by Cara Adams
* * * *
Wynn and Georgia had a lot of planning to do before Sunday. In the end Wynn had asked Sam from the Steakhouse for advice about feeding everyone. Sam gave Wynn a shopping list of ingredients and quantities for pork ribs with chilies, oven-fried potato wedges, and steamed broccoli for twenty people. He’d cheated with the dessert, buying two cheesecakes and a couple of gallons of ice cream instead.
Quintana had stared at the ice cream. “Two gallons? As well as two cheesecakes? Likely that’s enough for the entire pack to have a scoop each.”
Wynn shrugged. “I was thinking of the kids. I’m pretty sure they won’t care if they don’t get broccoli, but I’d have liked someone to give me ice cream when I was a kid.”
“That’s true.”
What Wynn was careful not to say, was that he’d eaten a huge lunch so he wouldn’t be hungry—well, not very hungry—that evening. If the pack was doing it tough, the more food left for them the better.
The journey seemed to go faster this time, possibly because he knew exactly where they were going, and sooner than he expected they were at the farmhouse, unloading the food which was in two large coolers borrowed from Sam.
Quintana led the way into the kitchen. It seemed rather dingy to Wynn, but he supposed there was no money to waste on fresh whitewash for the walls or a new refrigerator. Other things were much more important.
He lifted his cooler up onto a huge old wooden table and Keelan placed the second cooler beside it. Two younger women were waiting there and since Quintana didn’t introduce them, he supposed she didn’t know their names. He pulled the recipe sheets out of his laptop bag and said, “You don’t need to follow the recipe if you don’t want to. It was just so I’d know how much of the various things to buy.”
“How many of you are there?” asked one woman in a soft voice.
“There’s four of us, and we were told seven people were being interviewed, plus however many of you are doing the cooking. There should be enough food for twenty, so if you need a few more helpers to get everything done in time, that should be okay.”
The woman smiled at him. “Elsie’s pregnant. I’ll get her. She should eat better. And Jenna. Those teenagers of hers eat so much I’m sure she doesn’t have enough herself.”
Wynn was relieved. He’d hoped they wouldn’t be offended and think he was trying to demean them at all. But truly, he wanted to help, not take their resources away from them. It seemed he’d guessed right so that was a good start. Now, if only the meeting went as well and he could gather some useful information to add to their database.
Quintana led them to the front room, where they’d gone the first time. The Alpha was there, sitting in the same big armchair, with six older people, including Quintana’s mother. Wynn was glad. He’d hoped she’d be one of the people here. None of them looked really ancient, so hopefully they’d all have all their faculties yet have lived long enough to remember back several generations.
This time the Alpha did introduce people and Wynn hastily scribbled their names down on his notepad so he’d know who said what. He took out his iPad. “I’ll be taking some notes, but they will mostly be for myself, to remind me of things I need to check or people I ought to talk to. The interview will be taped but at any time you can ask me to switch off the tape. At no time will your name be used in any of our paperwork. All the information goes into a central database and from there our researchers look for links to other people and to try to see if there has always been human input into the werewolf packs every few generations. Do you have any questions?”
He settled back into his chair eager to begin. He had great hopes that this time the link to the solution to the gender imbalance problem would become obvious.
* * * *
Quintana relaxed as Wynn and Georgia got the people talking. She was interested to hear what they said and wondered if she’d remember things she’d forgotten to tell Wynn at her own interview. Just as he’d done with her, he mostly left the people to talk themselves, following their own direction wherever the conversation led them. Sometimes he or Georgia asked them questions to explain something or to draw them out. Once Georgia had to nudge a couple of the seniors back onto the right track after the conversation had gotten a bit lost. But mostly the seniors talked among themselves, remembering the generations past and people she’d never known but had heard her parents speak about when she was a child.
Quintana worked hard to keep her face bland when it became obvious that two of the old men were fairly sure a woman in their grandparents’ generation had been human. She was sure her father hadn’t known about that. The only person inside the pack she’d ever heard her parents acknowledge as human was her father’s mother, until her father himself had been born, and then married her mother. And of course her human self.
That was interesting. Quintana had wondered since she’d met Wynn and Georgia, if her grandmother had actually been part wolf and part human. Quintana thought it very strange, and quite the opposite of what the family history project was showing, that her grandmother had given birth to five sons—no daughters—and only one of them human. Statistically speaking she should have delivered two or even three girls and two or three of the children should have been human.
Quintana knew that the statistics were only averages after all, but still, she couldn’t help wondering if the woman was half-wolf or even one quarter, and the wolf gene had predominated. And now it seemed there’d been a human woman in a preceding generation as well. Likely that was what had kept the pack alive as long as it had been. That and some of the men leaving to find their mate elsewhere. She longed to know why the Alpha hadn’t ordered the men to go get jobs in town or elsewhere to help support the pack better. It was clear they were barely scraping by.
A little after seven one of the young women from the kitchen, who she didn’t recognize, came hesitantly into the room and looked at the Alpha. He stood up and the conversation instantly stopped. “The food is ready. We will eat now.”
The woman disappeared silently back into the kitchen and the Alpha led the rest of them there, too.
The women had worked hard to make the table inviting. There was an old lace cloth over it, with little bowls of fresh flowers in the center of the table and heirloom silver candlesticks at each end. The cutlery was silver, too, and gleamed from being polished. Quintana ran her fingers over the old pieces. They were beautiful. Solid and full of the pack’s history.
At first there was very little conversation as everyone concentrated on the food, which was absolutely delicious. But then, one of the old men, Samson, who’d always sneered at her and belittled her when she was a child, said, “Quintana, you’re dressed mighty fine to be visiting a farm. Don’t you have any jeans to wear?”
“I own a clothing store and it’s open on Sundays. These are my work clothes. I came here straight from work.”
One of the other men stared at her. “Stores are open on Sundays? On the Sabbath?”
“Yes, sir. Most stores open every day and some open twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week.”
That took the pressure off her as they talked about that for a while, until there was a break in the conversation and Samson spoke to her again. “You’re getting old, girl. What are you? Thirty? It’s time you settled down and raised a couple of cubs. Why are you still single? You aren’t too bad looking. Someone would likely take you on.”
Quintana heard Keelan’s gasp and saw several of the pack women blushing furiously. She kept her voice low and pleasant but was starting to remember why she’d left the pack. “Yes, I’m thirty. Women can have babies well into their forties so I don’t need to rush into pregnancy just yet. My aim was to make a success of my business and have some financial security. I’ve achieved that. Both my stores are doing well. In time I expect I will agree to a relationship and possibly even a child.”
One of the young women asked her, “How did you come to own a store? Did someone give it to you?”
<
br /> “Not at all. Everything I’ve achieved has been done by myself.” For a moment Quintana felt bad saying this. It implied her parents hadn’t cared for her. She’d never doubted their love for her but her achievements were her own hard work, not good luck, or gifts from anyone.
“It was very hard work at first. I studied business management in community college and most of you know I worked in my father’s small engine repair store. I taught myself how to keep the books, and maintain the stock, and ordering, and all that sort of thing while helping my parents. I got a bank loan to buy my first store, just as people get a loan for a car or a house. I paid the loan off with the profits from the store, and bought the second store. It takes a lot of effort, but it’s quite achievable for anyone interested in running a business.”
The women jumped up and set the two cheesecakes on the table, along with the ice cream. One of them handed a large knife to the Alpha to cut the first cake. He held the knife in one hand and stared fiercely around the table at his people. Quintana saw then the power he’d always had but that mostly seemed to be hidden.
“I’ve been speaking with the Supreme Alpha of North America. He spoke to me, personally. Under his guidance there’ll be changes in this pack. As yet, I haven’t decided on which direction we’ll take, but it might well be into some kind of business. He’s given me some avenues to research first before I make my decision. But it’s time to bring this pack into the modern era.”
There was dead silence in the room as the Alpha cut the cheesecake with mathematical precision into the exact number of pieces as there were people at the table. Good. That meant other people would get the second cheesecake. Wynn would be pleased about that, especially if the children were given some.
The ice cream was passed around so people could add a scoop to their cake if they wanted to, and the Alpha turned to Wynn.
“That minicomputer thing you used, it collects Internet out of the air doesn’t it?
Quintana kept her gaze on her food. There was no way she’d laugh at his genuine attempt to understand technology. Wynn answered well, explaining about the connectivity of iPads, tablets, and cell phones. Quintana wondered if the Alpha knew her mother had a cell phone with which she accessed e-mail. Actually, she suspected some of the young adults probably did as well. But it was important that the Alpha was taking the step of investigating the matter for himself. It showed he was genuine about changing things here at the farm. With his help everyone in the pack would benefit.
But mostly she was glad the pressure was off her again. There were people here who would never let her forget she was female and human, therefore even lower than a second-class citizen, whereas in the Hanson Mall pack she was just another member, expected to contribute as she saw fit.
But she’d really like to know why the pack hadn’t progressed. It couldn’t just be people like Samson not wanting things to change, surely. After all, presumably he’d want the best possible future for his sons and grandsons. Quintana knew part of her father’s problems were his own attitude and temper. Her father’s abilities and characteristics were the only reasons his business had failed. That had nothing to do with the pack and everything to do with not doing the math properly and not treating customers well. Now certainly, she could see that just as some people were rude to her, likely they’d been rude to her father. But if he’d structured his business better, and had listened to advice, he could have made a success of it, and sneered right back at those who’d been mean to him.
That wasn’t the problem. There had to be some other underlying issue why the pack was struggling to survive, unlike the Hanson Mall pack and so many other packs she’d heard about from her friends there and through the work Wynn and Georgia were doing.
* * * *
Keelan felt a bit of a fraud. He really appreciated that Wynn and Quintana both wanted him to be here with them, but he hadn’t been able to add anything to the discussions and the only help he’d been was to carry one of the cool packs in from the car. That was hardly worth commenting on. Mostly he’d sat back and observed, trying to pinpoint and remember any details that might be of help to the family history project.
Quintana’s mother said very little, yet the few comments she did make were appreciated. He wondered if that was because she was considered less important being a human who only married into the pack. Or maybe she was just a more quiet and contemplative kind of person.
Why had she named her child Quintana? That confused him. It was her husband who was the fifth born, not her child. Was it meant as a reminder of their place in the family hierarchy, or just that she liked the name? Personally he thought it was a pretty name, and a good fit for the woman he loved. She had forged a different path and needed a different name to highlight her personality and individuality. But he still wanted to know her mother’s reasoning.
At least the Alpha was going to do something to improve the pack’s lives. That was some good they’d managed to do. Well, again, it wasn’t him. It was Wynn and Quintana’s work.
He’d assumed Quintana didn’t know the names of the two younger women who were in the kitchen when they arrived, and who now sat at the foot of the table with two other younger women, constantly jumping up and down to wait on everyone else. He’d thought they must have been her playmates when she was a child, so surely she’d recognize them, even if they were a few years younger than her. But now he’d decided they must have come from other packs and married into this one. Unless they were human. That was another possibility. He would have liked to ask, but since the Alpha had been chary about using people’s names, he didn’t see how he could do that without possibly causing offence.
When the time came to leave, and he picked up one of the empty coolers to carry it back out to the car, one of the younger women stopped Wynn and said, “Thank you so much for bringing the food. The family history project sounds very exciting for the future.”
Keelan, who was standing behind Wynn, smiled at her. “Were you born into the pack or did you marry into it?”
“My mate brought me here. But…” Her voice trailed off and she looked around for the Alpha. He was standing outside, on the stoop, instead of returning to the front room as he had the previous time. That was interesting. Did he not trust the women to keep the pack’s secrets?
“You can tell them, Jeanie.”
Ah, so he was listening in to the conversation as well.
“I’m only half-wolf. My mother is human and my father’s a werewolf. But I can transform, and so can my son.”
“Sir, may we return at another time to interview Jeanie, and any other of the young women from different packs that we haven’t already made contact with?” Wynn was speaking to the Alpha, and Keelan was watching the man’s face. It was completely noncommittal, but from the slight release of tension in the man’s shoulders Keelan got the impression the leader had been hoping they might come back again.
He needs our help but he’ll never ask for it. Okay, we can work around that now we’ve guessed the rules he’s playing by.
“The only other one is Elsie. If you come back again next Sunday you can talk to them then. I will be there, too.”
“Thank you, sir. May I bring a small gift to thank the women for their time?”
“You can bring another cheesecake. It’s been a long time since we’ve eaten anything that decadent.” The Alpha walked back into the house and Keelan looked at the floor to hide the laughter he was sure would show in his eyes. So the old man liked rich desserts did he? They could work with that, too.
“Thank you, Jeanie. Have you a favorite flavor you’d prefer?” asked Wynn.
Keelan looked up just in time to catch Jeanie blushing again. “Elsie’s expecting her first baby and she’s been craving chocolate. If you bought a chocolate one I know she’d like that.”
“No worries. I’ll see you next week with a chocolate cheesecake, then.”
Keelan followed everyone out to the SUV where Georgia and Quintana were
already waiting in the backseat. He loaded both coolers into the trunk while Wynn climbed into the driver’s seat, but didn’t put on his seat belt until after he’d opened and closed the gate.
“I wonder what pack Jeanie is from, and if Elsie is from the same one or a different one?” he said.
“I’m glad they were from another pack. I was really worried that I just didn’t recognize them and they’d think I was ignoring them or something, but they truly didn’t look like anyone I remembered,” said Quintana.
“They’re from different packs? Well damn. I wish we could have talked to them as well,” said Georgia.
“Oh, we are, we are. Next Sunday,” said Wynn.
“We’re coming back again?” Quintana sounded incredulous.
Keelan laughed out loud. “And we’re bringing chocolate cheesecake.”
* * * *
Keelan had booked a room in a city hotel for the night. Wynn drove Georgia home first, and then turned back into the city and took them to the hotel.
“Why are we here?” asked Quintana.
“Because I thought it might be a stressful day for you and decided we deserved a little bit of luxury tonight.”
“Luxury is always nice, but it seems like I never get time to do any chores anymore.”
“Nonsense. You hardly ever let us take you anywhere. You need to rest and relax. Come on.”
Keelan held out his hand to her and she stepped out of the car. She and Wynn waited in huge soft chairs in the hotel foyer while he registered and collected the room key. The floor was marble, and the pillars holding up the roof many stories overhead had gilding on them. Hanging in the center of the foyer was the largest chandelier Keelan had ever seen. He wasn’t even going to try to count how many lights were in it.