Page 13 of A Swan for Christmas

“Huh. Cool.” He regarded Rosemary again. “As I was saying, this is Kellan Rivers.”

Rosemary let out a light laugh. “Very nice to meet you Kellan Rivers. I imagine you know who I am by now, but I’ll formally introduce myself so we get off on the right foot, so to speak. I’m Rosemary Vale.”

She extended her hand across the table and Kellan took it. Her head tilted, and her eyes narrowed a fraction as she wrapped her fingers around his. A flash of something passed over her features and she darted her gaze at Vic before returning it to Kellan. She gave Kellan’s hand a solid shake then let go. Kellan smiled back at her and Vic could tell he was at ease with the town’s mayor.

John brought her the coffee and pie, along with Vic’s iced tea that he couldn’t get enough of, even when it was freezing outside. So far, all Kellan wanted to drink was lots of water, so Vic had made sure he had plenty of it.

Rosemary popped open the waxed cardboard flaps of the to-go container. She cut off a forkful of the pie and rolled her eyes back in her head as she chewed. “Oh goodness. Magnificent, as always.” She set down the utensil then closed up the box. “Now tell me, Kellan. Will we have the pleasure of your company here in Vale Valley for a long time, I hope?”

“Can I stay, then? I really want to.”

Rosemary chuckled then patted Kellan’s hand. “You don’t need my permission for that. If you want to be a member of the town, I’ll add you on our list. But the very fact that you found us means you’re supposed to be here. Ultimately, though, the choice is yours whether you’ll stay.”

Vic noted with amusement that Kellan bounced on the seat a couple times.

“Then yes, I’ll definitely stay.” He gazed up at Vic. “I’ve never been treated so well.”

Vic took Kellan’s hand again and gave it a squeeze. “You deserve the best.”

“My, my.” Rosemary smiled at them over her coffee cup. “This is good. Very good.” She took a sip then set it down. “I’m afraid Vic has allowed past tragedies and getting lost in work keep him from allowing anyone near his heart.” She took another drink. “But that’s probably for the best. Good things come to those who wait.” Rosemary chuckled again. “Or perhaps I should say, the right things.”

Kellan had been staring at her very intently as she spoke. “Can I ask you a question, ma’am? Because you seem like you know about a lot of things.”

“Of course, dear. I’ll do the best I can. What did you want to know?”

“Well…” Kellan wrapped his hands around his water glass as he drew his eyebrows together. “I haven’t been able to shift since I was out lost in the woods. And actually, at one point, I couldn’t stay shifted either. It would last for a few minutes, then poof! I’d go back to human again. I thought maybe after I’d warmed up and had some rest, I’d be fine.” His lip trembled slightly. “Do you think I’m broken?”

Rosemary reached across the table and patted his arm. “How old are you, Kellan?”

Kellan straightened in his seat and Vic frowned. What’s that got to do with anything?

“I just turned nineteen.”

She nodded sagely. “I see. And in your herd, were you an egg-layer?”

He shrugged. “Well, yeah. But I’ve never laid any before. There weren’t any mated pairs in our herd, so our roles weren’t defined very well. It was more about Finn telling everyone what to do.”

Vic hadn’t thought to ask about mates or anything such as that. Kellan’s herd had clearly been a rogue faction of swans.

Rosemary took a hearty swallow of her coffee and seemed to drain the cup. “That’s very unusual for a group of swans to be unmated like that. They must have gotten into a lot of trouble because of it.” She shook her head. “I’m so glad you were able to get away from them, Kellan.” She patted his arm again, then gathered up her coat that she’d lain on the seat beside her. “I wouldn’t worry, Kellan. It will all work itself out in time.”

Kellan shoulders relaxed and he smiled. “Okay, thank you.”

Vic pressed his lips in a thin line. He didn’t want to get bitchy with Rosemary in front of Kellan, but his concerns about Kellan hadn’t been answered. Not being able to shift sounded very serious to him.

As Rosemary got to her feet, Vic jumped up to help her with her coat.

“Kellan? I’ll be right back. I’d like to walk Mrs. Vale to her car.”

“Sure, Vic. I know I’m too young to serve it yet, but I’ll learn the wine list too.”

Once they were out of Kellan’s hearing range, Vic spoke. “I don’t mean to criticize you, but how can you know everything will sort itself out with Kellan regarding his ability to shift? Don’t you think we should call in a shifting expert?”

They reached her car and she stopped and turned to face him. “I can already tell how much you care about him, and it’s clear he adores you too.”

He hadn’t realized how obvious it was to those around them. “Um, yeah. But I’m not sure how that relates to his inability to shift?”

Rosemary gave him a knowing smile. “Swans can’t shift when they go into heat.” She patted his arm, much the same as she’d done to Kellan. “Once he’s been mated, he’ll be fine.”