeting them. “The beautiful swimmer.”

“The charming lion,” Leah said, light sarcasm in her tone.

“And who is this lovely young woman?” Mark asked, smiling at Annie.

Annie looked sideways at Leah, curiosity driving her mad. She put her hand out to shake his and introduced herself. “I am Annie Daniels.”

Mark’s eyes widened in surprise, and he threw his head back to laugh, drawing the eyes of several customers. “Are you really?” He looked at Leah. “And you must be Leah Green.”

Leah raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that?” She stopped herself. “Oh good lord, you’re the lawyer.”

Mark chuckled again. “That I am, Ms. Green. Mark Anderson, at your service.” He executed a small bow, and Leah rolled her eyes at him.

“Do you know each other?” Annie asked, grinning.

Leah glanced at her. “He interrupted my swim yesterday, but we didn’t exchange names.”

“That’s hilarious!”

“If you say so,” Leah said.

Mark still wore the grin on his face. “Come on, ladies. I have a table right back here.” He led them to the last table along the window and pulled their chairs out for them.

The waitress hurried over, her eyes on Mark although she spoke to Leah and Annie. “Good morning, ladies. What can I get you to drink?”

“Unsweet iced tea for me, and a menu, please,” Annie asked.

“Same,” Leah pronounced, her eyes on Mark. After the waitress walked away, she said, “So, you’re not only a shifter rights lawyer, you’re a shifter.”

“Why do you think I care so much about shifter rights?” he asked with a gleam in his eye. “It’s my passion.”

“That’s great. Probably why you win so many cases,” Annie said, smiling at the handsome man across from them.

“You are correct, Ms. Daniels,” Mark affirmed.

“Please call me Annie.”

“And I’m Mark.” They looked at Leah, who nodded.

The waitress returned with their drinks and took their orders for breakfast. After she walked away, a lingering eye on Mark, he leaned back in the booth and put his arm across the back.

“So, you two aren’t related, correct? How do you know each other?” Mark asked.

Leah gestured for Annie to tell the story. “My parents and sister were killed in a plane crash five years ago. Leah and my sister, Amy, were best friends all through school. I had no other family, so Leah asked me to come here and live with her. So I’ve lived with her almost five years now.”

Mark looked at Leah. “You must have been very young to take on that kind of responsibility.”

Leah nodded. “I was twenty-two. But I’d already published my first novel, which was successful, thank goodness. She would have gone into foster care had I not taken her in.”

“So her parents hadn’t made plans for her in case they died?”

“Um, actually, I was supposed to live with my sister, but she died too,” Annie answered. “I didn’t want to live in an orphanage or foster care. Luckily, I had Leah, who was willing to take me in.”

“Did you officially adopt her?”

“I did, although we chose not to change her name to mine.”

Mark nodded. “That’s good. Of course, now she’s a legal adult, so her past shouldn’t matter.”

“Why would it matter?” Leah asked, suspicious.

Mark leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. “In these types of cases, the lawyers dig into the past lives of the complainant.”

“Annie has nothing to hide. She’s never done anything she shouldn’t,” Leah defended.

“Of course not, but that doesn’t mean they won’t look,” Mark said, looking at Annie. “Why don’t you tell me what happened when you contested the denial of acceptance?”

Annie opened her mouth to answer, but the waitress arrived with their food. She placed their plates in front of them and asked if they needed anything, then left after negative replies.

“Let’s eat. Then we’ll get down to business,” Mark suggested. The women nodded, and they tucked in to a delicious breakfast. A bit later, Mark sat back, rubbing his stomach. “Oh my God, I think my stomach might bust.”

“This is the best place to eat in Glenrose,” Leah commented, wiping syrup off her mouth before gulping the last of her milk.

“Annie, are you ready to get back to business?” Mark asked with a smile.

Annie cleared her throat and signaled the waitress for a refill, then nodded her head. “Sure. What do you want to know?”

“Let’s go back to my question. Tell me what happened when you spoke to the dean after you received your letter denying acceptance?”

Annie looked at Leah, who nodded encouragingly. “Well, I called and made an appointment with the dean when I received the letter. I was valedictorian, for God’s sake. I wasn’t attempting to enter an Ivy League school, just the local college.”

Mark laughed. “I understand. I’ve looked up the requirements to gain admission into Glenrose University, and you well surpassed them.”

Annie pointed her finger at him. “Exactly! That’s why I wanted to meet with the dean and find out what the problem was.”

“And he agreed to meet you?”