Her Breakfast Bear Mate: Crescent Lake Bears, #2

By Arizona Tape

When Serena's favourite breakfast café suddenly gets an influx of customers, she's forced to share a table with a stranger, which is exactly the opposite of how she likes her mornings.

 

Bear shifter Maize doesn't mind the extra people at Bearly Breakfast Time, especially when it gives her the opportunity to get to know a pretty stranger.

A series of coincidental breakfast dates leads to more, but exactly how much more? That's a question only the Crescent Lake of fate can answer.

****

Her Breakfast Bear Mate is a fated mates paranormal romance featuring a bear shifter and her mate. It includes a standalone f/f meet-cute romance and a dash of steamy goodness. It is part of the Crescent Lake Bears series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vampari Press
• Release date: Sep 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223098713

Arizona Tape

Arizona Tape lives her dream life hanging out with her dog and writing stories all day.Her favourite books to write are urban fantasy and paranormal romances with queer leads, stories that she wished were around when she was younger.When she’s not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm in the kitchen, watching shows that make her cry, or trying her hand at her new hobby of the week.She currently lives in the United Kingdom with her girlfriend and her adorable dog who is the star of her newsletter. Sign up here for adorable pictures, free books, and news about her books: www.arizonatape.com/subscribeFollow The AuthorFacebook Page: http://facebook.com/arizonatapeauthorReader Group: http://facebook.com/groups/arizonatapeBookbub: http://www.bookbub.com/authors/arizona-tapeTwitter: http://twitter.com/arizonatapeInstagram: http://instagram.com/arizonatapeTikTok: http://tiktok.com/@arizonatapeHer books are available on all retailers and can be requested from most public libraries.

Book preview

One

Serena

---

The worst had happened.

Serena's favourite quiet breakfast place had been discovered. Instead of the casual sounds of coffee cups on saucers and reluctant good morning grumbles from other customers, there were shutter sounds from cameras and excited and delighted chatter from the people in the world Serena detested more than anyone else. Morning people.

She waited in line for her turn, worried they'd be out of her usual order by the time she got to the till. She'd been coming to Bearly Breakfast Time for a whole year and she had perfected her order through meticulous experimentation, it would be such a nuisance to find somewhere new. Hopefully, the novelty would wear off soon and the trend setters would move on to the next hot thing.

The owner Larissa greeted her from the other side of the counter, a nice lady with the first streaks of grey coming through her hair. Morning, Serena. What can I get you?

My usual, please. Serena gestured behind her. It's busy in here.

A big bright grin appeared on the owner's face as she scribbled down her order. I know! Isn't it great? We went viral, all thanks to my niece's posts on social media. I still don't understand what she did but we made it onto one of those list articles. Who knew that kind of thing happened in real life?

A pang of guilt travelled through Serena for being annoyed at all the footfall. She hadn't stopped to consider that this was probably a dream come true for Larissa and her husband.

A little less annoyed, Serena offered a smile. I'm pleased for you guys. You deserve it.

That kind of sweet talk will get you a free muffin. Do you want anything else besides your smoked salmon and avocado toast with a poached egg and a coffee?

No, that's it. Serena glanced over her shoulder at the busy café. I'll try and find a seat somewhere.

Great, I'll bring your food when it's ready, Larissa said, already looking at the customer behind her.

Serena walked towards her usual seat at the window where two teenagers were ignoring each other in favour of their phones. They didn’t look like they were in any rush to leave. Disappointing.

The only table free was the one near the path to the bathrooms which generally had the most foot traffic and disturbance. A table Serena usually avoided but today, it was that or have her breakfast to go.

Since she could still feel the chill of September on her cheeks, she went for the table. She pulled one of the chairs out at the same time as another woman, someone she recognised as a semi-regular. Not that she'd ever exchanged more than a few words with her.

Sorry. The woman's smile was polite but genuine. All the other tables are full.

Yeah, Serena said dumbly. They stood opposite each other for a while, neither moving or releasing their grip on the chair.

Wolf-bear-dragon over who gets the table? The woman asked, her almond eyes sparkling. Or shall we share?

The idea of small talk over breakfast with a stranger didn't appeal to Serena in the slightest but it wasn't like she had much choice and there was no need to be rude. With a nod, she agreed. Sure, we can share.

It's not usually this busy, the woman said.

Larissa said they went viral, Serena offered as an explanation.

Ahh, that would explain why there is a guy wearing a fancy beret in my usual seat.

There are teenagers in mine.

The woman mock-winced as she pushed a strand of her dark blonde hair back into her messy bun. Oof, teenagers are definitely worse.

An involuntary smile tugged Serena's lips up. They are.

A server arrived at their table with Serena's salmon and avocado toast, setting it down in front of her. She picked up her cutlery, unsure if she was being impolite if she started without her table companion. Under different circumstances, she'd always wait until everyone had their food but it wasn't like they were here together.

Please, don't mind me. You don't want it to go cold, the woman spurred her on.

It's smoked salmon and avocado, Serena pointed out, still not sure what to make of the familiar-stranger. She'd seen the brunette plenty of times before, usually on Mondays and Wednesdays, and she always kept to herself.

Your egg is poached though, that can go cold. Looks nice, the woman commented. Please, start without me.

Thanks. She dug in, trying not to feel too self-conscious about having the other woman watching her. She managed two bites before she stopped. It was too uncomfortable eating when someone else at the table didn’t have their food yet. If it's not too weird, I'll just wait until you have yours as well.

I don't mind. In fact, breakfast is always better when it's shared.

Is it? Serena studied the woman across from her. Then why do you always come in alone?

And how would you know that? the woman asked in a light teasing tone that made it clear she knew the answer.

The tips of Serena's ears burned and she cast her gaze away, unable to look the blonde in the eyes. I might've seen you around a few times or so.

Oh-oh, stalker alert. The woman chuckled. I'm kidding. I've seen you before too. You usually sit at that table there.

Serena raised a questioning eyebrow. Now who's the stalker?

Busted. I could pretend I'm a good guesser cause it's the only table with teenagers, if that makes you more comfortable?

Let's just agree that it's just a small café and we both frequent it often, Serena said, hoping that would make her sound less like some creep who'd been keeping track of everyone else who had their breakfasts here. It was kind of true, but she didn't watch people for nefarious reasons, she just noticed people and patterns.

The other woman nodded.

Serena took a sip of coffee. Out of curiosity, what would you have done if I'd agreed to wolf-bear-dragon and you'd lost?

I wouldn't have lost.

You can't possibly know that, it's a game of chance.

No, it's a game of strategy where you size up your opponent and read their cues. The woman held out her hand. Want to try?

I haven't played that game since middle school. Serena wasn't sure how she felt about playing childish games over breakfast but since they were still waiting, there was no real harm in it. With a shrug, she agreed. Sure. Best out of three?

The woman held out her fist, moving it as she chanted the game. Wolf, bear, dragon.

Serena curled her hand into a bear claw, matching with the other woman. That's a draw. Again. Wolf, bear, dragon. This time, she spread her thumb and pinky as far as possible for the sign for dragon.

The other woman grinned triumphantly, her hand forming the head of a wolf. That's one win for me.

The server arrived, interrupting their game, and placed a second plate down with a cheese toastie.

Serena picked her cutlery up again. Shall we?

Yes. Enjoy your food. Sorry for making you wait.

Don't worry about it. She took a big bite, savouring the salty salmon and the faint hint of smoke that went perfectly with the smooth avocado. Her egg yolk wasn't quite as runny anymore but that wasn't the end of the world.

They ate in comfortable silence, more comfortable than Serena had expected from a perfect stranger. People came and went, with tables freeing up and filling again. She briefly contemplated moving to her usual spot when the teenagers left but that felt ridiculously rude so she just stayed put.

She finished her avocado toast and folded her cutlery on the plate so she could check her phone. The time read exactly ten minutes to the hour, which was perfect. It meant she'd arrive at work with five minutes to spare, just enough to clock in and start on the dot.

Serena gave the familiar stranger a polite smile. I have to go but thank you for sharing the table and breakfast. I hope you have a nice day.

You too. Maybe next time we see each other, we can finish our wolf-bear-dragon game.

Maybe, Serena said, noncommittally. Even though she enjoyed the stranger's company more than expected, she hoped that tomorrow the café wouldn't be as overrun and she could just have her breakfast in peace, just like every other day.

Two

Maize

---

Maize parked her rusty van in the parking lot reserved for employees. Whistling, she threw the car keys up once before she locked the car and shoved the keychain into the pocket of her loose jeans. She still had about half an hour before her first meeting with her client but arriving earlier meant avoiding the worst of rush hour, something she hated with a passion,