He was standing a few feet away, a canvas bag slung over one shoulder. He was wearing jeans and a simple white tee shirt with a green vest that resembled scales, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His short brown hair was slightly windswept and those hazel-green eyes seemed to catch the pale winter sunlight, the gold flecks more visible than ever.
God,he looked good.
Different from how he looked in the bakery, more relaxed. More himself.
"Kael," I said, trying to sound casual. "Hi."
He smiled and walked over, and I had to tilt my head back to look up at him. He was so tall. Even in the open air of the market, he seemed to take up space in the best possible way.
"Didn't expect to run into you here," he grinned widely.
"Yeah, my mom dragged me out for... errands." I gestured vaguely behind me.
His eyes tracked the movement, then came back to my face. "Everything okay?"
How did he always know when something was wrong?
"Just dress shopping," I admitted. "For the gala thingy."
Something flickered across his expression. Just for a second. Then it was gone.
"Right," he said. "The gala thingy."
There was something in his tone, something that I couldn't put my finger on.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.
He held up his canvas bag. "Restocking. I like to use local ingredients when I can. The honey vendor here has the best stuff in Fernwood."
I grinned because the farmers market was so Kael coded. Of course he'd love shopping local for the bakery.
"That's really cool," I said.
He shrugged, but I could see the hint of a smile. "I'm kind of particular about what goes into my pastries."
I know,I thought.I've been eating the results and getting fat as hell.
My mother's voice cut through the moment. "Amara? Where did you... oh."
She appeared beside me, her eyes going wide as she took in Kael, all six-foot-something of him.
"Mom, this is Kael. He owns The Ember & Crumb. Kael, this is my mother, Amelia." I gestured between the two of them as I introduced them.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Brooks," Kael said, his voice warm and polite.
My mother's expression shifted into something I recognized immediately. She was sizing this man up in hopes that he might be a suitable Alpha.
"The bakery down from the library?" she asked, her smile brightening. "Amara mentions it all the time."
I cringed inwardly because those pastries were so damn good. Not that she needed to tell everybody and kill me with embarrassment.
"I hope that's a good thing," Kael said, his eyes flicking to me with amusement.
"Oh, it's definitely a good thing," my mother said. "She says she goes there every morning like clockwork."
Kill me now,I thought.
"Mom..."
