Page 3 of Alpha Bear Accountant

It was from the local bakery company looking for someone to help with bookkeeping. The pay wasn't much, but it was hourly and expected to last for six months to cover a maternity leave. It didn't solve my problems, but it was my favorite kind of job because I just had to follow whatever systems were in place and keep things current. Easy peasy.

Without another second of hesitation, I hit the accept button in the app and took the job. If I was lucky, I could possibly get my first payment by Monday and have my bathroom back to rights by mid week. Until then, I might need to spend more time as my bear than I normally did, but it was doable.

Just thinking about it made the tension in my neck ease up. Working with numbers was where I shone. They were so much more predictable and easier to manage than people or equipment or rusty pipes.

Feeling relieved that I had the semblance of a plan in place, I headed to my bedroom to change into dry clothes. A shower would’ve been nice, but that was no longer an option for me. I’d have to swing by the gym later to get washed up. Until then, I just hoped the client who hired me would reach out and let me start immediately.

Bakers didn’t take weekends off, did they? People needed baked goods at all hours of the day and night. At least, that’s what I told myself as I settled on the sofa with my laptop and typed up an inquiry to the client.

It was just a simple note to let them know I was available immediately and could come by their shop at a moment’s notice to be briefed on the situation, but it made me feel better. Like help was on the way.

The tree branches swayed as I stared out my back window. That view was one of the main reasons why I loved living in Oak Grove. Even on the bad days, just a quick glance at the bear-tastic world beyond my house soothed me. The forest, the river, and the community that came with being in a town of shifters countered any second-guessing I had.

While I waited for a response from the bakery, I took a steaming mug of coffee out to the back porch and settled on my rocking chair.

A play structure would be perfect just beyond the garden.

Maybe someday I’d have the need to build one.

3

NIAM

I stared at the jumble of papers spread across my desk and held my head in my hands. I had no idea what I was doing. Invoices, receipts, and tax forms were all staring up at me as if they made any kind of sense. But they didn’t, no matter how I arranged or piled or cursed them. Even with the chaos, I could see it was bad. Real bad.

After a week of trying to sort out the finances for Walker and Sons Plumbing, I was more lost than ever on how to put everything back together again.

"This is hopeless." I pushed back from the desk and spun my chair toward the small window that overlooked the alley.

I rubbed my temples trying to ward off the headache building behind my eyes. When I'd arrived in Oak Grove to help with the family business, I'd had no idea what I was getting myself into, not really. I figured I’d hire a few more plumbers, bring in an office manager, maybe pay off the back taxes. Easy stuff to hire out. And when it came to fixing leaky pipes and unclogging drains, I could hold my own well enough to help with the smaller jobs.

But I hated math and didn’t even know how to balance my own bank accounts, much less manage business accounts. If it had all been in a decent program, I could figure it out. But nope. It was a mix of hand-filled-in books, spreadsheets, scribbled notes, and invoices done multiple ways. There was no way I’d be able to make heads or tails of the finances without some professional guidance. Maybe some software could eliminate all the scribbled notebooks and bills that needed to be dealt with, but which one, and how would I know what went where? It was a disaster.

Bill collectors were calling, and I had no idea if we had enough money to cover them all, if they had already been paid and the paperwork hadn’t caught up yet, or if they were even legit or if some were phishing scam calls. The thought of Dad being forced to sell or close up because his son couldn’t step up when he needed them made my stomach churn.

I couldn't keep pretending I knew how to fix this mess.

There was an ancient computer on the desk, but I was fairly certain it was the same one from when I was in middle school, so I bypassed it all together and grabbed my phone. As I often did during quiet moments, I found myself absentmindedly rubbing my lower belly. It was a habit I'd picked up when just about everyone in my office got pregnant last year. They all did it, and I couldn’t help imagining growing a family of my own some day.

Being an unmated omega was stressful enough without worrying about my biological clock. I still had plenty of time to find an alpha. At least, that’s what I told myself.

Remembering what I was about to do, I typed "accountant Oak Grove" into the search bar, and hoped to find someone local who could start immediately. The top result was both intriguing and exciting.

Shifter for Hire - Fast Response Accounting Services

I blinked, sure I must have misread that. There were shifters in Oak Grove? I'd heard rumors, of course, whispers about wolves and otters and such, but I'd never actually met one. At least, not that I knew of.

With my curiosity piqued, I clicked on the link. The website was sleek and professional, and most importantly, there was a rush-service button that promised same-day services and discretion. Two things I was in desperate need of for a mess like ours. If our vendors or competitors knew how bad things were, they might not be so flexible with our payment terms.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I dialed the number. It rang twice before a warm, deep voice answered. "Shifter for Hire. How may I help you?"

I swallowed hard, hoping I was making the right decision. "Hi, um, I saw your ad for accountants in Oak Grove, and I need help as soon as possible. Is anyone available today or tomorrow?"

"We do have a few accountants available for evening and weekend jobs. May I get your name and the nature of the job?"

"Niam Walker. It's for my family's plumbing business. The books are…well, they're a disaster, to be honest. I’m stepping in for my brother and need some help sorting everything out." I left out the part that we could be on the brink of bankruptcy or rolling in cash. I had no way of knowing either way.

There was a pause, and I could hear the sound of typing. "Alright, Niam. I’m gonna check with a few of our consultants to see who will be coming by. Can I get back to you in about an hour?"

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