“Such as?” I prompted, curious now.
“Such as the toilet paper incident.”
Ah. Yes, that had been unfortunate.
The landscaping crew knew the routine, the cleaning staff didn’t need micromanaging, and Mrs. Wentzel ordered everything for the kitchen, but the rest of the duties of running our massive household had fallen by the wayside after Zane had terminated our previous estate manager, Gregory Storms.
“Quite a shitshow, wasn’t it?” Zane smirked.
“We require a quartermaster to…” Seri squinted at her notes. “Conduct proper majestics?”
“Logistics, baby,” Ko rumbled, shoulders twitching again.
“I see.” I nodded once. “And you believe Foster would be suitable for the quartermaster position?”
Her face lit up as she flipped to another page in her notebook. This one featured a stick figure I assumed was Foster since it had a wolf’s head, surrounded by stars and what appeared to be bullet points of qualifications.
“Yes! He’s smart and observant and strong. You’re already friends with him, so that means he’s trustworthy. Plus, he needs a place to stay and—” She stopped herself, taking a deep breath. “I know you might have some objections because he could say no, and you don’t want me to be disappointed.”
Her perceptiveness caught me off guard. She’d read my hesitation perfectly, although she’d phrased it more simply than I would have. I didn’t want her to be denied anything she wished for, but I also couldn’t force Foster to do something he didn’t want to do. I had learned that lesson too well in my own life.
“That’s a fair assessment,” I conceded.
“ButI really think he’ll say yes! And even if he doesn’t, it’s okay to ask. That’s what you three taught me, right? That it’s okay to ask for things I want?”
My heart pinched so painfully, I thought it might crumble to dust. Anatomically impossible, but there it was.
“You’reabsolutelyright, my love.”
“He’s a thirty-old alpha werewolf, moonbeam,” Zane drawled, setting down his empty beer bottle. “Not a Cub Scout earning his hospitality badge.”
“But we could help him!” Seri’s head whipped toward him. “And I want him to be my friend.”
That made us all pause, not out of jealousy, but from the realization that Brummy was as close as she’d ever had to a friend.
“You’ve planned this out carefully, beloved,” Ko said.
“I have!” With a beaming smile, she looked down at her notes. “May I present my formal briefing to Foster?”
“When would you like to do so?” I asked.
“Um, now? If that’s, ah, acceptable to command.”
Command. I nearly broke then, the laugh threatening to escape. Koa coughed to cover his. Zane wasn’t so strong and burst out in peals of giggles, making Seri’s brow wrinkle up. She looked like a puzzled little kitten.
“Quite acceptable. Zane, fetch Foster and meet us in the library.” I raised an eyebrow at him, and Seri squealed as he ducked out of the room. “Show me more, my love.”
She passed me her notebook, and I flipped through it with growing pride at war with increasing concern. She’d created a comprehensive analysis of Foster’s potential role, complete with salary projections, duty schedules, and even vacation allowances. Her thoroughness was both impressive and concerning; how much sleep had she lost putting this together?
“When did you do all of this?” My fingers brushed against her wrist to check her pulse. Slightly accelerated.
“Last night. Just for a few hours after you all fell asleep. I wanted to make sure it was perfect before I showed you.”
I exchanged a glance with Ko, whose lips were tightly pressed together and his eyes as worried as I felt. This was problematic for multiple reasons. One: Seri needed more sleep, not less. Her body was still recovering from the effects of malnutrition and trauma. Two: She still believed she needed to be “perfect” to be worthy of consideration. Three: We didn’t want her out of our bed after we fell asleep. We wanted her safely tucked among us.
But now wasn’t the time for that conversation. She was wriggling with excitement, and I would not extinguish that flame for anything in the world.
“As Ko said, you’ve been thorough. Exceedingly so. I’m proud of you for thinking of Foster and for creating such a detailed plan.”
