"I mean," I held up the remaining folders; a denim, an indigo, and an ebony. "If you didn't get it before I got through all of the folders, I was going to write each letter that began each color and literally spell it out for you."
"You're color-coding your business proposals? Like that? That's shockingly subtle of you."
I grinned at him. "She's been running this little place for ages. She's incredibly successful, there's just not a lot of donation power out here. I think we can build a better shelter system than the one currently in place in most areas. And I think she's the key to that. Imagine, Fontaine Feeds not only sponsors shelters; we build them. We make the world a safer, happier place for pets everywhere. And it all starts with her."
"She'd be tickled pink. Salmon," Hudson said, tapping the salmon pink folder in front of him. "It'd stop her from getting all upset every time we buy something for her, too. She'd be able to run rescues all over the country with our money without having to worry about taking it from us. It'd just be a resource for her. And the PR campaigns would be incredible for... everything."
Leaning back in my chair, I put my hands behind my head. "I'm a genius, the best business mind you've ever met, smartest guy in the world. Et cetera. Lay it on me."
Hudson got up and stacked the folders together once more. "You are. And I see no reason why she wouldn't accept. We can stay in the area, she can help every animal she wishes to, and we keep the company running at full speed. It's perfect."
"Think I should go bother her? I can't imagine Eskal is taking that long to talk to her."
He nodded and I got up, taking my folders with me. Sadie would want to see the figures, even if I had to explain a few for her. It'd turned out that she was some kind of wizard with math, making money out of thin air when she'd needed to pay for a dog's surgery or a cat's neuter.
I understood that. How many times had we managed to keep our finances in check, even when it felt like there was no way to do it? We'd run up a few credit cards, but it hadn't been anything we couldn't take care of the moment Fontaine Feeds had hit its stride.
Sadie's door was still closed. I put my ear against it and listened, but didn't hear her talking. I gave it a gentle rap with my knuckles and waited. Invading my mate's personal space was too rude even for me.
...And I continued to wait. After a few minutes, I peeked inside to find her fast asleep. She'd had a long day, a longer night; which I remembered with relish, and I had no doubt that she needed some downtime. Be that as it was, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I needed to know if she was interested. If she wasn't, I needed time to find other candidates.
"Whaa?" she asked as I shook her shoulder.
I sat down on the bed beside her. "It's me, honey. Wake up. I need to talk to you about something."
As soon as I said it, I flinched. There were better ways to phrase such things, ones that didn't make it sound like you were about to step on someone's heart. She woke up plenty fast after that and up she sat, eyes owlish with worry. "Did I do something wrong? You guys aren't mad at me, are you?"
"Never. But I did have something I wanted to go over with you."
I ran my fingers through her hair, down and cupping her cheek. Just touching her sent little shivers of delight running up my arm. I put the folders down and drew her close. If she wanted evidence, she could pick them up. She turned her head up to me and blinked. "Most of the time, if people stall, it's a bad thing."
"There's a chance you might not like it."
Her brows creased. "Might not like it?"
"I spoke with Hudson," I said, my fingers disappearing beneath the hem of her shirt and starting an upward journey. My lips touched her neck. I was usually professional, but I wanted to devour her. "We want to make you an offer."
"An offer? Gabe, if you start all your offers this way, I'm going to be incredibly jealous when you go back to work."
I chuckled. "Only for gorgeous werewolf women."
"I'm listening," she said, smiling.
My hands came to rest on her belly, beneath her clothes. "We want you to head a division of Fontaine Feeds, The Fontaine Foundation. It deals with rescue across the world, intent on finding homes for those animals who are displaced by fortune or failure. You've done an incredible job here. I think it's time you take your career to the next level."
"My career?" Sadie whispered. "No one's ever called it that before. Most people around here mock me or expect me to take whatever wanders on to their property. And I do, but that's beside the point."
I tilted my head at her. "You have a passion for securing the lives of the small, though often in furry form. You were driven to save Tommy and the rest of us, not just because you loved us, but because you're terrible at tolerating injustice. You'd be an asset to Fontaine Feeds, and I think you'd be a perfect fit. This isn't just because we love you, Sadie. It's because you're the right person for the role."
"And then I can't complain about all of you blowing money on rescue if I'm the one managing it."
Grinning, I nipped her ear. "I suppose there's that, too, but it's
