He clamped down on his animal’s instinctive urge to put a healthy distance between themselves and the angry apex predator. “Let’s just say that we’re running significantly closer to mandatory minimum staffing levels than previously forecasted.”
Leonie bared her teeth, which were starting to look a lot more feline than human. “You’re telling me I have no back-up counselorsagain?”
That wasn’t in fact the case, of course. He’d never put the smooth operation of the camp at risk. The counselors he’d ‘dismissed’ were currently enjoying an unexpected all-expenses-paid extended vacation at the nearest luxury hotel, on the understanding that they could be called back to camp at any moment. But he wasn’t about to reveal that to Leonie.
“It would seem I’m your only option,” he said lightly. “And to forestall your next obvious move, my employment comes with certain conditions. I am only willing to work with Paige, so you can abandon any thought of pairing us up with different co-counselors. Shall we save time and skip to the part where you accept you’re outmaneuvered?”
“We’ll see about that.” Leonie snapped her clipboard under her elbow as if holstering a gun. “Moira, can you take over the first training session? Conleth, Paige, come with me. We’re taking this all the way to the top.”
Paige clenched her jaw, glaring at Conleth’s back as Leonie led them both toward the main office. She couldn’t believe the sheer gall of the man.
She’d thought he was nobly putting his own desires to one side for the sake of her family. She’d feltsorryfor him. And while she’d been wrestling with guilt and regret, he’d been arrangingthis.
Conleth had said a shifter experienced a powerful, overwhelming attraction to their mate. At the moment, she was not inclined to be charitable. He was a grown man, not a little kid like her brother. He should have been able to control his animal instincts.
That two-faced, arrogant, scheming…shifter!
Leonie strode into the office without bothering to knock first. A handsome man with long black hair sat behind the larger desk—the one she’dthoughtwas Conleth’s—his head in his hands. Paige recognized him from her online interview, though she hadn’t met him in person before. This was Zephyr, the camp director and owner.
“My apologies, Leonie.” Zephyr glanced up, rubbing at his eyes. “It’s not a good time. Conleth said he needed me to review these financial accounts as a matter of extreme urgency, but I can’t make head or tail of…”
He trailed off as he noticed Conleth. The director’s gaze skimmed down, then up again, taking in the man’s jeans and staff t-shirt. His only visible reaction was a single blink.
“Zephyr, tell your business partner that this,” Leonie jabbed a finger at the Camp Thunderbird logo on Conleth’s chest, “is not happening.”
“I think first someone needs to tell me what is happening.” Zephyr held up a hand as everyone attempted to speak at once. “One at a time, please. Conleth?”
“First of all, you can stop staring at those figures like a dog trying to decipher cuneiform.” Conleth leaned over the desk to close Zephyr’s laptop. “That spreadsheet is a complete work of fiction. I just needed you safely preoccupied for a couple of hours.”
Zephyr’s eyebrows rose. “You seem to have been busy. Dare I ask why you’re wearing a staff t-shirt?”
“Because when we started this place, you insisted there should be a staff uniform. Which, by the way, I still think is appallingly tacky, not to mention an unnecessary expense.” Conleth brushed a nonexistent crease out of the offending t-shirt. “But I accept that as owner, you must sometimes be indulged in the occasional whim. In any event, counselors wear staff t-shirts. Therefore, I am wearing a staff t-shirt. I’m stepping in to fill a last-minute vacancy.”
“That you created!” Leonie exploded.
“Ah.” Zephyr leaned back in his chair, expression neutral. Paige couldn’t guess what might be going on behind his dark eyes. “I believe I am beginning to understand the situation here.”
“Thesituationis that Conleth thinks he can steamroller his way to happy-ever-after without caring in the slightest who gets crushed in the process.” Leonie slapped her clipboard onto Zephyr’s desk with an emphaticbang.“You know what this is, Zephyr?”
The director regarded it. “A clipboard?”
“Hopes and dreams.” Leonie pointed at her files. “The most important thing we do here is make sure every child has counselors who can best support and nurture them over the summer. I spendmonthsmatching campers to mentors that they’ll be able to respect and trust, and I make sure all my staff appreciate that responsibility. Every counselor is here because they genuinely care about the kids. Not out of some bone-headed attempt to win their mate!”
“I object to this description of my motives,” Conleth said. “And also, ‘bone-headed.’”
“Fine,” Leonie snapped. “Statement withdrawn. On further reflection, the body part that’s doing your thinking for you is definitely not your head.”
Zephyr appeared unruffled by the sniping. “I’d like to hear from Paige now, please.”
Paige’s mouth went dry as Zephyr’s gaze fell on her. On video chat, he’d come across as a soft-spoken, quiet sort of man. In person, he had a presence far beyond the physical. It was like attracting the attention of Thunder Mountain itself.
“I can’t work with Conleth,” she said. There were a lot of reasons for that, but she went for the one everyone would understand. “Archie would pitch a fit.”
Zephyr steepled his fingers. “I’m aware that Archie has, shall we say, strong opinions about Conleth.”
“Don’t we all,” Leonie muttered.
“There’s no need to worry about Archie,” Conleth said, with what Paige felt was far too much confidence. “I have a plan to handle that particular issue. He’s not a problem.”
