Finding the Forward, Part One (HockeyVerse)

Chapter Twenty-Two

AJ

I strode into the lobby of the sleek high-rise that housed the New York branch of the investment firm I worked for.

My phone buzzed. Grif sent me a funny meme. Chuckling, I sent one back, glad he was texting. After what happened a couple days ago after his date, I was afraid he’d be mad at me.

When I’d stumbled home the other night from a family function, I hadn’t expected to discover that Grif’s airplane girl was Verity Fucking Thorne .

What could I possibly have done in my life to warrant that? Her selfishness had affected my sister’s livelihood. At least I could step in. My parents had cut my sister off for wasting her degree and potential by mating with farmers. Fortunately, they’d since come around.

Still, out of all the women in the world, Grif had to meet that one on the plane. How could I convince him to dump her? We didn’t need flakey people in our lives.

It didn’t help that Dean, too, seemed smitten with her. He’d never shown much interest in women, so why her? What did she have that I didn’t?

Well, besides a magical lady alpha pussy.

When the elevator opened, people piled out, including an omega with a zipped-up jacket that seemed a little lumpy. It squirmed, and she talked into the zipper. Something that might be an ear or paw peaked out as she scurried out of the building.

An omega hiding a pet in her jacket was not the weirdest thing I’d seen in this building. The omega-run lifestyle website on the sixteenth floor was always making content with odd things. Blow up inflatable costumes. Roller skates. Llamas.

No one was going to mess with an omega with a llama, even if she was photographing it in the pond in the lobby, surrounded by children in mermaid costumes.

The elevator opened onto my floor. I waved at the beta receptionist as I entered our offices.

“Mr. Zaman, I sent your delivery back to your assistant,” he called as I passed.

“Thank you.” My delivery? Clients sometimes sent me gifts. My belly growled. Hopefully, it was edible.

A lot of the cubicles and desks were empty. Was there an office gathering I’d forgotten about?

“Oooh, aren’t you the sweetest?” someone cooed. Bells jingled and something mooed.

Mooed?

Rounding the corner, I saw most of the interns, along with several admins, petting tiny little cows. There were two, in sweaters, wearing flower crowns, and jingle bells.

“Why are you petting cows? Why are there even cows in the office? Don’t you have work to do?” I snapped, trying to figure out why there were tiny cows in a financial firm.

“Just taking a break, Mr. Zaman. Calista took the other one over to the assistant pool. I can bring them all to your office when we’re done,” one of our overly chirpy interns said.

Not even knowing how to answer, I shook my head and I entered my office. The wide glass walls gave me a good view of the assistant pool. They were gushing over another baby cow in a sweater, along with my assistant.

While I understood the jingle bells, why did they have sweaters and crowns? Why were there even...

My belly dipped. Oh shit. One. Two. Three.

Three cows.

“Calista,” I bellowed from my desk, anger and confusion brewing inside me.

A moment later, my beta assistant, a brunette in her early twenties, strolled into my office with a baby cow on a leash. She flashed a huge smile. “Mr. Zaman, you’re back. I trust your meeting went well?”

“Why are their cows in the office?” A sinking sensation coated me. No. It couldn’t be? Could it? She wouldn’t dare...

“The Happy Hills Cowtisserie delivered them for you while you were out,” she said, like all those words meant something.

I knew what a patisserie was, but what the fuck was a cowtisserie?

“They're for me ?” I eyed the baby cow. The hot pink sparkly fairisle sweater matched the flower crown.

“I have the paperwork and card on my desk. I hope you don’t mind me letting people pet them until you came back and told me what to do with them. They’re so cute,” she gushed. “I’ll be right back.” Leaving the cow in my office , she darted out to her desk.

My belly twisted. There was only one reason there were three cows in my office.

“Here you go. Would you like all the cows in your office now?” Calista flounced over and handed me a foil and glitter accented folder with a picture of the fanciest little farm on it. Happy Hills Cowtisserie. Happy cows are our specialty.

“No, please, I’m happy to let everyone pet them. Animals in the workplace promote productivity.” Or something. If people were petting them, they wouldn’t be in my office.

I watched out the window as one of the assistants took a selfie with a cow in a blue Nordic patterned sweater. “Why are they wearing sweaters?”

“It’s November. It’s cold outside.” Taking the leash, she led the cow out of my office.

True. At least she wasn’t asking me why someone gave me cows.

I opened the card. Dear AJ, thank you so much for making things right when I was unable and buying your sister cows for me. I appreciate it and am happy to finally repay your generosity. I hope you love them; they’re so cute. Best, Verity.

Fuck.

When I yelled at Verity after she’d pulled that doe-eyed what are you talking about act and told her she owed me cows, I hadn’t meant that she should send them to my office. I hadn’t meant anything other than being angry.

How did she even end up being that Verity?

I called Jonas, hoping they weren’t on the plane to their away game yet.

“Hi AJ, what’s up?” Jonas answered.

“She had cows delivered to my office,” I grumbled. I opened the folder and found the paperwork for three baby cows, all of some breed called a ‘cutista’ which might be a miniature variety. Bought and paid for by one Verity Thorne.

Jonas guffawed. “Are you telling me that there are cows in your office right now? How do you get a cow in an elevator?”

“They’re tiny cows. Wearing sweaters. I’m pretty sure an intern is feeding one of them chips. Why are they wearing sweaters? Why tiny? I sure as fuck bought full-sized cows for my sister.” I sighed as I looked out the window.

“It was probably what she could afford. She’s a student. Must have been a chunk of her savings,” Jonas replied.

“Please tell me you didn’t tell her to get me new cows. That’s not what I meant.” I rubbed my temples as I watched an intern make a house for one out of empty file boxes.

“All I told her was to make things right with you.”

“Jonas, there are cows in my office.” I sighed in exasperation. Why wasn’t he getting it?

“I’m sure your sister would love some baby cows in sweaters. Anyhow, I have to run. We’ll call you before the game like always.” He ended the call.

“Shit.” I put my head down on my desk in frustration.

“Alex, why were cows delivered to you at the office? Did you land some sort of livestock account?” My boss, Myra, stood there in her heels and suit, a baffled look on her face. The polished alpha and I had known each other for years and played on the same recreational hockey team.

“They mistakenly were delivered to me. The true recipient is on the way,” I told her. Hopefully. If my sister didn’t want them, what did I do with them?

“Understood.” With a nod, she left.

I called my sister, anger simmering under my skin. What gall Verity had to assume that my sister could afford to feed more cows? She could, and I’d help her if she couldn’t, but animal food was expensive.

“Hi, little bro,” my older sister, Leila, said.

“I ran into Verity Thorne the other day. Now there are cows in my office. I know it’s asking a lot, but how fast can you get them?” Desperation tinged my voice. Her farm wasn’t that far away. A lot of people from the city liked to go there for apple picking and schools visited for field trips.

Leila chuckled. “Are you telling me someone delivered cows to a high rise? I need pictures.”

With a sigh, I took a picture of one of the account managers putting a tiara over the flower crown of a cow in a yellow sweater with daisies on it and sent it to her.

“Why is it wearing a sweater?” She was still laughing.

“I don’t know. They’re from some place called the Happy Hills Cowtisserie.”

“Oh. That explains it. Fancy. I should be there by the end of the workday. Um, where did you run into her? She keeps a very low profile. Then again, if I had a teammate willing to blow up a wedding to teach me a lesson, I would, too,” she told me.

True. The situation was awful. But my sister was depending on that promise and hadn’t sued the culprit because Verity had offered. It was the lack of follow-through that bothered me.

I raked my hair with my hand. “She’s seeing Grif. Which I’m not happy about, considering she isn’t dependable.”

Sure, she was pretty. Fucking smart if she was in a PhD program at NYIT. But Grif needed stability. Reliability.

Me.

My assistant stood in the doorway, holding a baby goat wearing fucking pajamas, another on a leash. “Your baby goats are here. Is it okay if I take them over to accounting? I’ll bring you the papers and card in a moment. Oh, you’re on the phone, sorry.”

“Um, sure, Calista,” I said, waving her off as she left.

“Grif is seeing someone? Huh. Look, we don’t know the full story,” my sister replied. “That poor girl had a lot going on. She was taking a job to buy the cows. Maybe she didn’t get paid.”

“She could've communicated it. Leila, now I have two baby goats wearing pajamas in my office. Why are they wearing clothes?” I didn’t understand what was happening here with the clothing.

“Now we just need a hutch of bunnies in dresses, no, bathing suits,” she laughed. “I have to say, I like her style.”

There were bunnies, too. Shit. I’d forgotten that she’d promised cows, goats, and bunnies.

“I’ll call you when I get there. It’s nice that she’s making good on her promise. Cows to your office? That’s legendary. Honey, my brother has cows in his office,” she yelled. “I’ve got to go. I love you.”

“Love you, too.” I ended the call and opened my laptop.

Calista came back in. This time with an envelope from Georgie’s Goatessen. Where did Verity even find these places?

“Thanks, Calista. Are there bunnies?” I asked, over the top of my laptop.

Fright crossed her face and fear tinged her powdery beta scent.

“About the bunnies.” She rocked on the balls of her feet, scent growing anxious. “Um, they were delivered to the wrong office. They don’t want to give them back. Should I ask again, or would you like to get them yourself? You might have better luck.”

Calista looked like she desperately didn’t want to ask again.

“Where were they delivered?” I could think of three offices in the building that would keep someone else’s bunnies.

“Creative Collective on the sixteenth floor. They were doing a photoshoot where they dressed them in tutus, and put them in a giant bucket with a baby wearing a crown.” She bit her lower lip.

Of course they were. That might also explain the omega with the small animal tucked into her jacket.

“They also called and wanted to know if they could borrow the cows and goats,” she added. “Should I tell them no ?”

“They can have them until the end of the day, but they have to bring them back. They’re meant for someone who’s on their way.” It would be a good way to get the animals out of the office before the interns started having goat races in the hallway.

“Of course, Mr. Zaman. Anything else?” she asked.

“Ask for the bunnies one more time, and if they still refuse, we’ll let them keep them. Then please order me my usual lunch? Thank you.” I got back to work as she hurried off.

This didn’t fix anything. Part of me had to admit it was creative. Still, Verity had years to get them and was only doing it now because Jonas made her. That and she wanted to ride Grif.

Frustration grew inside me. I’d been patient with Grif for so long. Now, suddenly, some hot lady alpha strolled into his life and he was ready to bring her into the pack. Dean wasn’t any better. I wasn’t sure where Jonas stood. It seemed as if he liked her as a person, but was unsure if she’d make a good alpha for Grif.

I didn’t think she was either.

While I waited for my lunch, I updated a couple of clients, shot off some emails, and answered some inquiries.

Calista stood in my open door with a bag of takeout and a wicker basket of white bunnies in pink tutus. “I walked the cows and goats down to the sixteenth floor. They only gave me three bunnies.”

“It’s fine.” Yeah, I wasn’t going to war with those omegas over fucking bunnies. I’d end up as a meme or on a listicle of the top ten alphaholes in New York on their very popular website.

“Okay.” She left the bag and basket on my desk and left.

I sent a picture to Jonas.

Me

She sent bunnies and goats, too. This doesn’t make things better.

A bunny climbed out of the basket and shit on my desk.

Fuck my life.