Chapter 30 Mac #3
“Awesome,” I sighed. I didn’t have to check if she was right.
I could feel how watery my eyes were getting.
Just what I needed—to look like I'd been crying when Tessa arrived.
I could already picture her first impression: the weepy Alpha who couldn't handle a cat. I started striding after Tray, but Cat’s voice stopped me.
"Mac," her voice had that careful tone again. "About earlier—"
"Nope," I cut her off, not unkindly but firmly. "We're good. Really. And right now, I need to figure out a way to meet Tessa without looking like a blubbering damn idiot.”
“I’m always here for you guys,” she said in a motherly way, glancing over at Ryder to include him. “Just remember that.”
“We all know that.” I offered her, trying to soften my earlier rigidity, “For me, Ryder, and Dixon, you’re basically the only parent we have. Probably what’s wrong with Tray, actually.” I smirked, and she took the bait.
“Definitely what’s wrong with Tray.” Ryder nodded.
“What do you mean?” Cat crossed her arms, waiting.
“He’s just got too many people who really love him. Mom, Dad, Grandparents, sister, you. He didn’t stand a chance of becoming something other than a lovable moron.” I chuckled out the last part. Ryder was stifling a laugh too.
“Hey, I heard that!” Tray’s voice rocketed across the living room. Cat and I turned to find him holding a bottle of water and the allergy med. “I’m a lovable, omnisexual moron, thanks very much. Easy to love, lover of all, and, I’ll admit, sometimes an idiot.”
Ryder and I were in stitches now. Catalina only groaned.
Tray crossed the distance to us, handing me the items. “One now. Should kick in quickly. It’s supposed to be twice a day, every twelve hours or whatever.”
Unscrewing the water’s cap, I swallowed down the little yellow pill with a little effort, then chugged the bottle.
“Mister Rivers?” A young voice chimed in. We all turned to find the female Beta from Paradise Pets, her arms laden down with packing material. “The trees are all done. Just let us know where you’d like them moved.”
“Yes!” Tray clapped his hands. “You’re going to hate me,” he gave the girl a winning smile, “but I ordered the wall cat tree too. It should be here in…” he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check, “like ten minutes. Delivery tracking says it left your store twenty minutes ago.”
The Beta guy came out from behind the girl. He held exactly one length of Styrofoam while his coworker was struggling under the weight of everything else. “That abstract, bonsai design with the hammocks?” The guy’s face looked mortified.
“Exactly,” Tray crowed in response. “We needed something different for the pack suite. Didn’t want to take up too much floor space. It’s going to look epic!”
The Beta girl held it together, not betraying her feelings. The guy though groaned loudly. “Dammit, we’re never getting out of here.”
“Shut up,” she whisper-hissed at her coworker before plastering on a customer service face. “That’s great. I’ll call the store and see if the item is being brought over by other white-glove employees. If not, we’re happy to put it together for you, Mister Rivers.”
She moved past us, presumably heading to their delivery van with all the discards. When the guy didn’t follow, she paused and turned around. “Stu, come on!”
The guy startled, glaring at the girl before seeming to realize where he was. He gave us a sheepish smile before following his coworker quickly.
“Jesus,” Cat muttered before bringing her tablet to life.
Had it been tucked under her arm this entire time?
The thing seemed glued to her some days.
“Purifier invoice. Final wardrobe amount pending. Paradise Pets again,” she spoke under her breath, jotting notes.
“At this rate, you might as well build the cat its own wing.”
“If that’s what Tessa wants,” Tray said automatically, his voice doing that once-in-a-blue-moon serious lilt. “that’s what we’ll do.”
“We actually don’t know what Tessa wants at this point,” I remarked. “She could get here and absolutely hate cat trees.”
Tray wilted. “Shit, you think?”
“He’s messing with you, Tray.” Ryder comforted, though he looked on the verge of laughing again. “She’s going to love everything. And if not, we’ll give her anything else she wants.”
Itchy all over. Whole body discomfort. My skin felt tight. My head started to swim, and not from the medicine I’d just taken. I wanted to avoid more money talk, but Ryder had just opened that window again. As predicted, Cat jumped at the opportunity.
“Then you guys better get that new song finished.” Our hardworking publicist and ‘accidental’ personal assistant locked eyes with Tray first, me second, Ryder third, and then her gaze drifted over to Dixon who was sitting on the edge of the pool again.
“Seriously. When I say you need a money-making hit, I meant you needed it yesterday.”
I shuffled my feet. Tray patted his thighs rhythmically. Ryder cleared his throat.
“Okay, I won't say any more on the subject for now. The most important thing is prepping for Tessa. Just keep in mind that if you want to give her the world, like you all say, then the world needs Oblivion Haze to rock the charts again.”