Nineteen Wyatt

Another month had passed, punctuated by moments of pure bliss. Every single day I spent with Tanner was a gift that I wouldn't trade anything for. In that time, both of us had taken quite a few days off, blaming sickness or some other thing that kept us from our work. Being the stand-in boss at work made it pretty easy to get away with such things. My father was on the other end of the country playing too much golf to pay much attention to me. And, when Tanner's clients decided not to pursue purchasing a home in the area, he was left with a lot more free time than before.

Days off were spent at the beach, at restaurants, or just driving up and down the coast of Lake Michigan. Tanner had never been to this part of the world before, and I took it upon myself to show him how beautiful it was. Of course, I didn't tell him that Parker was texting me all the best spots to visit. I wanted him to believe that I was more well-traveled than I was. Either way, it was a great opportunity for us both to relax and have the summer to ourselves.

I couldn't remember having so much fun since the last summer after graduating high school. In those days, Parker, Oliver, and I had just piled into a car and driven up to the Upper Peninsula, wandering around the state on our parent's credit cards without a care in the world. Of course, none of us had been able to take a vacation since, but it was nice to revisit that feeling again. I made it a point to let my friends know we needed to take a trip again when we could. Maybe in the fall when things slowed down for the season.

The fall. It was approaching fast, and I knew that. Midsummer had already passed us by, and the early days of July brought with them a stifling heat. Soon, it would be August, and the nights would grow colder, ushering in the end of the season. Tanner was slated to go home on the first of September. I could hardly bear to think about it.

For the past month, I'd pushed the idea of him leaving completely out of my head. Even thinking about it got my heart pounding. And that, more than anything, told me how much I'd invested into this summer ‘fling.' We both knew it couldn't last and yet I found myself wishing, even praying, that it would. Every full moon, I made it a point to say my prayers to a goddess that I didn't believe in, hoping she would save me from the inevitable heartache that was quickly approaching.

On those nights, I howled mournfully into the moonlit sky with Tanner at my side, stroking my fur. How lucky was I that my mate not only cared for me but loved my werewolf side, too? I couldn't imagine there were a lot of humans out there who would be cool with their boyfriend turning into a monster every once in a while. Although, after hearing about some of the smutty books Tanner read in his spare time, there might be a larger number than I anticipated.

Still, I couldn't help it as a feeling of melancholy bubbled up inside me. With each passing day, it got closer to the surface, threatening to overwhelm me. For now, I had to force it back down. But eventually, the day of reckoning would come, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Except maybe take him as my mate officially. The idea had been bouncing around my head. But keeping him a secret from my father and the pack? That was the difficult part. Even then, it wasn't a guarantee that he would stay. After all, he had his own life to live back home, and the last thing I wanted to do was get in the way of his goals.

My phone clanged loudly, vibrating against the desk and nearly scaring me out of my skin. I smashed the green button without looking and lifted it to my ear.

"H-Hello?!"

"Wyatt?"

My heart sank. It was my father's voice.

"How are things going down there?"

"F-Fine," I stammered, trying to put on my confident voice. The last person I expected to call was my father. "Things are going great here. How is everything up there?"

"Good, good," he replied.

There was a slight pause before he took a deep breath.

"Well, the reason I called is because I've heard you haven't been feeling well lately. I've tried contacting you in the office a couple of times, and the staff said you were out. Sounds like both you and Tanner have had quite the bout of summer colds." He paused again. "Not many of our kind catch that sort of thing, so it must have been bad for him especially."

"Yeah," I said, trying to play it cool. "Super weird. Don't know what was up with it. But you know how things are. The tourists around here are the worst, and a few of our clients have been sick as well."

"Uh-huh."

I felt my chest go cold as I recognized that familiar tone. He didn't believe me one bit.

"How have sales been so far? Move any big accounts?"

"Uh…" I clicked open the sales figures spreadsheet and scanned over it, taking in the abominably low number. "Well, it looks like it's been a little slow this year," I replied. "But you know, the market has been pretty wonky. Interest rates are high still."

"Has Tanner brought in any sales?"

I glanced at his column on the spreadsheet, noticing the big fat zero at the bottom.

"He's working on a few."

Another pause. "But no sales?"

"Uh…" I searched for some way out of speaking the truth aloud.

"I'll take that as a no," my father sighed. "If that kid has been showing places for almost two months and hasn't made a single sale, I need you to let him go."

My heart dropped again. "W-What?!"

"I brought him on as a favor to Tony, but he can't stay if he's not making sales. We can't afford to pay people to warm the bench."

"But he's got clients in the works!"

"Wyatt," he sighed. "You know how this goes. If it was anyone else, they would have been gone already. I've given him plenty of time." He paused. "And it seems like he's causing a bit too much… distraction."

Anxiety bloomed in my chest at that final word. There was something there hidden under the surface. A kind of understanding that I didn't want to be there. My father knew something was up, and I didn't like what he was implying.

"Dad, you need to give him another couple of weeks," I replied timidly, testing the waters. "He's been working really hard, and he's new in town. We work with a lot of high-end clients. This isn't exactly an easy business to break into."

"Tony runs the biggest real estate office in Chicago! The kid should already know what he's doing! I'm not gonna pay him to learn what he should already know."

"I'll pay him then."

The words left my mouth before I could stop myself. I clamped my lips shut and listened to the long silence on the other end of the line.

"Wyatt…" my father sighed. "I hope you're focusing on what's important here. The business is the lifeblood of this family. You're the third generation to take over, and that legacy means everything."

"I haven't taken over anything," I replied, hearing the defiance in my voice as I grew more irritated with him. "I've been working my ass off to prove to you that I can do this, and even though you and Mom live on the other side of the country, you still won't let me take the reins!"

"Why should I?!" he roared back. "I've left you alone for nearly two months to run this business, and our numbers are lower than ever, and you want to keep a zero-production salesman on the payroll. What about that says you're ready to run this thing and that I should hand it over?"

There was a long pause.

"Answer me," he growled.

I felt the air leave my body as I sank into the chair. He wasn't being completely fair, but at the same time, I couldn't deny he had a point. For the past two months, I'd been totally infatuated with Tanner and letting everything else fall by the wayside. I was so caught up in my own feelings that I'd lost sight of my goals. When Tanner left at the end of the summer, I still had to keep on living. Maybe Dad was right for once.

"You're right," I sighed. "I've been really distracted. There's been a lot going on, but I'm not going to let the business go under because of it. Give me until the end of August, and I'll have everything back up where it should be." I paused. "But, if I pull this off, I want you to retire and hand everything over. Deal?"

The line was silent for a long moment.

"If you can bring it up to the same numbers as last year," he replied. "I'll retire."

"Well," I said, the weight of what I'd done already settling on my shoulders. "I need to get back to work if I'm gonna make that happen."

"Make me proud."

With that, I heard the other end of the line go dead. I sat my phone down before leaning my forehead against the cold surface of the desk. Already, my skin was flush, and I could feel the sweat gathering under my collar.

What had I gotten myself into?