“But, hey.” She pointed into my office. “Someone stopped by to see you while you were out. That cute omega from the party. He left something for you.”
“Thanks.” As I headed into my office, my excitement quickly fizzled out. He’d simply returned my jacket. The one I’d leant to him at the end of the party. It was hanging over the back of my chair.
Then I saw the note on my desk.
To Desmond
I opened the paper to read what Kane had written inside.
Sorry I missed you. Call me tonight?
A simple message. One that gave me an ounce of hope.
Chapter Nine
Kane
“Look, you’re in another picture. This one posted by Troy. He’s so dreamy.”
“He’s an omega.” I shook my head as I grabbed my coat and messenger bag, anxious to head out into the cold just to get away from the comments and questions. My co-workers had spent the last day and a half grilling me about all the social media posts they saw me in since Saturday night. Not exactly something I wanted to talk or even think about around those who came to us to collect their toys and food for Christmas. It felt like two different worlds. Part of the reason I’d wanted to leave the party when I did and hadn’t yet texted Desmond back. While he never seemed to flaunt his money around, he blended into that world the same way he seemed so comfortable in mine.
I couldn’t fault the partygoers. They’d been so kind to me, and with their after-party donations, Good Neighbor House had exceeded our goal for the drive. We had extra money to get through January and maybe into February when donations always dropped. Yet, most of those people at the event simply didn’t know how those in need of our services lived.
“I’m heading out for lunch,” I called to Rechie and Cynthia. I had to return to the world of celebrities once again. I needed to give back the jacket Desmond had leant me. Maybe seeing him again would help me figure out whether I wanted to continue our relationship. I liked him on his own or in environments familiar to me. I wondered if I could ever blend into his world. Didn’t know how much I was willing to try.
Both of my siblings were already mated. At Christmas, I knew my parents would bring up the topic of me finding someone to settle down with. It would be nice to tell them I hadstarted seeing someone. And Desmond seemed like a good guy compared to any other unmated alpha I’d met.
I hopped on the bus that would take me to Shifter Towers, finding an empty seat in the middle, an omega on either side of me.
As soon as I got on, I could feel the gazes of the alphas on board. They made me feel dirty, like they didn’t see me as a person, just a body. Desmond had never made me feel like that. I knew that shouldn’t count for much, that it was a low bar to expect from an alpha. But he’d always been kind from the moment I met him. Even if he did pet me. His texts since the party had been out of concern. Not demanding, like he expected something from me because I’d been the lucky one he’d invited to the party. I would have thrown his jacket in the trash if I’d have received a text like that.
At the terminal to the side of Shifter Towers, I got off the bus and headed toward Tower Three. I didn’t know what floor he worked on, and there was no directory in the lobby as there was in Tower One when I went to the market there. Instead, I saw a gift shop for the recording label, and, on the other side of the lobby, a desk with someone standing behind it wearing a headset. I walked up to him, hoping he could help me.
“Welcome to Adan Records,” he said, before I’d reached the desk. “How may I help you?”
With his automatic response to my presence, I paused for a moment to be sure he really was a person and not a hologram or a robot. “Um, I’m looking for Desmond Banks. I have to return something to him.”
The cheeriness left his expression and a slight crease formed in between his brows. “Can I get your name, please?”
“Kane. Kane Northrop.”
He didn’t reply to me but dialed a number. “Hello, Janice. I have a Kane Northrop here to see Desmond. What should I do about him?”
Surprised by his sudden aggravated tone, I glanced around, unsure if a security guard would appear out of nowhere and pin me to the ground.
“Ah, okay. I’ll send him up.” The attendant glanced at me, his smile having returned. He pointed toward a narrow hallway at the back of the lobby. “Take the third elevator on the right to the fourth floor. I’ll unlock it for you. Janice will help you from there.”
“Thank you.” I hurried to the elevator before anyone changed their mind about me.
As soon as the elevator doors opened on the third floor, a woman with curly red hair, whom I recognized from the party, smiled at me. She stood and came out from behind her desk. “Kane, it’s so good to see you again.”
I gave her a slight nod, feeling more anxious seeing her here than at the party. “You, too. Is Desmond here? I came to return his jacket.” His scent was faint, as if he’d been there, but I didn’t know if he worked nearby or if Janice acted as a secondary screening.
“Unfortunately, no. He said he was going to get lunch, but I know he’s at the cemetery visiting his mother. The poor guy has been sad all morning. Probably because he’ll be spending Christmas alone this year. It’s his second Christmas since his mother’s passing, and he refused his grandparents’ invitation to go on a cruise with them. And, well, we don’t talk about his father here.”
I stared at her, stunned. I never expected to learn that much about Desmond from a near stranger. I certainly hoped my co-workers wouldn’t share that much information about me. Evenif it did help me understand the alpha a bit better. “So, can I leave his jacket somewhere? With you?”
Shaking her head, she pointed down the hall to an open door. “That’s his office. You can leave it there. There should be a stack of paper and some pens on his desk if you want to leave a note, too.”
