Page 9 of True Calling
Bo immediately stepped forward, and took the bag from Berk, “We haven’t hired anyone else. We’ve been waiting for you, Berk. Zotol says you are the one we wished for and that means you belong here with us.”
Zotol? Garth knew that name from long ago. He couldn’t... wait he remembered that name. Zotol was a Jinn that Garth had met. But that couldn’t be. Garth had sent the man in the direction of his mate and the last Garth knew, Zotol was happily mated and living the life he deserved. Lucky bastard.
“I don’t know if I’mtheman, but I am the chef he said you guys wanted.” Berk said, sounding a bit less nervous than he had been a few moments ago.
Trevor smiled, “How about we show you to your room and then we can give you the tour. We don’t expect you to start right this minute and I’m sure you must want to refresh yourself after such a long journey.”
Just then Garth’s stomach rumbled so loud everyone turned to look at him. He felt his cheeks heat, “Sorry. I had just come down to see if anyone made lunch.”
Berk smiled, “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t one of you show me to my room so I can put my suitcase down and then take me to the kitchen and I can have a look-see at what you have I can whip up for lunch?”
Bo quickly started to say, “Oh you don’t have to do that now. I’m sure you must be tired. We can...”
“It’s what I’m here for and I really don’t mind. It’s nothing to toss together lunch, and besides, it’ll give me a chance to see if I need anything. I’ll also need to talk to someone about how I order what I might require for other meals. Where to go to get the foods I’ll need for future meals, and how to order possible appliances or special cooking equipment. Unless that’s going to be a problem. I mean I have some things in storage, so I could always just figure out a way to get that stuff here...”
“Berk, whatever you need, you only need to let Bo know, and he will get it for you. Foods he can order, and they will be delivered.” Garth said.
Shaking his head, Berk said, “The food I need to see for myself. I’m kind of a hands-on person. I want to smell, touch and even at times taste the product. I prefer things like farmer’s markets and stuff. There’s nothing like home-grown produce and freshly butchered meats. Is that going to be a problem?”
Garth blinked and looked at his family. They didn’t go into town. Did they even have a farmer’s market? Did butchers still exist? Garth had no idea and from the looks of the other guys’ faces, they didn’t either.
“How about I show you to your room. The guys can make their way into the kitchen while we get you settled in. Trevor, I believe you have some inquiring to do while I get Berk taken care of.” Bo said.
Garth watched as his mate left the room. Trevor went to rush out after them, most likely to do his computer thing on butchers and farmer’s markets. “Not so fast, Trev. I think you and the others here have some explaining to do.”
Trevor looked as guilty as the other four standing there. Surprisingly, it was Linus that spoke up first. However, his words didn’t make a hell of a lot of sense. “We just wanted you to have what we do, Garth.”
Trevor’s words didn’t help clear things up for him either, “You’ve done so much for us and never ask for anything in return. We just wanted to giveyousomething for a change.”
Holding up his hand, Garth looked at Chance. “Explain.”
“You’ve been working nonstop, Garth. We know being around a bunch of mated men...”
Garth stopped Micah with a raised hand and looked at Chance with a raised brow. “I’m waiting.”
Chance looked at his mate and then the others before letting out a deep sigh. “You work all the time. It isn’t good for you, and you know it.” When Garth didn’t say anything, Chance continued. “Look, Garth, you’ve done so much for all of us and every time we try to do something for you, you won’t let us.”
“I’ve been working so much because I think I found another zoo like the one I found you and Micah in. I didn’t want to tell you, because I didn’t want the bad memories to come back again. Besides that, you all don’t owe me anything. I did what I did... helped you guys because you needed it and I could. Don’t you guys understand? You being here... in my home has brought me much more than I could have dreamed. I love that you all wanted to stay here, and I especially love the fact that we became such a close family. Don’t you see? You already have paid me back even without me wanting any payment at all.” Garth said emphatically.
“Maybe to you, Garth, but to us... you didn’t just save us from hell, you brought us our mates. We just wanted you to have what we do. Yes, we’re family and we love you like the brother you are even if it’s not by blood.” Chance stated forcefully.
Micah nodded, “Hell that makes our family all the more special. We chose our family. Most people don’t get that.”
Linus pulled away from his mate and came closer to Garth. “Family is great, Garth, but there’s nothing like having your mate by your side. That one person that will cuddle up to you when you’re watching a movie, laugh with at an inside joke, talk to when you’re feeling kind of lost or down.” He turned to look at his mate, whispering, “Hold you close when the nightmares come.”
Garth was going to say something, but Linus wasn’t finished. “We know you love and care for us, Garth, but we love and care about you too. We wanted you to have what we do, and we have found a way to make that happen.”
“And it seems to have worked. Berk is your mate, right?” Chance asked.
Garth nodded and Trevor brought his tablet to him and showed him a website on the paranormal internet. He read it aloud, “We all dream and make wishes. Imagination is our fantasies come to life within our minds. Tell us what yours is and who knows it just might come true.” Looking up he asked in disbelief, “Are you guys serious? This could have been some nutcase. What would you have done if Berk hadn’t been my mate? He’s human. This could have...”
“But he is your mate. And we had a plan if he wasn’t your mate. We would have just told him we thought he hadn’t wanted the position and already hired someone else. I mean it did take him a month to get here.” Trevor replied.
Sighing heavily, Garth said, “So what’s the plan now?”
Giving what could only be described as a conniving smile, Micah replied, “Easy. You show us what you have on that zoo and then while we do some investigative work, you woo your mate.”