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I stepped inside just as he looked up. "Morning."
He nodded and waved to the visitor's chair in what amounted to an invite. No doubt if I was one of his animals, I'd have gotten a better reception. But that didn't matter. He was a client, and I planned on giving him the best service I possibly could.
"What can I help you with, Aphrodite?" he asked, setting down his pen and looking as if he wanted to be anywhere but here.
Which was rude. I was delightful company, and I wasn't even here to try and get anything out of him.
"Your fundraiser is in a few days," I pointed out.
"Ah. That. Is it here already?"
I nodded. "You said you wanted to do something to raise money."
"I guess I was thinking more of something where I wouldn't have to interact with people."
"And you can do that too. There are plenty of things you could do that wouldn't involve having a party. A charity calendar, some kind of animal adoption program, auctioning off a private tour of the sanctuary. But even if you do all of that, it won't bring in half as much money as one party will."
"Because you're that good?" He leaned back in his chair.
"If I wasn't that good, you wouldn't have hired me," I pointed out. "So now you're stuck with me. And parties have the best return on investment in my experience."
"No doubt because people donate thanks to your dazzling good looks."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "That aside, the event is in a week. Is everything ready with the event space?" I pulled out my tablet and clicked to bring up the checklist.
"Everything is ready like you suggested except for the caterer. We normally use a local service, but they're fully booked for the evening," Horus said.
"And you've only just thought to tell me?" Despite every attempt for there not to be, a bit of frustration crept into my voice. This was why I always advised people to let me handle everything, rather than just the guest list and consulting like this.
"A nearby illegal animal collection was shut down last month, I've had other things to deal with," he responded curtly. "Is it going to be a problem?"
I let out a sigh. I knew what I was getting involved in when I said yes to helping with this, Horus had gained a reputation for being far more interested in his animals than in people over the past few years. "It's fine, I'll work something out." Though at this short notice, I was limited on options unless I called in a favour.
"Great, thanks, Aphrodite."
I finished checking through the list. "All right, the only thing left to check is that you have a tux that fits."
"What makes you think I don't?"
"The fact you've barely spent any time around anyone other than your animals in the past decade," I responded dryly.
"I have a tux," he promised.
"One you bought this side of the nineties, right?"
"It's a tux, it doesn't exactly go out of style."
I made a mental note to make sure to have a tailor on standby for if the suit didn't turn out to be quite as good as he thought it was. Technically, that wasn't part of my responsibility, but it would make a big difference when it came to the donations he'd get, and that was ultimately the outcome I was looking for when it came to these events.
Horus' walkie-talkie crackled. "Code brown at the monkey house. Calling veterinary assistance."
"Mind if I get this?" he asked, gesturing towards it.
"It's fine, that's everything," I said, getting to my feet. "I'll see you in a few days to start setting up."
"Great, thanks." He picked up the walkie-talkie. "This is Horace, coming from the offices, will be with you in five."
His human name sounded a little weird to me when he said it over the system. Probably because I'd never really bothered with one myself. No one ever thought I was the real Aphrodite, because what were the chances of that?
