by Crystal Dawn
In the morning, she wore her holey well-worn jean, a tank top, and a shirt over that. Her old sneakers were nearly worn out and her ball cap looked like it had seen better days. This was what she wore for this job except when the job was more dangerous, then she wore steel toed work shoes. Today she was in supervisor mode. She left to pick up her crew, going early to get fed. Most of her crew was there doing the same thing. Two people were meeting them at the site.
They were waiting when she arrived. One of the workers was a young she-wolf named Jackie. It was obvious she had a crush on Titus. That wouldn’t be a problem if she kept her mind on her work. By lunch time it was clear that wasn’t going to happen. It was also clear Titus not only didn’t recognize her as the teacher he’d interviewed, but he was showing unwanted interest in her.
That was okay because she was busy with her crew so she just ignored him. Shifters didn’t handle being ignored well. Titus stood under what must be his favorite tree staring at the work on the school or maybe just staring at her. The male was incredibly good looking since he was tall and well built. His hair was shoulder length and black as a raven’s wing.
His eyes were a dark chocolate brown, but shifter gold flashed at her every once in a while which showed he felt strong emotions. He had a five o’clock shadow and he always seemed to. The scruffy look made him appear even hotter if that was even possible. If she hadn’t said to hell with all males, she might even be interested.
The project was well in hand with the frame up for the walls and the roof by the end of the day. Most of her crew loaded up. Before they pulled out, Jackie’s phone rang. Beth didn’t want to be around for that. It would be Sara, reassigning her to another crew. Distracted workers were a safety hazard and they didn’t pull their weight. None of Ariel’s projects could afford it so Jackie would get one more chance on one of the other crews.
They were down the road before Jackie could find her to complain. Beth just knew she would be unhappy and she would blame her. Maybe the girl would learn her lesson and do better with another crew. At least Beth was rid of the problem. She had the less experienced crew and they weren’t used to working together. Problem crew members were just more trouble than she could handle right now.
After they arrived at Ariel’s, Beth stayed for an early supper then she headed home. With all the tools at her disposal to build a house, or most of them, she began work on the laundry room. She was adding an organizing system. Halfway through, she had to quit. It was late and she needed her rest. After cleaning up and getting ready for bed, she set her alarm for the necessary time.
The next week fell into a routine and somehow she was lucky enough not to see Jackie. The frame went up completely and she divided her team in half. One part started inside following the electricians or plumbers as they put the needed wires or pipes in place. Both those jobs were hired out. The outside team began putting up the outside walls then applying the metal siding and roof.
Two weeks and it should be done, mostly because of the outside contractors. Ariel had added a small landscaping service to her business and they would do the yard once the outside walls and siding were complete. Now that walls were going up, Beth stayed out of sight as much as possible. Titus sat at the picnic table under his favorite tree and did paperwork as he watched the work, but he could no longer see much.
The project had turned out perfect and as Ariel came to do the final run through, Beth felt pride in a job well done. Titus came too, so he could see that everything was done to his satisfaction. “The teacher couldn’t make it to the inspection. She said I didn’t give her enough notice and her second job interfered. I’m not pleased about that, Ariel.” Titus observed as he met them for the tour.
“How much notice did you give her?” Ariel asked.
“I called her last night.” He admitted, but seemed to think that was alright.
“Did she tell you she’d drop everything and come running when you called?” Ariel asked.
“Well, no, but what could she have to do that’s more important than this?” Titus questioned.
That statement told Beth a lot. “Previous commitments?” Ariel guessed.
“It won’t be a problem. I have a list of requirements she sent me that I used when we were building. She’s also welcome to contact me after she checks the place out if she has any concerns.” Beth declared.
“Fine. I see I’m outvoted.” Titus gave in reluctantly. “Let’s see this school now.”
Ariel had a decorator come in to finish things off and Beth had enjoyed working with her to pick engaging colors and ergonomic furniture. The designs and colors were a young person’s dreams. Many of the children would just come in to test, but some would come in for tutoring if they ran into difficulties.
“I love it.” Titus admitted and his eyes watered. Must be allergies since she’d been told male shifters never cried. They were in the reading room where the walls were covered with scenes from the savannah. Many predatory cats lurked in the tall grasses peeking out at the antelope and gazelle.
There was no preference given to any one cat, they were all equally represented. In the playroom set up for younger cubs, the equipment was colorful and the pictures on the walls more cartoonish. The reading room/library was a more serious room with earth tones and framed pictures from famous artists who had done paintings or sketches, even watercolors, of Africa. There were more available to interested buyers than one might expect. The book cases were dark wood and the desks and tables matched.
“I’m impressed, Ariel.” Titus admitted. “I can find no flaws.”
They ended the tour in the small kitchen large enough to cook a meal if needed, but mainly set up for snacks. Beth loved the place and she would enjoy teaching here. The program had yet to be devised, but there was time for that yet. First they needed to register students so they could assess what was needed.
They walked outside where the yard was landscaped with bushes and flowers. The back yard was fenced in with a playground in the center and picnic tables around the edge. It was a dream for students and teacher alike. Excitement ran through her. A school where the priority was teaching so students could learn. It would be amazing.
“Come on. I’ll take you to lunch.” Ariel offered.
“I’d love to go to lunch with you two ladies to celebrate the completion of our new school.” Titus broke in grabbing the opportunity.
“Of course you would.” Ariel said looking at Beth.
“Should we go to Springfield?” Titus asked. Beth looked at her work clothes. Was the male mad? “You look very stylish. All the youngsters dress like that.”
“He’s not far off, Boss.” Ariel said.
“You call her Boss too?” Titus asked.
“It’s her nickname. You can call her that too.”
“Is there a story behind it?” Titus asked as Beth turned red. “Ah, I see there is.”
“Boss is around Matt’s age. They were in nursery school together. She was instructing him on how to pick up his toys so they wouldn’t get in trouble. Matt ask her why he should listen to her. She promptly told him because girls were always the boss, her mother said so.”
Titus chuckled. “Hey, I was what? Three years old?”
“I bet you were cute.” Titus imagined.
“She was adorable.” Ariel admitted.
“So where for lunch?”
“Blue Eye diner. Sara will take good care of us. Call ahead?” Beth asked.
“I will.” Ariel agreed. “We’ll meet you there, Titus. Have you eaten there yet?”
“Not inside. My people get take out all the time. I’ve had some.” Titus admitted.
“Good. We’ll see you there.” Ariel said. Since Beth had ridden with her, she would ride along. “You’re not too upset about this are you?”
“I guess not. I just feel like Clark Kent and wonder why he can’t tell it’s me. It’s just clothes and glasses. I’m glad he can’t, but how superficial is that?” Beth asked.
“He desperately needs a teacher. Titus wants nothing to interfere with it. He’s already instructed his males to leave you alone. He doesn’t want to see something he’ll have to pursue.” Ariel explained.
“That sounds more understandable. I just worry about what he’ll do when he becomes aware of my double life.” Beth giggled even though it wasn’t funny.
“Truth?” Beth nodded. “He’ll be pissed.”
“That’s what I thought.” Beth acknowledged.
They drove to the diner grabbing a table, but it wasn’t crowded right then anyway. Titus came in and joined them as they sat and talked to Sara. “I’ll take your orders now since your all here.” Sara said.
All of them ended up ordering the special. It was the meatloaf plate. The food was good here with a mix of fast food like burgers and home cooking. Sara was a cousin who had made her diner into a fabulous success. Since they’d ordered the special, the food came fast.
Titus tried to grill her to get personal details, but Ariel helped her using humor to stop the kitty in his tracks. When they were done eating and ready to go, she had to admit she’d had a good time. The male was not only good looking, but intelligent. He also had the power of leadership. Once they all left, she and Ariel headed to her house.
“You noticed his strength and power. He’s number two to Sebastian in leadership of the cats on this continent. Titus is number one over the tiger shifters. The guy’s charming, isn’t he?” Ariel wondered.
“He’s a bit pushy.” Beth pointed out.
Ariel laughed. He’s a shifter and I think cats could teach wolves something in that regard.” Ariel observed.
Chapter 2
Teacher
Titus wasn’t entirely pleased with how things had worked out. He’d hoped to snare a date with the lovely Boss. The story about the nickname was cute, but who called such a sexy young woman Boss? The need to discover her name burned in him. He wasn’t to the point of hiring an investigator, yet.
The next project would be his streak’s house which would be on tiger shifter lands. Many people called a group of tigers a pride, but technically that only applied to lions. A group of tigers were a streak or an ambush. He preferred streak since it referenced tiger speed. If she would be in charge of that project, he knew he could get to her. There was something special between them, how could she not see it? Titus never chased a female, they chased him. These circumstances were hard on his ego, but harder still on his heart.
He headed to the meeting with Sebastian just a few minutes late. “How are things going?” Titus asked Sebastian.
“Better now since you decided to show.” Seb said.
“A meeting with Ariel took longer than expected.” Titus said, not really a lie.
“Bring me up to date on the school.” Seb suggested.
“You are aware I hired a teacher to take charge of things. At this point we don’t know how many children will be signed up so we can’t hire additional help yet. As it’s needed, she will handle things. The building is done and the teacher, I guess we can call her the superintendent will begin ordering supplies tomorrow. I sent out an email to each section head to notify families with cubs that a school would be available. Four sections have only acting heads and I’ve received no responses. My families have been notified as I’m sure yours have been. Right now, we’re just waiting.”
“Good. Some of my families have already printed off applications. Expect to start receiving them soon. My mate also added a request for volunteers to help especially on the first day which will be chaos. She sent you a copy of the request so you can send them to your families and the other section heads. Your teacher and my mate have also gotten their heads together to run a drive for outgrown kid’s clothing in good condition to redistribute to those who need them.” Seb explained.
“Females always think of things we males don’t.” Titus admitted.
“My mate is amazing.” Seb agreed.
“Not everyone gets a white wolf with cat blood.” Titus observed.
“I’ll willingly admit I’m the luckiest male in the universe.” Seb admitted.
“Any idea when we’ll know about who the other cat groups have selected to head them?” Titus asked. “There are other things that must be handled and it’s not fair for you and me to do it all.”
“The only pressing matter is the clinic. It’s contracted for, but work won’t start until at least two other projects are completed. Ariel offered to make her healer available for emergencies. She said it would chafe his ass. I’m not sure why that’s a good thing, but she found it funny.” Seb admitted.
“I fear these white wolves will always have a human’s sense of humor no matter how long they are shifters.” Titus suggested.
“I fear you are right.” They commiserated over a couple bottles of beer as they wished they could get just a little drunk. Wishing of course, didn’t make it so.
The next day, Beth, the new teacher came in. He couldn’t find any fault in her, she was totally professional. But why did she set his teeth on edge? She looked so dowdy he wanted her to get a makeover. So what if she was plain, couldn’t she at least make an effort to look more attractive? What irritated him even more was his tiger seemed to like her as much as Boss.
The two women seemed to be as different as two human females could be. Sure, they were of similar height and coloring, but that was where the similarities ended. Beth was lost in her head with no interest in the physical world while Boss was a physical girl, getting into the hard work construction called for. Neither seemed to care how they dressed with Boss wearing worn out clothes that showed her curvy muscular figure off while Beth seemed intent to hide hers. It made him assume it was chubby and not in good shape.
“Good morning!” He said putting too much cheerfulness into his voice. She looked at him suspiciously. “I brought cinnamon rolls and coffee for us so that after the walk through we can sit down and go over your supply request comfortably.”
“Thank you.” She said in her quiet way where he had to strain to hear her.
She had a clipboard with her, but she didn’t seem to examine anything closely. “Is it all to your liking?” He asked.
“Ariel sent me all the information I need, but it looks perfect in person.” She pulled off a sheet on the clipboard handing it to him. “These are the supplies I need to get started. I tried to take in every possibility.”
“Why don’t we sit in the kitchen and go over these?” He asked.
They sat down and she got out some paper plates he wasn’t aware were there. She put a roll on each plate, set a cup of coffee by each, and put a couple of napkins out on the table. He began to go through the list asking questions about the more expensive items. He really couldn’t object to the office equipment because the school need a fully equipped office.
As far as the library went, she requested few books. “Why aren’t more books on this list?” He questioned.
“I know some authors who donated some of their books and we’ll have a fund raiser after school starts. It’s good for kids to learn how to work together to meet important goals. We’ll have an auction at the local public school and we’ll donate ten percent to their library. That keeps strangers off cat shifter land and starts our school off with good will.” Beth explained.
By the time they were through, he decided she was not only very intelligent, but more capable than most. She also seemed to be well connected which would help them keep things running well. It was honestly a relief now that he could turn school matters over to her capable hands and pursue tiger matters like the streak house and Boss.
It was odd that by the time he left, he wished he could stay. This woman was not at all his type yet he had enjoyed talking to her. She calmed and grounded him. That was good since he was strung out over Boss. He had a feeling that woman was going to give him a wild chase. As much as his tiger liked the thought, the human wanted things to work out easier.
At times, he wasn�
�t sure Boss was interested in him at all. If she was, wouldn’t she at least tell him her name? Of course he’d asked around and no one that worked for her seemed to know it either. She had all the new people Ariel had hired recently. All he’d gleaned from them was Ariel and her seemed close and the girl knew what she was doing.
Construction was an unusual field especially for such a pretty looking female. Men being as they were, attractive ladies could still be given a hard time on the job. He did notice Ariel’s crew was about a fourth female. Several were young part timers and all those knew to keep their mouths shut better than the seasoned men. He knew Ariel might fire them for sharing anything with someone off the crew. They didn’t need to worry, he’d never tell where the information came from.
Not one single man he’d talked to hadn’t admitted to asking her out. They were always shot down politely. Titus needed to meet some people in town he could get information from. He’d need to do business with them eventually and he had stayed away long enough.
Finally, work was starting on the streak house. It didn’t have the same ring as pack house, but Titus was sure he’d get used to it. He’d been traveling the world when his father had contacted him to take his place here. Never being in charge before had been daunting, but his father assured him it was in his blood. Maybe he was right since he’d done alright so far.
As he headed to the work site, he could hear the sounds of people working. Would Boss be there? Titus found a picnic table he had placed near the site that would eventually be his home. He’d been assured after he mated he could add a house if he needed privacy. If he convinced Boss to join him, maybe she would build their new house.
