“Ah.” Conleth leaned back in his chair, idly swiveling it from side to side. “You’re talking about Honey.”
“Not necessarily,” Buck said, unwilling to give away too much. Conleth was the sort of person who could put two and two together and come up with four hundred and eighteen, plus an unexpected pineapple. “Look, we both know Zeph pulled that guilt trip bullcrap on me because he thinks my tormented soul will be healed by toasting s’mores over a campfire. What’s theactualsituation? You can’t tell me you don’t have a plan to cover a random counselor breaking their leg.”
“In that specific situation, the plan would be ‘call the friendly unicorn healer who lives up the mountain,’” Conleth said dryly. He toyed with a pen on his desk. “But I take it we’re not talking about that kind of problem.”
“Not even remotely. Do you have a substitute up your sleeve?”
Conleth blew out his breath. “Normally, I’d have a couple of backups on standby, just in case. But I wasn’t exaggerating the lack of applicants this year, Buck. Believe me, if I’d had other options, you wouldn’t be sitting opposite my desk right now. I would rather have put a lukewarm turnip in a camp t-shirt than you.”
“Gee, thanks. I’m touched.”
“Not by me, thank you very much. You’re notmymate, for which I’m sure we both give heartfelt and fervent thanks.” Conleth flipped the pen up, making it dance across his knuckles. “Let me make this very simple, Buck. Do whatever it takes to keep Honey here. We can’t afford to lose her.”
Buck spent a few moments picking his next words carefully. “And what if you found out something that meant you couldn’t afford to keep her?”
Conleth finally went still. His sharp green eyes met Buck’s.
“I would say,” he said at last, equally slowly, “that it would be a good idea if Ididn’tfind that out.”
Buck held the pegasus shifter’s gaze. “Then you’d better find a replacement counselor, Conleth. Fast.”
For a second, Conleth just looked at him. Then his chin dipped in a slight nod.
“I’ll move it to the top of my to do list.” Conleth settled his fingers onto his keyboard again. “The instant I find a woman who is both a shifter and unlikely to actually eat a child, you’ll be the first to know. And Buck, do not let anyone get so much as a breath of all this. Especially not Zephyr. As director, he cannot be seen to tolerate any infractions. If he became aware of an issue among the staff, certain investors would expect him to act swiftly and decisively.”
And we both know he’s a motherloving awful liar,hung unspoken in the air. Buck didn’t need Conleth to spell things out for him. If Zephyr found out that Honey was human, his only chance of staying in Lord Golden’s good graces would be to fire her immediately. Probably Buck too, for keeping the secret.
“I know what Zeph would have to do.” Buck rose. “But in that kind of situation, you’d be able to smooth things over with these certain investors, right? Hypothetically speaking.”
Conleth gave him a look. “I once saved a seven billion dollar deal from falling through when one of the CEOs involved caught his wife performing a very personal merger with the other party. On top of his own desk. I don’t spend my summers here through lack of better options, Buck. But there are limits to even my powers of persuasion. Kindly do not set me up for more of a challenge than necessary.”
“Understood.” As he headed for the door, he couldn’t help asking, “You really wouldn’t take over as counselor? Not even in an emergency?”
Conleth was already typing. “Assuming we’re still talking about Honey, I couldn’t. I lack a certain essential qualification. Namely, being female. Camp rules mean I can’t supervise the girls’ dorm, thankfully.”
“And if I’d come here to tell youIwas leaving? Would you have stepped in then?”
Conleth shot him a tight, thin-lipped smile, fingers never pausing. “Let’s all hope we never find that out.”
* * *
Honey wasn’t in his cabin. Buck looked round the empty space and swore out loud. If she’d lost her nerve, his plan had just gone up in smoke.
Maybe he could still intercept her. Throwing the door open, he strode toward the parking lot. He got all of three steps before a jolt of pain seared through his scar, so fierce and sudden that he lurched sideways.
“Motherlover!” Buck breathed through his teeth, one hand clapped over the burning scar. “All right. Allright. I get the message. No need to yank me around like a damn chew toy.”
The pain eased a little, though it still felt like fangs were set in his skin. He let them drag him along, following the insistent tug. It didn’t take long for him to realize where it was leading him, but the pressure still didn’t let up until he’d actually set foot in Honey’s cabin. Apparently, the damn mutt wasn’t going to trust him an inch.
“The feeling is mutual,” he muttered. He strode into Honey’s room without knocking. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Packing.” Honey pulled photos off her pin board. Her suitcase lay open on her bed, overflowing with unfolded clothes. “I’ve changed my mind. Buck, this is insane.”
“I’m not arguing. But it’s the only solution.” He barred her way as she tried to head for the suitcase. “Look, you can do this. No one’s figured out you aren’t a shifter so far, right?”
“Yes, but I’ve been here less than a day!” Honey attempted to duck around him first one way, then the other. “It’s only sheer blind luck I didn’t give myself away the first time I opened my mouth.”
“Well, you didn’t.” He kept moving to block her, as though they were doing a dance. “So just keep doing what you’ve been doing. You’ll be fine.”
