Page 64 of Moon Tamed

FOURTEEN

It’s delicious blasphemy.

After three bottles of wine, it came as no surprise that I failed to find my way to a bed. Had Calden’s father not come over to find out why we weren’t at work, we might have started implementing a few of our coherent plans to torment the man.

Instead, he snickered and read off some of the more creative entries to torture us while we suffered from hangovers.

Somehow, we’d remembered to feed the bunnies, although we’d given Calden’s furry friends too much food, resulting in a mess we needed to clean up. While hungover.

As Calden had somehow acquired blankets and brought them to the couch, I burrowed beneath mine, groaned, and wished my new boss would go away and leave us to our penance.

“Spiking my coffee with black currant is just evil, I hope you know. I left you two unsupervised for one evening, and you two got drunk and tried to concoct ways to make me consume black currants?” He referenced the pages we’d jotted down. “I’m grateful one of you has illegible writing when drunk, as I’m sure this would be ten times worse could this monstrosity be translated.”

I eyed the collection of six bottles, wondering which of the three I’d been responsible for consuming. I ultimately pointed at the Champagne, which Calden had put off to the side. “Blame that.”

“While I’m sure the alcohol helped you decide to cut loose for a while, why did you have to scheme about berries?”

I turned my finger to Calden. “That’s on him, although I’m pretty sure I masterminded at least two thirds of those ideas.”

“Now, that I believe. Anything else you’d like to tell me?”

“Raspberry syrup in coffee is great.”

“No, it’s blasphemy.”

“But it’s delicious blasphemy.” Despite the hangover, I grinned. “You’re just mad we had a good time scheming against you.”

Calden’s father rolled his eyes. “I’m not upset over that at all, actually. I’m more upset I expected certain people to show up at work, leaving everyone to worry, as the certain people in question are known to be responsible, timely individuals.”

“Awww, Calden, you worried your daddy.”

Calden grinned at me. “I’m sure your parents would be worried if Dad told them you didn’t show up for work.”

“They’d ask if the time was worth the consequences.”

“Was it?”

“I’m hungover. Ask me after I’m not hungover, please.”

Calden laughed. “I’m hungover, too. Dad, we’re hungover. Can you make us some tea before you go back to work and complain about my cruel ways, please?”

“I’ll make you tea, but I’ll make it at work, where I need you both for various tasks. Next time, you’ll plan your drinking for when you’re not expected at work.”

“I’m sick, possibly dying. Come back tomorrow,” I muttered, hiding under the covers and doing my best to burrow between the couch cushions. “I’m going to need a lot more than some tea to become functional.”

“I’m not that bad off,” Calden confessed. “But I also didn’t have four bottles of wine and half a bottle of Champagne.”

“Didn’t I have three?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Damn. “Apparently, I don’t remember anything after the third bottle. Did I have a good time?”

“Judging from the amount of giggling, you had a blast. Are we fired, Dad?”

“Maybe you, but I need my new secretary to come in and sign papers confirming she’s my new secretary. HR finished putting together the offer. I’d like you to help finalize the hunt plans. We’re scheduled to start in a week, as the artisans and crafters are all ahead of schedule. They got bored while in quarantine, so they advanced our timeline. There’s no reason not to start the day after the quarantine officially lifts.”

“They’re lifting the quarantine? Isn’t it early?”

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