Page 7 of Wrong Number, Right Lion

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” I took out my phone. “We really should take as many pictures as possible for your claim. Did you already call it in?”

He shook his head.

“How about you do that, while I get as many pictures out here as I can manage? I’ll let you know when the guys get here.”

The wind kicked up a tick, and water from the leaves fell into our faces.

“Ugh.” I shook my head.

“That’s my cue.” He jogged around the house to make the call, and I started my picture documentation.

A few minutes later, the guys showed up. George, the owner of the crew, was a beaver shifter I had as a student my first year at the college. He told me time and again that he owed me one for getting math to make sense for him, and I was calling it in.

“Whoa, this is pretty bad.” George grabbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah, and I really need to tarp the roof pretty much now.” I didn’t want to be a dick and rush him, but also… it was a rush job for a reason.

“We’ve got you, and you’ll get the family discount for sure.”

“Family, like third cousin twice removed or like your grandfather?” I asked, and he burst out laughing.

“You pay my crew’s hours and we call it even.” That was so much better than I dared hope.

“Excellent. This is my mate’s house, and he’s very worried about money.”

“Mate’s house? Not your house?”

“Yeah, long story short… I met him tonight because of the tree… and he’s human, so…”

“He doesn’t know.”

“Exactly.”

A hand settled on my shoulder, and when I turned around, it was one of the crew. “Crew and I can’t take money from something that gave you your mate. We’re not monsters.” He pointed to his mating mark. “I met mine at the zoo. I know, the irony.”

I already liked these guys, and for sure they were getting paid.

“We’ll be back at dawn with the heavier equipment. Want us to take pictures as we go?” George was sent here by the goddess. There was no other explanation.

“Absolutely.”

My mate came out a minute later to let me know he filed the claim and to meet the crew. Just like he had with me, he pestered them for a figure, but unlike with me, George caved quickly.

“Insurance should cover it all, but I owe this guy a favor, so at most, it will be $500.”

My mate snapped his attention to me. “Don’t waste your favors on me. You don’t even know me.”

“Maybe not, but I know you need this favor more than I do right now. My place isn’t raining inside.”

George interrupted with some details, and I was grateful. It had been on the tip of my tongue to call him mate, and it wasn’t time for that. Soon, though. Very soon, because now that my lion had met him, he wasn’t going to sit back and watch me play the human wooing game without a fight. He wanted to meet our mate and now. I didn’t blame him. I might not know our omega well, but what I did know of him was pretty fantastic.

5

ARLO

“For you.”

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