“And you don’t have any others in the flash portfolio.”
I shrugged and set my book down. “Greta, look, it’s private, but since you are never going to let this go, I made it for my mate.”
“You’ve met your mate?” She jumped up from the chair. “That’s incredible. But this bear has been there for a while. You’ve known them this long and things aren’t progressing?”
What about private did she not get?
“No, I haven’t met them, and I’m starting to think I won’t. Happy?” Because I sure as hell wasn’t.
She sobered instantly and sat down again, patting my knee. “Oh, little brother, I’m so sorry. I never thought about you feeling this way. You’re so good-looking and smart and you make a great living. Who wouldn’t want an alpha bear like you for their mate? I see how the omegas eye you. You could have any of them.”
“And before you met my brother, you could have had your pick of mates as well. Why didn’t you just let the first one that you saw mate and mark you?”
“Fair.” She picked up her coffee and took a long drink. “Oh, that’s better. Now, my brain cells are coming to life. Your brother is my fated. I adore him and nobody else would do.”
“I feel so much better now. All alone over here?” And my lovely morning was starting to drip into misery. “Can we talk about something else now? Who is my next client?”
She waved her hand. “No idea, and I’m not letting this go. Now that I know your worry, we need to fix it. And just keeping that flash in the book is clearly not making things happen. Either he isn’t coming, or you need to help Fate along.”
Before I knew what she was up to, she grabbed the book, took out the bear flash, and put it in a capsule. “This is going in the machine. And we’ll see what happens.”
The machine…random flashes that a customer could pick out. Anyone could get it, or it could stay in the machine for years. Whatever. If my mate ever did come, I’d make a better one.
Chapter Two
Altan
Yesterday sucked.
Work sucked.
Everything sucked.
Today wasn’t looking much better.
I didn’t love my job on a good day, but who did? It was fine, I guessed. I could pay my bills and still have fun money, and the health insurance was solid. I could deal with it not being my life’s passion. Most days, anyway.
But after today, when my boss decided, without any input from me, that I needed to go on a business trip? Screw that. And it wasn’t a little trip. Nope, it would be two full weeks and all because Bob, my former mentee, decided to freaking quit the Friday before he was supposed to leave.
There was nothing I hated more than being away from home. I was a homebody through and through. Sure, I could have fun at the club. But when it came time to go to bed, I wanted my own pillow and my cat, not a hotel room with loud people, poor air quality, and no decent place to sit.
Now, I had two days to figure out what to do with my cat, Bunny Foo-Foo, plan what to bring, and get it washed and ready, and, most challenging of all, mentally prepare myself for the fiasco that lay ahead. I was not even good at travel.
After spending the early part of the afternoon in the laundromat fighting for open machines and listening to people’s phones because apparently EarPods were not needed in public anymore, I threw everything I owned that appeared halfway professional into my largest suitcase.
“Good enough.” I picked up Bunny Foo-Foo. “If I need to buy more there, I’m expensing that shit because this isunacceptable.” One of the many reasons I loved my fur baby was that she was really independent but always seemed to know when I needed a good vent and was there for me.
Bunny Foo-Foo was the most stressful part of this trip. None of the people I reached out to cat sit were available. I was picky. I knew this. But she deserved only the best, and I was trying to avoid boarding at my vet if at all possible. Finally, I sucked it up and asked the one person I knew who would say yes, even when it was super inconvenient, Brent. Once upon a time, we were roommates, but his job on the other side of the city made the commute too long. I was going to owe him big-time.
Hey, I have a favor to ask you.
I had barely hit send when Brent called back. “And what is that favor? Does it involve a sexy alpha you want me to date?” Brent talked big but was super shy when it came to actual dating.
“Can you be serious for a second?” I told him the entire story. “So please, please, please, can you take care of Bunny Foo-Foo for me?”
“First of all, that is the worst name for a cat ever.” He’d been saying that since the day I picked her up at the shelter. He wasn’t completely wrong, but it was the name she came with, and I felt bad changing it. “Second of all, of course I will. But I’m probably going to stay at your place because I don’t want to deal with the extra commute of going back and forth on top of getting to work.”
“Done. I’ll even have a grocery delivery of your favorite foods here before I leave. And, to sweeten the deal, I’ll take you out tonight.”
