Fox Play (23 page)

She handed me the phone, and he and I talked for a minute, then I gave the phone back to Lara. "Yes, Lara, I have the kayak I would sell you, in stock, along with everything else you would need. I don't carry fishing gear though."

"If you were going to sell one to Elisabeth, would it be the same model or a different one?"

"The same," he said. "I wouldn't normally recommend an expensive kayak to a beginner like you, but you said money didn't matter, so I upscaled you to the one I'd sell Elisabeth."

"I'll take two, then, Benny." The two of them made the arrangements; she would ride to the mainland with me shortly and handle the transaction then. She hung up, and I said, "That was silly, Lara."

"You made a commitment to me, Michaela. I am making a commitment to you. You love it up here. So do I. Unless you don't want to go kayaking with me, I'd call it the end of the discussion."

Every day, I fell more and more in love with her.

* * * *

After breakfast, we gathered all my assistants and officially announced the school.

"I would like to leave my current job having done the best job I can, but this is no longer about keeping my job."

"No," Hadley Smith said. "It is now about teaching our children. And before I commit to sending my daughter to study with you, I would like to see how you teach them."

"Not me," Harper Armstrong said. "I have to get back to Madison. Sophia will be staying here, if that is still all right, Alpha? I believe she still needs her interview with the new head of your natural sciences department at the school."

I shifted my gaze back and forth between the two of them, finally settling on Harper. "After yesterday?"

"Especially after yesterday," she said.

"Thank you," I said.

She shrugged. "Sophia knows her mind. I trust the alpha, and I talked to Francesca." She grinned. "Not many wolves get the opportunity to be welcomed into the alpha's household. I'd be a fool not to accept that offer, even if you're a terrible teacher."

That took me down a peg. "Thanks. I think." That garnered laughter.

Michele Lassiter said, "Donald and I were going to return to Madison as well, leaving Abigail and Chloe with Francesca, but I think we'll stay another day or two. Benny-"

"Thank you, Michele," Lara said. "That is very generous."

"All right," I said. "Pack for the field. Can we bring lunch with us today? I'll hold class in the field today. Students bring pads and pens. Wear grubby clothes, we're going to get wet and dirty."

* * * *

That afternoon as we gathered in the marina, Hadley Smith stepped up to me. "I am heading back to Madison tonight. Ava is staying here. She threatened to ask the alpha for emancipation if I didn't let her attend your school for her last two years. I have misgivings, but not a single one of them is about your ability to teach."

"You are worried I will teach Ava to push the alpha off a boat."

"Yes. Or her mother."

"I am fox. I cannot be something other than that. I cannot do it for Lara, and I will not do it for you. But Ava is sixteen, and I suspect you have done a good job raising her. She will learn from me there are other ways than brute force to achieve her goals."

"Harper is right about something. I would be a fool to disallow my daughter to grow closer to the alpha. But if you get her hurt, your status as omega will not save you from my anger."

"If I get her hurt, I won't want my status to save me."

She nodded. "Then we understand each other."

She began to turn away, then turned back, shaking her head for a moment. She offered a smile. "You are a fox. Why are you not cowering from me?"

I smiled back. "Practice."

She laughed. "I imagine."

"Ms. Smith," I said.

"Hadley."

"Hadley, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a lawyer."

"Why am I not surprised?"

She paused, looking at me. "My law office handles most of the business for the pack. The alpha protects the pack in one way. I protect the pack in another way."

I searched her face. "Have I misjudged you?"

"Oh, I doubt it," she said. "I'm a bitch. So if that's how you judged me, you got it right."

Hadley and I nodded to each other once more, and then she stepped away to talk to her daughter. Ava's body language was obvious, and she ended up hugging her mother, then ran to join her friends. "I get to stay!" I heard her say gleefully. And then I watched Hadley walk up the hill towards my house and the waiting cars.

We all waited around a little longer, then our large boat arrived. Lara hopped off immediately and walked straight to me. I melted into her arms. We kissed, then she turned me away. Together, with Elisabeth, Aaron and Rebecca in tow, we walked to the boathouse.

"I have to collect my stuff," I said.

"It's already waiting," she said. "I have your swim suit. You can change at the boathouse."

Lara hadn't told Elisabeth about the kayak, and she was surprised by the gift. "Thank you, Sister," she said. "Oh wow, this is going to be a lovely ride, so much better than a rental boat."

My phone rang. When I looked at it, I saw it was Angel. I answered.

"Are you going kayaking without me?"

I looked at Lara. "Angel wants to join us."

"And Scarlett!" Angel said. "I know you want to be alone with Lara, but may we come? We won't bring anyone else, and Mom says it's okay if it's okay with you."

Lara was grinning at me and held out her hand for the phone. "Angel, you will go back to the island with Scarlett. But if you happen to find a kayak or two waiting around, maybe you could get it wet. I'm sure a couple of strong wolves could catch up with one little fox."

I heard squeals of joy, and I could imagine Angel pumping her fist.

After she hung up with Angel, I raised an eyebrow. "Did you buy Scarlett a kayak?"

"Who, me? No. Her father did. I asked Benny to give him a good deal, and he did. It's the same model as Angel's."

I grinned. "I have corrupted you all. We'll move to Bayfield yet!"

Lara laughed. "Honey, I can't begin to tell you how much I would enjoy that."

Ten minutes later, we were all on the water. I asked Lara to practice Eskimo rolls a couple of times, and she did them perfectly. She was so amazing.

We paddled away from the waterfront. I heard a motorboat, and I looked out. "Who is in the boat?" I asked.

"Karen and Wendy," Lara said. "And I talked to Greg. He's cool with Karen joining us. He actually sounded pleased about it."

We paddled casually. It felt good to be out on the water. And I realized it felt good to not have to watch over everyone for a while. Lara moved effortlessly, and Elisabeth's joy in her new kayak was clear.

"Two kayaks coming," Rebecca said. "They move well."

I looked over my shoulder and saw Angel and Scarlett heading towards us, paddling strongly. They would be tired by the time they crossed the bay to us.

"Did you plan it that way?" I asked, gesturing.

She grinned. "Yep. Is the open water safe?"

"Today, yes. Other days it might not be. It can be pretty choppy between here and the island."

We followed the shoreline, and from time to time I glanced over my shoulder to keep an eye on Angel and Scarlett. I realized no matter how good they both got, I would always feel protective and responsible for them. I realized also, I was okay with that.

Rebecca paddled closer to me. "Angel's good," she said. "You taught her well."

"It was all her," I said. "At first, she tried to watch me, but a fox has different muscles than a wolf. She figured out what works for her. Now she kicks my ass."

Rebecca laughed, and together we watched the two girls approaching us, their paddles flashing in the mid-afternoon sun. I was struck by how beautiful it was and found myself stopping to watch. Soon we had a little cluster of kayaks all facing out into the lake, watching the approaching kayaks.

But when I glanced over, Lara wasn't watching Angel. She was watching me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said. "I just enjoy looking at you when you're happy."

"What's not to be happy about? The only thing that could make this better is if it were fishing season."

She laughed.

"Hungry?" she asked me.

"Yea, a little."

"Those two should be bringing us snacks. If not, we'll send them to the deli in town."

Finally, Angel and Scarlett, both panting heavily, glided in amongst us, drooping over their boats. But then Scarlett said, "My dad bought me a kayak! Just like Angel's!"

"It's a beautiful boat," I said. "And he got you a wet suit, too."

"It's a used suit," she said. "He wants to let me fill out a little more before we buy a new one fitted just for me."

"That's what I'm doing," Angel said.

Lara laughed. "I'm using a rental. Benny ordered one for me." She turned to Elisabeth. "You're on your own, sister."

I turned to Scarlett. "Angel can teach you how to care properly for your boat. The best advice is don't drag it over rocks and don't drop it. Keep it clean, too."

The girls had caught their breath by now. I told Angel, "Lead the way."

* * * *

Two hours later, we ran into Benny and June. Benny looked tired but exceedingly happy. We collected together and he said, "Michaela, you weren't kidding. She's amazing."

June preened.

"I've never been with a woman who could kick my ass out on the water before," he said. "She just keeps going!"

Everyone chuckled. "Most human men would find that intimidating," Lara said.

"It is," he said. "But I'm okay with it. I just worry she'll get bored. I can't keep up with her."

"As it should be," June said with a smirk. "God, it's nice to not have to hold back."

"But aren't you bored? I know you can go so much faster."

"Benny," she said. "I am not bored. If I need more exercise, I don't have to take a straight line, you know. Does it bother you?"

"That I can't keep up with a supernatural creature?" he asked. "No. All right, I won't worry about it. I just want to make sure you have a good time."

"I'm having the best day of my life today, Benny," June said.

"Oh god," Angel said finally. "If you two start making out, Scarlett and I are so out of here!"

There were more chuckles.

"Paddle with us?" I asked. "Or are you done in, Benny?"

"I can paddle all day," he said. "Just not as fast."

"We're not in any hurry. Should we show them the caves?"

"Oh!" said Angel. "I love the caves!"

Angel led the way.

A while later, I cut Benny out of the pack. He recognized the maneuver immediately. So did everyone else, I'm sure. They let me pull him to the side, but I noticed Aaron and Rebecca repositioned themselves to keep an eye on us.

"Benny," I said quietly. "Remember. She knows you're human. She knows your limits. She knew them when she started this. If she had a problem with it, she wouldn't be here with you. If you stress about it, it will taint the relationship. You have to decide if you can handle being with a woman who is physically your superior."

"I'm not a big guy," Benny said. "I've never been one to let testosterone make my choices for me. My ego will remain intact."

"You're a good man, Benny," I said. "Coming to the bonfire tonight?"

"I wouldn't miss it," he said.

I led him back to the main group then cut Lara and Angel away. Scarlett tried to stick with us, but I asked her for a few minutes. When we were clear of the group enough to talk, I said, "I want to tell our story tonight at the bonfire, Lara."

"All right," she said.

"I think it would be fun to reenact it."

She laughed. "Complete with you hanging from your scruff?"

I sighed. "Yes. And with biting you."

"And with biting Eric?"

"Definitely."

She laughed. "All right. You want to ham it up?"

"Yes. It's really a funny story, if you think about it."

"So, what's my role?" Angel said. "I wasn't there."

"Narrator," I told her. "I'll be a fox for most of it. You need to tell people what I would have been thinking. You know the story, you've made me tell it a half dozen times."

She looked back and forth between Lara and me. "Alpha, am I going to get in trouble for that?"

Lara laughed. "No. Ham it up."

I turned to her. "Can you do it?" I asked her.

"As long as I know I won't get in trouble," she said. "Yes!" I laughed at the fist pump.

"Don't tell Scarlett. Let her enjoy it."

"She knows the story."

"Not the way we're going to tell it," I said.

* * * *

Benny was exhausted by the time we got back to his boathouse. I was refreshingly tired. The wolves looked calm and relaxed. We stowed our gear in a space Benny provided for us, then he asked if we thought there would be more sales, and should he stock up in anything.

"I can't promise that, Benny," Lara said. "I think you're going to get a healthy amount of business from us. But be cautious about any financial decisions you make. I don't want you stuck carrying inventory we don't buy from you."

We left Benny and June with promises they would be along shortly, and we rode over to Madeline Island.

Dinner was our usual picnic. Benny and June arrived, both of them looking particularly pleased. Benny had changed clothes, and they disappeared for a few minutes while June did the same.

Over dinner, the kids, my future students, waited on me. I asked Lara about it, and she assured me it was safe to get used to it. We clustered around afterwards, and the kids had no end of questions about what we had done that day.

I was amazed with the attitudes. Then the parents started asking questions about the classes I had planned.

I didn't have answers but promised to have them quickly. "You all saw the moment I learned about this yesterday, after all."

They laughed. Someone from in back said, "splash, splash!"

The sun went down, and it grew chilly. We lit the bonfire, and the stories started.

Lara, Angel and I waited until a few stories had been told and the crowd was warmed up. Then Lara said, "Michaela has a story for us."