His jaguar stirred again.
Not our enemy, Ty snapped.
If his jaguar was on such a hair-trigger that it was ready to snarl at a man Ty both liked and respected—a man who, even if Ty disagreed with him, was doing his level best to help...
“So I’m turning a request into an order.” Sam handed him a form. “You’re going on vacation. Two weeks minimum. And you either come back looking like it was a miracle cure, or we’re going to start talking long-term solutions.”
Ty really, really didn’t like the sound of that.
Sam leaned forward. “I’d hate to lose you, Ty,” he said, more gently. “You’re one of the best. You’ve got a touch with kids, and you work the longest hours I’ve ever seen someone sustain for so long. But no one can keep that up forever. And if I’m going to lose you either way, I’d rather it be on our terms, and not on the job’s terms. Got it?”
Ty nodded. “Yes, sir.”
***
“Wow,” said Iris. “Your boss ordered you to take a two-week vacation. Gee, your life is so difficult. I don’t know what I’d do in your place.”
Ty shot his sister a half-hearted glare from where he was slumped on the sofa. “He’s talking like I might lose my job, Iris. It’s a little more serious than a vacation.”
Iris’ gaze softened. “I know, hon. Sorry. I just—maybe this is a goo
d thing?”
Ty’s jaguar growled again. Quit it, Ty admonished. “Giving up my life’s work is a good thing?”
“No, Ty. It’s just—you’ve given your life to that job. You never married, you barely date, you just go out into these terrible situations and help people as best you can. No one can do that forever, and no one should let it consume their whole world.”
It was eerily similar to what Sam had been saying. “It’s not my whole world,” Ty objected. “My beloved sister takes up a little part of it. Why do you think I never got married and had my own kids? I had all of yours to help raise.”
Ty’s six nieces and nephews were his pride and joy, and anyone who suggested his job was more important than keeping them healthy and happy would have an angry jaguar to deal with.
Not literally, he added belatedly.
His jaguar was antsier than it had been in a while. Loathe as he was to admit that either his boss or his sister was right, he had been working long hours lately. Taking a break somewhere where he could run free for a while was probably a smart idea.
“My kids are all grown up now,” Iris said pointedly. “You got Rayanne settled into her dorm room yourself just a couple months ago. The nest is empty!” She waved her arms around the house, which was silent and neat, when it had used to be packed to overflowing with kids. “It’s time for the grown-ups to remember what it’s like to have a life.”
“How’re you and Steve handling that?” Ty asked.
“He’s taking me to Hawaii the first two weeks of December,” Iris said smugly.
Ty let his head fall back to the sofa with a thump. He’d always kind of wanted to be the looming, intimidating brother to the man in his sister’s life, but fortunately for them all, Steve was a hardworking, mild-mannered saint who loved Iris like she’d hung the stars in the sky.
So Ty had instead fueled his brotherly instincts into helping out with the kids, because six kids took a lot of time, money, energy, and love.
And now they’d all flown the coop. To mix his shifter metaphors.
Leaving him with nothing to do but work.
And taking away his weekly teach-the-baby-jaguars runs. Time he’d spent in the office instead of taking the hours-long drive out of the LA area into the wilderness where they could shift without being caught.
Maybe Sam and Iris did have a point.
“All right, fine,” he said. “You’ve convinced me.”
“Glad to hear it. What did I convince you of?”
“You’re going to sun yourselves on the beach...”