Page 40 of Puck Your Nanny

Freda.

My stomach knots. I let it go to voicemail.

A few moments later, it rings again.

A second call that fast?That’s not normal. My grip tightens around the phone. For a split second, I wonder if something happened—if she finally left Brent and needs help. Against my better judgment, I swipe to answer.

“Hello?”

“Daisy! Oh my God, I saw your name in, like, five different articles this morning.” Freda’s voice is chipper, excited even, as if the month never happened. As if she didn’t cut me off when I needed her most. “I can’t believe you never told me you presented late. Unless you’re just a Beta sleeping with Alphas? How does that even work?”

My jaw tightens. I want to tell her it’s none of her damn business, but I force a breath through my nose and keep my tone even. “I’ve been busy. It slipped my mind.”

Freda hums, unconvinced. “We don’t talk anymore. I don’t like that. Now that everything’s worked out, we should fix that.”

I’m not sure I trust that sudden change of heart, but before I can respond, she continues.

“We still have your favorite armchair, you know. Brent’s been talking about bringing it by in his truck.”

I blink. That chair was the one thing I regretted not taking. It would go perfectly in my nest. But Brent loves that chair.Why would he give it up?

“Really?” I ask cautiously.

“Yeah. Why don’t we bring it by tonight? We can have dinner, catch up.”

My fingers tighten around the phone. I should say no. I should keep my distance. But the chair…

And maybe, just maybe, I need to see if this is real. If she actually wants to fix things or if she has another motive.

“Okay,” I say slowly. “Dinner tonight, seven. I'll text you the address.”

“Perfect! See you then.”

She hangs up before I can second-guess myself.

I stare at my phone, still half in shock, before shaking myself out of it. I need to tell the guys.

Daisy:

Freda and Brent are coming over for dinner tonight. They’re bringing my armchair.

It takes less than a minute for the responses to roll in.

Nate:

If he puts one toe out of line, he’s getting a reminder of what happens when you piss off an Alpha.

Calvin:

We talking a casual warning, or full-blown intimidation tactics?

Peter:

If this is what you want, Daisy, we’ll be civil. But you know our stance on him.

I sigh, shaking my head as I type back.

Daisy:

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