Cindy sighed. “There’s no reason not to have her come for a visit. Maybe she’s changed. I certainly have. She might click. We do need a fourth, as you were just saying.” She gestured between Joe and Myra.
Adam snorted. “Why waste anyone’s time? I trust your instincts, and if your instincts said she wasn’t great, then that’s enough for me.”
That warmed her considerably, but still, she didn’t want to be unfair to someone who had never hurt her. “What did she say when she called?” Cindy asked Myra.
“That she’s been watching the thread on the forum and is excited to see that we’re settling in. She said she contacted an old friend who lives out this way and owns that big truck stop by the highway. About twenty minutes from here?” She waited while they all nodded that they knew the place. “She said she found out he needs a new manager, and she told him she might have someone who would work. Asked me if we had any new pack members needing a job that she could recommend.”
“That’s nice,” Cindy said.
Jonas harrumphed. “Sounds to me like she knows she needs to bring something to the table besides her mere presence.”
Cindy frowned. “I don’t know if that’s fair. She probably didn’t even mention me.” She looked questioningly at Myra.
“Well, she said she wanted to check in and see if I thought it would be okay to visit. She didn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.”
“Anyone,” Cindy repeated flatly.
“Yeah, it was pretty clear she meant you, and knows that we’re best friends.”
“Look, she never did anything for me to complain about. I worked in her office for a while, and I didn’t think she made the best decisions. But I was new, didn’t even work there a year. So maybe I just didn’t know enough to understand why she was making the choices she was making.”
“What kinds of choices?” Adam asked.
“She was an insurance broker, and it seemed to me that she was steering her clients towards products that were more about making her the most money than giving them the best of what they needed. Not that what she gave them was bad,” she added quickly. “Just maybe not the best options for their situations. But, again, she knew her business much better than I did. It just squicked me out, so I decided to look for a new job, and that’s when I realized that I didn’t have to stay close to home. I could explore any new city, any new job, that I wanted to.”
Myra frowned. “I assume at least some of her clients were pack members?”
“Yes. I’m still not sure if that made it worse or not. I mean, it’s sucky no matter who the clients are. But she’s hierarchy, so…”
“Seriously, I don’t see any reason to bother with her coming out here,” Adam reiterated.
Cindy was frustrated. While she really appreciated the thought, she absolutely did not want to be responsible for the alpha couple summarily rejecting Brenda’s request to join. Not based solely on the opinion of someone she hadn’t even seen in decades.
“Because if you don’t, she’ll be able to say to anyone who wants to listen that she wasn’t allowed because Cindy doesn’t like her. And Cindy isn’t going to go around telling people why that’s so, which means you’re putting her in an awkward position,” Jonas said.
Myra nodded. “That’s true. If she comes out, we can tell her that we never asked Cindy’s opinion on whether she should be allowed to join the pack.”
“Okay. But seriously, try to keep an open mind. Give her an actual chance,” Cindy said. “And we should find out if Olivia would be interested in the job Brenda mentioned.”
Everyone turned to look at Adam, who sighed. “I’ll tell her about it tomorrow, when I help her move in.”
“Thanks.” Myra gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Cindy, do you want to do a theme for the next party, or should we go plain?”
Cindy gave a huge gasp. “Did you really just ask me that?”
Myra laughed. “Well, you’re still newly mated, and you have your own business, and maybe you’re busy.”
“Uh, yeah, I have my own business, where I need to show theme parties. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. And still find time for my mate.”
Jonas wrapped his arms around her middle. “You better, or I’ll be forced to help you with the party decorations, and I don’t know if that would actually be helpful or harmful.”
“Good plan,” Joe said. “Screw it up badly enough now, and she’ll never ask you for help again.”
“Says the guy without a mate or a girlfriend,” Cindy said, laughing.
“Hey! I just moved here, like, a minute ago. Give a guy a chance.” He glanced at his watch. “Anyone up for a quick run?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Adam said, standing with a laughing Myra still in his arms. He let her slide down his body until her feet found the floor.
