by Crystal Dawn
“Good stuff, Truly.” He felt bad for her having to cook for the all the guys. Maybe it showed on his face.
“I don’t mind fixing breakfast. The other meals will be takeout or sandwiches,” Truly admitted. Sebastian made a face then tried to hide it. He was used to someone cooking most of his meals for him. Truly giggled. “Someone’s spoiled.”
“Maybe a little. I’ll have to learn to rough it until the compound is finished,” Sebastian said as he piled his plate full of food.
“We haven’t even started roughing it yet,” Truly observed.
He sat at the big table in the dining room with the other guys. They all seemed high spirited. Considering they were camping, they had to come into the house to take turns showering. Two of the guys finished eating then grabbed a pile of clothes to head further into the house. One would be using his bathroom and he hoped he was careful. No, Sebastian didn’t share well.
They ate before all the guys showered and dressed. Now it was time to leave, he was going with them to get everything set up. Truly was coming too. The secretary would be meeting them at the new place. She was wolf so they wouldn’t have to hide their nature around her. It made everything easier. Most of their customers were found online or on the phone with many being human. A secretary would be around all the time so if she wasn’t aware of their kind, misunderstandings happened.
He’d hoped to hire many of Blake’s pack, but few of them were looking for jobs. It seemed their alpha pair took very good care of them. It was lucky for them that this lady was now returning to work after having a baby. She was a single mother, but Ariel had set up child care for her pack. When he found his special one, he hoped she would be like Ariel. The image of the flower delivery girl flashed in his head again. That was getting annoying. Once he had things settled, he would see if he could get a date.
Lions were very sexual creatures but he’d not been with a female in a while because of all the work involved in this move and he’d not found anyone that appealed to him and his lion. His lion was particular, therefore not just anyone would do. This female appealed to both sides of him on many levels. He didn’t understand it so he couldn’t explain it.
He led the way even though he’d not been there before. There had been pictures, plus Ariel had given her opinion on several properties. He decided to take her advice and went towards the first one Ariel had sent him. He programmed his GPS which took him straight to the driveway of the property. It looked solid on the outside. Because of his particular needs and the cost, he’d decided to get a house just outside of town with a few acres with it. There would be room for an apartment upstairs for the guys on call at night with room to expand if that was needed.
Going up the steps, he reached the door then unlocked it. A stale smell hit his nose but he was relieved it wasn’t an unpleasant smell. The house had been cleaned after he’d bought it, but that had been weeks ago. He’d divide his guys into two teams and one would work upstairs while the other team worked downstairs. The office area would be the hardest, taking most of the time-consuming work.
Heading upstairs, he saw two bedrooms with a large open area. That was perfect for the purpose. The rooms looked like a standard size for kid’s bedrooms. The open area was oversized, with enough to separate a space for a small bathroom, kitchenette along a wall, and living room area. He yelled for the two guys that would start out on covering all the on-call time. They would be the team for upstairs living on site so they would be handy during all off-business hours.
He explained his plan to the two guys who both seemed to like it. “Now when it’s time to make a run for anything, you two can take turns doing that too.”
“This will be fun,” Wagner observed.
“Just keep that in mind when you get started,” Sebastian said.
He went downstairs to see how the guys down there were coming along. “So, what do you think we should do, Boss?” Riley asked.
“Leave the bathroom and the kitchen alone. You need a bathroom for the workers and the customers, the kitchen can be the breakroom. The living room can be set up for the secretary/customer service. In the dining room, you set up the electronics, the storage and everything else. You’ll keep most of what you need for customers on the trucks. Two fully loaded trucks are being brought in to start you off. We just have to keep things going until panthers get moved down here. Easy, right?” He chuckled. It would be anything but easy.
Going through the house, he made list of the materials needed, then used his phone to call the closest warehouse store that had construction materials. Using a tablet one of the guys handed him, he began the order by making sure they would give him free delivery today. If his order was more than a certain amount, they would. He started with the upstairs bathroom, including pipes for water and sewer. Then he moved to the kitchenette, including regular sized appliances with all the wiring and such needed to hook them up. Flooring and wall covering finished it up.
The amount was enough to give them free delivery later that day. He was almost certain he missed something. That was just the way it went when placing such a massive order. Now he started another list. They would need office furniture and supplies. Furniture for the apartment upstairs would also be needed. Ariel had three places she got her furniture from depending on what was needed plus the budget.
There was a huge furniture store in Berryville she liked, another in Harrison, and a special store in Eureka Springs that was a discount furniture and more type store. She felt the owners of that store were friends. She had said everyone liked them. The problem was what they had changed daily. She went there whenever she went through town, buying things she liked, based on not only what she needed, but what she might need soon.
For this place, he had to go with the nearest large furniture store, but he might go to the other one to start stockpiling what he needed for the compound later. Right now, he had a list on the tablet and the new secretary had just arrived. Selene Montez was a curvy girl with dark good looks. Were all the females gorgeous around here? It seemed that way.
“Hello, I’m Sebastian Hunter and this is my PA, Truly, who will oversee training and working closely with you.”
“I’m Selene Montez and pleased to meet both of you.” She cast a nervous look at the guys working in the other room.
“Don’t mind the guys, they’re harmless,” Truly said.
A low whistle sounded. “Who’s the hottie?” Riley asked.
“If you scare off our new secretary, you’ll be sitting behind the desk,” Sebastian threatened.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. I just don’t see such lovely ladies every day. Well, except for Truly, but she’s taken.”
“Get back to work,” Sebastian directed. “They won’t bother you. I’ll give you a stun gun if it makes you feel safer.”
“I actually have a concealed carry permit,” Selene admitted. “I was going to mention it to you.”
“That’s alright as long as you’ve been trained in gun safety.”
“It’s required to get the permit. Ariel took me,” Selene declared.
He could tell this sweet young lady had a bad experience not too long ago. Maybe Truly could talk to her and find out about it. The guys needed to back off her, she wouldn’t appreciate their silly humor until she knew them better.
“We could go buy some furniture right now to get this place tricked out. Three guys could stay here since we don’t have plans with the master bedroom either,” Sebastian suggested.
“Shopping sounds good to me,” Truly admitted.
“You’re going to pay us to help you shop for furniture?” Selene asked and she looked excited.
“Right now, we’re setting the businesses up, plus finding housing for everyone. Truly will train you so when the business is up and running, you’ll be ready to go. Right now, furniture and office needs are what we will get. By doing this with us, you’ll learn how to keep up with our purchasing. She’ll show you how we track expenses as
well as set budgets,” Sebastian explained.
“I have a laptop out in the car for you that already has all the software you should need on it. It converts into a notebook if you prefer that form when you use it while we shop,” Truly explained. “This will be a great training opportunity.”
“Sounds great to me,” Selene offered.
“We’ll take my SUV. That way we can load office supplies to deliver ourselves. The furniture will have to be delivered by the store but I don’t know if it will be before tomorrow,” Sebastian admitted.
He gave the guys quick instructions before he led the ladies out to his SUV. It was big enough to hold everything except the furniture. Once he got in, he started the car then backed out of the parking spot. They left on their way to Berryville where he would get things started. Energy filled him, he had a good feeling about what they would accomplish and how everything would turn out here.
Chapter 2
The Flower Shop
Andi Olsen sat on the stool in the back of her shop fixing an elaborate arrangement for a wedding anniversary. The order had been specific and not one of the usual catalog orders. The lady apparently loved irises and this was a good time for them. The gentleman loved violets but they were a little harder to get, but she had found them. It helped they had ordered a month ago.
Her little shop had a brisk business. She’d owned it for three years now. Andi was paying every extra dime she could get on her mortgage. Owing money was not something she was comfortable with because a slow year could cost her the business. Andi lived upstairs so she didn’t spend much money on herself. Ariel had helped her get her credit established which she would be forever grateful for.
Two part-time employees helped her and one was a college student, the other a mother. Harry, the college student, worked thirty hours most weeks, but it was the flexibility of being able to take off for exams and special events at college that made the job perfect for him. Mary wanted hours that allowed her to pick up her kids from school in the afternoon or drop them off in the morning.
Andi mainly needed someone to run the cash register as well as answer the phone. She did nearly all the arrangements filling the cooler or making special orders, either in the evening or early in the morning. The store was her life. Once it was paid off, she would consider expanding the store. There was already a gift section where she sold any items she thought would be popular that she could get at a good price.
She also had art on the walls that she sold for local artists, which got her a commission. Sometimes, like around certain holidays, she did exceptionally well. Other times, when there weren’t any holidays, she coasted, barely managing her bills. Andi was closed on Sundays, but she still made deliveries to funerals and hospitals for a small extra charge. No one had ever complained about the charge, they were always just happy to discover she would do the delivery.
Other than that, Sundays were the day she caught up on her work at the shop. It was the day she did the cleaning, the reorganizing, and sometimes, the shopping for the gifts she sold. A social life, she didn’t have one. It would only interfere with the success she was working so hard to get.
It wasn’t easy to be a small business owner and compete with the big stores that had sections that sold flowers. Luckily, her town wasn’t one of those. Her flower shop was the only one here and that helped her. She hoped it would stay that way until she had her business paid for. At that point, everything would be so much easier.
As Andi worked on the large arrangement, her mind wandered to the new group of shifters moving into the area. She’d never been around cat shifters, at least not that she knew of. Somewhere in her ancestry, she knew she had white wolf blood. This she was certain of, but her mother had always told her that her great grandpa had been a lion.
Maybe that was why she’d felt drawn to the big guy Ariel had sent the gift package to. Why else would she feel that way? Even the lions lurking about in their animal forms hadn’t alarmed her as much as they should have. Most people wouldn’t have exited their vehicle knowing they were nearby. They had been big and she’d seen their sharp teeth. The lions had been beautiful and graceful, but she knew they could be deadly. She’d been cautious, but not truly scared.
That male needed to get out of her mind. She needed to concentrate for just a little longer so she could get this done. It was a special order she was delivering tonight at a restaurant in Eureka Springs. It happened to be her favorite restaurant. It was her intention to stay and eat one of the marvelous meals they made before she headed home. Once she smelled their food, she had to eat there.
Finish, she ordered herself. If she didn’t hurry, she wouldn’t have time to clean up and change clothes before she delivered the order. The lady that ran the place Andi considered a friend, would be excited to see a couple celebrating there with their family and friends. Andi was already getting excited since she was so close to being done. It looked spectacular already, with just a few more touches before she’d be done. She pushed her memories of the handsome stranger to the back of her mind and finished the arrangement.
Finally, it was done and the colors contrasted nicely. The arrangement was displayed in an extra-large oblong green ceramic pot with flowers that had a sweet aroma that scented the air around it. A huge deep purple bow graced the front with a figurine of an older couple mounted on a stick was placed in the center. She could load the arrangement since the SUV was cool because it was spring.
Now she rushed around to look as good as possible for her solitary meal. She even wore a dress, one of her sexier ones. Why she bothered when she didn’t have a date, she didn’t know. Maybe a girl had to fix herself up occasionally, even if it was just for herself. Her black dress with gold trim, her sexy heels with matching clutch, and the lovely gold jewelry she’d chosen made her feel pretty.
Carefully, she made her way out to the SUV so she could get on her way. She made good time pulling into her favorite restaurant early. As she entered, her favorite hostess greeted her warmly and she asked to be seated in her favorite waiter’s section. So far so good, she thought as she sat down keeping the arrangement shielded so it was hard to see. In thirty minutes, she would deliver it so she would have her obligation dealt with.
“Did you sneak out without the others or are they hiding somewhere?”
“Just me tonight. I’m delivering this arrangement to the party in about thirty minutes. Since I’m here, I can’t resist a meal.” She smiled. She’d known Michael for several years, he was good people.
“Do you know what you want? That’s a silly question. I’ll go get your soup and bratwurst to start with. I’ll bring you your drink too.” He hurried away. Things were starting to get busy.
He brought her a drink with her appetizers. She ordered her meal and when she was done with her appetizers, it was time to deliver the arrangement. She’d been watching the guests come in one or two at a time, making their ways to the party room in the back.
Picking up the gift, she carefully made her way to the back. Michael pointed to the happy couple and she set the arrangement down at the center of the table they sat on. “Oh my God! Is that for us?” The lady cried. “Who is it from?”
“There’s a card with a message,” Andi stated while pointing to it.
“Thank you for delivering it,” The husband said.
“You’re welcome.” She smiled then quickly left so she wouldn’t interrupt the party. She was ready for the meal now and it came just moments after she sat down. Her waiter had held it to keep it warm for her.
She’d ordered the Jaeger Schnitzel this time. It was a breaded and fried pork with hunter gravy and mushrooms. It had buttered cooked potatoes with peas and carrots. The meal was absolutely mouthwatering. Andi ate slowly to savor every bite, then Michael asked about dessert. There was no way to turn it down because she loved the tiramisu ala Michael. Her favorite waiter had magical ways with the already incredible dessert taking it to amazing levels of deliciousness.
&
nbsp; The dessert she got with coffee so she could enjoy it fully. It made her feel spoiled, yes, it was that good. By the time she was done and paid the bill, it was time to go. The party still raged on and she heard laughter and fun coming from the back room. It was an honor to be able to be part of something that made someone happy.
There was a chill in the air so she hurried to get in her SUV. She closed and locked the doors before she looked in the rearview mirror so she could back up. A pair of glowing eyes met hers. Since she had the room to back up, she went ahead moving back slowly. The eyes just disappeared. Andi headed on her way, but the experience left her nervous with a ball of dread sat in her stomach. Ariel always cautioned them to take no chances, so in the morning she would call her cousin to discuss it with her.
Andi drove home her mind besieged with worry. Would the danger follow her home? Was it even a danger or just a wild animal that had wandered there? She saw no signs of anything worrisome the rest of the way home, so she felt relieved. Not so relieved that she forgot about it or planned not to mention it. Ariel would still hear about it and hopefully she would have an insight into what she’d seen. Until then, Andi would fret over the glowing eyes hoping they weren’t as scary as they’d seemed.
Once she made it home, she relaxed a little. She needed to or she would never get to sleep and her regular week started in the morning. Eighty hours or more a week wasn’t an easy thing to pull off. Andi valued what sleep she managed to get because it helped her stay calm, cool and collected. Once she was in the house, she undressed to get into bed. When she closed her eyes, she saw the glowing eyes in her mind. It was time to meditate, something she had a hard time doing.
