Chapter Eight Calum

I don’t think we actually intended to help so much with dinner or to help serve it, but I was exhausted by the time we finally sat down to eat. Who knew cooking could take so much out of a man? I could help build a new counter at the bakery for hours and feel good afterward. But something about cooking just took the energy right out of me. How Sam managed to do it every single day for all his guests was beyond me. Then he ran the hotel on top of it? The man was truly a force to be reckoned with.

“Why was that so difficult?” I groaned, sitting down next to Erick at last. I buried my face against his shoulder, letting out a long sigh. “It’s just food, right?”

“I think I’m starting to realize how coddled we’ve been all this time,” Erick replied, staring down at his bowl of roasted chicken and vegetable soup. Each of us got a good chunk of a baguette from Andy’s bakery to go along with it. “Let’s set a new goal, okay?”

“What’s that?”

“We find a way to make enough money that we never have to cook for ourselves again.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Shouldn’t we try for an apartment or maybe a car first?”

“Overrated,” Erick smirked. “We need a personal chef or enough money to eat fast food all the time.”

“I hear you there,” a man across from us added. “Cooking is awful.”

“How would you know?” the one next to him shot back. “You’ve never done any.”

“Have too! I helped Sam in the kitchen… once.”

The other just rolled his eyes. “ Alphas ,” he said. “You’re all the same.”

“Are you invalidating my trauma, Cory?”

“Not at all. But your trauma has nothing to do with food or kitchens.”

He just groaned and picked up his spoon.

“I think I know you,” Erick said, looking at the man who was currently prodding at his soup. “You brought Sam some pastries on New Year’s Day when we were checking in.”

“Yeah, that’s me.” He put down his spoon and held out his hand. “Liam.”

“Erick. Nice to meet you.” He pointed over at me. “And this is my mate, Calum.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Liam jabbed a thumb toward the guy next to him. “Cory, who is my mate as well.”

“So, Sam’s roped you two into cooking before then?” I asked, tearing a hunk off my bread and dipping it in my soup.

“I’ve worked in the kitchen plenty of times,” Cory answered. “But that was before I got a job at the pizza place. Sam saw I was good with food, so he got me a job there. Now I work for Vincent.”

“He’s Andy’s friend, right?” I asked.

“Rival is more like it. But they are good friends despite their constant need to outdo one another.”

“I’m still figuring out my place,” Liam added. “I’m pretty new here. Just showed up this past fall. But I do know that my place is not in the kitchen.”

“Well then it’s going to be laundry duty here soon then.”

“Honestly… the laundry is kind of enjoyable. It’s quiet and methodical. Cooking is chaotic.”

“Sam’s had us help a couple of his friends,” I said, keeping the conversation going. I couldn’t help feeling like these two might be useful to learn more about Sam. Plus it would be nice to have some friends in the hotel. “But we offered to help him cook tonight. Not sure I’ll be doing that again though. Wouldn’t mind finding a job around here though. I love to work with my hands.”

“You should talk to Ace then when he’s around,” Cory said. “He and his mate Matt are in the process of building a barn to keep some livestock. I’m sure they could use the help, and it would keep Sam off your back about helping out around the hotel.”

“Do they come around often?”

“Once or twice a week. You can’t miss Ace. He’s ripped from head to toe, and he always wears a black cowboy hat. Even in the winter.”

“Any chance someone around here needs an IT guy?” Erick asked, looking hopeful about avoiding kitchen duties.

“Not that I know of,” Cory replied, shaking his head. “I think Sam would need one more than anybody. This hotel could use some upgrades.”

Erick nodded. “I’ve been on the front desk computer. It’s… well… ancient to say the very least.”

“So… does Sam have a mate?” I asked, shifting the topic of conversation. Erick shot me a look out of the corner of his eye because we already knew the answer, but I kept going. “It seems like most of the wolves here are paired up and since he runs the place, I figured he was too.”

“No. It’s just him running the hotel,” Liam said.

“Any idea why?” I tried to act aloof. “I mean, you’d think a good guy like that would get snapped up pretty quickly.”

Cory did a small sort of shrug. “He keeps to himself and his books. The hotel keeps him busy, and nobody has come through that ever caught his eye I guess.”

“Do you know how he ended up in Shifter Grove?” Erick asked, realizing I was pumping the two men across from us for information. “It’s none of my business I guess, but I can’t help being curious since he’s taking us in and everything.”

“I don’t think anybody really knows his story,” Cory said, taking a bite of his bread. He spoke around it as he chewed, his words slurred a bit. “He doesn’t talk about it with anyone. Although Ace has been here the longest and they’re about the same age. I guess he was one of Sam’s first guests. I figured he probably knows Sam the best.” Cory swallowed and let out a long sigh. “But there’s lots of wolves who stay here and never share their stories. For a lot of us… our pasts can be really painful.”

Liam and Cory exchanged a knowing glance, one that I recognized immediately. It was one Erick and I had shared many times. Those two had been through some shit. They were survivors even though the trauma weighed heavily on their shoulders. I found myself wondering if Cory had hit the nail right on the head. Sam didn’t share his past, and it didn’t seem like he was terribly close with anyone. Sure, he helped everybody, and he was friends with them all. However, it didn’t take a genius to see that he had a wall up at all times. Even as thick as I was, I could see that.

“I think I might need to talk to this Ace guy about the barn,” I said, shifting the conversation back to our original topic. “I’ve been itching to build something, and a barn sounds like a big project.”

“Maybe I should bug Sam about upgrading his software,” Erick offered, glancing at me. He turned back, smiling at Liam and Cory. “Thanks for the tips, by the way. That’ll help us out a lot. We really want to get back on our feet as soon as we can.”

I shot Erick a sideways glance. We both knew neither of us had work in mind. The only thing we wanted to work on was Sam’s body, if he’d let us. We just had to work up the courage to be honest with him. So far, both of us had fallen down on that job.

“Do you two like playing cards?” Liam asked, looking over us both. “Vincent is hosting a poker tournament this weekend for all the wolves in the hotel. The grand prize is a big gift card to the pizza shop!”

“Considering I eat pizza five days a week, we’re not trying to win,” Cory added. “But it’ll be fun to hang out with everyone after the holidays. Plus, it gives Sam a chance to join the fun and not be the host of the party.”

“He seems like he’s always pretty busy,” I replied.

“He sure is. The man needs to learn to take a break. He does nothing but work. I haven’t even been here that long and I can see that.”

“Honestly,” Cory sighed. “I wish he could find a mate. I know how much he wants it. But until that happens, I guess cards will just have to do.”

“Who knows,” I added, giving Erick a wink. “Maybe he’ll find someone at the tournament.”

“Maybe.”