Mrs. Potter came into the living room preening. She was excited to tell him something. Probably something that would end with an "I told you so."

"Out with it already, Potter. I'm waiting with bated breath," he teased her as he put down the paper he was reading. "You look like the cat that swallowed the canary."

"I have solved two of our problems this afternoon." She held up two fingers. "Two. I wanted to stress that. I solved not just one but two things that have been bothering you."

"Which two would that be?"

"I went to Pat's Pages and spoke with Lenni Belle."

He straightened up. She was drawing this out, but he was interested now. Professor Belle had sent a second apology email and said he was trying to talk his daughter into taking one of the jobs. She had no reason besides "I don't want to." Which was fine by Beckett. You can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink, right? But the professor was insistent that his daughter needed a new job. He no longer believed that they were trying to pull a fast one on him. It had taken his PI less than twenty-four hours to get back to him and there was nothing unbecoming in the Belles' past. Everything was aboveboard.

Still, he couldn't believe that Potter had actually gone to talk with the girl. He was done with the whole thing. He couldn't care less if the pretty Miss Belle didn't want help when it was offered. Her loss.

"What did she say?" he asked when Potter had been silent for too long.

"She didn't want any of the jobs. Same as the email said."

There was another long pause. Beckett was ready to throw his paper in the trash and leave the room. "And?"

"And that is how I solved our second problem." Mrs.f Potter crossed her arms and smiled smugly. "I offered her the job of assisting you during Jasper's wedding."

Beckett stood up and his mouth dropped open. "You what?"

"You've been dragging your feet about this. I don't know if you expected me to help you, but I'm going to this wedding as a guest, dear." Her mouth was a firm line and there was fire behind her eyes. It was times like this that Beckett swore there was an animal inside his kindhearted house manager. "I have my own invite. I won't be looking after you and managing your affairs. I'm going to have fun and celebrate a fine young couple's love."

"That's fine and dandy, but I don't want some stranger coming with me to an exclusive event. She can come and help you out after the wedding. There's no way in hell she's coming to the wedding with me."

"Well then, who are you bringing as your assistant?" Potter asked. "And she won't be going with you as a guest. She's going as a working assistant. Do you know how many assistants are going to be working behind the scenes of this thing? Nobody is going to be mad there's one more. In fact, it would be strange if you didn't bring any help of your own."

Beckett sat back down on the couch and picked the paper up again. "That could be, but I'll have someone from the company come out."

"One of your virtual assistants? Which one? When are they coming?"

"I haven't worked out all the details yet," he muttered.

"Exactly. This is a nice girl and she's more than qualified to assist you packing and making sure you get dressed on time on the big day. That's all she'll be doing."

"I don't need her help. I can pack myself."

"When have you ever packed for an important event all on your own?"

He snapped his paper again as he turned a page. "I have."

Potter pushed the paper down gently and looked him in the eye. "She doesn't have to go to the wedding with you. She can stay at the hotel while we go. But we need this help. I really want to go to this wedding, Beckett, and I don't want to have to work. Make this easy for once. Please."

She'd said the magic word. There was no more fighting about this. He was going to have to hire this girl and let her into his home, on his private plane, and let her help him get ready for this big event. There was no getting around it. He needed help for the wedding and Potter was only trying to be helpful. He couldn't throw this in her face. There was no way he could pack and make sure everything got to where it needed to in time. She was right. He had never done it on his own before and he wasn't going to start with Jasper's wedding.

Jasper was his closest friend. Probably his only true friend. He wanted the wedding to go off without a hitch. Forgetting to pack a bowtie or cufflinks might not seem like a big deal, but it would be to Beckett.

"Fine. Whatever. She can help out. But you're going to have to train her yourself."

"I know." Potter smiled. "She'll be here in a few hours. I want to get the paperwork done today and show her around."

"She needs to sign..."

"An NDA," Potter waved her hand. "I know, dear. This isn't my first rodeo. I'm going to start printing all the paperwork now. Would you like to pick her room out?"

"Her room?" Beckett slammed the paper down on the end table next to him. "I agreed to let her work for me. She will not be moving in here."

"Where do you think she's going to stay then?"

"At her home. She lives in town. She can drive up every day. There is no reason for her to stay here."

"I think she should get used to living with us and your daily schedule."

"She's going to be assisting me when I'm out of town at a big event. It won't be my regular schedule she needs to adhere to."

"You're being unreasonable. The girl and her father only have one car. This will make things much easier for them. And for me. It will be easier to acclimate her to your way of life if she lives it every day."

"No. Absolutely not. She will not be staying here."

He and Potter stared each other down across the room. She crossed her arms in the door and stared at him without blinking.

Beckett gritted his teeth. He had already caved on having Lenni working with him. He couldn't have her living with him too.

Potter narrowed her eyes. "What are you afraid of?"

"You know I don't like to have my life encroached upon. That's why we live all the way out here. If some random girl is living here, that will all be for nothing."

"She's going to sign an NDA. Nothing she sees here can be repeated to anyone. What she sees here will stay here."

"An NDA won't stop her from talking to all her little friends in town. It won't protect me from gossip."

Potter sighed. "How about this. We start with her coming up for work nine to five. If she does well, we can try the subject again after a week."

He ground his teeth. "Fine. If it will get you to leave me alone right now."

"She's just one little woman, dear. She's not a threat to you."

"I'm not afraid of her. I just don't want my life to be turned upside down for some stupid girl."

"Yes, because you spend your days doing very important work. Can't be bothered when you're knocking down yet another topiary."

Beckett pointed to the door. "Out! I've had enough of this conversation. I don't need to be mocked in my own home."

She chuckled. "Don't get all worked up. I'm not mocking you. But you're going to have to get out in the world sometime, dear. There's no other way for you to find your mate."

"No I don't," he yelled after her retreating figure. "I can just use that stupid app my dad made. I can search for my mate from the comfort of my own home."

"You have to actually use the app for that to work," she called back to him before turning the corner.

He picked up the paper and tried to keep reading. The words were all running together and he couldn't make sense of any of it. Beckett ripped it in half and threw it in the trash. He didn't need to read anything. He might as well get some quality shifting in before the girl showed up. He didn't know when he would get to do it again unencumbered. It wasn't like he could strip down when there was a stranger in the house.

He was already starting to regret his decision. With any luck, the girl would do a terrible job and be out in less than day. Potter had very high standards. Maybe the girl would fail and he could have his life back. It wasn't the most generous wish he'd ever made, but he couldn't let someone new into his life at such a crucial moment. When she lost this job, he would offer her something else. He'd have a better job for her. Something far from him.