He looks so cute wearing his red and white polka-dot apron, but he can’t tell whether she’s teasing. “I didn’t want to ruin my shirt,” he mumbles. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Our huge table is large enough to sit ten, yet it’s full of food. Luckily, our patio doors open onto our private beach, where we’ve laid out blankets and deck chairs to sit on.
“You know, I’m going to come here all the time, forever, don’t you?” Sabs hums as she piles her plate and plops herself down on a deck chair, scrunching her toes in the sand. “This makes Stella House look like a dump.”
“Hey!” I object. “Stella House is amazing.”
“It’s not the same without you, Faye.” Delilah’s lower lip juts out as she and Kady sit down. “Although it still has your scent, so we think of you.”
“You’re still obliged to come to Stella girls’ nights, of course.” Kady nails me with an intense gaze. “And you’ll always have a place to stay if you need a break from these alphas.”
Damon’s fork clatters onto his plate, his anxiety rising. I reach out to pat his arm in reassurance, so he knows I’m not going anywhere. Although it’d be amazing to spend some quality, alone time with the girls—which I do plan on doing—I don’t intend on being apart from my alphas overnight.
After everyone has loaded their plates and is settled on the beach, we enjoy the gorgeous view of the lake, and I cozy up between Cole and Damon on a blanket.
“Everything okay?” I ask when Cole’s phone buzzes, making him frown.
“It’s Frank.” He pauses to continue reading. “He requested a vacation.”
The other guys and Sabs gasp in shock.
“Am I missing something?” I question, utterly confused. “Surely, he deserves a vacation. Right?”
“Frank never goes anywhere.” Cole scratches his neck. “This is the first vacation he’s requested in … well, ever.”
“We literally have to force him to take the time off,” Laz explains. “Last time, Cole booked him a two-week golf retreat and basically had to guilt trip him to get him to go. He only went after he learned it was nonrefundable.”
“Did he say where he’s going?” Ren asks.
Cole shakes his head.
“Maybe he feels better leaving now that you’ve found your omega?” Delilah suggests.
“Perhaps,” Cole murmurs, unconvinced. “But it’s really out of character.”
“Frank’s vacation is not quite as exciting as the latest SVU gossip. Did you hear about the most recent pack drama this week?” Sabs changes the subject. “Apparently, one pack was so desperate to find an omega that they tried to rig speed scenting.”
“It’s a good thing I didn’t sign up for the campus’s omega matching service this year, then.” Delilah screws up her face in disgust. “I was considering it.”
I shuffle closer to Delilah, under the ruse of offering her strawberries, while everyone speculates about which pack it could be.
“Any alpha would be lucky to have you, Del.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t meet her eyes. “Not every alpha.”
“Any worthy alpha,” I correct her, sensing her mind wandering to the singer who treated her like trash last year. “Anyone who doesn’t see how amazing you are isn’t worth your time.”
“Thank you, Faye.” She sniffles. “Anyway, enough about my failure of a love life!” She shakes her head to quash her thoughts. “How are you settling into your new beach palace?”
“It’s starting to feel more like home.”
“How is your gram doing?” she asks.
“She’s good. Very happy for us.” I grin at the memory of telling her that I’d finally bonded with every alpha in the pack. Her reaction was incredible. She even sent us a congratulations card, signed by many of our regular customers. “She’s already pestering us to visit, so the guys can help her renovate the shop.”
Although now that I’m thinking about it, I haven’t heard from her in a few days, which is unlike her. Hopefully, she’s okay and Alice isn’t driving her too mad.
“Are my ears burning?” Cole drops down next to me.
