Shifting Truths
Sanmere Shifters
Lola Gabriel
Shifting Truths: Sanmere Shifters
Text Copyright © 2020 by Lola Gabriel
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
First printing, 2020
Publisher
Secret Woods Books
www.SecretWoodsBooks.com
Contents
Secret Woods Books
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Other Books You Will Love
Thank You
About the Author
Secret Woods Books
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Prologue
Eight Years Earlier
Rachel Lake left the bar and turned right, heading for her apartment. It was a twenty-minute walk and she would have preferred to get an Uber or even a taxi, but all of the wait times were half an hour or longer. She couldn’t bear to spend another half an hour making awkward small talk with Kyle. She pulled her cell phone out as she walked and scrolled through her contacts until she found Beth’s number. She hit call and lifted the cell phone to her ear.
“How did it go?” Beth asked as she answered the call.
“Ugh, it was awful,” Rachel said, unable to keep the tone of disgust from her voice.
“Oh, come on, Rach, it can’t have been that bad. You guys have only been dating for a couple of weeks,” Beth said.
“Yeah, a couple of weeks too long. I can’t believe I let myself go on more than one date with the guy. Honestly, he’s so boring, Beth. I mean, at first I figured yeah, first date nerves, so I gave him a second chance, because let’s be honest, he’s hot. But after that I should have realized he’s just plain dull behind that pretty face.”
Beth laughed and Rachel imagined her shaking her head.
“Just because the guy isn’t an action hero doesn’t mean he’s not relationship material,” she said.
“I know that,” Rachel sighed. “But it’s like he has no personality whatsoever. We’ve been on, like, ten dates and I don’t think we’ve ever gotten past the awkward small talk phase.”
“So, what did you tell him when you ended things?” Beth asked.
“I just said I didn’t think we were a good match,” Rachel replied.
“And he took it badly?” Beth asked.
“No, that’s the thing. He was fine with it. He even agreed with me. But then he insisted we should have a drink as friends and it was like nothing had changed. I was still stuck there on a Saturday night with the most boring guy in the world.”
“Well, at least it’s over now,” Beth said. “And now you can find a guy who skydives or something.”
“Even a guy who does crossword puzzles as a hobby would be more interesting than Kyle,” Rachel laughed. “But seriously, I’m done with guys for now. I just keep moving from one bad relationship to the next and I think maybe it’s time I focused on me for a while. It’ll happen when it happens, right?”
“You’re twenty-four, Rach, you’re not getting any younger, you know,” Beth teased her.
Rachel laughed.
“Thanks for that,” she said.
“I’m messing with you,” Beth giggled. “Seriously, though, I give you one week before you’re dating again.”
“Give me a bit of credit. I bet I can go at least ten days,” Rachel replied.
They both laughed and Rachel found herself feeling much better. She wouldn’t miss Kyle. She would miss the sex, but that was it.
“Hey,” Beth said. “Why don’t you come over here? Some of the girls are coming over and then we’re going to hit a few clubs.”
Rachel debated the idea. It was only nine o’clock and it was Saturday night. She didn’t much feel like a crazy night of clubbing, though.
“I’ll take a rain check if you don’t mind,” she said. “I just want to go home, get into my pajamas, and watch a trashy movie.”
“You’re more upset about this Kyle thing than you’re letting on, aren’t you?” Beth said, her voice filling with concern.
“No. God, no. Really,” Rachel said. “I just feel like a night in. Next weekend I’m all yours.”
“Well, if you’re sure?” Beth said.
“I’m sure,” Rachel said.
They talked for a bit longer and then ended the call. Rachel thought about what Beth had said. Was she upset over the breakup with Kyle? She supposed she was in some ways. Not about losing him per se, but more about the fact that she had spent so many years dating the wrong men. She was ready to settle down, maybe start a family, but she was rapidly losing any hope of finding the right man to do it with.
She shook her head, shaking away the melancholy feeling that had settled over her. She told herself she had plenty of time for all of that and she should just be enjoying being single for now.
She pushed aside her doubts and told herself that her vow to Beth was going to happen. She wasn’t going to stress over this, and she wasn’t going to waste any more of her time dating the wrong guys. She was going to wait for someone special, and then take some time to get to know him a bit before she rushed into anything.
She crossed the street and headed down a quieter side street. The conversation with Beth had passed the time like she had hoped it would and she would be home in less than five minutes now. She upped her pace a little bit, craving the comfort of her pajamas and maybe even a glass of wine
