Page 15 of A Wolf in the Garden

But you do. You do want him. You want him with every fibre of your being.

He nods once, jaw clenched, and I escape out the door. I hold back the sobs long enough to pull out of the carpark and get halfway down the road, but by that point I can’t control it any longer, and howl with the frustration of it all. I don’t recall arriving home but I find myself there, eyes swollen and face wet, and the silence of my empty little house as deafening as always.

I don’t want to get hurt again.

Four

VAN

Istare at the twenty-page proposal for the garden design on my laptop screen, scrolling through page after page of detailed descriptions, sketches, estimated costs, and additional questions, before cycling back to the overall garden layout, sketched in perfect detail. Ellie has done an exceptional job; far more than I expected from a three-day turnaround, and worth at least twice as much as what I’m paying her.

I lean back in my chair with a sigh, opening up her email. I click the reply button, and then stare at the blank page, trying to think about how best to respond to her. She wasveryprofessional in her wording, after making it clear to me at the end of our last meeting that I was just a client, and I can’t help but feel lost. I know she still feels attracted to me; a wolf’s nose doesn’t lie, and I could smell her arousal as we stood in the paddock. For a moment I’d been sure that she’d kiss me, but then she’d flinched away, and I realised that it was going to take more than one sweet moment for her to forgive and forget my past actions.

Most of all, I want to respect what she wants. If she doesn’t want anything more than a working relationship with me, I’ll just have to get over myself. My wolves whine at the thought, and I let out a growl of frustration, making my very human assistant jump in her seat. Cassidy stares at me wide-eyed for a moment through pink-rimmed glasses, blue eyes unblinking. “Everything alright, Evander?” To her credit, her voice remains calm despite the fright I just gave her.

“Fine, Cassidy, sorry. Please ignore the growls; it’s part of the job when you work for a wolf, unfortunately.”

“Okay. Noted.”

I give her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry I frightened you.”

“It was just a surprise, that’s all. I’ve got the name of those building contractors you were interested in, shall I email you a summary?”

“Sure.”

“Do you…” She hesitates, running a hand back through her curly brown hair. “Do you want me to specify which ones are non-human, if the information is available? My old boss had me do that with contractors.”

An uncomfortable feeling runs down my spine. “Was that so he could include or exclude the non-humans?” I ask, keeping my tone neutral.

“Include. He wanted stronger builders. He wanted people who would naturally work faster so he could pay them less overall.”

“Ah.” I shake my head. “Please don’t specify. My decision to hire someone is not going to be based on their genetic makeup. It’s going to be based on the quality of work they’ve produced in the past.” I’m definitely not going to exploit non-human labour just because some creatures are stronger than others.

Cassidy nods, ducking her head down and focusing on her own screen, and I wonder if she’s replaying that conversation and recognising how problematic little things like that are. I sigh again, turning my attention back to Ellie’s email once more.

Good morning Ellie, I type.

Your proposal looks great. I’m more than happy to proceed. I know we discussed starting Tuesday; is that still possible? Let me know your schedule around your other clients. I’m flexible on my end.

Thanks,

Evander

With a snort I delete my full name, replacing it withVan, and hit send before I waste any more time debating over an email. If it wasn’t Ellie I wouldn’t care, but it is, and like some lovestruck teenager, I’m desperate to please her.

* * *

Ifinish work early at 2PM, sending Cassidy home for the rest of the day. There’s a huge truck parked in front of my house, and I watch the crew of movers unloading my shipping container worth of possessions as I take the five minute walk from my office in the main vineyard building to my house. The mass of boxes and furniture finally sailed into the country on Monday morning, and it’s a relief to know that’s another thing ticked off the list, and that I won’t have to live out of a suitcase any longer.

As I approach the house, Cam’s huge truck, built big enough to fit an eight foot tall orc, comes rolling down the gravel drive that leads to my place. “Hey, lad,” he grins as he jumps out of the vehicle. “I see they’ve done most of the job for us already.”

The movers have, unloading all but a few remaining boxes into the garage. “We still have to sort through them.” I wince at the sheer amount of stuff; I’d forgotten how much I shipped over. Though I’d paid for people to pack my belongings for me back in the States, I wanted to unpack it all myself so I could properly decide where things were going in my new home.

Cameron merely shakes his head, slapping me on the back with a solidthumpthat reverberates through my chest. “Better get started then.”

* * *

Four hours later, all my personal furniture and ninety percent of the boxes have been unloaded into the house. I groan, suddenly starving, and stretch my arms above my head, my knuckles grazing the garage ceiling. Cam continues, oblivious to the break I’m taking, stepping over the mess and debris to pick up yetanotherbox.

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