his quiet, friendly ones. Ones that—I don’t know if he knows this—to me are more trustworthy. I’d trade this kind for all his celebrity-worthy grins in the world. “Good.” He straightens and releases me to fish around the supplies for a cold pack. He snaps it, turning back to me. “What are your plans this weekend?”
I can’t help it. I tense.
Finn misses nothing. His smile stays, but his lips tighten so the arc of it looks a lot less easy. His eyes turn a little… almost sad. He drops his gaze to the ice pack he gently closes over my wrist, wrapping it around me like a chilly taco. “If you don’t have any grand plans, we need to take Ginny.”
I freeze. My wide-eyed gaze is locked to his. “Take her?”
Finn shakes his head at me, lips pursing briefly at my reaction. “Just for the weekend. She needs to start spending time with the Pack. Go for some runs. Get tutored on Changing.”
Swallowing with relief, I nod. “This weekend would be good for that. The girls have visitation with their dad, so Ginny was looking at hanging around the house pretty much bored to tears until Monday.”
“Perfect,” Finn declares. After the briefest moment of searching my face, he steps back and motions for the breakroom door. “Ready to get back out there?”
“Yep,” I say. I test out my wrist. “I still haven’t forgiven you for the new uniforms, or the new hair mandate—but thanks for the save, Finn.”
His smile is faint. “That’s what I do.”
CHAPTER 24
SUSAN
It’s Friday morning. My first day with my brand-new uniform. I’m shaved all the way up to my—
I’m shaved. My booty shorts are confused about their job here and are trying to be a thong. And I’m standing in front of my mirror, applying texturizing spray I hunted for and found in Charlotte’s bathroom, so that I could achieve beach-waviness (and also burn my neck and manage to stain my shorts with coconut oil-curling-cream fingerprints).
But damn, my hair is looking all showy and nice.
Taking a deep breath, I drop my curling iron to its stand and try to relearn walking (aka discover a way to move without sending my shorts straight up my crack), exiting the bathroom, heading for the kitchen, trying not to notice how the flesh of my breasts gleams and jiggles with my every step and how I can SEE it happening below my periphery.
As soon as I round the hall, almost all the activity in the kitchen stops. Deek is in human form, facing the sink and washing something—bless the man. Not a dirty dish in the house with him around. The kids are staring at me.
“Holy wow, Mom!” Charlotte exclaims from the Island where she's making a sandwich. “You look hot!”
My cheeks burn.
“You DO,” Ginny agrees, sounding sweetly genuine.
“You look pretty, Mom,” Maggie chimes in.
“Thanks, you guys.” I gesture to my shorts. “I feel a little stup—” I start.
But abruptly, my words are cut off at the sound of a loud shatter.
Everyone female yelps in surprise—and Deek barks a deep-voiced apology. “Sorry!”
But he isn’t looking at the kids or at the mug that’s exploded into pieces of glazed pottery all over the kitchen tiles.
He’s looking right at me, his eyes wide.
And without so much as glancing down, he drops to his knees on the floor and starts sweeping his hands, blindly collecting bits of jagged-edged mug. “I was going to get you coffee,” he explains.
I’m stunned—and not because he was thoughtful enough to want to pour me some coffee. No, I’m shocked because he’s meeting my eyes.
As if he realizes he’s making direct eye contact and he’s uncomfortable with it, his gaze predictably drops. But then I’m more stunned: his eyes have caught and he’s staring at my chest.
I clear my throat, and Deek jumps and flinches guiltily and immediately, his clean-shaven face turns into a full beard. And it’s the whole shebang, with fur-like mutton chops sprouting in too.
“So this is my new uniform,” I murmur, weirdly not feeling embarrassed anymore in the least. I grab the Finn-supplied wrist brace from the counter and slide it on with a smile on my face.
“It’s good on you,” Ginny says.
“Your hair looks amazing,” Charlotte adds.
“Mom, your shorts are showing off your butt,” Maggie points out.
I sigh and smile at her. “Thank you, honey.” My dear, I know. “But this is what Finn told me to wear.” I smile at the other two. “Thanks, girls.”