They have this camera set up so people can keep an eye on the cubs and mom all the time. They’d done it for the local schools, but now everyone is pulling it up to watch. With them having two black cubs, it might break the Internet. They both laughed. I was going to ask you to go with me, but I figured with you having a mate now, you’d be too busy.
I would have gone too. Piper is working on a code for a business. She’s already gone to the company and told them about their Internet use. I think she told me more than half the time spent on the computers is not work related. She’s going to have to cut that in half. Kylan asked him why he seemed like she didn’t want to do it. The company shows a great deal of profit. The work that comes from their employees is great. She’s afraid if they can’t fool around on the computer when they want, that production will go down, and people won’t be as gung ho about working for some kind of fun sucker.
She might be right. I know a few people that work from home. They also have their games set up so that when they want, they can just pop over and play a round of poker or something along those lines. Terry told me he’s getting far more work done in a day because he has an outlet when he needs a break. I guess when he was working in an office, like this company, they took his fun away. Their profit margin dropped by several points the very next day. Fisher said he’d tell Piper that when she came back in. How’s it working out with the queen? I have to tell you; I might well have been the same way about it being a dream. Someone might have mentioned that to you when you got the position.
It’s all right. We’ve had to go there once more, but not to defend the castle. Aurora gifted us some gems to have broken down and sold off. Kylan asked him what his plans for the gems were. We’ve started this huge undertaking, giving care packages to some of the people in prison. It’s not much, not really, but the first bunch we sent out were well received. It’s a couple of books and some sweets. Also some socks and a voucher for the commissary. I think it’s about twenty bucks. Enough, I was told, to get them a few things they might want. It’s something Piper is very focused on, and it’s been a great deal of fun for the faeries. They’re loading the boxes with the things we get in. She and Dad are working on some ways to get some donations of things.
Sounds like she’s getting some things done. How do you feel about this? Fisher laughed. You miss her, don’t you? I can tell by your tone that you miss the hell out of having her all to yourself.
That’s it exactly. But I also know this is going to help a great many people. They’ve done wrong, don’t get me wrong about that. However, I also think that sometimes just having a little something like a candy bar can make your day go from shitty to not so bad. And in prison, I would imagine every day is shitty. Kylan agreed with him. If you get home in time, come over for dinner. I don’t have a clue what we’re having, but it’ll be fun having you around. You can tell Piper about the newborns. You have pictures, I’m betting.
I do, as a matter of fact. Also, she can watch them grow on the Internet. They were both laughing. I’m wide awake now, so I think I’ll see about coming home now. Sleeping in my own bed sounds a lot better than staying here for no other reason.
Kylan was home by eight-thirty and went to his bed. Falling onto it, he didn’t even bother with blankets or the pillow. Willing his clothing away, Kylan was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
~*~
Benson waited for someone to let him into his home. He’d been doing a great deal of soul searching the last few days, mostly about himself and what a monumental prick he was. There wasn’t any doubt about it either. Working for him must have been a nightmare. Even doing business with him hadn’t been any better, he’d bet.
“Sir?” He told Billy, their butler, that Denise had asked him to come over. “Yes sir, she told us, but you’re not wearing a suit?”
“I’m not.” Benson laughed a little bit. “I guess I never realized how uncomfortable I’d been all these years. I enjoy this new look for me. What do you think?”
“You look relaxed.” Billy flushed a bright red. “I’m sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have said that. It was unprofessional of me.”
“It was honest, and I’m happy to hear it. Thank you.” He came into the house and noticed that Denise had been busy. “She’s keeping you on your toes, I can see. It looks lovely. As it usually does when she’s finished up.
The house got a total overhaul, she called it, twice a year. Framed artwork was taken down, and the walls were given a good scrubbing. The paper or paint would be replaced then too if it needed it. The house smelled like Murphy’s Oil Soap and Windex.
Benson was taken to the library and asked if he wanted anything to drink. He did, a large bottle of whiskey, but he’d given up on trying to drink away his depression a couple of days ago. He’d been sleeping better since then. Telling Billy he’d like a glass of tea, the man went to get it for him. Benson, too nervous to sit, walked around the room looking at things he knew had been in the room for decades, but he’d not noticed before.
“You’ve no idea how many times I’ve wanted to trash that ugly thing since your mother gave it to us for our first anniversary. How are you, Benny?” He kissed his wife on the cheek and sat when she did. “I wanted to talk to you about a few things. Mostly, I wanted to see if you’d like to come back home. I think—no, I know that I might have flown off the handle just a little too quickly.”
“You didn’t. You were right about me being a screw up.” She looked as surprised as he’d been when he came to realize the same thing. “I want to come back. I miss you. But I don’t want to run the company. Not alone. I think you’d be better at the job than I ever was.”
“That is certainly nothing I thought you’d say.” He nodded and pulled out his notes. “You’ve written things down? My goodness, Benny, what has happened to you?”
“Something that should have happened to me decades ago. I’ve also had a long conversation with the programmer that I screwed around with. She’s been more than generous with taking our company back.” Denise told him she’d spoken to her as well. “Good. Her name eludes me right now, but her programs were top notch. We, or you, should have them in all the businesses that your family owned.” Denise told him her name. “That’s right. Piper. I’ve spoken to her several times, as a matter of fact. I’ve gone over some of the things I began to notice that should be changed. Only after making a complete fool of myself trying to hardball her. She’s a stubborn little thing.”
Denise laughed. “She is at that. When I told her that you and I were going to talk, she told me I’d better have a damned good reason for not allowing you back in the company. Apparently, she’s been hearing about the things you’ve been doing. Piper told me you were talking to other companies about getting their security checked.” He said he was careful not to name any one company when doing that. “I heard that. I don’t know why you’d not mention her company since you think it lived up to what you wanted it to do. But she told me you’d been very busy.”
“If she heard what I was doing, I didn’t want her to think I was only doing it because I wanted to get back in her good graces.” He laughed then. “Not that I think it would have worked. She isn’t one to pull any punches when she thinks you’re a screw up. I don’t think she was always that way.”
“No. I remember talking to her when the program was being designed. She was so timid sounding. Like she was afraid of her own shadow. Now she’s a ballbuster, making sure the people she works with are on top of things.” Benson nodded. “I do want you to come home. I’ve discovered I miss fussing at you. And as I said before, I think I was too harsh when the entire thing with the business started to fall apart.”
“You were right, Denise. I was a bastard. I know I was to a great many people.” He opened his list up. “These are some of the people I’m going to make amends to. As soon as I’m able. They’re mostly people in the trade that we dealt w
ith that I was rude to. I can’t believe I ever thought that was a good way to run a business.”
“I’ve been paying off some of the debts we owe, but I’m having trouble with that. I don’t think people are going to be as open armed with us as they might have been before. We’re both going to have to work on that, I think.” She smiled at him. “I might have lost my temper a time or two myself. People will take a mile if you give them an inch. I’m not very good at hearing how badly you might have treated people. I wanted to tell them to just shut the hell up and take the damned money. Finally, I had to have someone else do it for me. It was just too much to think about all the time.”
“If I’d been doing my job correctly all along, you wouldn’t have been put in that position at all. I’m not saying I was wrong about everything I did, but pretty close if you want to know the truth. I had a wonderful profitable company, and I nearly ruined it all by being an asshole. I’m still working on becoming a better man. Not just for the company, but for you as well.” Denise took his hand into hers. “Denise, I’d like to start anew with you too. We need to do things together again. Go out and enjoy a nice meal someplace. I’ve been keeping up with Piper on a couple of things too. Did you know she’s putting together care boxes for the men and women in prison? I think we could do something like that, but with the children going to school. Supplies that they might not be able to get. Things for the teachers’ rooms as well. Then there is the homeless shelter. I spent a few hours there just yesterday morning, handing out food and making sure there are enough things to go around.”
“I can’t imagine you being in a soup kitchen, Benny. Whatever will the neighbors say?” He told her what he should say to them. “Yes, well, that might be a good idea, in theory, to make them come help, but I doubt Mr. Graves is going to be doing anyone any good if he gets there and has a stroke. The man is ninety-five years old. Oh, to be in that good of shape when I reach his age.”
“What are you talking about? You’re beautiful right now. You’re only going to be more beautiful as you grow old with me.” Denise thanked him. “I do want to be more of a help to the community rather than someone that takes advantage of things. I’ve been sitting on my lazy bum all my life. I want to make a difference in some lives, damn it.”
They talked for the next couple of hours. Benson had forgotten what a great sense of humor Denise had. It was also very sharp. They talked about trips they’d never taken. The things they wanted to do for the town. He even convinced her to have a company Christmas party this year with all the employees. It would mean shutting down their company for a whole day, but he thought in the long run, it would be well worth it.
Billy asked if he was staying for dinner, and Benson turned to Denise. He would not assume anything with her anymore. Had he listened to her from the first, he would have been a better man than he was now. Benson had learned a great deal with his walks through the town, as well as a few places he might not have ever thought of going before all this happened.
“He’ll be moving back in with us, Billy. What do you think of that?” Billy smiled and asked if he was ready to get rid of all his suits. “Suits? Yes, I think that’s a splendid idea. Not all of them, but most. We both need to be more approachable, too, I think. Let people see us as people they can come too.”
Getting rid of his suits was only the first step in making them more approachable. Benson had worn a suit to the soup shelter and had not one person come up and ask him for a thing. But when he’d worn his jeans and a T-shirt, people would talk to him about most anything. Granted, some of it wasn’t anything he wanted to know about a person, but it was nice knowing the clothing he wore made a difference right away in how he was treated. Also, how he treated others.
“I’ve discovered things about myself, Denise. Not all of it was bad, as I’m sure you’re thinking.” She laughed and shook her head. “I’m not as impatient as I was only a week ago. I’m taking time to smell the roses, so to speak. I’ve been listening to people rather than trying to find a way to rid myself of them. Did you know there are many ways to fix a pair of shoes so that you can get at least another year out of them? Yes, I can tell you that I could afford new ones, but I was told I needed to make a smaller footprint in the world. I’m ashamed to say I had to go and look that up after I was lectured about it. And he was right. I think we all need to make a smaller print of ourselves in this old world. It is the only one we have.”
Benson also thought about the little creature that had come to see him in his hotel room. A little person by the name of Toby. It did, admittedly, take him an entire day to figure out he wasn’t having a stroke or something. However, once the little man started telling him things he could do for all the world, Benson realized he was right.
On his list was making a park in the middle of the town square, a place for flowers to grow. Some benches so that people could sit and admire them. Benson was going to do his best to bring more jobs to town. To make sure that once the people started working again, there were places for them to go and do local shopping. His head was swimming with all the things he wanted to do. Not for himself this time, but for the entire world.
Toby pointed out to him over and over, you only have one life to live. And how you lived it and died by it would determine how you were remembered.
“Do you want people to say, ‘There goes Mr. Alexander, the cheapest bastard that ever lived’? Or do you want them to go, ‘Sure gonna miss that old geezer. He sure could throw a great party.’” Benson then admitted that he didn’t have the slightest clue how to even throw a party. That was when Toby told him he’d be right there with him. All the time. Then when the time was right, Toby would introduce his wife to her faerie.
Toby had all sorts of odd sayings too. But his favorite one was Man is not measured by the size of his suit, but his willingness to get it dirty for someone else. Benson was going to get this put on a hat or something. It was going to be his mantra for the rest of his life.
Chapter 10
Collier was ready to jump into the seat as soon as Emmie was finished backing it into the slot. He knew this was deceptive, but there wasn’t any other way for him to make any money than to tweak the system once in a while. Not cheat. He’d never cheat someone, but he would tweak things so he could feed his family. What little there was of it.
“Okay, Dad. You’re there.” Emmie moved to the back of the truck and sat quietly on the bed. She and her little girl, Olivia, were depending on him to make this work. It had been a long time since he’d been a trucker. Even longer since he’d tweaked the system. “Just be calm.”
Calm? Collier hadn’t been calm in decades. Emmie and Olivia had moved in with him. They’d had to, as his little world had taken such a brutal hit that he’d nearly not made it out on the sunshine side. He looked down at the picture near the speedometer and had to smile.
There wasn’t anything like having a granddaughter. Olivia would only need to put her hand on his shoulder, and he’d know things would be all right. At fourteen, she was now the exact age as her mother when she had gotten pregnant with her. That, too, had nearly killed him.
His little girl being kidnapped and raped had been what started him on the downward spiral of feeling like a failure. Not only that, but he’d been unable to cope with important things anymore. Nor the little things. As he sat there at the wheel of the semi, he gave himself a moment to reflect while the back end of his truck was being loaded.
Collier was a drunk. His morning meal had been a glass—not a shot, but a full water glass—of whatever booze had been at hand. Then he’d go out into the barn, a place filled with so many familiar smells that he’d sit out there drinking again until he was called into dinner. After he’d had his fill of whatever was on the table, he’d drink until he was too drunk to climb the stairs. Until one horrific night when his wife had fallen down the stairs and died.
He’d been no more than five inch
es from her body when he’d stumbled out of his chair that next morning and found her. Not understanding or even sober enough to know what to do, he spent most of the morning trying to wake her. It wasn’t until Emmie came down from her room, a little tyke back then, that the police were called by her. By then, of course, the die was set.
Emmie wouldn’t speak to him for weeks after. She had placed the blame of her mother being gone squarely where it belonged—right on his head. It occurred to him several days later that in his effort to get his only child to speak to him, at ten, she was already a stubborn force to contend with. He’d not had a single drink. When he went to look for just a sip, as he told himself, every bottle he located had been emptied. Emmie had done that.
“You take another drink, and I’ll leave you.” He pointed out that she was a child. “I’m more of an adult than you are, Dad. Momma taught me how to take care of things. I’m smart, but I’m also gonna be mean. You drink even one more drink, and I’ll run away, and you’ll die here all alone. Is that what you want?”
“No. But I need it.” She had a suitcase packed already, and picked it up and went to the door. “You’re not being fair, Emmie. I just lost my wife.”
“And I lost my mom. The only person in this house that cared enough to get up in the morning and make sure I had food in my belly. You’re not going to be able to do that with you drinking all the time.” He didn’t like the way she was speaking to him, but knew to point that out would have her out the door before he could get to her. Collier asked her to be fair. “Fair would have been for you to have fallen down the stairs and broken your neck, Dad. Mom, at least, could cook. You’re a drunk. I can’t be keeping you from falling too if I’m to go to school so I can be someone you and Mom can be proud of.”
Fisher: Prince of Tigers – Paranormal Tiger Shifter Romance Page 13