How quickly he twisted words when he was angry. I pinched the bridge of my nose and breathed in deeply. “Damn it, Fletcher, would you just listen?”
“Listen to what?” he snapped. “You took a chance on me when I was homeless and alone. I had nothing. Sky has nothing.”
“He has shelter and food. He can get a job elsewhere. Don’t compare apples to oranges,” I replied as calmly as I could.
“He reminds me of me. I want to help him. Why won’t you let me help him?”
Something inside of me snapped. I leapt to my feet, looming over my mate as I roared, “BECAUSE I’M TRYING TO PROTECT YOU!”
Fletcher flinched back, his eyes flashing wide in surprise. We were face to face now, but I didn’t stop.
“Don’t you get it?” I uttered. “Gracie says he’s a wild card, that he could snap at any moment, and all I can think about is Tank. I can’t lose you again, Fletcher. I refuse. If he flips out and attacks you…”
Fletcher’s green eyes softened. He reached out and gently touched my face, stroking my cheekbone with the backs of his knuckles.
“I understand, but I really don’t think he will,” he murmured. “He’s misunderstood and sure, he probably needs therapy, but he doesn’t seem like a killer to me. Can we at least try? If he shows a single hint of being unhinged, I’ll be the one to fire him. Please? Let me do this for him.”
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. Held it. Let it out slowly. I could tell my mate so desperately wanted this. It was personal.
So I relented. “Okay. We’ll try, but one tiny hint of insanity and he’s gone.”
Fletcher’s smile brightened the storm clouds threatening to shroud my heart in clamor. “Thank you.” He threw his arms around my chest and hugged me tightly. “We’ll keep a close eye on him. I really do think he just needs a friend.”
I had to bite back my growl.Yeah, but who says it has to be you?Instead, I said, “Yeah. Maybe.”
But there was one thing for certain: If Sky DuPree fucked with my mate, I would be the last thing he ever saw.
62
FLETCHER
We hiredSky on as a dishwasher.
His first day, I showed him around the restaurant and introduced him to his new coworkers, then went over the general basics of his job.
“It’s simple,” I said, taking him back behind the kitchen. “First sink is the wash sink. The green button is your detergent. Middle sink is where you’ll rinse everything, then the third sink is sanitation—pink button, right there. The water gets super hot, so you’ll need to run it ahead of time and let it cool enough that you can handle it.”
Sky looked uncertain. “Um. Okay.”
“Dishes come back here on a rolling cart, and you and someone else—probably Josie, she’s a sweetheart—will be working together to get everything washed, sanitized, dried and back to the kitchen for the next group of customers. Then, at the end of the day, after Bixby’s closes, everything gets washed and wiped down, the sinks cleaned out. That sort of thing.”
“Everyone has a checklist to complete, but if you see someone needs help, help them out if you can,” I said, then gestured him over to the small tablet secured to the wall. “You’llclock in and out each day over here, so we can make sure you’re getting paid. I’ll give you a clock-in number before you leave today. Blah-blah, I know. Are you overwhelmed yet? I know it’s a lot to take in.”
Sky blushed, the tips of his ears turning pink. “Yeah. A little. It’s more complicated than I thought. Plus I’ve never actually had a job before.”
“You’ll do fine,” I assured him. “If you need help, just come find me and I’ll be right there. Consider me your guide dog.” I winked. “Or cat. Whatever.”
Sky laughed, but glanced towards the doorway and quickly sobered. His eyes dropped to the floor at our feet. I followed where his gaze had gone, but there was no one standing there.
Weird…
I frowned. “What?”
“Um, nothing.”
“No, really. What?”
“The tall Alpha…” He worried his bottom lip between his teeth, but wouldn’t look me in the eye. “Your partner? Has been staring daggers at me since I got here. Are you sure it’s okay that I work at Bixby’s? I don’t want to cause trouble…”
