“Kai tried to buy all three hundred,” Rhian adds absently as he wraps up another candle. I’m halfway through counting change for the current customer when he speaks.
“Rhian!” Sable scolds him, and he looks over at us, confused.
“It’s fine,” I quickly lie, returning to my counting. “He probably didn’t realize it was my scent.” I shrug.
“Of course he did.” Rhian says it like it’s obvious, and Sable and I are both glaring at the man as he purses his lips. “I sense I somehow fucked up. Oops?” This time, his voice is a lot more unsure, a questioning lilt given to the statement. Sable shoots eye daggers at her mate.
The omega clearly doesn’t know what he said wrong, as he stares down at his girl with a confused expression, apologetic eyes seeking her forgiveness.
“Don’t worry. For an omega, you sure are clueless sometimes, I swear.” Sable sighs, then shakes her head at him as we return to our tasks.
Three hundred candles.Three hundred?I know Kai is working hard to try and get me back, but he’s also trying to purchase overthree hundredcandles that smell just like me? Why are men like this? Only they have the audacity for this sort of behavior.
We’re wrapping up the last few candles, the event nearly over, when Tiffany gets up on the gazebo. She has a microphone in her hand and instantly starts yapping, her voice making something tense in my shoulders.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please? Everyone?” Sable and I share a mutual look of irritation, making us both snort as the crowd all turn to listen to the omega speak.
“I don’t like her after the way she treated Sable,” Rhian grumbles, and I assume he’s referring to an incident at the popular coffee spot last month.
Tiffany Baker has always been a bitch, just like her pissy-ass grandmother.
“Same,” I agree. I’d leave to get out of listening to her if I could, but this charity is important to the town. No matter who helps run it, I’ll be here to do what I can to give back. Even if that means suffering Tiffany yapping every year.
“Everyone!” Tiffany’s high-pitched voice creaks through the speakers, and my eye twitches at the sound. “I have some extremely exciting news. We’ve just had a last-minute donation made.” Her eyes fill with an unusual sparkle I can't name as she grins like a hungry cat.
Right, because that’s not suspicious at all.
“This is odd,” Sable murmurs, and I nod. Everyone here is making donations in one way or another, so I’m not sure what this could be about; last-minute donations happen all the time.
“Many of us have known this man most of our lives, and today he’s made a donation so substantial it deserves recognition.” Tiffany gestures to someone I can’t see from this distance until she reaches out, grabs his hand, and attempts to pull him onto the gazebo with her.
“Kai Berrywill has donated…” She trails off with a grunt, and it’s clear, even from my distance, that he’s trying to resist her. “Come on, Kai!” She pleads, gritting her teeth while somehow keeping that fake-as-fuck smile plastered in place. “He has donated enough money to cover the cost of all school meals for every child in town for over a year, with a—” She grunts again, giving the beta’s reluctant arm another harsh tug. “With a pledge to keep donating every year going forward!”
As the crowd starts cheering, and people shout for him to make a speech, Kai finally gives in and joins Tiffany on the gazebo. It takes my mind a long moment to catch up with her words, but as they sink in, my heart and mind race.
Kai’s donation…
In the blink of an eye, on this Sunday afternoon, Kai just fulfilled my biggest childhood dream. I watch him as he tips his head to the townspeople, looking more than a little annoyed to be up there.
Did he remember? Did he do this because of me? Was this a part of his plan? I mean, it must be. Why else would he do this, of all things? He could have just donated a lump sum to the charity and let them decide where the money should go.
I don’t think ensuring every kid has free school meals has ever been on their agenda. They assume all kids get fed and that their parents, foster parents, or guardians are taking care of it.
Sometimes they are, but when they aren’t, the child is the one who has to pay the consequence. When they aren’t, the kids suffer.
"Hello everyone." Kai lifts his hand, waving to the crowd circling the gazebo.
For one child to eat breakfast and lunch at school for an entire month, the cost is roughly one hundred dollars, give or take. So for the families who already make sure every meal is paid for, this will save them money, and foster parents can stock the pantry inside of the school account.
Families with multiple children will save so much. All that money goes right back into their pockets, which in turn goes back into the town. It helps everyone, but that’s not why it was my dream.
For every twenty kids with a great support system that makes sure they’re fed, there’s at least one who goes hungry.
“Please.” Kai makes a gesture with his hand to settle the crowd, and as they quiet down, he tries to offer a smile. He’s tense, and even though I'm not close enough to catch his scent, I'd be willing to bet it's burning with agitation, maybe even anger.
He clearly didn't want anyone to know he was the one to make the donation, but why? So I wouldn’t find out? I mean, a donation like that would’ve gotten out eventually, particularly when parents were informed that their kids' accounts had been paid for the remainder of the school year.
That’s so much money. Mentally I try to multiply the number of days left by roughly how many kids are in school, then by the cost of the two meals a day, but math has never been my strength. I think the number has to be somewhere around two million dollars just for the remainder of this school year alone.
