Chapter 166

Grace

As I walked into the conference room and heard Cecil’s voice, I couldn't help but smile. Charles looked utterly pleased with himself with Richard in his arms, seemingly sleeping. Eason was sitting across the table from Cecil at his laptop.

"Is that so?" I asked. "I'm so sorry I'm late."

She scrunched up her face. "It's okay. Uncle Eason said it was… im…"

"Impromptu," Eason said, smiling at her. He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "How was class?"

I settled into a seat near Charles. "Good enough, I guess."

Things were moving at about the pace I expected them to. My dissertation would come quicker than I expected, but I wasn't worried about it yet.

How could I be watching Cecil color with all the seriousness of a CEO? I pulled out my laptop and notebook as Eason set a timer. Though we didn't talk much, I was grateful to have them all here.

I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as I looked at my daughter. I knew I should be focusing on getting to the Senate and preparing for the case, but I couldn't help but feel like I was neglecting my family. When was the last time I had colored with Cecil? Sometime before the Blood Moon attack, I'm sure… Maybe even before Devin and I had gotten divorced. I sighed. I'd have to carve out some more time for them. I tried to push those thoughts aside and focus on the task at hand. Then, I froze and looked at Eason, then Charles. Charles smiled at me and winked.

I guess we'll talk later about what happened to Kelly. I hoped it wasn't too bad. I pulled out my phone and winced as I saw all the missed calls. I'd have to call her back soon to check on her.

"So, how's the meeting going?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Cecil's hard at work planning for her birthday party…" Charles said.

"Mommy, can you teach me how to fight with a sword?"

My eyes bulged. "What for?"

"So we can when the game!" She cried, bouncing in her seat. "If I lose on my birthday, it'll be the worst, and Jamie is already so good. Nara said she'd work on her bow and arrow. We're going to beat the boys fair and square, but I'm not very good with a sword, and I don't want to let them down…"

I blinked, glanced at Charles, and tried to figure out what on Earth she was talking about.

"I'm… sure we can fit in somehow," I said. "How'd… you know that I used to fence?"

"Uncle Charles told me."

Why would that have come up at all? What game was she talking about, and who was Jamie and Nara? I wanted to ask more, but she went back to coloring, whatever she was coloring. Charles looked outright amused.

"I'm rooting for Cecil and her new friends to conquer the world, personally."

Cecil giggled. "That's not possible, Uncle Eason."

His eyes flashed. "Everything is impossible until it's done." got some notes together for the Plan," Eason said, typing away. His eyes glinting. "And prepping for the case. Esme sent you an email."

I nodded. "Great. Any new developments I should know about?"

He lifted a shoulder. "Nothing major."

"That's great," I replied, feeling a sense of relief. I frowned. "What are you working on?"

"Pack stuff." He said. "I believe Charles is working stuff for Wolfe Medical."

"Speaking of Wolfe Medical," I said, opening my email. "I got an email from someone I don't recognize to schedule a meeting about an RFP?"

Charles blinked. Eason said nothing, but he looked at me. They both seemed to be waiting for me to finish. I flushed even as my stomach jumped. Right. I was supposed to be getting to a place where I could delegate, not really be delegated to. I'd have to work on it going forward.

I opened the email. "I'm a bit unsure of… their intentions. I don't know anything about what they may want long term."

It didn't help that I had freaked out, maybe halfway down the first page, either. It was not my proudest moment, but I hadn't replied with a refusal the way my gut told me to. Expanding Wolfe Medical's

"Human company?"

"I think so." I winced. "I didn't really find anything on them."

"That means, at minimum, they're not a werewolf company or a company that the States have done business with before," Eason said and nudged me, grinning even as he hadn't even stopped typing. "Look at you, getting some out-of-network connections."

I frowned. We'd talked about it briefly, but to have it happen so suddenly put me on edge. With Blood Moon and everything else that was going on, I didn't want to chance doing something that would ruin the little progress I made.

I opened the dashboard Amira set up for me to track the major goals. The few weeks in the black were helping pull Wolfe Medical out from under its debt completely. Based on the way things were going, we'd be there most of the way before the drug was announced and ready, so long as this case went through in a beneficial way. I hadn't touched the money from Charles much at all, and I didn't want to unless we absolutely needed it.

The pack's influx and outflux of people had slowed, and most of the repairs from the attack were complete. I had some meetings on my calendar with alphas of the surrounding areas who were struggling to bounce back, but all in all, there were no fires to put out.

The email from Earth Therapy was the only pressing thing on the docket right now.

"There's no harm in hearing what they have to say." I looked up at Charles as he smiled. "An agreement to meet isn't a commitment to the work."

I nodded and opened the documents. "I'd appreciate it if you looked it over."

"Sure, I—" His phone started to ring. He pulled it out, and his lips twitched. "I'll be back."

He left the room, still cradling Richard in his arms as he answered the phone. Cecil's gaze tracked him. She scrunched up her face again before starting a new, blank page and drawing something on it. There were letters, but they didn't seem to be spelling out words. One of the blobs was marked with an R, and the bigger one was marked with a D over it. There was an M-marked blob too. When she added four lines to the D- and M-marked blobs, I realized they had to be people.

The D-marked person seemed to be holding the R, and a sense of dread started to fill me.

“Hey, Cecil,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. “What are you working on?”

She looked up at me, her eyes wide with excitement. “I’m trying to take notes for Daddy."

Oh, no. Eason's typing didn't skip a beat, but my heart did.

"Notes?" I asked. "For what, sweetheart?"

How to be a better father? Cecil frowned and drew two circles above the D- and M-people and lines between them.

"Well, I want him to know what to do when he gets back," Cecil said. "I don't remember you and Daddy ever talking like you do with Uncle Charles. "

She stuck out her tongue. "And he never held Richard either… Uncle Charles said that he makes lists to remember what to do."

Oh, no…

I bit my lip, holding back a wince. Not sure how to explain my feelings about Devin, but I didn’t want to ruin her happiness. It hurt that she felt the need to make a list for Devin, but I couldn't be upset that she recognized that my relationship with Charles was the better of the two.

“That’s sweet, Cecil,” I said. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

She nodded and then turned back to her picture.

“I’m also making a list for my birthday,” she said and pouted. “How do I spell dance?"

I smiled, feeling a pang of guilt. There was no way I could tell her. I didn't have the first clue where to start.

“D-A-N-C-E,” I said, spelling it out for her. She drew each letter messily on one side of the page next to the picture—diagram—she'd drawn for Devin. I guessed the little C-marked person with a crown was her.

I watched her for a moment, feeling a strange mix of emotions. How much longer could I keep the truth from her? Her birthday was a while away, but would that be enough time? I didn't want to ruin her first real birthday party.

I looked at Eason, who was looking at me sympathetically. His eyes were narrowed in thought. His fingers slowed to a stop on the keyboard. He glanced at Cecil and shook his head.

Great. He didn't have a clue, either.

Charles came back in, and I really hoped he had an idea of how to tell Cecil the truth.