Friday
The guys were down at Growl for a morning meeting. In spite of all the drama this past week, they had guests showing up on Sunday. Cherry was upstairs in her home office, catching up on work she’d missed while on her honeymoon.
Elle and the rest of the gang of four, along with Zach, huddled around a small table in the dining room. “So, ladies.” She smiled at Zach. “And token gentleman.” He saluted with his cup of coffee. “This is our last full day here, but I wanted to let you know that I’m not leaving.”
“What? You’re shittin’ me!” Dar’s bark of laughter had everyone cracking wise.
“Nope. I’m not a child, and until Tuck bites me, I’m not subject to Trak’s rule as alpha. I talked to Tuck about it last night. That stupid one-week rule was set up for women who didn’t know what they were getting into. I know. So do you, Jules, and you, too, Darian. Tuck likes having me as his assistant almost as much as he loves me in his bed. And that works both ways. I’m staying with Tuck, and I suggest that if you’re sure about your feelings for your guys, you two do the same.”
Dar nodded agreement. “Lawz and I talked about this last night, too. I need to go back to give notice at the station and clean out my apartment, but I don’t want to stay away. My contract is actually up for renewal this month, but I wanted to do it after this trip.”
“Good plan!” Meg high-fived her.
“Yeah, by accident. I sure didn’t plan on Lawz! I was thinking of holding out for more money. Never dreamed it would leave me free to quit. Lawz wants to make the trip with me so we can go to the station in Eureka first and get me locked in there for the job before I give notice in Portland, then figure out what stuff I need to keep and what I can dump. What about you, Jules?”
She merely shrugged. “I don’t have a job to quit, and my apartment lease is up next month. That’ll give me time to move, but I don’t want to leave here at all. I’m ready to start life with two men I’m definitely falling for, and fast. It’s almost scary how much they mean to me.”
Elle stood. “I say we make a short walk to Growl and present our case to the gentlemen in question. Trak’s still not entirely recovered—Cain took him down to Growl in the truck. Maybe he won’t have the energy to argue.”
“One can hope.” Jules stood and glanced at the others. “Meg? You don’t have to come, but I wish you would. You too, Zach, though I don’t want to interfere with your man standing with the guys.”
Zach stood and held out a hand to Meg. “My man standing is with the ladies, because I agree with you. Strength in solidarity, right?”
They all clasped hands in the center of their impromptu circle. Elle felt like part of an uprising. It was a heady experience. Then the phone in the office rang.
Meg raised her hand. “Business calls. I told Brad I’d take any calls that came through. Back in a flash.”
“I don’t want Elle to leave, Trak. She’s slipped into place as my assistant, and she already feels like my mate. I love her. The week apart doesn’t make sense when she already knows what she’s getting into.”
“Same here.” Lawz glanced at the guys before speaking directly to Trak. “And we’re dealing with a time issue. Dar’s contract is up at the station in Portland, but she doesn’t want to step away until she’s legally locked into the job in Eureka. It’s a huge switch for her, going from weathergirl to news desk with a path to anchor. It needs to be done as soon as possible.”
Manny and Drew looked at each other and laughed. “We just don’t want Jules to leave, period.” Manny grabbed Drew’s hand. “Once we got together and included Jules, hell, it’s like our lives have opened up. Lots of possibilities ahead.”
“And laughter.” Drew shook his head. “She’s brought an element of laughter to our lives that’s been missing way too long.”
Trak had sort of expected this, but he still didn’t know how to deal with it. Sometimes it felt as if this whole resort idea had been a fiasco, until he looked at Cain and Brad and the love they had for Cherry, at Wils and Ronan, two guys he never thought would find women willing to fit their four-way dynamic. But they had six new women showing up on Sunday and four guys who wanted to take off with their women.
So he said as much. “I have to agree with you on the issue of the week apart. This is, I hope, a unique set of cases, but the fact is, we have six women arriving Sunday afternoon, and I’m still not able to do much. Wils and Ronan won’t be back until Wednesday, but that leaves just Brad, Cain, Evan, and me to man the fort.” He laughed. “And it appears Evan’s the only one capable of offering extracurricular activities.”
“The rest of us are out of the loop as well.” Manny shrugged. “I know I’m not interested in spending time with another woman.”
Drew punched him in the shoulder. “You’re not interested in Jules coming after you with a meat cleaver, you mean. I don’t think she’s willing to share.”
“You’re right. I’m not.” Laughing, Jules led the women through the door to Growl, with Zach bringing up the rear.
Trak focused on Meg. “What’s up?”
“Well, a couple of things. On behalf of Dar, Jules, and Elle, we’re here to discuss abolishing your one-week rule for this particular group of candidates. They know what they’re getting into, and going in with hearts and eyes wide open.” She took a small bow to the men’s cheers and applause. “And on behalf of the Feral Passions Resort, I need to report that your group scheduled to arrive on Sunday has canceled due to a shared gastrointestinal illness from their cruise ship adventure last week. I told them you would follow up regarding rescheduling or refunding as per your contract with them.”
Trak grinned at Zach, standing behind Meg with his hands planted possessively on her shoulders. It appeared he’d made his case last night. “They’ll get a full refund, because it solves the other problem. As far as the one-week rule, you’re all adults, and I’m not about to stand in your way.”
He made eye contact with each of his men, all trustworthy guys he was proud to lead. They were men smart enough to know when to tell him he was wrong and brave enough to stand by him. “The thing is, we’ll still need to figure out a work schedule to get us through the end of the season. Hopefully, Evan and I will meet someone, and if that’s the case, we’ll find another way to use what we’ve built.”
“We’re planning our wedding here October 2,” Zach said. Standing behind her, hands still locked to her shoulders, he kissed Meg.
She covered his hands with hers. “Might be a good way to retool things, Trak. There’s a huge demand for unique wedding venues.”
“Something to think about.” He glanced around the small bar.
Elle had grabbed Tuck, and the two were already off in a corner, making plans. Lawz had his arms around Dar, and if he didn’t love his big brother so much, Trak might have been jealous, because she was certainly a fine-looking woman. Manny and Drew were the surprise of this bunch, but it was really special, seeing their longtime friendship blossom this way. Jules had brought them together, and she fit in like their own personal puzzle piece.
So far, each of the new pairings had brought strong, vital members into the pack. He caught Evan’s eye, and his buddy merely shrugged. They hadn’t met their mates yet, but the season wasn’t over.
Standing, still a bit shaky, Trak slapped his hand down on the table. “Meeting adjourned, gentlemen, ladies. We’re lucky we have next week off to get our acts together. I think there’s a group of circus performers week after next.” He turned to Evan and, behind his hand, whispered, “Ever fancy a trapeze artist?”
They were both laughing as the meeting broke up.