by Crystal Dawn
Ariel’s pack was nearly next door. A small piece of property separated her farm from Ariel’s personal property. Pack owned land was on the other side of the highway from her land and Ariel’s. It was Ariel’s habit even before she’d become wolf to help relatives get places that came up for sale near her whenever possible. White wolves were a close group in general.
Now that habit had extended to those in her pack whose properties clustered around hers for several miles in all directions. Dez turned off the highway down the road that turned to dirt as she crossed a low water bridge. She drove up a small hill then turned to the right just before one of Ariel’s rental houses. She drove passed a second one that was once a dairy barn, but had been remodeled into a cozy two bedroom home.
Once she crossed the cattle guard, Ariel’s amazing house came into view along with her out buildings. It was almost like a little community of its own now. There was a shed which held the toys- a bunch of four wheelers, two ATVs, and a couple garden tractors. A guest house had been built recently that had a dorm style section for large groups with a section with single rooms and suites. The small hospital with a doctor’s office was off to one side to afford a sense of privacy. It was the only one of its kind, one that served supernaturals, in the area.
She pulled into the newly expanded parking lot that was a stone’s throw away from all the buildings, but afforded enough parking for a hundred cars where it extended out into the field that only recently had held cows. After parking, she got out of her car looking at the ground carefully to avoid any messy accidents. As she approached the house, she was aware of eyes watching her progress. They were probably informed of her expected arrival, but the pack guards never relaxed their surveillance. This pack had learned some hard lessons which had made them stronger.
Getting ready to knock once she arrived at the door, it opened on its own. “Come on in. Ariel is waiting for you in Blake’s office.” A young girl said before she turned to escort her there.
Dez followed her into the office with the girl closing the door after her. “This is Sara, one of my assistants. Sara, this is my cousin Dez.” Ariel introduced. “Sara will be staying since she’s making all the arrangements for you. Her number will be at the top of the paperwork she’ll give you when you leave.”
Sara smiled sweetly. She was a teenager who seemed awfully young for so much responsibility. “Nice to meet you, Dez.”
“Same here, Sara.”
“Now that the niceties are out of the way, we’ve got a lot to go over. Today is Thursday, right?” Ariel looked to Sara for confirmation smiling when the girl nodded. Dez almost laughed because Ariel had always been absent minded, but clearly had gotten worse if she didn’t know what day it was. “I get lost in the writing.” She shrugged.
“That okay. It happens.” Dez offered.
Ariel picked up a clipboard. “I’ve found someone to rent your house furnished. They agreed to keep an eye on the animals, whatever ones you leave there. Their contract will be for a year at a time. When its renewal time, either party can cancel or both can agree to continue it. It rented for fair value, they have access to the land, but they aren’t renting it so they can only use it if you give approval.”
“Thank you. That was quick.” Dez complimented.
“I have a list of people looking for places nearby to rent or buy. They’ve been on it a while. We found a place for you to go. It’s the Tulsa pack. You already have a job as a bartender. I know it’s not your dream job, but you have experience. It’s a temporary gig, three months then both parties can continue or not. You need to leave Monday, you’ll start work Tuesday. Your days off will be Sundays and Mondays. Pay is above average, a place to live is included for three months plus you’ll have the full benefits of being pack without being pack.” Ariel paused for questions.
“How can I get all that done in three days?” Dez asked.
“I already have family with a few friendly pack members set up to help pack and do whatever has to be done on Saturday. All you have to do, Dez, is provide drinks, snacks, and foot the bill for a BBQ. We’ll get it done while we all have some fun. Once we’re done, we have a picnic.”
“Okay, that sounds easy.” Dez admitted.
“We’ll have a bunch of redneck white wolves getting together with werewolves. Easy isn’t how I’d describe it, but it will get things done.” Ariel pointed out.
“And make a match or two?” Dez questioned.
“There will be some alphas there, that’s true. Hopefully it won’t get out of hand.” Ariel grinned mischievously. She had a talent for matchmaking which she wasn’t afraid to use.
Dez understood she was trying to get allies for their clan. With so many enemies, they needed all the friends they could get. Ariel was as skilled at making friends as she was at pissing some people off. That would balance out, right?
“Anything else you need taken care off?” Ariel asked.
“I can’t think of anything right now. Is it safe to stay at my house until Monday?”
“I believe so. Your ex is being detained so he can’t tell anyone where you are. If his father has spare time, he’s probably spending it looking for the lost son.” Ariel observed with a wicked grin. “Why don’t you stay for lunch before you head home to get started on things?”
Dez couldn’t turn down the invitation. It wasn’t just because Ariel was such a sweetheart or even because her pack has so much male eye candy, it was because her cook was five star good. Only a fool would pass up the chance for a meal like that. Since she was a guest, she’d be right behind Ariel in the line so she would get her food before they started running out of things. Her face must have reflected her happiness because Sara grinned before looking away. Maybe life was going to be alright after all.
They exited the office going to the dining room. The scent of delicious food hit her nose making her mouth water. It was Italian food today. There was spaghetti, Veal Piccata, Chicken Bolognaise, Pork Capperi, and lasagna entrees. The usual sides like corn on the cob, Brussel sprouts in a creamy sauce, and three kinds of potatoes were also there. Three types of salads including her favorite, Caesar salad, were also present. The bar also had a separate dessert section with cheesecake, carrot cake, ice cream, pudding, and gelatin to choose from.
By the time they were done eating, Dez was in a food coma making her ready for nap. Putting up her plates at the food bar was a self-service set up, she said her goodbyes before heading home. Home. It would probably never be that again. At least she would be able to settle back in the area again. How Mickey with his group of thugs had found it, she’d never know unless Tyne figured it out.
Pulling into the yard, she looked at the house she’d lived in since she was eighteen. She still loved it, but the memories were tarnished by Mickey. That would probably fade with time, but for right now, she needed to get away. Ariel had done her a solid which she wouldn’t forget. While she didn’t really need the job, it would keep her busy so she didn’t lie around moping all the time.
Her online businesses supported her. She had a site that featured Marissa’s naughty lingerie. It was a line her cousin had designed. It also carried the usual sex supplies. Talk about holy hotness! To pull in buyers, she had a section that explained a different product every week. It explained correct use, the most popular one in that category, and the average price the items cost.
She’d stretched out to target people in some unlikely areas discovering the most repressed places hit the highest sales from her site. Dez marketed in thirty countries with the sites being in the native language of that country or English. The buyer could select either. That covered English speaking people who lived in other countries or those who wanted to keep their English fluent. When she’d shared her results with Marissa, she’d been impressed.
Marissa had even told her that she was her highest selling associate. How cool was that? “I guess you know how to use that business degree, Cuz!” Marissa had told her. They’d bumped fists over
her success. Good times!
Now she was headed into new times. Dez had to admit to some fear of what the future would bring. She’d had some strange dreams of a biker gang. Weird, right? They rode their hogs with flashes of gold in their eyes telling her they were likely shifters of some kind. Shaking off the sense of impending change, she went in the house to start assessing what to pack, store, or leave in the house.
An hour later, she had her bags packed, most of what she could take with her anyway. After she loaded them in the back, she locked her car before heading back inside. Dropping into her recliner, she relaxed completely trying to clear her mind. An hour later, she woke up. Dez hadn’t intended to take a nap, but she felt better now that she had. Going to her room, she pulled out one of the empty boxes she had gotten in case she did have to leave.
This was a good time to get rid of anything she didn’t need. Going through her clothes was hard. She had a lot of nice things she’d bought, but never worn. Maybe she wasn’t confident enough for the super sexy stuff. Getting an extra bag, she packed most of them to take with her. Maybe a change of style was in order. It wasn’t like she knew anyone where she was going. If trying to look sexy turned out looking sad instead, at least she wouldn’t see those people after three months were over.
Now she looked at what was left ruthlessly coming up with two boxes of clothes and personal items to donate. That cut down the amount left to deal with. There wasn’t much left in her closet and only a few items in her dresser, all of which would go into storage. By the time that was done, she felt a sense of accomplishment. Now she was going to treat herself with a hot bubble bath, a tasty treat, and a movie. She put the lasagna in the oven so it would be done when she was ready to eat. Remembering the cake in the freezer, she took that out sitting it on the counter.
Dez didn’t understand why she was so tired because she fell asleep in the bathtub. It must be all the stress of dealing with Mickey trying to kill her. When she woke, the water was frigid making her shake. That was probably what woke her up or it could be the scent of cooking lasagna in the oven. Now her stomach was awake too because it growled for attention. Getting out of the tub, she pulled the plug. After drying off, she put on a big sleep T-shirt before heading to the kitchen.
Once there, she fixed a mixed salad after checking on the lasagna that was almost done. She added extra cheese then put it back in the oven adding a couple pieces of garlic bread. When everything was finally done, she set up a tray next to her recliner, set it up with her food, got comfortable with her remote, and rented a movie to watch. It was one of the latest action movies with lots of fast driving by hot hunky guys.
As she watched the movie, she savored her delicious meal. Once she was done eating, she paused the movie, cleaned up her tray putting it away, before she washed her dishes. Now it was time to have a piece of her favorite cake. The coconut cake melted in her mouth as she ate the first piece after settling back in her chair. The movie was now running while she divided her attention between her decadent dessert and the fast paced film.
Once her cake was eaten, she settled in to watch the rest of the movie. Damned if she didn’t fall asleep again. Dez woke up to a blank screen on her TV. She supposed she could go back to watch the end, but instead she shut it off. Feeling restless, she had a glass of wine to calm down so she could sleep. If she was so tired she kept falling asleep, she must need the rest.
As she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, she thought about how she only had one day, Friday, before the crowd Ariel invited descended on her. Tomorrow she would haul off donations as well as make sure anything of a personal nature was taken care of so no strangers would be handling those things. Sleep finally found her after a time of tossing in her bed. The dream came back too. It had been coming regularly for a year. She didn’t know why.
She heard some kinds of outlaw rock playing as she watched the bikers roar by. The leader turned to look at her his eyes full of the heat of his shifter side. The male was big, not only tall, but broad shouldered as well. A hint of a sleeve tattoo showed near his wrists. While she liked the romantic appeal in the thought of a bad boy, they scared her. He looked like the type that would grab a gal’s heart and run.
Somehow she managed to get a decent night’s sleep waking around nine. First thing she did after cooking and eating breakfast was to take stock of the food she had on hand. She emailed Ariel a list of the items she had available that would work for a picnic style menu. Considering the number of people Ariel said she invited, most of her food would be wiped out.
Dez began pulling all the appropriate things out of the freezer like hamburger patties, hot dogs, and chicken. Ariel’s assistant would buy the things she either didn’t have or didn’t have enough of. It would still be a bargain to get so much help in return, especially with the animals.
Working hard, she had a lot done by noon including fixing some food for the picnic tomorrow. Lunch was leftovers, more of an opportunity to finish off some sandwich meat, bread, and fruit. She tested out her potato and macaroni salad too, it was good enough she would have eaten more, but she’d get more tomorrow.
Her cat was a barn cat named Muffy who was wild and her dog was an outdoor dog who watched over the animals on the place. The new renters had already agreed to watch over the animals left behind, but especially the cat and dog. Dez would reduce the number so they wouldn’t have to be fed much hay through the winter, but she would leave most of the animals there. The fences were in good shape, the whole farm was well kept up so she didn’t have any worries there.
Her bedroom door on the other hand had been kicked in so it had to be replaced. She called her handy man, her cousin Alfred. He was retired from the military. The handy work was just to keep busy. He was almost sixty with three grown kids with his ex-wife. She’d run off with a much younger man from Mexico when their kids were almost grown. She’d asked to come back, but Al had enough of her.
“Hey Al.” Dez greeted when he answered on the second ring.
“Dez? I thought you were gone already. I was going to send you a nasty email for not saying goodbye.” Al replied with a chuckle.
“I’m not leaving until Monday. Ariel is throwing a picnic at my place tomorrow, I wanted to invite you.”
“Did you need anything else?” Al asked suspiciously. Maybe he had a bit of the white wolf intuition.
“You could bring your tools and a new bedroom door. Mine got kicked in.”
“Are you okay?”
Once Dez explained everything, Al calmed agreeing to come to fix the door while he enjoyed the get together with whosoever might show up. “I’m bringing Calvin if that’s alright.”
Calvin was Al’s oldest son. He was retired from the military too. His children were teenagers and he’d moved home to his dad when his wife was killed in a car crash. Al helped with the kids because he loved having the grandkids around.
“Bring anyone you want to. Even those ornery kids of Calvin’s. I’d love to see them before I leave town.”
“I’ll ask them, but you know how teenagers are. They always seem to have plans these days.”
“I understand.”
“Oh, that’s right. It’s not been that long since you were a teenager.”
“Seven years now. Seems longer.”
“You’re right. I didn’t realize you were that old.” Al chuckled. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I was in the middle of cooking supper.”
“Good bye. See you tomorrow.”
Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day. It would be a combination send off and helping Dez to get ready to go party. For some it would be an opportunity to meet other eligible singles because Ariel would invite potential mates and Dez would lay money on at least one successful mating coming out of it.
By the time she got to bed that evening, she just dropped off like a light the moment her head hit the pillow. It was one reward of hard work, the other being everything she had to get done was done.
It was morning, b
ut she hadn’t woken on her own. She looked at the female standing next to her bed. It was Sara, Ariel’s assistant. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure what to do so I thought you would want to get woke up.” Sara admitted.
“That’s okay. I can’t believe I slept this late even though I worked hard yesterday.”
“I saw all the food you fixed.” She grinned. “I tried a couple things. I love deviled eggs. Your potato salad is so good too.”
“It’s easy to make too.” Dez offered. “I have a book of family recipes.”
“Really? Anyway I can get one?” Sara asked.
“Yeah, it’s on all the sites. Ariel helped me self-publish. I’ll give you a code to get a free copy.”
“Thanks. I’ve been learning to cook. My little brother lives with me so I want family meals and stuff.”
Dez wondered why a teenager would be raising her brother, but didn’t want to pry.”
“My mom abandoned him. She wasn’t much of a mom anyway.” Sara admitted.
“If I was staying I’d help you learn to cook.”
“That’s nice of you. You’ll be back so maybe you could help me then?”
“Sure. I love to cook, but it’s more of a hobby since it’s just me.”
Dez got up dressing quickly. They began to fix more food with Dez teaching Sara what she could. The girl was a quick study, smart and hardworking. She knew Ariel had probably hired her to help her out, but she had lucked into a great assistant.
People began arriving around ten including Ariel and Blake. He fired up the built in grill in her outside kitchen in the back yard. Al had built it for her doing a great job. She had a sink and an icebox which worked like a cooler. It kept things cold as long as she filled it with ice. She’d planned to replace it with a fridge someday, but probably never would now.
It wasn’t long before the place was full and extra furniture, holiday decorations, and things a renter wouldn’t want around got packed up so they could be moved to her storage shed out back. The shed went from nearly empty to almost full in a couple hours.