Page 45 of Enticing the Elf
Scoffing, Andrew says, “A rabbit is an excellent choice. Don’t you know how good their fur is for fiber arts?” He turns to me expectantly. “Angora, yes? What type? English produces more hair, but the fur from a Satin Angora has a much nicer finish.”
I stare at him, but thankfully, I’m not the only one. “What are you talking about?” Caolan demands. “Ang-what?”
“Fiber arts?” Alistair says. “Do you mean knitting? That’s sheep fur, Andrew.” He frowns. “Wait. Sheep… hair? Wool! Sheep wool.”
Andrew rolls his eyes. “There are many animals that produce fibers that are good for weaving and knitting,” he informs us. “Rabbits included.”
That’s something I didn’t know. Did he say angora? I have a sweater made of that—it’s super soft. I just didn’t know it was rabbit fur. “They don’t hurt the bunnies to get their hair, do they?”
“No. I believe rabbits shed fur naturally and only need to be brushed to collect it.”
The relief is almost dizzying. I couldn’t force Elsking to live in the same house as something that caused harm to one of her kind, but Ireallydidn’t want to get rid of that sweater. It fits perfectly and looks great on me.
“Elsking isn’t that kind of rabbit,” I say firmly, though I don’t actually know that for sure. Sandra at the shelter would have said if she was, wouldn’t she? There was mention of regular brushing, but not anything about knitting with her fur. I make a mental note to check on that.
Not that I know how to knit or have any interest in learning.
“What kind?—”
“We’re getting off topic,” Hagen interrupts, shooting Caolan an apologetic look. “The rabbit’s fur isn’t important. How’s Eoin with her?”
I shrug. “Good.” The memory of him taking her out of the hutch and giving her cuddles without me asking brings a smile to my face. “It’s only been a few days, but he’s good with her.”
“No resentment?”
“No.” How could Eoin resent a precious bunny? She’s the sweetest. And even if she wasn’t, he’s always been good with animals.
“It might be too soon for that to show,” Alistair muses, and I reach the end of my patience.
“You’ve got the information you came for. Go report back to the others so you can all give me your expert feedback.” I make sure to sound as sarcastic as possible.
“Before we go, we need to talk about Eoin working on reception,” Caolan says, pulling out his phone and tapping the screen. “Ari checked his schedule, and the first possible option is a week from Thursday. He only has two meetings that day, and Ari says they can both be rescheduled. Otherwise it will need to be next month.”
“Are you asking my permission?” That would be a first.
Hagen laughs. “No, of course not. We’re letting you know as a courtesy so you’ll have time to make a list of anything essential he needs to know about the DEA specifically. Alistair talked to Candice, and she has a training manual that she’s used to teach people the job in the past, so it’s just the personal stuff you need to worry about.”
“Plus she said he can call her if he has problems,” Alistair adds helpfully.
I bite my lip. “That might not be a good idea. What if he struggles? Candice can’t do her jobandmine. Maybe he should call me if he has problems. I can hang out in the conference room for the day.” My streaming apps work from anywhere.
The way all four of them forcefully disagree makes me lean back.
“You won’t be here that day,” Caolan says, “and we’ve told Candice to get one of the temps who cover when she has time off to come in that day. No matter what happens, both receptions will be taken care of.”
It’s a little worrying that I’m so easy to replace. “Who’s paying for that?”
“It’s coming out of the executive cost center,” Hagen assures me. “Brandt okayed it.”
“Does his majesty know?”
“Brandt okayed it. I didn’t ask any questions after that.”
That gets a laugh from me, but I decide to let it go. Eoin’s going to ask the same thing, and he’ll definitely follow up with the king to make sure he approves. The last thing either of us wants is to get fired for misappropriation of government funds.
“Fine. Thursday next week. I’ll make sure I have a cheat sheet for him before then. What am I supposed to do that day?”
“Sleep in,” Hagen suggests.
