“Hey,” I said, trying not to sound completely at rock bottom, which I was.
“What’s wrong?” He bounded down the steps, took my hands in his, and then let go just as quickly. “Tell me. Maybe I can help.”
Why not? I decided to tell him. He was my only friend here so far. Plus, he made me feel safe, even in the little time I’d known him. “I went to the library this morning. As I’m sure you know, there have been storms recently. The entire roof has to be replaced, and the contractors can’t start until next week or maybe after that. So I’m here, in this new town. Nowhere to live. Nowhere to work. No friends. No family. Nothing.”
The first sob of that hour broke free, like my body needed to release it no matter what. Greg wrapped me up in his arms and held me close to his chest. He didn’t tell me everything was going to be okay. Didn’t tell me to shush or not to cry.
He just held me. I melted against him, taking all the support and calm he lent me so openly. When I finally stopped crying, he looked down at me with nothing but love in his eyes.
Maybe not the kind of love I wanted from the alpha but love nonetheless.
“Thank you. I needed that.” In truth, I’d needed another person’s affection for longer than today. Maxwell had begun to withdraw affection long ago, probably when he started seeing the other omega. I thought it was me. Blamed myself. Maybe I’d gained weight or hadn’t been as loving as I could’ve been.
It had nothing to do with me and everything to do with his betrayal.
“You’re welcome. I have an idea. Let’s go get some lunch and talk about what happens next. There’s still hope.”
I let out a laugh and wiped my face. “Before I got here, I was thinking about packing up and leaving.”
The alpha ran the pad of his thumb over my chin. “That would be such a shame. Please stay. Give this place a chance before you decide.”
“Okay. And lunch, please. I’m starving. I think the stress makes me hungry.”
Greg smiled like I’d give him a million bucks. “That’s great. There’s a vineyard right out of town. It’s got a fantastic bistro menu. You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to, but the atmosphere is nice, and I’ve met the couple who own it.”
“Do I need to change?” I asked, looking down at my outfit.
“Not unless you want to. But I need to. Give me two minutes.” He rushed into the house and was back in less thantwo minutes. He looked more handsome in his hoodie and sweatpants, but the jeans and T-shirt wasn’t a bad combo—at all.
Greg drove us to the vineyard, and soon we were seated at a table right in the middle of the grapevines. We let them choose our wine for us, a beautiful white the server said boasted peach and zesty citrus notes.
The menu was simple and changed with the seasons, she said. Today’s special was a warm goat cheese salad and roasted chicken and morels. They also brought a selection of freshly made breads I could’ve devoured all on my own.
“This is incredible,” I said. “All of it. The views. The ambience. The food.”
Greg smiled again. I felt honored to have gotten him to smile. “It is. It’s better with company, trust me.” I followed his gaze to see a couple walking by.
“Good afternoon, Greg!” one of them called out. They walked over and patted him on the back.
“Jett, Macsen, this is Oswald, our new librarian. Oswald, this is Jett and Macsen, the owners of this vineyard and all of this.”
They laughed a bit, and we made small talk. “Why don’t you two join us?” I asked. They seemed friendly and likeable. And as the new person in town, I always needed more friends. To my delight, they agreed.
We talked about the vineyard and how they met, which was a cute story. Then the conversation rounded to me, as I knew it would.
“Is the library open? Are there any children’s programs? I would love to bring the cubs.” Macsen was very sweet and kind.
“Oh, not yet, apparently. I was supposed to start today but there was some significant roof damage, so the whole thing has to be replaced. It will be a week or so before I can even start, butI have hundreds of ideas for children’s programs. Reading time. Learning. Cooking classes. All kinds of things.”
“That’s terrible about the damage. I hope it’s fixed soon. Oliver Creek has been needing a library for so long and, now that the town is growing, we really could use it.”
Chapter Ten
Greg
Lunch was fun, more than fun, but the vineyard owners’ questions about the library seemed to remind Oswald of his worries, and as we piled into the car, he slumped in the seat. “I’m going to make a call,” he said. “If you’ll give me a minute.”
“Of course.” I only hoped he wasn’t calling to make arrangements to get out of town and back to his former life. “Do you need privacy? I can get out…”
