“I know. I still pinch myself every morning. It’s hard to believe I get to work here every day.” I lowered my voice slightly. “I think some of the house staff find it odd that I work in the kitchen. They’re always really polite, but it’s weird hearing people addressing me as Mrs. Keller.” I choked back a giggle. “When I first heard it, I was looking for Persephone before I realized they were speaking to me.”
“Ah, the perks of being mated to the alpha,” Sabrina teased, nudging me playfully. “Also, you’re not old, Mrs. Keller. You’re just an old married woman.” Her tone turned serious. “Jokes aside, Liza, you’re a strong, confident woman. I can’t tell you how much I admire you. You’ve never let anything hold you back. That’s why you deserve this kitchen and that man of yours. You deserve all of this and more. You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are with your business and your place beside Ty. I’m really proud of you.” She smiled at me warmly before turning back to the oven.
“Is it hot in here or just me?” I fanned myself and winked at Sabrina. “You’re making me blush. Thanks, Sabrina. Your words mean a lot to me. Trust me, I really needed to hear them.”
Sabrina raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re concerned about your speech last night. You absolutely nailed it.”
I hesitated, almost telling her about everything that happened—the shadow figure in the trees, the voice in my head—but thought better of it. The last thing I needed was Ty and my best friend thinking I’d lost my marbles. “No, I think the speech went over as well as it could have. Most of the feedback was positive.”
“I still can’t believe it all. I mean, Cecily betraying the pack and then getting poisoned? It sounds like the plot from a fucking soap opera.” Sabrina laughed as she wiped her hands on a dish towel. “Honestly, though, I can’t believe she’d do something like that. I always knew she was a bitch but damn.”
“Yeah, it was a shocker for everyone.” I really didn’t want to talk through Cecily’s actions all over again, so I shifted the conversation to something more positive. “I may have some good news, though.” Sabrina stopped in her tracks and turned to face me expectantly. “Ty hired a new informant. Isaiah. He’s working on finding out the details of Castro and Cecily’s relationship and how it came about that she helped him. We’re waiting for his first report.”
“Wow, things are moving fast, huh? I guess the new alpha doesn’t waste any time getting down to business and hiring his staff.” Sabrina paused, then gestured to the large stove. “On a lighter note, can we talk some more about this kitchen? It’s gorgeous.”
I laughed, glancing around at the state-of-the-art appliances and gleaming countertops. “I know, right? It takes me forever and a day to find cooking utensils and ingredients. Maybe Ishould come up with some sort of cataloging method, like the Dewey Decimal System they use in the libraries.”
Sabrina, with an exasperated expression, rolled her eyes and swiftly grabbed the dish towel that lay nearby. Without hesitation, she playfully tossed it in my direction, aiming directly at my face. As the towel sailed through the air, she laughed and mockingly yelled, “Nerd alert!”
“Okay, okay.” I giggled. “Back to work before Ty sends someone down here to check on us.”
We finished preparing and boxing up my new fall menu items, chatting and laughing together as we worked. The camaraderie between us helped lift my spirits, pushing the crap that happened last night to the back of my mind.
As we loaded up the car, Bryce and Isaiah pulled up to the estate at the same time. Isaiah got out of his car first. I turned slightly so I could watch Sabrina’s expression as she took in his appearance. I felt slightly smug at her reaction. She thought he was just as fine as I’d believed she might. I could practically see the hearts flying around her head. It was almost comical.
“Who’s that?” Sabrina asked, not bothering to hide her interest.
“Isaiah,” I explained, watching as he approached us with a friendly smile.
Isaiah looked Sabrina over but didn’t address her. Instead, he turned to face me. “Liza, I have some information to report to Ty, so I’ll head inside.”
“Thank you, Isaiah.” I smiled and gave a thumbs up, which, in hindsight, was super lame and probably didn’t earn me any cool points with the new informant. “I’ll be up to join you in Ty’s office shortly.”
With a gentle smile, he acknowledged my gratitude before directing a subtle nod toward Sabrina. If he had noticed mydumb thumbs up or Sabrina’s attempts to undress him with her eyes, he didn’t let on.
Bryce, who had been staring after Isaiah, now turned his attention to me with a perplexed look on his face. He squinted, his brow furrowing, clearly taken aback by Isaiah’s sudden departure. “Who the hell was that?” Bryce asked with equal parts confusion and curiosity.
“Isaiah is our new informant. Ty just hired him this week.”
Bryce scowled, clearly not too happy about Ty’s choice in an overtly handsome man for his new employee. It was possible his displeasure came from Ty not informing him he’d hired his new informant, but I hadn’t been the only one watching Sabrina. I had a hunch his sour mood had more to do with the way she’d been openly lusting after Isaiah.
