by Robin Roseau
I’d also seen my share of enforcers who thought they were god’s gift to females. Eric and Rory both could have gone there, and when I’d seen Eric in New Orleans, I was sure that was the case. But seeing them now, I thought perhaps I was mistaken. So I wasn’t sure what to believe.
Karen I couldn’t read. She seemed calmly professional, and I wondered if she ever let her hair down.
But there was another pattern: ex-military. And Karen was clearly ex-military. Looking around, I couldn’t be sure about the others. I would have pegged Portia as military as well, but watching her with her family, I wasn’t sure. None of the ex-military wolves I’d ever met would have allowed for these roller coaster rides that Zoe accepted from the teenagers. I didn’t know what to make of that. Perhaps she was simply better at hiding her gritted teeth.
But looking at Karen, I decided a few things. She must have been exceedingly good. She acted like she had nothing to prove, which probably meant she didn’t. I decided I liked that.
“Where did you serve?”
“It shows?” Karen asked. “Army ranger.”
“Did I offend you?”
“Of course not. I’m proud of my service. Now, I’m prouder of my service to the pack. But I’m proud of my life BM.”
“BM?”
“Before Madison,” she said. “BM I held the sort of jobs I can’t much talk about. And I imagine you know what life as a pack enforcer is like. So, what do you do?”
“Business,” I replied.
“Well, that’s awfully open ended,” she replied.
“Ah, I suppose it is. I’m a sort of consultant.”
“A sort of consultant,” she echoed. “What does that mean?”
“It’s boring,” I replied.
It turned out, that was the wrong response. Karen turned her focus back on her meal, and I was left to my own thoughts. But then I looked around, and Michaela was watching me. As soon as she was sure she had my attention, she pointedly frowned. But then she shifted her gaze and lifted her voice.
“Scarlett,” she called out.
Scarlett and Angel were clear at the other end of the table, talking quietly with Joanna and Anika. Scarlett lifted her head and turned to face Michaela. Conversation along the rest of the table stilled, and just like that, Michaela had the attention of everyone in the room.
“The other day you told me about a recent client. The difficult one.”
“That’s my boss’s client,” she said. “Well, they’re all difficult. But I know which one you mean.”
“Why don’t you tell us about it?” Michaela prompted.
“It’s no big deal. We’re designing a new house. The wife wants radiant floor heating. The husband doesn’t.”
“Why don’t you tell us about the advantages and then explain why the husband is resistant?”
Scarlett looked down for a moment, then lifted her eyes and looked around the table pointedly. “We could talk about it later, Michaela,” she said, although it didn’t sound like she believed her alpha was going to let her off the hook that easily.
“I’m sure everyone here will find it fascinating,” Michaela said earnestly.
Angel snorted, and Scarlett looked uncomfortable. “Do I have to?” she asked, and right for that moment, she sounded like a teenage girl, even though she must have been well into her twenties by now.
“Surely you aren’t suggesting I wouldn’t understand,” Michaela said.
“Of course not,” Scarlett said. And for the third time, she looked around the room. “But most people find it kind of boring.”
Karen hadn’t been paying that close of attention, but at that she snapped her attention to Scarlett.
But when I looked, Michaela was watching Karen and me. Oh, she wasn’t as subtle as she thought, I decided.
“So it’s not that you don’t think I’ll have difficulty understanding,” Michaela said. “After all, I taught you the basic science involved, although you’ve certainly surpassed me by now.”
“Michaela,” Scarlett whined.
“It’s that you don’t think anyone else here could understand.”
“Alpha,” Scarlett said clearly. “I never said that.” She huffed. “Fine.” And then she began to explain what radiant floor heating was, and then the advantages. She’d been talking for a minute or two before she broke off. “Michaela, I can see their eyes glazing over from here. If one in five people here cares, I’d be surprised.”
I was surprised, but not by the people who didn’t care, but that Scarlett would actually argue with her alpha. But Michaela nodded.
“Maybe you’re right, Scarlett,” she said gently. “Maybe we can talk later.”
“Of course, Alpha,” Scarlett said. Then she watched the fox until Michaela turned her gaze back to Carissa. I watched as she turned to her mate, and the two talked quietly. Angel shrugged, and it appeared their conversation continued in another direction.
I wasn’t the only one watching Scarlett. Beside me, Karen stared at her for at least as long as I did, then she turned her head to look at Michaela. Finally she turned to me. “Michaela just schooled me.” She inclined her head for a moment. “I thought you were calling me stupid.”
I stared at her for a few heartbeats then turned to look down the table at Michaela. The fox was watching me and offered a small smile before turning back to Carissa again.
I turned back to Karen. “I’m accustomed to the reaction Scarlett was anticipating,” I said. “Although it could be worse. I could be an engineer.”
Karen offered a brief smile. “I’m not sure I’m ready for a lot of details, but I wouldn’t mind hearing more than ‘sort of a consultant’.”
I nodded. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have cut off your questions so quickly. It started when I was in college. I’m the first from my extended family to attend a school more challenging than the local community college or trade school. One of my aunts and one of my cousins have degrees in bookkeeping. Do you see?”
“Sure.”
“So I didn’t just go to college. I went to Harvard.”
“An entirely different world.”
“Right. At first, everyone told me all the worst things, about how it was ridiculous, what did I need a degree for, why was I going so far. You can imagine.”
“I suppose.”
“But then, oh, sometime well before I finished my undergraduate, the tone began to change, a little at a time. At first, people asked what I was learning. And then, slowly, they began asking me about it. They were really basic questions. What is the difference between being a stockholder and being a shareholder, for instance.”
“There’s a difference?”
“No. Well, not when talking about ownership of a company.”
“It never would have occurred to me to ask, although I don’t really pay much attention to these things.”
“Tell me. Do you have a retirement account?”
“Yes.”
“Do you mind if I ask about it?”
“Are you going to ask how much I have?”
“No. Just the nature of your investments.”
“Oh. I’ve always used the retirement plan my employer set up, and I roll things forward from one to the next as I change jobs.”
“So the pack has a 401k for you?”
“Technically I work for Burns Protection Services,” she replied. “But yes. It’s a 401k.”
“And you know what that is?’
“Yes.”
“Well, my family didn’t. They were putting their money in the bank or at times, investing in companies that sounded good.”
Karen frowned. “That’s not sound investing.”
“No, it’s not. So I began to receive questions about things like that, but really basic questions, like what’s the difference between a retirement account and a savings account.”
“Oh, my,” she said.
“Over winter break one year, one of my uncles asked me about a particular company. I did
n’t know much about them, but he was all gung ho to invest. I asked for a day to look into it.”
“And?”
“I advised him not to invest.”
“And?”
“And he ignored me.”
“And?”
“And he wishes he hadn’t.”
Karen laughed.
“The thing is, everyone in the family knew all about it. My uncle was embarrassed, but they began asking me harder questions and actually asking for advice.”
“So you’re a personal consultant to your family?”
“Well, sure, but I do that for free. Family.”
“Right.”
“But when they began asking for basic business advice, my uncle-“
“The same uncle?”
“Yep. He told me it’s one thing to help family on personal matters, but when it’s business, to treat it like business.”
“Ah.”
“For a few years, I lived by helping out that way while also filling in on the swamp tours and such.”
“After your Harvard business degree.”
“I was figuring out what I wanted to do. And then Carissa asked my advice one day.”
“Ah ha.”
“So. I’m a consultant. Carissa has me float between her businesses so I see what they’re doing, and she asks me to watch for opportunities for her. I do that for a few other people in New Orleans, and I do my own investing. And I’ve set up and manage retirement plans for my extended family. That doesn’t take much attention, as they use one of Carissa’s businesses for the bookkeeping, and I have them invest in several mutual funds, the same ones I use for myself. Technically it’s Carissa’s firm that is overseeing it, but I still watch over it.”
“Got it. I think I understand now.”
“It’s a lot of problem solving,” I continued. “And a lot of it is pretty boring, even to me, but that’s the cost of business.”
“I’ve never really paid that much attention,” Karen said. “Michaela says I can’t help but learn through osmosis, but so far, what I overhear at one of Lara’s meetings is in one ear and out the other, unless it’s about pack security.” She paused. “I shouldn’t have been offended when you told me it would be boring.”
“See? Bored already.”
“I’m not,” she said. “But I bet you and Elisabeth could have much longer conversations. She and Lara both attended Harvard, too.”
At that, I set a hand on her arm. “We can always talk about other things.”
I couldn’t tell if she noticed my hand or not, or the implied overture. Wolves are awfully casual about touch. I’d noticed that in the past. Cats weren’t so casual, except with those closest to us. If I’d touched a cat I barely knew the way I was touching Karen, she would have understood the offer in an instant.
If Karen noticed, I don’t know.
“What would you like to talk about? I can tell you about Bayfield, if you like.”
* * * *
Monique stepped up to my side a half hour later. I was standing at the windows, watching the goings on, as people negotiated the afternoon activities.
“Ah. You’re back on duty,” I observed.
She nodded and then turned sideways to me so we were both facing into the room. Then we stood quietly for a minute or two before she said, “Ms. Delacroix, could I ask you something?”
“Possibly,” I said. “Will you answer a few of my questions first?”
“Of course.”
“You and Ember appear to be of similar ages.”
“I’m a year older. I’m a sophomore and Ember is a freshman.”
“So you don’t know each other very well.”
“That’s not true. We’re dating. And Cassie. We kind of alternate.”
“Oh,” I said. “So you know her quite well, and that means you know her parents.”
“Zoe and Portia. Yeah. Portia is really cool, and Zoe is amazing.”
“So you call them Zoe and Portia, not Ms. This or Ms. That.”
“Fleming,” Monique replied. Then she shifted so she was facing me more fully, although I continued to look into the room. I wondered if she’d ask, but she said nothing further.
“I was asking,” I said, my tone lower, “because I didn’t know how things were here. But if I ask you to call me Anna, I do not believe I am breaking pack protocol, am I?”
“No,” she said slowly. “But I’m on duty.”
“You’re not on guard duty, though. You’re on guide duty. Right?’
“I suppose.”
“And if you weren’t on duty?”
“Then if you want me to call you Anna, I can.”
“And if you’re on guide duty, can you call me Anna?”
“I suppose,” she said carefully. “Sure. Anna.”
I turned to smile at her. “What did you want to ask me, Monique?”
“Is this all strange to you?” she asked me. “I mean. Um.”
“Being surrounded by werewolves?”
“Yeah.” She looked me up and down. “When Zoe first came here, she was terrified of us.”
“She’s human.”
“Yeah, but...”
“Right,” I said. “Thirty or so dominant wolves. One vampire and one cat. But I know something that Zoe didn’t know.”
“What’s that?”
“That I’m safe here.”
“It could still seem strange, even if you’re not afraid.”
“I suppose. This isn’t my first experience with werewolves, though.” I smiled. “I like making friends.”
“I like making friends, too,” Monique said. “I’m not very good at it.”
“I find that declaration surprising.”
“It’s true,” she said. “Has anyone ever told you that you have the most amazing voice?”
I laughed. “Once or twice.”
“I suppose in New Orleans, everyone sounds like you do. Well, Carissa doesn’t, but Anika and Joanna do. Well, not just like you.” She began to blush. “I’m babbling.”
“Carissa is not originally from New Orleans, although she is quite able to sound like it, when she wants. But you’re right. In New Orleans, most people carry this accent, although not necessarily in this timbre. And when I said I’d had my voice complimented once or twice, I was perhaps understating the frequency. I lived in Boston for several years, after all.”
“Oh, I’ve heard a Boston accent,” she said. She made a face.
I smiled. This girl was such an open book, but I found her endearing at the same time. I was beginning to understand why Elisabeth put such trust in her.
Then I gestured. “Are they offering rides?” I saw the teenagers clustered around Anika and Joanna, and then Zoe stepped over, joining the conversation.
“It looks like it,” Monique said. “Do you think they’ll accept?”
“I wouldn’t try to guess. But if they go, I wouldn’t mind running along, if I wouldn’t make anyone nervous.”
“Because you’re a jaguar? Naw. It’s cool. Oh, it looks like Anika got scared off.” Anika had stepped away from the group and was heading back towards the bedrooms.
“Or she’s running to get coats,” I pointed out. “Let’s move closer.” I got us moving, and we edged around the room. By the time we arrived, it was clear I’d been right, as Anika returned to the room with both her coat and Joanna’s. She arrived just as Monique and I did, and the circle widened to include us.
“Does anyone mind if I run along, if you’re giving the humans a ride?”
“Watching over them?” Zoe asked.
“No. I’m only curious.”
“Sure,” said one of the older girls. I didn’t remember her name. She turned back to Joanna and Anika. “You’re both going?”
They nodded, and several of the girls clapped in joy. Then the first girl turned to Zoe. “Did you want another ride? Elisabeth said we may only do a one, but we could make it a long ride, if Joanna and Anika don’t get too cold.”
“I’d love another ride,” Zoe said with a smile. “I never turn down rides.” She turned to me. “They go so fast, even when it’s just a run, it still feels like flying, and it’s the closest I think I can get to actually feeling like a wolf on a run, even though they’re so much faster in fur.”
“And you can’t smell anything,” Ember said.
“And that,” Zoe added. “But who is taking Joanna and who is taking Anika?”
“They can pick,” the first girl said. Then she reached over and grabbed the hand of another girl. “Iris and I will do one of them.”
Ember grabbed another hand. “Cassie and I can do one, if it’s just a one.” She turned to me. “We’re not big enough to do the real rides.”
“That leaves Monique and...” the older girl looked around. “Oh hell, Line isn’t here.” She settled her gaze on me. “Did you want to help, Ms. Delacroix.”
“You know,” I said. “I would, except I don’t know how.”
“It’s easy,” the girl said. “Which of you wants Iris and me?”
“They’re the best at this,” Cassie said. “But if it’s just a one, it won’t matter much.”
Anika and Joanna consulted for a moment, but then Joanna raised her hand. So Iris and the other girl stepped to Joanna’s sides and they each grabbed an arm. “We just help her run fast,” the girl explained. “We each just pull along, and maybe we lift her if there’s a log or something. But we’ve run everywhere, and there’s nothing we have to jump over.”
“But you run together,” I said. “At the same pace. I notice you and Iris are about the same size, and Ember and Cassie are the same size. I bet you run with the same pace.”
“You’re not worried about being able to keep up, are you?” I swear: she had a glint in her eye. “We’ll start slowly.”
“Funny,” I said. “I’m not worried about keeping up, but I’m worried that a jaguar, even in human form, runs with a different pace than a wolf, especially when the jaguar is my size.”
“We could try it,” Monique said. “We can build up to it. Would that be okay, Zoe?”
“Maybe Anna isn’t comfortable with this,” Zoe said carefully.