Page 136 of Forget
“While true, it’s necessary while we’re getting everything up and running,” I explain.
“Do you have to do everything, though?” he asks. “I know you’ve talked about having a helper in the shelter, but can’t you hire a mini you for the outreach portion? Someone who orders toilet paper and shit, makes sure there’s someone to report to if someone has a question that isn’t you and Wren?”
“If I could clone myself, I would,” I say wryly. “We’ve thought of hiring someone to do this, but don’t know how to go about it. So much of the information is things that live in our heads, emails, or is a pipe dream, that it’s hard to imagine that someone would want to take the job on.”
Aiden stops at a light, gazing at me for too long, and I wonder if he can see the shadows around my eyes and the way my body is starting to twitch a little from being overtired. I’m getting very little sleep, and feel as if I’m pushing myself through each day.
“What?” I ask, feeling self conscious.
“You’re just amazing,” he says, shaking his head as if trying to wrap his mind around what I do.
Join the club, I wonder how I do it every day.
The drive to the shelter is quiet, and Aiden scowls when I ask him to drop me off at an alley.
“The shelter is at the back of the alley, Hayes. We keep the area free of alpha scents. Staff parks down here and it’s never a problem,” I tell him. “I’ll be working until ten tonight.”
“That’s insane,” he growls as I shrug.
“I didn't ask, cupcake,” I say, grabbing my duffle bag with a smirk as I hop out.
“Cupcake? That’s what you have for me?” he roars, making me laugh.
It’s been way too long since I’ve done that, or so it feels. My amusement follows me into the building, which unfortunately dissolves as I find that the delivery service has not followed through on their promises.
Fuck me. Guess I’m going to have to speak to my father.
Scowling, I commandeer an office in the shelter space, closing the door as I call him.
“Aisling!”Dad booms.“Fucking finally. It’s been weeks.”
“I know,” I say curtly. “I need your help, but it’s for the shelter. I don’t really want to hear about how you pretty much gave me away to a pack that’s psychotic and full of liars.”
“You, what? That’s not what happened at all,”he grunts.“Alright, we’ll play it your way, my daughter. What happens to be the matter?”
Swallowing hard, I feel a wave of emotion at the way he calls me his daughter. I don’t know how to combine this man with the one who lied to me for months.
“I have a problem with my food delivery service,” I explain. “They’ve been ghosting me, refusing to deliver food, which forces me to physically go and shop for the shelter. If that was the only inconvenience, I wouldn’t bother you with it, but they’ve been charging me for food that I’m not receiving. I couldalso simply change my delivery service, except I suspect that someone is urging them to do this. It’s likely to happen again.”
“First of all,”Dad drawls,“you could stub your goddamn toe, and you wouldn’t be bothering me. I’d like to know about it. Second of all, who is fucking with you?”
“Some women’s organization,” I grumble. “It’s so dumb. They’ve been emailing Wren and I, and every message is more and more aggressive because we haven’t met with them yet. I’m ready to throw in the towel and set up a meeting, but they’re clearly unhappy that we exist.”
“I need a name,”Dad grows.“Right now, Aisling.”
Sighing, I reply, “Emilia Richardson. The Whalen Society mentioned that I may want to ask for your help on this.”
“So you met your pack’s parents then?”Dad asks, making my jaw drop.
“I what?” I ask. “They’re also not my pack, I don’t care what they forged on that goddamned paperwork.”
“You didn’t sign it,”Dad repeats slowly. In the next breath he states,“I don’t know if they were all there, but Hayes' mother is Trinity Hayes. She’s the head of the organization. Evan’s mom is Sue Whalen, and may have been there as well.”
“That lying son of a bitch,’ I grunt. “None of them gave any signs of being related to Hayes.”
“They have very good poker faces, but their intentions are solid. I would suggest trusting them with Omega’s Haven business. What did they want?”he asks.
“They were asking about volunteer opportunities,” I explain absently.