TWO
They didn’t work on Fridays. Jo was adamant that they took time for their lives and families, that they used the longer weekend to recharge and come back refreshed. It had worked for them, keeping morale high and everyone happy. It was a perfect scenario. . .
Except when you had something so important to think about.
Jo’s Friday was spent weighing the pros and cons of entering the Race Games. On one hand, that prize was a big deal. A hundred acres of land with a warehouse already on it would be persuasive enough. The extra cash prize of one hundred million dollars on top of it was an even bigger influence. The things they could do with all that land and money. They could hold focus groups and do testing. They could do studies and marketing. They could build a literal compound and expand into other apps and avenues. MateFinder was just the beginning. They could take over the world.
But she’d have to enter the Race Games for that. She’d have to survive them and win to get those prizes. The Games were brutal, that much was apparent from the few times she’d brought herself to watch them on tv, but it would be easy enough to request being entered. She’d just have to survive.
And find the money for a car.
But that was neither here nor there. Jo had invested her life savings into MateFinder. Working a nine to five for years hadn’t given her a ton of extra money. It wouldn’t. There weren’t very many options for making large-scale money as a werewolf. The pack had jobs, but most of those paid what little they could. The local bar was the best job, and the waitress job had barely made enough for groceries. So Jo had taken human jobs, scraping what little she could into accounts. The money that came in from the app went toward Polly, Gidget, and Iliad. They were most important to keep happy and well-paid. They were more important than her getting a large salary. So she’d have to scrape together what she could for a car, but she could do it. She just needed to get the approval from the wolf elders, and she’d be good.
Pros of entering the Race Games? Winning a big enough prize to shoot her business into mega success.
Cons of entering the Games? Possible death.
But Jo hadn’t gotten to where she was by playing it safe. She’d jumped in, and now, here was a solution to their current problem. They were growing at an exponential rate, needed to upscale, but the market wouldn’t allow it with their current money. Not with all the inflation caused by the fae.
In the end, there was really only one option.
Jo was going to enter the Race Games, and she’d have to prepare.
She spent the rest of her weekend getting her will and plans in order. If something happened to her, the rights to MateFinder would have to transfer over, and she knew who she needed to talk to. That’s how she found herself outside of a normal-looking house in a human neighborhood at five o’clock on a Sunday. After knocking three times, Iliad opened the door with a bright smile.
“Jo! Hey, kids! Aunt Jo is here!”
Three little elf children danced from behind Iliad, delight on their faces. Jo had been there when Iliad and Jav adopted the three kids, had helped with the interviews with the adoption agency who were determined to deny the two men the rights until Jo pointed out how well-qualified they were and that the children would be loved beyond measure. They’d celebrated after and now look at them. The three children were thriving.
Jo scooped up the smallest one and swung her around. “Hey there, pumpkin. I have to talk to your daddy.”
“Did you bring me sweets?” she asked, her large eyes practiced in the mirror.
“Of course, I did. I know to pay the toll.” Jo pulled a handful of sweets from her pocket and passed it into her hands, much to her glee. She immediately took off running, the other two children chasing after her. “They’re doing good,” she commented, smiling at Iliad, but he was studying Jo in return.
“You’re doing it, aren’t you?”
Smiling, Jo passed him the manila envelope she had in her hand. “You know me so well. You knew I would do it the moment you brought it up.”
“You should let me be your partner—”
But Jo shook her head. “Those three kids need you, Ili. I’m sending in my entry for the Leaders tomorrow, but I just wanted you to know. In the envelope is my will and assets. Should something happen to me in the Games, it’ll be up to you to keep MateFinder growing.”
Frowning, Iliad opened the envelope and glanced over the papers, his eyes misting. “You’re giving your royalties to the kids if you die.”
“Of course I am,” Jo answered with a smile. “They deserve the world, and anything to help where I can.”
He put the papers away and wiped at his face. “Is it wrong I regret suggesting it?”
“No.” Jo opened her arms and waited for him to hug her. “But I’ll be okay. I’m going to win us that land. And we’re going to be great.”
Iliad nodded and backed up. “The leaders better give you the best partner. If not, I’m going to blame them.”
“That’s if they even accept me,”Jo pointed out. “This could all be for nothing, but it’s best to be prepared.”
Iliad nodded and hugged her again. “Come in for dinner first. The kids will want to spend time with you, and Jav will have my hide if I don’t feed you.”
Jo grinned. “I’m not turning down Jav’s cooking. Count me in.”
Iliad closed the door behind them. She knew she’d have a lot to do the next day, knew that she had to send in her application, but for the evening, she just focused on sitting down with her favorite people and enjoying the roast Jav made.
She’d worry about the Race Games the next day, when she wasn’t staring into the bright futures of three little elf girls who would have the world if their fathers had anything to say about it.