10. Sedrick
Sedrick
P hil’s hair was a . . . distraction, and I had no idea why. He’d stopped wearing it completely up. Dillon told me it was because of a request Ruthie had made. Excitement swam through me at the thought of Ruthie speaking, but Dillon straightened me out, and that seed of hope withered quickly.
Upon further thought, I decided to still count it as a win.
Ruthie liked Phil. She felt comfortable around him.
It had only been a week, but she’d followed me to the door the last couple of mornings and greeted him with a hesitant smile.
He always returned it, and this morning, he’d actually lifted her into the air.
And Ruthie had giggled. My silent niece had laughed.
“Mr. Voss, we’ve got the latest numbers for you.” One of my two supervisors, Burt, interrupted my musings.
“Why do you always have to be such a damn suck-up, Burt? He told you five years ago to call him Sedrick. Mother Earth, that shit gets old.”
Oliver followed Burt into my office, pushing the younger dwarf out of his way.
Burt rolled his eyes but didn’t do much more than that.
Burt and Oliver had been going at it since I’d hired them.
Burt and Oliver were cousins. Dwarves were a democratic bunch.
They tended to stay in familial units but voted on who represented them.
Burt and Oliver had been agreed upon ages ago, and no one had come along to challenge them.
They were a stable dwarf family, and I was eternally grateful for that small miracle.
“Shit, I’m tired.” Oliver dragged his weathered hand over his face, pulling at the wiry hair attached to his jowls. Burt’s rugged beard was redder than his cousin’s gray-shot one.
With a huff, Oliver pulled a step stool over so he could get up into his chair.
Burt was still young enough that he could hop up.
Oliver muttered a barely audible “show off” while Burt sighed, “old geezer.” If you didn’t know any better, you’d think the two hated each other.
But I’d learned long ago that the jabs were simply signs of affection.
Oliver scowled at me before he asked, “What in Mother Earth’s titties has you grinnin’ like an idiot this early in the mornin’?”
“Ollie,” Burt huffed in exasperation.
“What?” Oliver twisted in his chair. His legs were so short I could see the bottom of his boots.
“Don’t tell me that shit’s normal.” Oliver pointed an accusing finger in my direction.
“Sedrick’s scowls are legendary, especially since—” Oliver cut off and gave me an apologetic half smile.
“We all understand why you’ve been more upset than usual the past few weeks, Sed. No disrespect intended.”
“And no disrespect taken,” I answered. Oliver gave me shit. He gave everyone shit. But underneath all that gruffness was a sappy heart. “Besides, I do scowl a lot.”
Oliver settled back into his chair. I’d offered to get them something that fit better, but both dwarves had waved me off.
Most of the mine workers were dwarves, but not all of them.
Burt and Oliver had been beside themselves when I hired a couple of humans too.
It had taken them half a dozen months to get used to the idea, and now those humans were considered honorary dwarf family members.
I also had to entertain other species for business reasons. Ray was supposed to come by in a few minutes.
Burt recovered first and asked, “So, why the smile then? Did the Belviews finally tuck tail and run?”
My wolf flared. Burt and Oliver didn’t even flinch. “No,” I growled. “I’m not that lucky.”
“Figures,” Oliver grumbled.
I waved them off, refusing to let thoughts of Will’s in-laws get me down. “It’s Ruthie. Phil picked her up and swung her around when he got to the house today, and she . . . she giggled.” I smiled while remembering the sound of her laughter.
“No shit?” Burt and Oliver said in unison, scooting up in their chairs to get closer. “Did she say anything else?” Burt asked.
“No.” I shook my head. “But little steps, and today, I feel like we took a big one.”
“That’s fantastic.” Oliver clasped his hands together, releasing a cloud of dust. “That wee little one has been through a lot. Her brother too.”
Ruthie and Dillon had been through a lot, but Oliver wasn’t wrong when he pointed out that Ruthie might have had it worse.
She’d been in the car with Will and Kelsie when it had crashed.
She’d been in the back, tucked into her car seat.
The impact caused her to be thrown from the car.
That would have been bad enough, but the car exploded, caught fire, and burned to a crisp.
Ruthie witnessed it all. It would have been better if she’d been unconscious.
She hadn’t. She also hadn’t spoken a word since.
Oliver arched an eyebrow with a distinct twinkle in his amethyst eyes I knew I wouldn’t like. “That Phil sounds like a gift of the mother goddess. What do you say, Burt?”
“Most definitely. A true gift.” Burt grinned, his blunt teeth gleaming white against his dusty face. “Sounds like a right good fit, doesn’t he, Ollie?”
“Couldn’t agree more, Burt.”
Burt and Oliver were even more annoying when they agreed than when they disagreed.
“Phil’s been great.” I didn’t try to argue, even though the way their eyebrows waggled told me they weren’t just talking about the way Phil took care of my house and kids.
“Never thought I’d see the day you brought a pixie into your home.” Oliver poked the mischief he was trying to create a little more. “Always seemed a little too delicate and fragile for someone of your considerable . . . girth.”
Burt coughed out a cackle and kicked his legs at his cousin’s uncouth jibe.
“Phil’s not like other pixies.” I pulled my shoulders back and randomly straightened the papers on my desk.
“Oh?” Oliver’s voice sang. “How so? I know you said he’s a wee bit bigger than most pixies . . .” This time Oliver cackled along with Burt.
“Moon Goddess, save me.” I rolled my eyes, fixing my gaze on the ceiling.
“Besides his size,” and Phil was more than a wee bit bigger than other pixies—he was over two feet larger than any other pixie I’d yet to meet, “Phil’s practical.
He wears sensible clothes. Nothing like that flimsy, nearly see-through stuff other pixies seem attached to.
He even wears a sturdy pair of boots. And he keeps his hair pulled back.
” At least part of it. Phil had been letting more and more of it flutter around.
He’d brushed up next to me in the kitchen, and I’d felt his hair against my skin.
Moon Goddess, I’d never felt anything so damn soft and silky before.
The hairs on my arm lifted again just from the memory.
The amused mockery fled Burt’s face. Instead, he looked contemplative. “You sure this guy’s a pixie? Maybe he’s a half-breed or something.”
I’d considered that. Every once in a while, species interbred. Some of them with more success than others. Phil had never indicated he wasn’t one hundred percent pixie. Beyond his height, he seemed pixie enough to me.
“Doesn’t matter.” I decided but then had to ask, “You think just because he’s bigger, he might not be full pixie?”
“Not just that.” Burt snuck a glance at his cousin.
“What Burt’s gettin’ at is that pixies like soft things, and, oddly, this Phil of yours doesn’t dress like one.
I’ve known my fair share of pixies.” Oliver shrugged as if that wasn’t what was important.
“I like most of ’em well enough. They’re just like all the other species, you’ve got your good ones, and then you’ve got your assholes.
The social pixies seem to be the most assholish, but I think that’s part and parcel of their makeup.
The point is that they’ve got sensitive skin.
They like the flowy fabric because it feels good.
I’ve never, ever known one to put on footwear. It’s . . . odd. That’s all I’m sayin’.”
“That’s what he was wearing when I met him.” Besides Phil’s physique, it had been one of his winning qualities.
“Hmm. Peculiar,” Burt whispered.
“Agreed, but if it works for him and he’s happy like that, then who are we to say?
” Oliver shrugged it off, but a tiny seed of doubt wedged into my brain.
Did I genuinely know Phil that well? He’d been at the house every day for the past seven, but we’d only talked about Dillon, Ruthie, the house, and the gnomes still infesting the garden.
When it came right down to it, beyond the fact that Phil lived at Martin’s Boarding House, I didn’t know squat about him.
“Anyway,” Oliver waved off the topic of Phil and got down to business. “You’ll never guess what we found.” Oliver grinned, and my interest perked.
“I didn’t think we were going to tell him yet.” Burt gave an irritated huff. “Honestly, Ollie, you’re worse than Tamarin’s youngest.”
Oliver rolled his eyes dramatically. “And you’re as superstitious as my great gran.”
Burt’s lips twisted, and I could easily see the snit he was working himself into. “Regardless, the cat’s out of the bag now. Tell me what you’ve got.”
Oliver smirked while Burt pouted, but finally, Oliver gave up the goods. “Palladium. Biggest vein I’ve ever seen. I’ve only seen the stuff in Montana. I can’t believe it’s here in Virginia too.”
“It’s the biggest vein you think you’ve ever seen,” Burt corrected before I could get too excited. “It’s not clear yet, Mr. Voss. That’s why I wanted to wait to tell you. I wanted to be sure before we got your hopes up.”
“Baa,” Oliver waved off his cousin. “It’s sure enough.”
“Burt?” I questioned. He was by far the more cautious of the two cousins.
Burt looked slightly constipated but finally threw up his arms and flopped back into the oversized chair. “Fine. It’s very promising. I’m not as convinced as Ollie, but . . . it looks good.”
“Palladium,” I whistled. We’d found hints in the mine.
The mine mostly made money off the copper and nickel inside.
We made enough to keep us going and in decent finances.
None of us were rich, but we weren’t hurting either.
But a large vein of palladium. . . possibly the largest Oliver had ever seen . . . that was a game changer.
“Who else knows?” I asked, suddenly concerned. We had security, and few would mess with a mine claimed by a dwarf family, but it was still a concern.
“Jamie found it,” Oliver answered. It was telling that he no longer felt the need to call him human Jamie . “The lad’s good at what he does, but I don’t think he understands the importance of the discovery. Not yet. I tried to keep my excitement contained.”
“He did a fair job of it.” Burt supported his cousin.
“Okay.” I tapped my fingers along my desk. “Let’s keep this between the three of us for as long as possible. I want to ensure we’ve got what you think we do, and we’ll make decisions from there.”
“Understood, Mr. Voss.”
Oliver rolled his eyes again when Burt insisted on using the honorific. I’d gotten tired of fighting the battle a few years ago.
Ray knocked on the open doorframe, a briefcase in his hand. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“No worries.” Burt and Oliver slid out of their chairs.
Oliver settled the step stool back against the wall. “We were done anyway.”
Burt scuttled around Ray, and Oliver followed. Ornery as ever, Oliver patted a dirty hand on Ray’s pristine, navy slacks. Ray and I heard his chuckles down the hall.
“Sorry about that.” I nodded at Ray’s pants as he moved to the chair Burt had just vacated. Ray swiped at it with his hand, dusting the chair.
“It’s okay. I’ve gotten used to Oliver’s antics.” Ray didn’t sound irritated. Some fairies were stuck-up jackasses. Ray wasn’t like that. It was one reason I’d chosen him to defend my custody case.
Ray leaned back in the chair and settled his briefcase in his lap. I didn’t like the stern look on his face or the sharp slant of his eyes. I didn’t have to wait long to find out why. Another reason I liked Ray.
“Arie Belview found a judge to bend to his will. Supposedly, some discrepancies have been found in Will and Kelsie’s last will and testament.”
“Of course there have.” I didn’t believe that bullshit any more than Ray did.
“Naturally, the law firm Kelsie and Will chose is upset regarding the matter and have filed countersuits, but I doubt that will amount to much, no matter how infuriated their firm is.”
Fairies took the law seriously, and the law firm my brother hired would be up in arms that their work was in question.
“Well,” I kicked my feet up on the edge of my desk. “We knew this was likely. We just didn’t know when.”
Ray nodded while popping open the clasps of his briefcase. “And that’s why I’m here. A court date has been decided upon. And Sed,” Ray hesitated, “I’m not sure how, but Arie knows you’ve hired a home-and-hearth pixie.”
A low, rumbling growl started low in my belly and forced its way out, filling the room. “He knows about Phil?”
Ray didn’t so much as bat an eye at my wolf’s over-the-top response. “I’m not sure if he knows about Phil or simply that you’ve hired a pixie. You and I both know how ruthless Arie can be. I have no idea if he’ll go after Phil, but it would be a good idea to give him a heads-up.”
Forcing my wolf to quiet, I sighed and looked toward the ceiling.
I had no idea if my brother’s spirit was out there, watching over his kids and me.
I’d cursed him enough that two parts wished he wasn’t while one part of me desperately hoped he was there.
Deep inside me, that little, sadistic quality wanted Will to know just how much of a clusterfuck he’d turned my life into.
I also wanted him to know that it didn’t matter. I’d fight fucking Arie Belview to the moon and back to keep Dillon and Ruthie away from his sadistic nature.