Surrogate for My Brother-in-law - Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Leo
Eva had been pleading with Leo to take her “someplace nice for once” for a while. He thought maybe a fancy dinner might calm her down after the shock of seeing how poorly run the sanatorium her father supported was.
He felt bad for his wife. She'd been so proud of the sanatorium she'd wanted him to invest in. She had spent several minutes after they left insisting that she had no idea what was going on, and how she was going to talk to her father, and how mad he would be.
Leo didn't think Arthur could be entirely innocent in the whole thing. Didn't he check up on the properties he owned? Perhaps this one had just slipped through the cracks. Leo wanted to give his father-in-law the benefit of the doubt.
We stuck around the sanatorium for a while after Ethan took Dr. Angel off to find some food. Leo made sure that Dr. Lee and her staff had things in hand. Then, he gathered up all the financial data he could find.
He wanted to make sure nothing happened to the evidence. Dr. Lee's priority was the patients, as it should be. Leo would make sure that the paper trail they needed to find and deal with the responsible parties didn't go missing.
After that, he'd taken Eva out to get some air. She ranted for several minutes about how embarrassed she was, and how incompetent Dr. Farron was.
Leo worried that all the stress would be bad for her, and for the pup. He remembered how often she'd asked to go to a nice restaurant. And Ethan had mentioned a place nearby that was a little pricey but with excellent food and service.
So he made a quick phone call to make sure there was a table available. He was assured that there was and his name was taken for an immediate reservation.
When they arrived, they were taken inside past the small line of waiting patrons. Leo winced at the sign of favoritism. Would they have gotten a table if he wasn't an alpha? Well, probably, because Eva was an Alpha Daughter and now a Luna, but still the blatant privilege bothered him.
Eva was visibly delighted by the place, though, so he put his discomfort aside. It was a nice place. The dining room was gently lit by crystal chandeliers, and each table held a small arrangement of fragrant candles.
As they followed the maitre d to the table, Leo saw a familiar face and froze. His personal maid, Tessa, was standing behind one of the waiters. He noticed that her leg was not bandaged.
She'd lied. Tessa had lied to him, and gone out to meet with Ethan. And who knew where she'd been the rest of the day while Ethan was dealing with the sanatorium? She could have been up to anything!
Leo's wolf growled in the back of his mind as Tessa sat down next to Ethan. What was she doing with him?
Leo marched across the room, ignoring the flustered maitre d, and took a seat at Ethan's table. He did pause long enough to pull out a chair for Eva. He hadn't forgotten all his manners.
“Why, fancy seeing you here,” Leo said. “Hello, Ethan. Hello, Tessa.”
Tessa's eyes widened almost comically. Leo would feel guilty about the fear he could literally smell coming from her if he wasn't so annoyed. How dare the maid lie to him!
“Hello, Leo, do join us,” Ethan said.
“And where is Dr. Angel?” Leo asked.
“She was tired, so I took her home,” Ethan said. “I'd already made reservations for this place, so I asked if Tessa would like to join me instead.”
Ethan, unlike Tessa, was completely composed. He met Leo's challenging gaze with perfect calm. He took a sip of wine and motioned for the waiter to bring water and menus for Leo and Eva.
“And exactly what is going on here?” Eva demanded. “Why do you have one of our house servants with you?”
Leo's heart warmed a little at the intensity in Eva's voice. It was good for a Luna to be protective of the wolves under her care.
“Isn't it obvious?” Ethan asked. “We're on a date.”
“You're dating a maid?” Eva asked.
“Why not? Tessa is charming,” Ethan crossed his arms and leaned back. “Don't you agree, Leo?”
Leo frowned. Why did his opinion of Tessa matter? He was married!
He shrugged. “I'm sure she's lovely. Except for the fact that she's a liar.”
Tessa shrank back into her seat. Leo squashed a flare of guilt.
“You said you were injured. You couldn't work because your leg was hurt,” Leo snarled. “You seem to be walking just fine now.”
“Hey, maybe if you gave her a day off once in a while, she wouldn't have to lie and sneak off,” Ethan growled.
“Ethan!” Tessa protested.
“No, this is ridiculous. You are a maid, Tessa, not a damn slave. You deserve time off. You deserve a chance to find a mate if you want one. Leo's being a jerk and as his friend it's my job to tell him that.”
Leo winced at the ice in Ethan's voice. His friend wasn't taunting him over the pretty maid. He felt Leo had somehow failed as her alpha.
And maybe Ethan was right? It did sound reasonable that Tessa should have time off.
“But she didn't ask,” he countered. “She lied.”
“She should not have to ask,” Ethan said. “It's your job as Alpha, and yours, Eva, as Luna, to see that your wolves have what they need. That includes time off.”
“But...” Leo looked down at Tessa. “Why didn't you just ask?”
Tessa stared down at the table. “I was afraid you would think I was lazy.”
Afraid? One of his wolves was afraid of him? Leo felt sick at the thought.
Wolves were not supposed to fear their alphas. They were supposed to depend on them for safety and leadership. They were supposed to trust them.
How had Leo messed up so badly that his own personal maid feared him? He had to fix it. He had to make it right.
He looked over her head at Ethan. Although they were the same age, Ethan had been an alpha much longer than Leo. Maybe he would know what Leo was doing wrong.
Leo had spent his entire time as an alpha essentially at war. He'd never had to deal with the domestic side of things. Like remembering to give his household staff time off.
And he couldn't expect Eva to guide him on the subject. She was a brand new Luna, too. Sure, she must have been learning from her mother. But he'd seen for himself that Annette was somewhat flighty and, well, cold.
Eva was likely making things up as she went along. Just like Leo was. They'd have to have a long talk later, to figure out what kind of Alpha and Luna they wanted to be.
But for the moment, he needed to reassure Tessa that while he was disappointed that she'd lied, he did understand. He wasn't angry with her anymore. He was annoyed that she was with Ethan, but that was just irrational jealousy. Probably his wolf was a little possessive because she was his first personal attendant.
“Why don't we all take a step back,” Ethan suggested, “and enjoy this fine meal? I've taken the liberty of asking the kitchen to send out two more servings of our entree so you don't have to wait.”
“That sounds lovely,” Eva said.
Leo nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, Ethan.”
At least his friend had kept him from making a huge scene in public. He could always count on Ethan to keep him from embarrassing himself too badly.