by Lola Kidd
"I will," she promised. She wasn't going to call the police, but she would consider it. She did check her rear view mirror often as she drove to the base of the mountain. She could never be too careful.
Chapter Three
The human on the doorstep stood trembling. He took his hat off and pushed his light gray hair off his forehead. "My name is Professor Belle. I'm not sure if you remember me, but I came here to ask for your help."
"I remember you," Beckett said. "Why have you been coming to my house for the last week?"
"It's kind of a long story, but I was wondering if you had any vacancies in your household?"
Beckett shook his head. "I don't need any more help."
Finished with the conversation, he tried to shut the door in the old man's face. But Professor Belle was faster than he looked. Before the door slammed, he managed to get his foot in the way. The professor winced as the heavy door struck him. Beckett felt bad seeing him wince in pain. He opened the door again.
"Why would you think I have a job?" he asked gruffly. "Because I don't. And I surely have no need for any kind of professor. I've had more than enough schooling for my life. But if you're that desperate, I can try and find you places that are hiring. I might be able to reach out to someone in the city."
This was probably a mistake, but the man seemed harmless. At least if he found him a job, he wouldn't be turning up every day bothering poor Mrs. Potter.
"When I met you at the pizza shop, had a good feeling about you." The man's eyes glistened. "I don't think I was wrong. And it isn't me that needs a job. My daughter needs help and I think you're just the man for the job."
"I can't help anyone." And least of all a human.
Professor Belle reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "She's a very nice girl. She wouldn't be any trouble. In fact, I'm sure she'll be an asset to your household. You'd really be doing yourself a favor if you hired her. This is her."
He held a picture of the beautiful brunette in front of Beckett's face. As his eyes swept over the image, his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but take the picture to look at it more closely. She had heart-shaped face and big blue eyes. Her small upturned nose set adorably above her small smile. It was a staged picture like something you would get for school.
"How old is she?" he asked.
"Twenty-four. She's just finished college," the professor said proudly. "She was nearly at the top of class too and the best in her major, Business."
"She's very lovely." Beckett tore his eyes from the picture and shoved it back at the professor before he could look at it any longer. "I wish I could help you like I said, but I don't have any positions here."
Beckett heard Mrs. Potter tutting from behind him. He wasn't lying exactly. He didn't have any work for a human. She had been talking about bringing on an assistant for a while, but he was hesitant to start the process. He knew it would take a long time to find someone he could trust living with him. The butler had taken nearly a year to find and he was only there a few hours each day. If Mrs. Potter wanted a live-in assistant, the hiring process was going to be even more stringent.
"Her life is in danger." Professor Belle blurted out. "Please, if you would just give her a chance, I know you would like her."
"How's her life in danger?" Beckett asked, curious.
"She used this app to find a boyfriend. Some wolf shifter who lives just outside of town. At first he seemed very nice. But she broke it off with him and he began to stalk her."
It had to be someone from that Scrabble pack. The pack was bad news. They were the only wolf pack for hundreds of miles. It was one of the reasons that Beckett had picked Hope Springs. You couldn't go a dozen miles without running into two or three packs in this state. They were always fighting over land and mates. Finding a place with only a small pack and space for his estate had been a godsend. He didn't mess with them and they were never interested in him. He hoped to keep up the good relationship.
"You need to talk to the alpha of the pack if you have a problem with one of his wolves. He can get that to stop."
"I already tried that. This wolf is the alpha's son. There's no way he'll do anything. And the police tell me that this isn't really stalking. I'm at my wits' end."
Beckett gritted his teeth. Okay. He would give the man a list of places to get his daughter a job and then go talk to the alpha himself. Now that he knew, he couldn't with a clean conscience not try to intervene. He would have his brother send an email request to the alpha. A request from Shifter Security to cease and desist would be enough to cool the young wolf's jets.
"Leave me your phone number and I'll get those job resources to you. I'll be sure that the Scrabble Pack's alpha gets the message to control his son. That should take care of your problems. Please don't come back again."
Professor Belle beamed and nearly crushed his hat in his hands. "Thank you. Thank you. You won't be disappointed."
Beckett heard the car before he saw it. Two people in one day. He was going to have to put up a gate. This was just unacceptable.
An old dusty blue sedan pulled up a few hundred feet from the door.
"I must have taken too long," the professor apologized. "That's my daughter now. I can't wait to tell her the good news. Thank you again."
He quickly handed Beckett a card and set off for the car with a happy whistle. Beckett watched the car as the professor got in and began talking to his daughter. She gave him an odd look and shrugged before turning the car around. Beckett wished he had been able to get a better look at her before she disappeared.
"That was nice of you," Mrs. Potter said as he closed the door.
"I just wanted him off my doorstep."
***
"Who's that?" Lenni asked her father.
"A friend I think." Her father glanced toward the house with a wry smile on his face. "He's going to help me find you a new job."
Lenni did a three-point turn and pulled back down the winding road. She hated having to pick her father up from his walks. This is the first time she'd had a clue about what he'd been doing out here.
"I don't need a new job."
"Yes you do. You need a fresh start. Something away from here and all of your troubles."
Lenni turned on the radio. She was done talking. Her father was being overdramatic. Ned would soon tire of chasing her around and she would get more hours at her job soon enough. Okay, maybe not the second part, but Ned would leave her alone.
The bookstore had been steadily getting fewer customers since the beginning of the year. Summer was usually their busy time, but they hadn't picked up yet. They had taken to opening for a few hours each day, only the afternoon and early evening. In the three years since she'd started, her hours were now less than half from when she'd started. It was less than twenty hours a week now. She had a great wage, but without the hours it didn't matter. Truthfully, she'd been searching for something new. She hadn't found anything yet.
"And how do you know that man?" she asked, turning down the radio. She'd been dropping her father off at the base of the mountain for more than two weeks. She thought he'd been going on nature walks trying to find artifacts or something. This was the first time she'd gone far enough up the mountain to find him. She'd gotten worried when he hadn't been at their regular meeting spot. She had no idea he had been visiting the mansion.
"He's the man I met at the pizza shop the other week, remember?"
Yes, she did remember. He'd come back with their dinner talking nonstop about the nice shifter he'd met. Her father had always been interested in shifter culture. There were only one large pack of shifters near Hope Springs and he had already tracked their history and was eager to branch out to something new. It wasn't directly related to what he did with his college courses, but it was a hobby of his. Lenni had always supported her father's crazy research.
That was one of the reasons she'd swiped right on Ned on MateMe! She was familiar with the Scrabble Pack and thought it would b
e nice to date one of them. She'd been so surprised when her father had hated Ned upon their introduction. He'd been right to not like the whiny wolf shifter.
"What's his name?"
"Beckett Hansen. His father owns a company and he's pretty well-known."
The name rang a bell. Lenni racked her brain. She'd seen him in the tabloids! He was good friends with Jasper Collins.
How did she not remember? She'd spent her shift scouring the internet for any information about the bear shifter after seeing an article about him. She wasn't one to read gossip magazines, but things got slow at the bookstore. She was happy to have a whole shelf of gossip magazines to pass the time when she wasn't in the mood for heavy reading.
Jasper Collins was having the wedding of the century and had been on the covers of all the papers for some time. He had a child out of wedlock and now that the baby was born, he was having a lavish wedding. Lenni couldn't help but read every article about Jasper and his beautiful mate. It was such a feel-good story. There weren't many details about the wedding, but they did know about the wedding party.
Jasper was having five groomsmen and one was Beckett Hansen, his childhood friend. She'd been taken by the hulking bear shifter but hadn't been able to find out much. Beckett was very media shy and kept his private life very private. No one even knew where he was living at the moment. A thrill went down her spine. She knew something that even the National Inquirer didn't. But what was someone like Beckett doing here?
"I think I've heard of him," she said carefully. "Why do you think he would help you?"
"He didn't want to at first, but I convinced them." Her father patted his pocket where his wallet was and gave her a wink. "You say you don't need a job, but I think once you see his options, you'll change your mind. You can finally do something in your field."
"I like working with books, Dad. But I won't turn down any options."
She hadn't been able to find anything on her own, but she had a feeling that someone like Beckett Hansen could do a lot better than mere mortals like herself. She was very interested to see what he had to offer.
Chapter Four
"Did you get the list?" Mrs. Potter asked for the third time that day.
Beckett was glad it was the last time he would have to hear that question. "Yes. I finally got the list of opportunities."
It had taken longer than he had expected to pull together a list of fifteen jobs in a fifty-mile radius. He had asked his private secretary to search for jobs that a young business major would enjoy and to also call the places to see if they would help them out. The secretary had managed to secure five more jobs than Beckett had requested and they were all great.
They ranged from administrative assistant to PR person for a small store. He'd also found a few human resource management positions. There was a wildcard offer for voiceover work too. It was rare in this area and wasn't regular work, but it could be something fun to try out.
Mrs. Potter had been hounding him for the last few days to get this done. She thought the professor sounded sweet and wanted to help them out. Beckett agreed, but he didn't know why she was making such a big deal of this. It wasn't like they knew Lenni Belle or her father.
"I'm so glad you're doing this," Mrs. Potter said, looking over the list. "I like to see you being nice. It would warm your mother's heart."
Beckett bristled. "I don't know how my mother would feel about this and I'm not being nice exactly. I didn't want the old man out here harassing us every day," he said curtly.
"Well, she would be happy," Mrs. Potter said, astonished. "What mother wouldn't be happy to see her son helping out such a nice family? And you're finally getting yourself back out there in the community. I was beginning to get worried. We've been up here alone for so long."
"You know I don't like being around people. If you have a problem with that, you're free to leave. I know my father would love having you back in his household."
Mrs. Potter chuckled. "You're not going to get rid of me that easy."
"I know. But I'm just letting you know you can go whenever you want."
Beckett knew he was a chore to be around. He was high-maintenance and he could be a bit standoffish. But he liked his privacy. He liked being alone and he liked his peace and quiet. He'd only been here for a few years. He had no friends in town. He knew that Mrs. Potter preferred more lively surroundings. Sometimes he felt bad dragging her all the way out to the mountains. She'd been working for the family for so many years already. After all those years, she should be relaxing somewhere with palm trees, not doing his cooking and managing his household.
"Well, I don't want to go anywhere, dearie." She patted him on the shoulder. "Now, call that nice man and give him the good news."
Beckett nodded and found Professor Belle's card. He kicked his feet up on his desk as he waited for someone to answer.
"Hello, Professor Belle's office."
"Can I speak to the professor please?"
"May I ask who's calling?"
"This is a friend. He'll know who it is." Beckett didn't want to give out his name. He couldn't be sure the secretary wouldn't recognize the name and start spreading gossip. He'd been able to keep a low profile so far, he didn't want to spoil that. His name had been kept out of the papers except for a few occasions. If it wasn't for Jasper's upcoming wedding, Beckett would still be the "reclusive billionaire."
There was some shuffling and then Belle was on the phone.
"Professor Belle, it's Beckett. I have some great news for you."
"You've found jobs?" he asked excitedly.
"I have. If you'd give me an email address, I can send over the list now. Just call or email me back with her pick."
"How soon can she start?"
"Under a week for any of them."
"That's amazing! I hope you didn't have to go through too much trouble."
"I didn't. There are a lot of nice people in the area who are more than willing to help."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Hansen. You won't be disappointed. I'll tell my daughter the good news and get back to you very soon."
"No problem. And I've had a note sent to the Scrabble Pack alpha too. I'm sure you won't be having any problems with the son anymore."
That had been a nonissue. He hadn't even bothered to ask someone at the company to take care of it. Beckett had sent a letter off himself the same day the professor had visited him. The Scrabble alpha had replied apologetically that he would keep his son in check.
"Thank you! I can't believe how quickly you work. I can see why your family is so successful."
"Really, this was nothing. And I had some motivation," Beckett joked. "I didn't want you showing up on my doorstep anymore."
The professor gave Beckett the email before hanging up. Once the call was over, Beckett felt something he hadn't in a while—pride. He was doing such a nice thing for this girl and her father. He couldn't wait to hear that she'd started her new job and was on to bigger and better things.
***
Lenni opened the fridge to take the chicken out of the freezer for dinner tomorrow. She did all of the cooking for the house. Her father used to cook, but by the time she was twelve, she'd taken over everything and relegated him to picking up takeout twice a week.
"I have good news!" Her dad burst into the kitchen beaming. "Have I got job offers for you."
He thrust a list out toward her. Lenni took it and leaned against the sink reading. "All these jobs are far away."
"Nothing is farther than fifty miles."
"Not fifty miles in a straight line. Some of these are a two-hour commute with traffic."
"You could always find a place closer," her father said dismissively. "Look at all these jobs. I don't know how he did it, but all of them can hire you today. You could start in less than a week."
"With no interview?" Lenni asked incredulously.
"No interview. This man is some kind of miracle worker."
"He's rich," Lenni muttered. "T
hat seems to solve all problems."
She turned to look out the window over the sink. Their little garden was going to be packed full of fresh vegetables in just a few weeks. Her father never remembered to water or weed it. If she left now, all her careful planting would be a waste of time. But there was no way she could commute that far in her beat-up Taurus. The car was on its last legs. That was one of the best parts of working downtown. When the weather was nice, she could bike to work.
"I don't know. These are good, but I'll have to take a look at all of them to be sure the job is right for me."
"Okay, pumpkin." Her dad kissed her on the forehead. "I'm going to go get some work done in my office. Let me know as soon as you make your pick. I'll get the ball rolling with Beckett as soon as you're ready."
She took her phone outside with a notebook and started researching on the back porch. Their backyard was small but it was cozy. She'd planed trees and ferns around the wooden fence and there were planers and flowerbeds spread around. It was her own secret garden.
Over the next hour and a half, she researched each job and found a reason that each wouldn't work. It was nice of Beckett to go through all the work to find a stranger a job, but she couldn't take any of these. She didn't want to be rude, but it was a bad time. Her father shouldn't have been so forward. If he'd asked her, she would have specified that she wanted something in town or less than fifteen miles away. Plus, some of the jobs were outlandish. Voiceover work for a local car company's commercials? She had a terrible voice. There was no way she was right for that kind of work.
She would have to keep looking on her own. After the whole Ned debacle, more than anything she wanted to spend the summer relaxing and enjoying her life. She didn't need to take some job far away to get away from her life. No, she wanted to connect more with the life that she had. Slow down and really enjoy it. She had only just graduated with her degree. There was no rush to find a subpar job.
She'd read somewhere that it took most new grads over a year to find a job. She had time and she wasn't worried yet.