All respect to Kev, because when he realized what was happening he got Colin out. But something remained damaged in Colin because of those four years.
Kev said once that he worried his brother was broken beyond repair. The rest of the pack thought he might be, too.
Judd didn’t. Or perhaps it was more, that he hoped if Colin was broken, it was like a break in one of those Japanese cups. The kind that could be repaired with gold and made into something imperfectly precious and whole again.
So Judd sat close to Colin when he could. He rarely touched him. He took pleasure in the fact that since Isaac had entered their lives, Colin spent more time in the den. He would sit by himself, while the others puttered about the house. But he was there. When he wasn’t in the den, he went to the cafe or school. He let himself be around other people. Had even made a friend. When they’d first moved in, he’d spent most of his time in his room alone.
Small shifts become big hopes, Judd supposed. He looked over at Colin now, sitting next to Trick at dinner, looking relaxed and happy.
Eventually, the discussion moved on from Patrick’s predicament to other matters. Trick wanted to know what everyone did for work. How did the pack function? Where had they moved from?
They chatted happily, talking over one another. Except Colin and Tank, of course. Neither of them ever said much. Tank was content in silence. Colin just rarely volunteered information.
Dinner was also an opportunity for the pack to reconnect. It was customary for them to all check in with Alec at mealtimes. The Alpha and his mate had the most stable jobs. That was for the best, but it meant they were away from the pack for eight hours at least every workday.
Alec worked for a private biotech company, well funded and within his specialty. Marvin worked for the Coast Guard in marine recovery and rescue. As a merman, he was perfect for the job and it played to his strengths. Although he sure wasn’t military-minded. Bryan picked up sporadic shifts as a medic with Marin EMS. He didn’t want anything more permanent. He needed flexibility because of his familiar duties. Tank and Isaac had just settled into their new schedule at Saucebox. Lovejoy had recently given up his bakery job. He and Pepper were trying to make a go of it in the food truck business. Pepper was a brawler but an amazing chef. Lovejoy was so easygoing, that their partnership seemed to be working well so far. His kitsune lover, Mana, was off on some grand tour with her drag show. Colin figured that’s why Lovejoy was so subdued these days. But customer foibles occasionally whipped him up into a verbal frenzy.
“Can you believe he ordered the carpaccio roll, but wanted me to cook the beef? Humans!”
Lovejoy and Pepper weren’t expecting the food truck to turn a significant profit until next year. Although they were taking on catering jobs over the holidays. The pack was trying to decide if they should invest in a small car for commuting into the city or invest more in promoting the food truck.
Trick offered up the loan of his Rumble Bunny, but the others balked at that. For one thing, it was still the dratsie’s home. Judd decided he’d sneak some work in on the engine while Trick was at the cafe. Make certain it was running okay. Max said they could use his Cheetah if they liked, but everyone laughed at that idea. First of all, Max himself barely fit inside it.
Second, as Kevin put it, “One good earthquake and the whole thing will fall apart.”
“Be nice,” replied Max. “The rust is the only thing still holding it together.”
Alec redirected them back to finances. “So, for now, we help with the food truck and save on the car. Look into wet weather gear for the motorbikes.” He looked at Colin. “Does that leave us enough to hire a contractor for the house?”
Judd tried not to sigh. This was the boring part of pack life.
Colin, however, perked up whenever finance paperwork and spreadsheets were under discussion. Judd figured it was a character flaw he could learn to overlook.
“If we roll the profits from Heavy Lifting into that instead of back into the business.”
Since Kevin and Judd’s corporate front for the pack had unexpectedly turned into a profitable business venture, none of them had time to actually work