“Honestly, she sounded relieved to catch a break. She’s been running herself ragged keeping up with the demand. Since shenever knows when the next job will come in, she’s been agreeing to all of them.”
“It must be hard earning a living as an artist.”
“Before you go feeling too bad for her, I should mention she’s also a lawyer in her spare time.”
“Huh.” I tilted my head. “Must have been one of those kids who grew up with parents who forced her toget a real jobinstead of encouraging her to pursue her passion.”
“Hard to say.” She shrugged. “Some folks are pragmatic but require a creative outlet.”
“Either way, that was rude of me. I have no right to judge her or her parents or their choices.”
Not when the man who raised me had killed my birth parents and lied to me about being a latent wolf.
“About that.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “Have you given any thought to watching the home movies?”
“I haven’t decided if I’m ready yet. Does that make me a coward?” A frown knit my brow. “I had my first lesson with Fayne and then I wiped out, but the sudden urge to clean? That strikes me as suspicious.”
“You do your finest procrastination in rubber gloves with a spray bottle of bleach, it’s true.” She jabbed me in the thigh. “It doesn’t make you a coward, though. Every aspect of your identity has come under fire. You’ve had your whole life blown to bits. No one is going to think less of you if you want to get a handle on Present You before you go digging into Past You.”
An idea had wedged itself in my mind like a splinter, that I would only watch the tapes after my first shift. As if I had to prove myself worthy of them. But that was how Past Me would act. Present Me? She was still figuring things out, but she had learned the only person holding her to impossible standards was herself, and that meant she could also choose to embrace her imperfections rather than be ashamed of them.
three
Not since constructionwrapped had GSG been this eerily quiet. Not a singlewooformeoworsquawkto be heard. No dripping sinks, buzzing clippers, or metal latches clicking. A mere two days after I was shot, and the smells had dulled from a constant prickle in my nose to a faint tingle.
“Stop dragging your bottom lip.” Sloane nudged me through the front door. “This is a good thing, remember? An opportunity to deep clean, do repairs, and get that mural you’ve been wanting.”
“I know, I know.” I couldn’t bring myself to step beyond the entryway. “It’s just depressing.”
“You’ll be compensated by the Walsh clan, like everyone else who’s lost business during the transition.”
That was the rumor circulating, but I hadn’t delved into the details. “You say that with such confidence.”
“I turned in GSG’s tax forms for last year to Liam, who is supposed to hand them over to the accountant. I wanted to make sure you don’t have to live out of pocket until this issue with the Sartoris is settled.” She leaned her head on my shoulder. “You’re also my boss, so…I can’t have you too broke to pay me.”
Thinking of Marigold and the dollar signs in her eyes, I teased, “You’re definitely turning into a Walsh.”
“I’m not mad about it.” She scrunched up her face. “Except the part where Liam can order me around.”
“You could always challenge him for his position.”
“Not sure I could take out a dragon, and even if I could, do I want that kind of responsibility? Nah. It’s more fun hanging out with you.”
“You’re saying cleaning up dog poop is more fun than Liam’s job?”
“More fun than Liam in general, honestly.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Don’t give me that look.” She hit the storage closet for supplies. “You’re the one who was cuddling with Mr. Alpha Giraffe this morning.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, yeah. I saw the illicit snuggling that you tried to hide, but your reflexes weren’t fast enough. That, and Rían clamped his arms over thin air in an obvious attempt to hold on to someone who was no longer there.”
“He did?” I hadn’t noticed that. “Um, I mean, he probably dropped something and tried to catch it.”
“You mean like his betrothed?” She cackled evilly while filling two buckets with cleaning solution. “She was probably slippery from all that hot, wetdishwashingshe was doing.” She tossed a rag at my face. “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I was totally spying on you after I returned from Fayne’s. I had to backtrack and fake my arrival just when things were starting to get good to avoid being caught.”
Pretty sure my cheeks were steaming hotter than the water. “Why am I not surprised?”
“I’m not as bad as Liam. I had to elbow him out of the way to get the prime spot.”
