Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Cindy shooed Jen and Robert out after the game, assuring Robert he needed to get home to his wife, and telling Jen she had plenty to do at her own place, and didn’t need to get stuck with cleanup here.
Joe, who had shown up at halftime, handed Jen the bag of leftovers he’d put together for her, setting his own bag on the table by the door.
Cindy liked their new second. He was young, but strong.
He’d been third at his previous pack, and she’d been curious to see where he’d land, since their pack had only Jen in the hierarchy when he’d arrived.
Myra told her they’d all—Myra, Adam, Jen and Joe— had dinner together, and by the end of it, had no trouble setting the ranks.
“Food’s all sorted,” he told her. “Do you want me to pull down the decorations?”
“That would be great, thanks.” She folded up the burlap she’d used on the console. “How are you finding things at the high school?”
“It’s so different, but I’m enjoying that. I think the whole school is smaller than the freshman class at my last school. So there are different challenges, but definitely some fun opportunities, as well.”
“And then there’s the weather,” she said.
He laughed. “Yeah, I’m trying to get used to that. It’s bizarre, I was talking to my mom last night and had to seriously resist teasing her about the differences in our weather.”
“Are your parents going to come out and visit?”
“Probably in the summer. Hey, I hear we’re having another meet-the-potential-pack party soon. Do we have that many more people interested in joining?”
“There’s only going to be about ten this time.”
“I’m hoping there will be someone we like as first or fourth. I don’t like having only four of us for a hierarchy.”
She had gathered all the decorations into a tub and now he snapped the lid on it.
“There, that wasn’t so bad.” She rubbed the small of her back.
She’d been on her feet most of the day. “Even with the small number of us, you feel a gap?” she asked as Jonas, Myra and Adam joined them from the kitchen.
Jonas tugged her hand until she fell onto the sofa beside him.
“It’s not bad,” Myra answered for him. “But I’ll feel better when we have at least one more.
Whether that’s a new first or fourth, or even a mate for our lovely second or third, doesn’t matter.
” She sat in Adam’s lap, on the cozy club chair that Jonas had added to the living room when he’d moved in.
“Speaking of potential new people coming to the party,” Myra continued with a serious look that caught Cindy’s attention. “Someone you know called to feel me out about coming for an exploratory visit.” She paused a beat. “Brenda.”
She must have stiffened, because Jonas hands started to rub up and down her arms. She leaned back into him, relaxing. “I’m surprised. I thought she was pretty happy in Texas. Mom’s never mentioned anything about her looking to move elsewhere.”
“Who is this person?” Adam asked.
“Lots of wolves who’ve never really thought about moving started thinking about it when we began this,” Myra reminded her. She turned to look at her mate, over her shoulder. “Brenda is fourth in the pack Cindy grew up in”
“I just realized how strange it is that she never moved up in all these years,” Cindy mused.
“You don’t like her,” Adam said.
Cindy squirmed. That wasn’t something she would have stated out loud. “I don’t dislike her, exactly. I’ve hardly even thought about her in years. I just didn’t particularly like her, and I didn’t really respect her.”
“Ouch,” Joe said. “Not a good thing for a young pack member to feel about their fourth.”
“We don’t need her,” Adam said.
Cindy sighed. “There’s no reason not to have her come for a visit. Maybe she’s changed. I certainly have. She might click. We do need a fourth, as you were just saying.” She gestured between Joe and Myra.
Adam snorted. “Why waste anyone’s time? I trust your instincts, and if your instincts said she wasn’t great, then that’s enough for me.”
That warmed her considerably, but still, she didn’t want to be unfair to someone who had never hurt her. “What did she say when she called?” Cindy asked Myra.
“That she’s been watching the thread on the forum and is excited to see that we’re settling in.
She said she contacted an old friend who lives out this way and owns that big truck stop by the highway.
About twenty minutes from here?” She waited while they all nodded that they knew the place.
“She said she found out he needs a new manager, and she told him she might have someone who would work. Asked me if we had any new pack members needing a job that she could recommend.”
“That’s nice,” Cindy said.
Jonas harrumphed. “Sounds to me like she knows she needs to bring something to the table besides her mere presence.”
Cindy frowned. “I don’t know if that’s fair. She probably didn’t even mention me.” She looked questioningly at Myra.
“Well, she said she wanted to check in and see if I thought it would be okay to visit. She didn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.”
“Anyone,” Cindy repeated flatly.
“Yeah, it was pretty clear she meant you, and knows that we’re best friends.”
“Look, she never did anything for me to complain about. I worked in her office for a while, and I didn’t think she made the best decisions. But I was new, didn’t even work there a year. So maybe I just didn’t know enough to understand why she was making the choices she was making.”
“What kinds of choices?” Adam asked.
“She was an insurance broker, and it seemed to me that she was steering her clients towards products that were more about making her the most money than giving them the best of what they needed. Not that what she gave them was bad,” she added quickly.
“Just maybe not the best options for their situations. But, again, she knew her business much better than I did. It just squicked me out, so I decided to look for a new job, and that’s when I realized that I didn’t have to stay close to home.
I could explore any new city, any new job, that I wanted to. ”
Myra frowned. “I assume at least some of her clients were pack members?”
“Yes. I’m still not sure if that made it worse or not. I mean, it’s sucky no matter who the clients are. But she’s hierarchy, so…”
“Seriously, I don’t see any reason to bother with her coming out here,” Adam reiterated.
Cindy was frustrated. While she really appreciated the thought, she absolutely did not want to be responsible for the alpha couple summarily rejecting Brenda’s request to join. Not based solely on the opinion of someone she hadn’t even seen in decades.
“Because if you don’t, she’ll be able to say to anyone who wants to listen that she wasn’t allowed because Cindy doesn’t like her. And Cindy isn’t going to go around telling people why that’s so, which means you’re putting her in an awkward position,” Jonas said.
Myra nodded. “That’s true. If she comes out, we can tell her that we never asked Cindy’s opinion on whether she should be allowed to join the pack.”
“Okay. But seriously, try to keep an open mind. Give her an actual chance,” Cindy said. “And we should find out if Olivia would be interested in the job Brenda mentioned.”
Everyone turned to look at Adam, who sighed. “I’ll tell her about it tomorrow, when I help her move in.”
“Thanks.” Myra gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Cindy, do you want to do a theme for the next party, or should we go plain?”
Cindy gave a huge gasp. “Did you really just ask me that?”
Myra laughed. “Well, you’re still newly mated, and you have your own business, and maybe you’re busy.”
“Uh, yeah, I have my own business, where I need to show theme parties. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. And still find time for my mate.”
Jonas wrapped his arms around her middle. “You better, or I’ll be forced to help you with the party decorations, and I don’t know if that would actually be helpful or harmful.”
“Good plan,” Joe said. “Screw it up badly enough now, and she’ll never ask you for help again.”
“Says the guy without a mate or a girlfriend,” Cindy said, laughing.
“Hey! I just moved here, like, a minute ago. Give a guy a chance.” He glanced at his watch. “Anyone up for a quick run?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Adam said, standing with a laughing Myra still in his arms. He let her slide down his body until her feet found the floor.
Cindy glanced behind her at Jonas, who gave her a look that basically said sure, why not? She rose from the couch.
“We’re in. Jonas, if you’ll put this bin in my office, I’ll lock the front door.”
They used the back door and walked about half a mile, chatting quietly as they exited the neighborhood, but keeping alert for any signs of other neighbors out for a nighttime stroll.
Cindy had found a nice spot that was out of the way and provided some cover for making their change and storing their clothing.
Normally, she and Jonas would change at home and just leave by the back door, but there were too many of them to chance stealthily running through the neighborhood in wolf form.
With Myra and Adam there, Cindy and Jonas didn’t need to worry about having the strength to change back to human after such a short run. The alpha pair would be able to lend them the strength to get it done. Joe was strong enough to make the change back himself.
They separated out a little bit, then changed. Cindy brushed against Jonas as soon as they were both fully wolf. She loved him, no matter what form she was in, but there was something so simple and perfect about being with her mate in wolf form.
He licked her muzzle then turned to pick up the clothes they’d bundled together and bring it to the large rock they’d use to hide their belongings. Myra followed with their shoes, and added them to the pile the others had put together.