Beer and Brats
It was like I’d blinked and a few weeks had passed. Darryl would be arriving soon, so I wanted the house looking good, but keeping it clean was an uphill battle with Roscoe and Adam simply existing in the same space.
“Damn it, Adam,” I muttered while sweeping, lifting the cushions to find more crumbs while dishes clanked in the kitchen. “No cooking!”
“I’m hungry,” Roscoe said, peeking into the dining area.
“You just ate breakfast.” I lowered the dustpan and swept the rest of the mess away. “It hasn’t even been an hour.”
“It’s second breakfast,” he said with a grin.
“This isn’t the fucking Shire. Darryl is going to be here this afternoon, and I don’t want this place to look like slobs live here.”
“You know what you need?” He held up his new frying pan. “Some French toast.”
“The grocery bill is getting out of control again,” I said, brushing by him to dump the contents of the dustpan into the garbage. “We’re up to five hundred dollars a week now, and that’s on the cheap.”
“Werewolves gotta eat good.” He pulled out the eggs and milk. “We’d make more money if you’d just let me pee on you in front of the camera again.”
“I hate you,” I whispered, placing the broom in the closet. “I saw some farms outside of town. You should look into employment that doesn’t involve torturing me.”
“You—you wantmeto be a farmer?” he asked, his ears lowering. “That’s hard work.”
“See what the other werewolves are doing for work. You can’t just stay in the house eating all the time.”
Roscoe patted his stomach. “I sure can,” he said, skillfully cracking six eggs into a bowl one-handed and whisking with the other.
“What about a restaurant?”
“I’m a walking health code violation, Cody. I can’t be in a commercial kitchen.”
“Then shower more.”
“That’s not what I mean. I got too much fur. It gets in everything.”
“Wear a full-body hairnet.”
Not fully appreciating the joke, his eyes narrowed.
“We live in a town with a bunch of hungry werewolves. You think they care? I bet you can start your own business if you talk to the mayor.”
“That guy hates everyone,” Roscoe said, dropping a pad of butter into the pan. “My ass still has phantom pains.”
“You’re such a baby. You’re like double my size, and I manage.” I hopped up on the countertop, letting my legs dangle over the side. “If there’s one thing I know about Mosavi, it’s that he respects hard-working and motivated werewolves who actually contribute. If you want to get on his good side, show some initiative and ask him what it would take to start a business here. And if all else fails, I could pull some strings with Willa.”
“I dunno,” he said, flipping the bread. “Do we really want to get on the guy’s good side? I still get a bad feeling when I’m around him. Plus, he did get the police on us during Adam’s party.”
Austin walked into the kitchen to refill his coffee mug without saying anything.
“See, Austin’s a grouch, but at least he’s all subby and soft.”
The larger werewolf quietly took a sip of his coffee before punching Roscoe hard in the gut. As the smaller werewolf coughed and sputtered, Austin looked back at me.
“Lawn’s done. Need anything done here?”
“Nah, I think we’re good. Thanks for doing that.”
“Mhmm,” he grunted before taking another sip of coffee and walking out of the kitchen.
