Page 50 of Arctic Panda's Secret Mate
The car slowed as it approached, fishing through the snow, and Tristan could do nothing better than hold himself still and hope. He heard Haisley cheerfully call out, “Hi, Lana!”
There were dogs in the car, at least two, and the windows must be down, because they barked wildly over each other. Did they know he was there, or were they just reacting to Haisley’s presence?
Just as Tristan was running out of the breath he was holding, the car went slowly on, and the barking dogs finally faded into the distance.
Haisley patted him on the butt and Tristan pulled his head up out of the snow with a snuffle.
“There are risks to having a panda bear boyfriend thatI hadn’t really considered,” Haisley said. “I can see why you’d want to live on an island where everyone knows what you are already.”
Did she soundsad? Tristan pressed his face into her and she wrapped her arms around him. He couldn’t tell her that he’d already decided to stay, but he was more determined than ever now to make his plan work.
44
TRISTAN
Tristan thought about asking Bastian for the capital, but he knew that dragon hoards were not really the same on an emotional level as a human wealth.
He also wasn’t sure what Bastian’s hoard actuallywas, though he knew it was not the standard dragonish collection of gold and gems. Some of the rumors he’d heard suggested that it was mostly sea trash and shells. Tristan didn’t want to ask for more than he could safely take, and he was pretty sure that asking for what Bastian didn’t even have would only be a lot of embarrassment for everyone.
Alice was a gym teacher from the Midwest, and Graham, if he hadanymoney, seemed like the sort who would rather not admit it.
Wrench was obviously from the wrong side ofsomekind of tracks, and Lydia didn’t seem like the type to be from great wealth.
Tristan’s next step then… was Conall.
He knocked on the door of their bedroom before he thought to wonder if Conall would be able to hear it.
Fortunately, Gizelle was there, and she flung the door open in eager greeting. “I told you your present was the best!” she crowed. Then her voice dropped to a whisper. “But it might not be, in the end.” She clapped her hand over her mouth. “I can’t tell you yet, because I don’t know!” she said around her fingers.
Tristan had no idea what to make of that. “Uh, I was hoping you’d help me talk with Conall. I have a favor to ask.”
“Of course!” Gizelle gestured him into the room, not offering to touch him. Conall was sitting at a desk, scowling at his laptop, and he didn’t look around until Gizelle swept up to his side and lay a hand on his shoulder.
It was astonishing how his face melted, looking at Gizelle, and then shuttered when he saw Tristan beyond her.
“Can I help you?” It wasn’t unfriendly, exactly, but it wasn’t terribly warm. Cautious, Tristan thought.
“I have a big favor to ask, and you’re one of the only people I can ask it of,” Tristan said frankly. “I want to buy the chalet and turn it into a getaway for shifters only.”
To his credit, Conall didn’t laugh or shut him down immediately. He did frown, however, and Tristan felt his hopes go brittle. “In the spirit of Shifting Sands?” he said, in a perfectly bland voice.
“But with snow!” Gizelle chimed in eagerly.
“But with snow,” Tristan agreed. “Not as competition, exactly. I couldn’t possibly. But shifters want to see the northern lights and dog sleds just as much as other people, and look how much fun it is to run around in animal form in the wilderness. This could be a safe place with a very different kind of appeal.”
“Running a resort requires a lot of work and knowledge,”Conall said reluctantly. “It’s not like buying a fast food franchise.”
“Of course not,” Tristan said. “I’ve run the numbers. I feel like an individual room rental would be very lucrative even before it’s fully booked. I’m qualified to do repairs and construction, Haisley would be here to handle the rest.”
“Have you talked to Haisley about this?” Conall asked suspiciously.
“I wanted to have a financial backing plan in place before I proposed it,” Tristan said, not letting Conall’s doubts rattle him. “I don’t want to get her hopes up if there’s no point in it.”
“It’s a surprise!” Gizelle said, letting go of Conall to clap her hands over her mouth. “I won’t tell. I’m so good at secrets. I kept Conall’s gift a secret for a whole month.”
Conall gave her a fond glance, though he couldn’t have heard her or read her lips. “I’m not looking for a new financial ventureof that sizeat this point,” he said, returning his attention to Tristan. “I could potentially join as apartialinvestor, but I’ll be honest, I don’t feel that I could personally fund the entire amount that you’d need. I’m not a bank, and I’m sure that there are established services that would be more appropriate sources.”
Tristan thought about arguing. No bank was going to give him a loan. His credit wasn’t bad, but it wasn’tmulti-million dollar chaletkind of good, either. And he couldn’t pitch a shifters-only lodge to any kind of public agency.
