Teri shook her head in exasperation and followed him.
Zach knocked at Cal’s door. Teri swallowed yet another objection—Zach couldn’t be playing a prank on her, he wasn’t that sort of guy, and he certainly wouldn’t involve his boss. So this had to be something to do with the Park.
“Come on in,” Call said. “Teri. Nice to see you again.”
“You too,” she said politely, biting off a sir at the last moment. She still remembered that Cal hated to be called anything except his name. Teri didn’t even know if Cal was his full name or if it was short for something.
“You impressed me yesterday with the Morrisons,” Cal said bluntly. “You were smart and levelheaded and you kept them calm.”
“Thank you.” Teri wasn’t sure where this was going. Cal was looking her right in the eye, and Teri couldn’t help but notice the iron-gray color of his own eyes. She wondered suddenly if he was a shifter too.
“I’d like to offer you a job,” Cal said.
“A job?” she said stupidly, as though she hadn’t understood. Maybe she hadn’t. There was no way he could just be handing her a job.
“A job,” he repeated. “We had an administrative position open up recently. It’s entry-level, but I know you’ll work hard enough to move up. Maybe be a ranger yourself someday, if you want.”
“I do want,” Teri heard herself say. “Yes. Yes, thank you. I would love a job here. When can I start?”
“I’ll see you here tomorrow morning at eight-thirty,” said Cal. “Now both of you out of my office, I have work to do.”
Out in the hall, Teri turned to Zach with what felt like a blinding smile on her face.
She was so full of happiness, she wasn’t sure she could contain it. It felt like it was just going to spill over, flow out of her into her surroundings, like it wasn’t enough happiness for one person to hold.
Zach’s eyes seemed to kindle as he looked at her, and he swept her up into his arms and kissed her thoroughly right in the hall. “Good surprise?” he murmured into her mouth.
“I love you,” Teri said, too overwhelmed for anything else.
“I love you, too,” he rumbled. “I can’t wait to come to work with you every day.”
“Me, either,” Teri said, and smiled helplessly and kissed him again.
Epilogue
“You don’t have to be nervous,” Zach said for the umpteenth time.
Teri glared at him. “I’m not nervous! I’m...excited to meet everybody.”
“They’re going to love you.”
Teri wasn’t so sure. They were having a little dinner party at their place tonight, for Zach’s friends in the rangers and their mates. Teri had met all the rangers a number of times, now that she’d been working at the Park for a couple of weeks, but she’d never met the women and she was—fine—a little nervous about whether they’d get along or not.
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Zach said, forestalling her. “You finish here.”
Teri was putting the appetizers out. They were all store-bought, which made her a little ashamed, but her cooking skills were not up to crazy Pinterest-style hors d’oeuvres. So, olives and cheese and crackers it was.
She was setting the last little plate on the coffee table when a little face appeared in the doorway to the living room.
“Hi,” Teri said tentatively.
She was met with a solemn expression. She wasn’t sure how to respond—what did you say to a dubious baby?
“Emily!” Suddenly the baby was swept up, and
a woman came forward, holding out her free hand. “I’m so sorry, she’s just getting good at walking and she likes to run off into strangers’ homes, I guess? I’m Leah.”