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Her fingers steeple atop her desk next to a steaming mug that smells suspiciously like the clarity tea she just gave Selene. Piles of paperwork sit next to a leather-bound book with aged paper. I’m pretty sure that’s where she holds all her healing recipes, at least I think it is.

“I wanted to let you know that I’ll be putting in for a budget increase for the healers next quarter,” she says as she thumbs through the loose paperwork sitting on her desk. “We are running low on several of our important herbs, some of which are costly and take time to get here. I don’t want us going into the winter months unprepared. Moonwort takes months to grow and even longer to ship to us. You know the Johnson boy almost lost his leg because we ran out of supplies. If it wasn’t for Marlowe having some in her personal stash, we might not have saved it.”

I nod, pulling out my cell phone where my digital version of my ledger is easily accessible. Yes, I have these numbers in several places, never know when they will be needed. Scrolling through the excel spreadsheet, I see a few areas where I can make adjustments without needing to pull heavily from another area. When I took over the financial mess that Orion, the last Alpha left, I broke each part into sections: Schools, Training, Businesses, Alpha/Luna, Medical, and etc. Allotting each category a certain amount of money. If we don’t use thefunds for the month, they roll over to the next month, continuing to increase our wealth. Areas that I can easily pull from are training and businesses as they don’t generally use their allotted money in a month. “I can shift some funds around to meet your needs. How much are you estimating?”

She holds out the sheet of paper she was searching for. It’s not an Excel sheet, it’s not even typed up. The scratches of an ink pen are covering the sheet. “I know it’s not fancy like your ledger, but I’m old and set in my ways. That’s the rough outline of what I think we will need. I can have one of these young pups type that up into an Excel sheet if that would be more ideal.”

I am cringing so hard internally, I can feel my stomach tying in knots as I attempt, and fail at reading what she wrote. I’m not sure I could even decipher this with a key code handed over by her. The rough loops and scrolls of her letters are almost ancient in their design. I can see the basics of the numbers at least, thank the Goddess for that.

“And,” she says, dragging out the word. “I was hoping to talk to you about helping Selene with startup costs for her photography business.”

My eyes immediately stop their scanning of the paper and lift to Gail who’s sitting behind her desk with a mischievous smirk on her face.

Calix wakes back up from his slumber, suddenly really interested in the math he normally grumbles about.

“Say yes Cal. Now!”

“You sure she wants my help?” I ask as I drop the paper back on top of the desk between us.

“She hasn’t asked for it, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Gail replies, undeterred from her goal. “I know you’ve seen her work, Lou tells me all about your daily drop-ins for copies of her work. She’s got the eye for it and you know it. All she needs is a little push to take that leap of faith. This town could use a gallery, ormaybe a studio space? Somewhere to hone her craft? Don’t you think so?”

She leans forward, resting her weight on her forearms. Her eyes are flicking between mine, almost as if she is trying to read my thoughts. Reaching over, she brings her steaming mug of tea to her lips as she continues to watch me. My knee begins to bounce beneath the desk, I can almost feel her rooting around in my mind. I don’t think I like the fact that I can’t hide from her, so exposed.

She hums triumphantly, as if I’ve already agreed to her proposal. She’s always ten steps ahead of us, knowing things that you know she wasn’t told.

I rub the back of my damp neck, my nerves getting the better of me. I can feel the sheen of sweat covering my skin from being under her keen eye for too long already. “Let me run the numbers,” I say carefully. “There might be room in the next rounds of business investments for the Third Quarter. Since it’s already June, I’ll have to be quick about it since our budget meeting is at the beginning of July.”

Gail smiles like she has already won. “Atta boy. I knew you would see it.”

Not sure what she means, I push myself up from the chair, wishing to run back to the safety of my office.

“If there’s nothing else, I really need to get back to running the numbers for the Summer Solstice. Speaking of Selene, maybe you should ask her to take photos during it?”

She quirks an eyebrow at me, and I already know I’m not going to like the next words out of her mouth. “Maybe…but I think you should. Great opportunity for you to open up about the photography business. Maybe help her make some business cards?”

I shake my head in disappointment. I fucking knew it. “Yeah, I don’t know about all that Gail. You know I’m not good with people.”

She hums. “I don’t think you’ll have a problem with this one. Just take the leap of faith Cal.”

With her final words pinging around my mind, I walk into my office. My office feels lifeless compared to Gail’s warm, earthy tones. Everything about mine is clean lines, nothing out of place, and creams with leather accents. My office smells of paper, ink, and long nights.

My desk is exactly how I left it, my computer still showing the screen with my Excel sheet. The little cursor is blinking in the empty block where I was in the middle of a calculation.

The numbers aren’t calling to me, the thing I’ve used to comfort me is quiet. There’s only one thing on my mind right now and she’s long gone.

Opening a clean spreadsheet, I know one set of numbers that are calling to me.

Selene Photography : Business Draft Proposal

It starts simple. Building the proposal sections and preparing the sheet for the numbers. It’s a process I’ve done many times before, familiar to me like the feel of my skin beneath my fingers. I start with the average equipment moving quickly to estimates for potential business spaces. There is a property downtown that has been standing empty since the last tenants closed shop. It would be a great space for a gallery. I don't realize how deep into the numbers I’ve gone until I see the shadows across my desk as the sun moves behind the trees outside my window.

Fuck. If I want to make it to Flash Me Studio before Selene, I’ll have to leave right this second. Hitting ‘save’ on the spreadsheet I’m making for her, I log out and turn off my computer. Swiping my phone off the desk, I rush out of my office, turning right towalk out the side door instead of taking the time to walk out the front door.

The bell over Flash Me Studio gives a cheerful jingle, but I don’t have time for lingering. She should be here any minute now. Lou lets out a laugh when she sees me rushing over to her counter. We’ve had an arrangement for weeks now, I get copies of Selene’s photos, give extra cash for Lou’s secrecy, and leave. The envelope feels lighter today compared to the others.

I look at Lou who only shrugs before going back to cleaning the lens of the camera sitting in pieces on the countertop.

“Yep, they’re good. Seems like somebody’s wolf is gettin’ in on the action. Now, you ain’t gonna tell me you don’t know nothin’ ‘bout that, are ya?”