Page 45 of Sleeping Redemption

“Next,” I stated dryly as I waved off the human woman in front of me who had applied to be my new house manager. The frumpy and middle-aged woman had smelled funny, too much like a squeaky shoe.

I stared down at my notes from each candidate I had interviewed.

Too squirrely.

Voice pitch is too high.

Has uneven freckles.

Can’t whistle Dixie.

A minute later, another presence sat down in the seat across from me.

“Name?” I asked, without looking up, as I readied my pen.

There was a slight pause before a deep chuckle broke the silence.

“Rookamus Destiel Von Deutsche,” the familiar British voice responded. There was a slight pause before he added, “The fourth.”

I lifted my head as my eyes found Rook casually sitting in the chair in front of me, his leg crossed with one ankle on top of his knee. One of his elbows hooked on the back of his seat with a cocky smirk on his face, and a twinkle in his eye.

There was a brief moment of silence as I considered which question I wanted to ask him first. I tilted my head to one side as I observed him. “Von Deutsche?” My brow perked up in curiosity.

His smirk remained on his face. “Picturing me in Lederhosen, aren’t ya?”

Before I could even generate the thought in my head, Rook waved his hand off to the side like he was wiping a window clean. A translucent image appeared– much like a projection – of Rook standing there with a stein in hand, wearing the traditional German outfit. The projection was akin to watching a short reel, with his image looking around and drinking from the container in his hand. I swore that I could almost hear the folk music in the background.

I cracked a smile at him before shaking my head. “What are you doing here? I’m trying to find my replacement for Christina.”

Rook waved his hand again, and the vision he had created vanished from the air.

“You have found your replacement.” He flashed a huge grin.

When I stared blankly at him, his grin faltered slightly.

“It’s me, love. I’m humbly accepting the offer you’re about to give me,” he boldly declared.

He then raised a finger to pause me the second I opened my mouth. “There’s one condition of my employment, of course. I’d prefer to go without the historically official naming convention that your prior house managers had bestowed upon them.”

The pen in my hand felt like a dead weight by now, so I dropped it onto the notepad.

“Since when do you know anything about managing my affairs around the house?” I asked, certain he was less than qualified for the position.

That’s when his smile came back in full force. “Well, love, if you must know, I am more qualified than most.”

“Oh?” I let the surprise linger in my voice, with an amused smile tugging at my lips.

He nodded at me before uncrossing his leg and leaning forward so both his elbows were on his knees as his fingers laced together.

“I know each one of your adorable quirks and kinks. I’m a bit more hearty than your previous human employees. Any tasks that are required of me can be done in the time it takes me to snap my fingers. And let’s not forget my culinary skills.” That charming smirk returned to his handsome face.

As I leaned back in my chair, I gave it some thought. My eyes drifted over his features, considering his usefulness. There was no pressure to make up my mind as he patiently looked at me, waiting to hear my decision.

Finally, I let out a small sigh in an attempt to sound indifferent, but the corners of my mouth betrayed my feelings on the subject as a small smile pulled at them.

I finally voiced my decision. “Consider yourself gainfully employed.”

The way Rook’s face lit up, you would have thought he had just won the lottery. He leaped up from his seat in excitement.