"I am not, I just need..." Kari wracked her brain. They were in Noctem Falls, not her office; there weren't any projects for her to work on. Her gaze landed on Magnus. "You," she said, stepping forward. She was shocked when he took a half a step back, looking suspicious.
"Me, what?" he asked.
"Show me your office. I need your office."
"I see," Bethy said, nodding. "Good, he needs the help."
"What?" Grant and Magnus spoke at the same time.
Avery smiled. "You're about to get your entire office restructured by one of the most sought after corporate organizers in the world. Come on, Kari; I'll help. I can show that secretary how to set up her desk. You can do your thing and start training Prince Magnus."
"Training? Me?" Magnus' gaze bounced from her to Avery and back.
Kari took a deep breath, focusing on the task at hand to keep her grounded. "Yes, you. Show me to your office."
Magnus, looking out of his depth, turned to Bethy. She shook her head and turned his body to face the door. "You've been begging me to stay since you needed the help. Looks like Fate heard your plea." She giggled at his wide-eyed expression and gave him a gentle nudge.
Bethy turned to her, and Kari could see that Bethy knew exactly why she needed to take over her uncle's office. Bethy grinned wickedly. "Give him hell." Magnus whimpered.
Kari nodded as she and Avery walked behind the prince of the vampire race toward his office where she would systematically break everything down and rebuild it.
Despite meeting her mate with his guts hanging out, it was turning out to be a good day.
****
*
"What about this one? It is marked 'Urgent'." She held up a green piece of paper.
Magnus frowned. "Toss it. I only wrote that it was urgent because the person making the complaint was watching. Anything on a green Post-it note can go in the garbage, the truly important notes are always on cream paper."
Kari smiled. So it wasn't that he didn't have a system, he just had his own very unique, impossible-to-understand system that would be a mine field for anyone else coming in. "How would you feel about adopting a new coding system? Not everyone knows your color preferences," she asked, feeling him out.
Magnus thought about it for a moment. "If they align somewhat with what I have, I think I can adapt. If it is too different, I will forget and fall back to what I have always done."
Kari blinked. She had never gotten such an honest answer to that question before. Training Prince Magnus on how to utilize his office might be easier than she thought. His chuckle broke her out of her thoughts. When she looked at him, he winked at her.
"You have to remember, Bethy has been trying to keep me organized for decades. I know my system is a mess, but without someone like her around to keep the changes in place, I backslide," he admitted.
Kari ducked her head. "You are not what I imagined."
"Let me guess. You thought I was an overbearing, egotistical, demanding know-it-all, and who was I to issue such orders impacting so many people?" He raised an eyebrow at her, and she blushed. She had thought all those things.
He sat down in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face. "It is a very fine line to walk. The older generations expect me to act like a royal. If I do not, I lose their respect. On the flip side, if I do, I seem unapproachable to the younger generations." He looked up at her. "I am doing the best I can."
The admission was so unexpected and honest that she dropped the stack of papers she had been holding. Shaking her head at her own ineptitude, she bent down to pick them up. He shocked her even further when he joined her, picking up the scattered pieces of paper.
"Did I shock you, young Kari?" he asked in a teasing manner.
She nodded. "Yes. I was expecting a dictator, but you are..." She hesitated.
"Tell him," a voice said from the doorway.
They both looked over to see Bethy smiling at them. "Tell him what you really think. He needs to hear it," she encouraged.
Magnus handed her the papers as they both straightened, his eyes bright with curiosity. She took a deep breath. "You feel more like a favorite uncle than a prince," she admitted.
Bethy giggled and nodded. "He is."