"Thank you so much for letting me talk with Megan," Karen said as she and Peter approached their respective homes.
"My pleasure," Peter replied as he looked at Karen. "Did it help you get any closer to your decision?"
"Well," she paused as she gathered her thoughts, "Let me put it this way, I haven't ruled out werecouger yet. And weretiger is still rather interesting to me." She looked over to Peter smiling and said, "So, other than being a were, no."
The two shared a laugh, "Well, at least you're more willing to be a were. That's progress I guess,"
"Yeah," she said stretching, "The only question for me is which were. We still have to see a wereleopard and a werelion. Then I'll make my choice."
Peter smiled and said, "Well, at least there's one decision already made."
The two walked in silence for a few minutes before she asked a question, "So, how do you know Megan?"
"Well," he replied while thinking, "I knew her way back in elementary school. We were in the same class, and I guess we sorta grew together. She looked out for me, and I looked out for her. No matter how our circle of friends grew, we were always together." Karen wondered if she should be jealous hearing that. "I remember her first transformation. It was a bit rough for her, especially when she was rapidly growing. But her family helped her through it. She even introduced me to the girl who would turn me into a weredog."
"Mmmmm..." she said with a bit of a smirk on her face. "So, are you two JUST friends, or something a little more?"
"Well," he said as he scratched the back of his head, "I won't deny that we don't...scratch...each other when the itch hits, but we're just friends. Nothing more than that."
Karen folded her arms and said, "Uh-huh."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? You're not jealous, are you?"
"Of course not. I'm just wondering who else you've been with. By my count, that's two girls that I know of. You must be a regular Don Juan."
"It's not like that," Peter said in defense.
"Sure it isn't," Karen said rather flatly. The two approached the Charleston home. "Well, we're home." She turned to face him, "So, continue this tomorrow? Still need to meet with a werelion and a wereleopard."
"Um, sure," Peter replied, "Tomorrow's Friday, so we'll have a bit more time to meet with people. Oh, and I need to make sure you understand something, but I'll explain it tomorrow."
"Oh, okay," Karen said as she approached the door to her home. "Bye!" she said as she waved to Peter and walked in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Karen walked inside, the smell of cooking food wafted into her nose. As she approached the kitchen, she noticed Nichole and Moe cooking different things in the kitchen. They seemed to be working in sync with each other and they both had goofy grins on their faces.
"Well, somebody's in a good mood," Karen remarked as she leaned on the kitchen counter.
"Hey, honey," Nichole replied as she looked up, "Could you be a dear and set the table?"
"Sure," Karen replied as she went to pull out the plates and silverware. After Karen set the table, Moe and Nichole walked out with roasted chicken and some green beans. The trio helped serve the food and sat at the table to eat. The conversation began soon after the first bites.
"So, Karen," Moe started, "how was your afternoon?"
"Not too bad," she replied, "I met with a werecougar. She wasn't what I expected."
"Oh?" Nichole responded with a crooked eyebrow. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"I meant that as a good thing," Karen said with a smile, "She was quite nice, and," she paused as she tried to find the right words, "she looked better than I imagined."
"I see," Moe said as he gnawed on his chicken. "Have you decided on being a werecougar?"
Karen coughed when she heard that. "No, no, not yet." She took a drink of water to clear her throat. "I mean, I still need to see a wereleopard and a werelion. And I haven't ruled out being a weretiger either."
"Well, whatever you want to be, you'll have our full support," Nichole said while putting a gentle hand on Karen's arm.
"Woah," Karen said as she looked at Nichole, "What brought this on?"
"Well," Nichole said with a big smile, "Let's just say that I have a different perspective."
"Okay," was the only thing Karen replied with as she took a bite of chicken.
"Well, I've got some news," Moe said after he swallowed down some green beans. "I got the loan and the restaurant. Moe's Pizzeria is coming to Moon Lake." Both women squealed with delight as Moe put on a big smile. "I mean, there's still some work to do to get the place up and running, and I still need the best ingredients. But I'm sure this will work. Especially with my foxy business manager." As he said that, he put a hand on Nichole's arm. Nichole put a hand on his and smiled at him.
"Geez, you two, get a room," Karen said with an eyeroll.
"Oh, we've got one," Nichole said with a sly grin. "Care for an encore, darling?"
"Ew, gross, no, not here!" Karen said while flailing her arms. The parents shared a laugh with each other as the three of them enjoyed their dinner for the night.
Once the three of them were done eating, they cleaned up the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. The three of them then separated into their respective bedrooms.