Page 128 of Home to the Hollow

Her laugh is warm and rich, filling the room with her essence. “No harder than Wolfgang, I’d imagine.”

A loud grumble comes from Agatha, and I turn to see her prowling towards me like she’s got the scent of dinner. When she gets close, she bats my shoulder with her hand, simpering in true Southern style. “Oh, Wolfie, darling! You know you’re supposed to let me know if you do interviews for the clinic cleaning crew. I must know about all visitors on the property for Mr. Cantwell’s records. You don’t want to get me in trouble, do you?”

I couldn’t care less about if Agatha gets in trouble. When I tell Eliot how she’s behaved, she’s going to be lucky if all she gets is fired.

Backing up from her, I try to make it clear to my date that this woman is not who I’m interested in. “Now, Agatha. I registered her with security and the gate guards myself. She’s not on your schedule for staffing because she’s both my personal guest and Eliot’s. The Cantwell’s don’t register theirpersonalguests with you, do they?”

That did it. She ships her head around to give Jolene a dirty look and then pouts at me. “I thoughtwewould have lunch together again today.”

These fortune hunting debs kill me. I’ve had lunch with Agatha zero times since she started; this is a show to put Jolene in her place.

“Sorry, Aggie. Dr. Wolfie and I made this date earlier in the week. I got all gussied up for him and everything, so we’ll be on our way. Catch ya on the flip side!”

I put a hand over my mouth to muffle the laughter that almost spills out. Once I’m under control, I nod at Agatha. “She’s right. I’m told she has some companions I need to look at. We have to eat, and then we’re touring the stables for her commitment to Eliot. We really must get going. Have a lovely day, Agatha!” That said, I grab Jolene’s hand and practically drag her into the parking lot to get away.

She takes her hand back when we get a suitable distance from the door, wiping it on her breeches. Her two servals come bounding up to her from Mab knows where, and she clears her throat. “Uh, yeah, sorry about that. No, wait. I’m not sorry about her attitude. Why didn’t you warn me there was a viper in the waiting room? This isyourfault, buster.”

Heat spreads up my neck to my face, and I sit the basket down for a moment as I feel the flush take over. “I try to interact with Agatha as little as possible. She’s had this… thing… for me since high school, and it makes everything awkward. Sometimes, I have to be pretty sneaky to get past without getting cornered.”

A furious expression crosses her face. “That’s sexual harassment, and you need to tell HR. Or, since you’re close enough to Eliot to call him that, talk to him.”

“He knows.” I sigh and shrug, not wanting to explain but feeling like I should. “He can’t do anything about it because of her family’s legacy. They’re new to the Hollow to found families, but their wealth and influence in the racing industry is unparalleled. His parents guaranteed their child's job exchanges here to learn the business.”

“That sucks giant goat balls, and I’m sorry you have to deal with her. She didn’t bother me because I’ve dealt with bitchy women WAY above her pay grade for years. She’d have to add quite a few zeroes to her net worth to compete.” Jolene turns to glare at the main office for a moment before giving me a sympathetic smile.

I can’t help it—my discomfort seems to melt away entirely and a huge smile forms on my lips. I don’t know why this girl makes me feel so light, but every sharp witticism makes something inside of me come to life. “You know, darlin’, I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”

“Mow!”

One of her cats interrupts us, and she looks down at the noisy feline with a smile. The cat gives her one of those cheesy cat smiles, fangs bared, and she laughs. I’m not sure how an unemerged supe gathered two companions. But she’s definitely connected to them, and that’s probably the clearest path to her favor.

Letting a bit of my fae magic vibrate in the air, I look at the animals. I can feel their energy, and once I have their attention, I use the same skills I do with animals in my practice. “Are you the scamps that chose our sugarplum? Let me see you, gentleman. Stand and be counted.”

The nickname makes her blush a gorgeous primrose color, but I ignore it as the servals rise on their hind legs and hold a paw out to me. When the loud one yowls, Jolene looks like her jaw is going to hit the ground. Hiding my grin, I walk around them, looking to make sure they don’t have any obvious physical issues.

“I… they don’t normally…”

I wink at her as I bend down to check their bellies and hindquarters. “I’m a vet, sugarplum. Animals love me.” Once I’m done, I pick up the picnic supplies and cock my head. “The good news is that they seem healthy, though I’d like to do a full exam later in the month once you’re fully settled. The bad news is that Hyde is a girl, and they aren’t fixed.”

She flushes even redder and I know I’ve got her completely flustered. She takes a moment, but she finally stammers, “Um… well, I will not do that to them. They’re a bonded pair, it seems, and I don’t feel like I should make that decision for them. It feels like I’d be intruding on their privacy.”

Be still, my heart. She’s an animal lover, and I don’t think she knows it yet.

“I agree! So many people want to prevent their companions from living normal lives to make it easier for them. I applaud your willingness to allow them autonomy, sugarplum. I’ll help you get what supplies you may need when I do their visit.”

Looking relieved, she gives me a shy smile that melts me even more. “That sounds good. Should we have lunch? I don’t want to keep you all day.”

“Oh! Yeah, we should. I have a slow day today, but I bet you’re itchin’ to get to your studio and work a little. Word at the diner is that you’ve stripped the house pretty bare.”

Jolene looks annoyed, but I can tell it’s not at me. I seem to do well so far—not an awkward moment except for the bullshit with Agatha. Prez will be proud of me.

“I am. I want to make sure the equipment is installed properly, so once I get my feet under me at school, I can start lessons and showings there.”

Feeling brave, I reach out and take her hand again, waiting to see if she’ll pull away. When she doesn’t, I lead her over to one of the golf carts and drop the picnic stuff in the back. “I’m going to take us out to a spot the tourists don’t get to see, if you don’t mind. We’ll eat there, and if it’s late when we finish, we can do the stables tour later. Eliot instructed Fidelia to make you a badge, a parking decal, and shirts and have ‘em delivered to your house, so next time you can just text me and head on over.”

Her hand comes up to wave at the cats and I smile when she shoos them off to explore. Maybe she wants to be alone with me? I hope so because I’ve been looking forward to this all week and every second I spend with her reinforces that butterfly feeling inside of me. I maneuver the cart out of its spot, heading towards the trail to the fields.

“So, Eliot’s folks still hold the reins—literally. He’s the go-between for the staff and the family, but he can’t pry the title out of his daddy for anything. It makes him crazy because he has tons of innovative ideas for modernization that would not have included backhanded deals like the one with Agatha’s family. He’s got contacts in the Middle East, which I’m sure you know is a hotbed for sheikhs with money to burn on luxury items like racehorses.”

---