Amanda M. Lee [Lee - Wolf On the Job

One

Five years ago

L ook what I can do.

I sipped my coffee and slid my eyes to Sami, my eight-year-old daughter, as she finished a rather impressive tumbling act in the middle of our living room, ending with a loud thud as her feet hit the ground. The smile she sent me was serene as she waited for me to applaud, a tendency she gets from her mother, who also likes to show off.

Nice job, Sami, I commented as I offered her an indulgent grin. She looks like me, wild black hair flying. She has my eyes and coloring. Theres nothing of her mother in her ... until she opens her mouth. I thought your mother told you to stop cartwheeling in the house, though.

Samis eyes darkened. Do you see Mom around?

I barely managed to keep from laughing. It would only encourage her, and as much as I enjoy watching Sami and my wife Zoe go head to head, I know better than to undermine Zoes authority. Shes a good mother ... even though she often questions her ability. Before we even brought Sami into our lives, we agreed that we would always work together for her benefit. That meant being parents instead of friends. I dont, I acknowledged, but that doesnt mean I dont know the rules. Dont do it again.

Sami jutted out her lower lip, an expression she also inherited from her mother. She recognized I was more likely to kowtow to her demands if she pouted first. I may be a wolf shifter with a powerful mage for a wife, but I, Aric Winters, am also a big softie when it comes to the two females in my life. Zoe came first and wore me down, and Sami follows in her mothers footsteps.

Dont do it again, I repeated, determined to be firm. You have a huge yard to tumble in.

Its not as much fun.

Yeah, well .... I trailed off when I heard noises emanating from the other side of the living room. My hearing is keen something that drives my wife crazy because she can never sneak around without me knowing and I recognized the telltale sounds of her imminent arrival. Well let your mother decide, I suggested.

The look Sami shot me was straight out of Zoes repertoire. The kid looked like me and acted like my wife. Most men would say they prefer a demure child with impeccable manners, but thats not how I roll. Dont get me wrong, I want Sami to grow into a respectable adult, but I like her attitude. That attitude is what drew me to Zoe from the start ... and Ive never regretted one moment of our lives together. I want Sami to be strong like Zoe, and the attitude is part of the package.

That doesnt mean my kid isnt too much to take at times.

Shes wearing those boots I hate, Sami announced, making a face. Shes only eight but considers herself a fashionista in the making. You know I hate those boots. Theyre embarrassing. If shes dropping me off at school in those boots Ill be really upset.

Brow furrowed, I narrowed my eyes. How do you know shes wearing the boots? Id yet to interact with Zoe this morning other than her usual grunt of acknowledgment as she trudged toward the master bathroom (shes not much of a morning person) and I was fairly certain Sami hadnt seen her either.

They squeak on the floors, Sami replied darkly. They sound like dying mice.

Huh. That was interesting. Super hearing was a shifter thing. Sami was a hybrid half shifter, half mage and shed shown more mage characteristics to date. I didnt care if she took after her mother in that department, because that would make her powerful. My father was another story. He took great pride in being a shifter and remained upset that Sami wasnt a full wolf.

You can tell the difference between your mothers shoes? I was impressed. I could often tell the difference in Zoes shoes, too. Id stopped paying attention at a certain point, because she lived in Converse as often as possible. I knew exactly what boots Sami was referring to, though, and I was amused at the thought of Zoe wearing her Old Gringo sugar skull boots, because I liked the way she looked in them. Sami, on the other hand, was often mortified by her mothers fashion choices.

Shes wearing them. Samis expression darkened. She wants to embarrass me.

Oh, we live to embarrass you, I supplied. Thats not just a thing your mother does. I enjoy embarrassing you, too. In fact, Im looking forward to your teenage years because your mother and I are going to compete to see who can embarrass you most.

Ugh. Sami made a disgusted sound before snapping her head in the direction of an opening door. Her hearing was clearly more developed than I realized. Perhaps it was an ongoing thing. When she was younger she wouldnt have picked up on the sounds of the house as she did now.

It was an interesting development, one I didnt have time to dwell on because my wife was about to join the party.

Sure enough, Zoe strolled in from the bedroom. Her eyes were much more alert than they had been forty minutes earlier and her blond head shimmered under the sun that filtered through the huge windows at the back of the house. She smiled at me before shifting her gaze to Sami.

Have you been tumbling in the house?

Sami scowled. No ... and how can you possibly know that?

Because I have special powers, Zoe replied, extending a finger. We talked about this. You have to do those flip things you do outside. Youll break something in here.

I thought you hated the decorations in here, Sami challenged, refusing to back down. She was like her mother in that regard, too. She never met an argument she didnt want to win. Grandma picked them out, and you said they remind you of a funeral home.

I arched an eyebrow as Zoes gaze slowly tracked to me. Her relationship with my mother was fine on most fronts, but they still waged the occasional battle when it came to decorating. In truth, my mother attempted to wrest complete control from Zoe soon after construction of the house was completed. They were still battling over it eleven years later. A funeral home, huh?

Zoe merely shrugged. We have, like, eight urns up there. She gestured toward the recessed shelf I had built into the wall. Where else do you see urns but in a funeral parlor?

I followed her finger and snorted. I think those are vases.

They have lids. You can put stuff in them ... and whats meant to be put in them are peoples ashes.

How do people become ashes? Sami asked, clearly taking Zoe by surprise with the question. Do they fall in the fire?

Zoe opened her mouth to answer but no sound immediately escaped, which caused me to snicker. Sami was at the age when she asked any number of questions and, unlike when she was younger, it wasnt easy to point her toward a different avenue of discussion as a distraction.

Yeah, Zoe, do they fall in fires? I taunted.

She glared at me. Dont you start. She strolled past Sami and into the kitchen. I was going to make breakfast this morning but Sami ultimately wanted cereal so that never came to fruition. Instead of complaining, Zoe headed straight for the Fruity Pebbles. She was a slave to sugar ... something shed passed on to Sami. So, are you guys excited about your day?