“Enough dawdling.” I glanced at my watch. “Still far too much to do.”
Then again, when didn’t I have too much to do?
Being the third son of the most prestigious wolf pack in our area was a strange position to be in. I would never inherit leadership of our increasingly small pack—both Luther and Chris were ahead of me—but there were enough support and administrative tasks I was skilled at that I couldn’t just chase my own dream like Penelope had or become a hedonistic party boy like Jack.
And speaking of Penelope, it was almost like she’d sensed me thinking about her, because the moment I got into my car, my phone lit up with her name.
My sister rarely ever called, being so busy with her own life, so I answered quickly.
“Hello?” I said, bracing myself for awful news. Instead, I heard my sister’s calm, soothing voice on the other end, though it held a hint of wry amusement.
“So, how many times did you have to kick our little brother’s rear to get him in gear?”
I heaved a sigh of relief. This was one of the rare social calls my sister graced me with once in a blue moon. It wasn’t that she avoided us, it was just that she was so busy. And, if I was completely honest about the situation, a lot of the emotional upkeep of the family had been placed on her shoulders growing up. It probably had something to do with being the only girl.
“How did you know I was doing that? Besides, it was more of a loving shove.”
“It’s a Monday, isn’t it? And I’ve had his charity kick-off on my calendar for about two months to make sure I wouldn’t forget to video call in, even with the time difference.”
“Ah.” Yes, my sister was definitely very familiar with the challenges of taking care of our youngest brother. Honestly, even though I missed her quite terribly—my workload had definitely increased since she left—I was happy that she was doing well for herself. “How are things where you are? Is it going to mess up your sleep schedule to attend this event digitally? You don’t have to.”
Was it important? Yes. But I wasn’t attending it either. I had a meeting with Luther and Father to discuss possible mating contracts for my eldest brother. Our patriarch was beginning to entertain the notion of stepping down, and an alpha of our pack couldn’t be left without heirs, which my brother didn’t have since he had no mate to speak of.
“What sleep schedule?”
“That bad, huh?
“Most of the time I manage to eke out a few hours, but the firm is chasing a crazy case against this son of a super prominent bear alpha, and it’s such an uphill battle to get anything to stick. Between things happening to our aides during discovery and witnesses suddenly disappearing or clamming up, we’ve got a full situation on our hands.”
“That’s my sister, all right. Always doing good for all the people around you.”
I could practically hear Penelope blush through the line. “I try my best. But really, this work is fulfilling. And I think that’s really important. I know Dad, Chris, and Luther are still frustrated with my decision, but sometimes it’s important to follow our own path rather than just doing what our family wants,you know?”
That last part seemed awfully pointed, but I chose not to mention it. If there was one thing I have learned in my thirty-three years on this earth, it was that there was a time to say things, and a time to keep your mouth shut.
“I understand what you mean. And I am happy for you. I am.”
“Thanks, Paulie, that means a lot.”
I smiled at the childhood nickname. Penelope was the only one who used it anymore, and honestly, it only sounded right coming from her.
“I miss you, you know,” I said, my gaze flicking to the phone for just a second while I drove, as if she could see me and the expression on my face.
“I know, and I miss you too. But I’m doing good here, and I’m going to keep doing good here.”
“I know you are. And I’m proud of you.”
A moment of silence followed. Of all my siblings, I was closest to her, but we didn’t often have heartfelt conversations. No, that wasn’t really the VanMarche way.
“Well, I wanna grab a quick cup of tea before I settle in to support Jackie, so I’ll talk to you later?”
“Absolutely,” I agreed. “Once you’ve cracked this big case of yours, you can finally tell me all about it.”
“I can’t wait! This is going to help a lot of people. We’ll chat again soon.”
“Yes, soon.”
The line clicked off, and I turned my attention fully to the traffic. I always had a slight lingering melancholy after saying goodbye to my sister. This time, though, it felt especially strong. I couldn’t really say why, considering our situation hadn’t really changed since she’d run off to chase her dreams right when she’d gone to college, but it was what it was. Besides, I didn’t really have time to psychoanalyze myself.