Nathan bent to kiss my cheek and my whole body lit up at the brief contact. “Morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning,” I squeaked out.
Leo wasn’t quite as bold, but he did greet me with a smile.
Alve dished us up and we carried everything to his dining table. It all smelled heavenly. His blush grew stronger as we took our first bites, as if he was waiting for some sort of reprimand. He wasn’t going to get it, though. Everything that graced my tongue was delicious and I had to stop myself from inhaling it at dangerous speeds. At least he seemed relieved by how quickly his food disappeared.
“Alve, this was amazing. If you teach me how, I’d love to help next time you make it. I suppose it’s probably too much work for every day.”
“Not particularly, though it will certainly be easier with more hands. Most of it is very uncomplicated, it just takes a bit of practice. The Swedish breakfasts are much simpler. We ate alotof crispbread growing up during the week when we were young, but as soon as any of us got old enough to cook, we were a small army in the kitchen.”
“I love that. I’m down to try Swedish breakfast too, though I feel like you’ve spoiled me with this one.”
“We can take turns,” Leo offered. “But I suppose that’s getting ahead of myself. Should we talk about what the plan going forward is?”
“Probably,” I replied.
“You’re all welcome to stay here,” Alve told us. “I’ll keep my family away for the time being, and the rooms you each stayed in tonight will be yours for the foreseeable future.”
“I can get on board with some pack sleepovers,” said Jude. “We have to figure out how to live together, so we might as well dive in the deep end. How long should we keep our apartments for?”
Nathan shrugged. “I could get rid of mine tomorrow. I have zero qualms about going to stay with my sister until I can find a new one if you guys get sick of me.”
“My lease is over at the end of next month,” Leo said, “I was going to keep it, but I don’t have to. I would have to let them know soon though.”
“You comfortable with all of us living here, Maddie?” Jude’s warm gaze swept over me.
“I think so. I’m still clinging a little to the idea of my own place, but that’s impractical right now. Focusing on settling from all the changes and getting a job can be the priority.”
“Speaking of that,” Alve said, beginning to collect our dishes, before Nathan laid his hand on Alve’s wrist, gesturing for him to sit down so he could do it instead.
“Yes?” I asked, prompting Alve to continue.
“We’re still rather desperate for a designer with the OHI. Tiffany will be off for at least a year. Use it as something to get your resume going and have some references not connected to Tyler.”
The idea of going professional was like a bonfire in my chest. Being a legitimate business owner could be my new goal, and if working for Alve was the stepping stone I needed for that, then I was willing to entertain the idea. I didn’t love that my employment would be based on my scent match’s good will toward me, but perhaps beggars couldn’t be choosers.
As if sensing the reason for my hesitation, Jude took my hand in his. “I’m sure something could be put into the contract in case Alve changes his mind. You can always come work at the store, and I know that’s not a different situation at all, but you wouldn’t be working directly under me. The store manager would be in charge of your hiring, I would just recommend you for it.”
I liked having options. Undoubtedly, the design job would pay more and play right into my strengths, but I did love the idea of getting to spend my workday around Jude.
“You could also make your clients pay,” Nathan suggested.
“That doesn’t seem fair when they’ve never had to before.”
All four of them chorused my name, a gentle admonition in each syllable coming from every direction.
“They should’ve been paying the whole time,” Nathan insisted. “At the very least, they should recommend you to paying customers.”
“Honestly, I’m nervous to talk to them at all. The people I designed for are all connected to Tyler. They’re wealthy omegas involved with wealthy alphas, and all those alphas came through Tyler’s various business dealings.”
I wasn’t brave enough to reach out and see what their reaction might be to the change in my circumstances. Luckily, I’d just finished up with my most recent one, and hadn’t started any others yet.
“Okay,” Nathan replied. “Fuck them, then. You get the experience you need in whatever way you’re most comfortable with, and you can take the design world by storm whenever you’re ready.”
I looked at each of them in turn, the men who were trying to help me rebuild. Maybe I should’ve been more nervous about banking my future on the opportunities they offered, but also, maybe they were right? I needed to start somewhere, and if that somewhere was because of a helping hand, nothing was stopping me from moving on when the time was right.
“You know what? I’ll do it. I’ll interview for both positions and build the life I want.”
