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Great, now I was off -$4970.19.Much better.
Electronic sounds came from the break room.Tonya was playing a game on her phone that seemed to include an endless variety of dings, honks, squeaks, trills, and bongs.I laid my hands over my face and leaned back in my chair, letting it spin.I’d had it.I pushed myself up, stomped to the door, and braced myself against the frame.“Tonya?”
“Yes, boss?”she said, not even looking up at me as her phone played a frentic electronic song.
“Do you have to play that right now?”
“I’m about the beat this level,” she said, her thumbs flying.
I indulged in a brief fantasy where I marched over, ripped her phone from her hand, and forcefully educated her on the intricacies of the volume button.“I’m going to close my door.”
“Good idea, boss,” she said with a smile.
My office felt even smaller with the door closed.I had about thirty minutes before it got unbearably hot in the windowless room, but at least it was quiet.
Until Felipe flipped on the TV in the break room and cranked it to a volume he could hear.
I laid my head on the desk and banged it lightly against the surface.The problem with starting a family business is that you’re surrounded by family.The problem with starting a clan business when your mother is the clan leader is that you can’t show any hint of temper without looking like you’ve gone mad with power.She was a servant of the clan, and by extension so were we.Which meant that even though I was technically the boss, I never got to boss people around.
I’d had a hard time remembering that over the last week.Tonya wasn’t the first person to mention that I’d gotten ‘snippy’ ever since I came back from Missoula.I’d apologized to Micah for the way I’d talked to him, but I couldn’t seem to stop feeling antsy and impatient.I’d convinced Mom not to mention my offer to buy Edie’s house under the premise that there was no point bringing it up to everyone unless she agreed to sell it.But the question of when I’d hear from her again, and what she’d say, kept me up at night.
And then when I slept, the dreams came.They weren’t true mate dreams, but the brush of our fingers against a pizza box was apparently enough to spark the connection.In every dream, I could feel her watching me like the moon watches the earth, and the collective force of our yearning for each other was nearly strong enough to smash the planets together.
It will fade, I told myself.My mother had a romantic heart and insisted that she knew from the first touch that my father was her fated mate.I was more practical than she was.I would choose my mate because that person fit into my plans, not because my overactive hormones seemed to demand it.
Since I clearly wasn’t figuring out the budget, I decided to further one of those plans.I thumbed through my contacts until I found Marisol Alvarez and clicked call.
She answered quickly.“Hello, Jasper.Nice to hear from you.”
“Marisol,” I said, infusing my voice with warmth.“How are things out in San Jacinto?”
“Dry, hot, and windy.”
“Fires?”
“Not yet.We’re prepped for it, though.The last couple of years they’ve gotten too close for comfort.”
I hummed in sympathy.Wildfires had plagued southern California for as long as I could remember, but recently they’d been spreading north and west into more temperate climates.“Is there anything we can do to help?”
“I’ll reach out to your mother if I need something,” she said politely.Marisol was about my age, but she had become Alpha young when her grandmother died.She was unmarried, which made her by far the most eligible bachelorette in all the shifter clans.I was the eldest son of Twisted Pines’ Alpha, and together we’d make one hell of a power couple.
Too bad we barely had anything to say to each other.
I cleared my throat.“Are you having trouble getting enough water for your hyacinths?”
“We have a state-of-the-art irrigation system.And we pulled a harvest last week.”San Jacinto had turned much of their land into a hyacinth farm, which provided fresh flowers to buyers all over the world.
“You know, we have extensive green houses.They might be of interest to you.”Stars.I sounded pompous, and I couldn’t seem to stop.“I was wondering if you’d allow me to come visit you some time.”
She sighed.“Things are a little hectic right now, but I would love to see you at some point later in the summer.”
“Great,” I said.“And please, let us know if you need anything.”
“Will do.Thanks, Jasper.”
I hung up and clicked “Call Marisol” off my to-do list.It would show up on my calendar again in two weeks, which was the interval I’d decided would feel attentive but not intrusive.
I didn’t love Marisol, but that didn’t really matter to either of us.She needed a husband to produce the daughters for which her clan was clamoring.And I needed to provide a clear heir for my mother, just in case.
