She came up with a mint that had clearly traveled further than Dot had. “Take a mint, boy.”
Wrench dutifully took the mint and fled back to his mosaic.
Chapter 4
The spa was all the familiar chaos that Lydia had missed. She exchanged enthusiastic embraces with each of her assistants and dived in to get guests set up with pedicures and facials. When two of the guests were chattering together in Russian, she was able to get more of the gossip from Laura.
“Kidnapped!” Lydia exclaimed as the tale unwove.
“My fault, really,” Laura explained. “The cartel I worked for took offense to my desire for retirement, and they thought Jenny was me, and sent Wrench to bring me back.”
“Wrench?”
“He’s really an okay guy,” Laura was quick to explain. “He let her go when he figured out it wasn’t me, and when we gave him a chance to give testimony against his boss in a plea bargain, he took it.”
“That sounds a little overly trusting,” Lydia suggested. “Good people don’t go around kidnapping innocent people.”
Laura shrugged, patting off her client’s foot with a towel. “You could argue that good people don’t end up working for the cartel, but it’s hard to turn down a job when you’re in a tight place. He made the right choice in the end. Gave up a suitcase of money, even.”
Lydia pursed her lips. “You’re right of course,” she said, not wanting to paint Laura with the same brush; she liked the curvy wolf shifter. It was hard to picture her working for a mob organization. “And if Scarlet thinks he’s worth giving a chance, I have to trust her judgment.”
Laura’s smile was bright and grateful. “But that’s not the only gossip you missed. Bastian found his mate, too!”
At the reminder, Lydia was aware again of how close her own mate was, tantalizing and exciting. She wanted to share the news, but almost as much, she wanted to hold the knowledge close, to savor the anticipation privately a little longer. “Bastian! How delicious! Who is she?”
“Her name is Saina. She’s a siren, and she’ll be singing tonight in the bar if you don’t see her before then.”
“A siren!” Lydia exclaimed. “An actual mermaid? I didn’t know they even existed.”
“That’s a story I’ll let them tell you,” Laura teased her. “But come hear her sing tonight.”
“I was only gone a few weeks, and you had a storm, and kidnappings, and a whole raft of new staff!” Lydia exclaimed. “There you are,” she said to the owner of the foot she was pampering. “Can I get you a little polish for these happy toes?”
“Oh, yes, please,” the guest said in her thick Russian accent. “It’s been ages since they’ve been shown off in sandals. I want them to look their best!”
Lydia let her choose a color and bent to apply it. “Where is Angela?”
“Ran off with Mr. Brazil after the World Mr. Shifter competition,” Laura giggled.
“Good for her,” Lydia laughed in return.
“And have you seen Mr. Professional Hockey player from Sweden? A looker, but man, he’s got to lay off explaining to everyone he meets that he’s a real hockey player. You know, expert?” Laura’s false Swedish accent was amusing.
“I had the honor of watching him explain that to everyone on the plane,” Lydia said, rolling her eyes.
They put the finishing touches on their clients and helped them out of the chairs.
“Scarlet said there was a meeting at three?” Lydia said, looking over the schedule. It was always ridiculously busy shortly after the charter planes came in, then died to an irregular, easy workload.
“Senior staff only. It’s starting to slow up for now. I can keep an eye on things here,” Laura promised, looking at the clock. “Have you had a chance to unpack yet?”
“I don’t travel with much,” Lydia said. “I’ll head down a little early and catch up with the others. It sounds like a lot of congratulations are in order.” And her own would follow soon, she knew, but she kept the excitement from bubbling over out of her mouth. “I’ll be back right afterwards!”
Laura gave her a last swift hug before she left; they hadn’t known each other long, but Lydia had felt an immediate kinship with the woman when they met. They had bonded over hospitality horror stories and coffee, and Lydia was well-disposed to any mate of Tex’s.
A large part of her wanted to turn the direction she knew her mate was, but Lydia made her feet walk down from the spa to the conference room behind the kitchen where Scarlet held the staff meetings.
Breck, the leopard shifter who ran the waitstaff, was already there, and he abandoned his futile teasing of Graham, to rise and wrap her in an enthusiastic embrace. “Lydia, my love, come save me from this dour grouch and the terrible contagion of mates in this room.”