An objection clings to my lips. It's not the first time someone put their pet down to be with the deceased and it won't be the last. It'll happen whether I protest or not. If I want Bright Starr to stay afloat, I need customers, so I keep my opinion on the matter to myself. I give myself a second to choke down my denial.
“Alright, Mr. Matthews,” After flopping down into the rolling desk chair, I skim my finger over the mousepad and my laptop’s screen comes to life. I check my schedule and bite back a heavy sigh at the long day ahead. “Let me know when you want to bring Mittens’ remains in. As for your wife’s body, I’ll go get her mid-morning between appointments.”
“Whatever, take your time. She can rot as far as I’m concerned. Old hag…”
Ugh, the disrespect… I squeeze my eyes shut again. “Alright, I’ll reach out again shortly, Mr. Matthews.”
With that, I quickly say my farewells and tap the earpiece to hang up.
Thatcher pushes off from the wall, his arms dropping to his sides, and he saunters over to me. I look up to find him smiling as he stops on the other side of the desk.
“Mittens?” he inquires with a chuckle. “Since when do we do pet cremations and burials? I didn’t see anything on the website about this.”
We. The word causes my chest to constrict painfully. He’s taking Bright Starr away from me. My life has revolved around this business. While it hasn't been a great life, it’s beenmylife. From early on, most of my memories have been under this roof. Running through the halls, watching my mother tend to the deceased, learning how to handle the grieving… Bright Starr was a big part of my past and was supposed to be my future. Now it’s being stripped away from me.
My expression must give away my feelings because his smile shifts, softening as his gaze travels over my face.
“I promise you, Little Sister, that you're still very much a part of Bright Starr,” he waves his hand around. “No one is kicking you to the curb. Think of us as an extra set of hands. Surely it would be easier to have more people around to help you?”
He’s right, it would be nice to have more help, but still...
“Besides, you didn’t really want to run this place anyway, did you?” he asks. I blink rapidly, not sure what he’s getting at. His smile grows. There’s a knowing glint in his sage green and light brown eyes that makes me uncomfortable. Like he sees and knows too much. “You left here at eighteen to become a teacher, right?” At my gasp of surprise, Thatcher chuckles. “Don’t look at me like that. You know we’ve been watching you for a while, and while we watched, we did our research. I know a lot about you, Little Sister. Just think, we’re lifting a responsibility off your shoulders that you didn’t even want.”
I look away, uncomfortable under his sharp gaze.
“Maybe you’re right,” I mutter. “It’s just going to take a bit to wrap my head around all this.”
The sound of movement pulls my attention back to my stepbrother.
Thatcher comes around the desk, then leans his lower back against the edge of it as he looks down at me. Up close, I can feel currents of electricity arch from him to me, running overmy skin before sinking beneath it. My blood warms and I can't breathe properly. As I stare up into his eyes, I notice a twinkle of madness sparkling down at me. How did he hide it when he was Chase, not Thatcher?
“Take all the time you need.” He regards me curiously. “Are you always down here this early? The hours on the door and online mention that Bright Starr doesn't open until eight.”
I glance at the clock on my computer screen. I suppose six forty-five might be a bit early.
Clearing my throat, I ruefully reply, “There's lots to do, and if I don't get started early, I'm here late.”
Thatcher claps his hands and rubs them together while he nods. “Alright, then I'll make it a point to be down here with you bright and early each day. I’m a morning bird myself so I promise to always be on time.”
“How is this going to work?” I frown, twisting the chair so that I’m facing him. “Do you know anything about running a business?”
“I’m great with numbers and even better with people. I say that's an excellent foundation for a business owner, don't you?” He chuckles as I give him a skeptical look. “I don't claim to know what I'm doing, but I am a quick learner. I’ve been studying how you run things here, looking over old finances that were kept up at the house, and I’ve been reading through your textbooks in my downtime. I'll shadow you for a bit until I get the swing of things around here, but it shouldn’t take me long to take over administrative duties. For now, think of me as your assistant and financial manager.”
Thatcher is going to be my shadow? My gaze sweeps over his lean figure—with a waist that tapers inward, wide shoulders, and long legs—all covered in inconspicuously expensive clothes and then to his pale, handsome face that could’ve been carved by Michelangelo. How the hell am I going to get any work done withhimaround? My cheek flame red hot as I think about what the two of us have done together.
And how I hope we might end up doing it all again.
Yeah, no, I’m definitely not going to get any work done with Thatcher Hunt nearby all day. I guess I should just resign myself to a whole bunch of late nights in the near future where I’ll be able to catch up while he sleeps.
“And the others?” I ask.
“Knox loves working a room full of people. He thrives off attention. He’ll take over host duties for viewings and services.”
Oh… I blink in surprise. I don’t have to deal with the people of Chasm? That sounds really appealing. And to hear that Knox enjoys attention… Maybe that’s what I need to give him if I’m going to win the pretty blond over. I tuck that piece of information away to study later.
“Just so you’re aware, he plans to update the interior of this place,” Thatcher continues. “I’ll make sure everything he wants to do won’t affect our hours of operation though, so don’t worry about that. As for Sagan, he’ll be our maintenance guy. He can do the runs for the bodies that need to be picked up too. He’s going to love that shit.”
My head bobs as I nod absentmindedly. This is going to be complicated. I tick through the things that need to be done in a day and how I'll possibly manage training Thatcher and the others. Already my days are so busy. The thought of taking on more work feels daunting.