“You’re safe with us, Petal.”
“Right,” she says, her voice faint. “Safe.”
I don’t know what to do. I can’t purr like the alphas. I’m not big and strong like them either. I can make a mean hot chocolate, though.
“I’ll be right back,” I say.
Having a task helps settle my racing heart, and I take a few slow breaths to recenter myself. I make a whole tray of hot chocolates, all the flavors I can think of, then bring them back into the living room. The tray clatters when I set it on the coffee table and the liquid swirls dangerously close to the rims. In apt representation of how I feel inside. Then turn on a cozy baking show to run in the background.
“I think, since we missed out on the candy shop, we still need our daily dose of sugar. So,” I wave my hand dramatically over the tray of hot chocolates. “A hot chocolate sampler! We can try each one and rate them, see what we all like best. What do you think?”
I look nervously at Sage, hoping this isn’t an idiotic idea.
She perks up though, apparently happy to have something simple to put her mind to.
“I’ve only had it that one time Vee made it for me,” she says. “I didn’t know there were so many options.”
“Oh, yes.” I plop down on a pillow next to the coffee table and start pointing at each mug. “We’ve got regular here tocompare everything to. Then cinnamon, chocolate chips added, dark cocoa added, a truffle bomb, caramel, sea salt, sea saltwithcaramel, peppermint, and Irish. That last one has booze in it,” I whisper out of the side of my mouth to Sage.
She sits forward eagerly. “Okay, which one do we start with?”
Chapter Thirty
Sage
I’ve been at the lavender farm for over a week now, and today is supposed to be my one-on-one date with Vee. The first thing I think of when I wake up is that poster. The way my entire system shocked cold, like ice flooding my veins when their names jumped out at me. I know we should address it; figure out a plan, or call an attorney or the omega support line or something, but I can’t face it. Everything in me recoils when I think about it, so I simply don’t.
I refocus on my safe little bubble and getting to spend quality time with Vee today. I’m not sure what she has planned, but I don’t know if I’m ready to leave the security of the farm yet. Thinking about it makes me want to hide.
I wish I had a proper nest.
Seeing that poster shook me yesterday, and although I’ve calmed down since then, I don’t want to take any chances.
Vee knocks on my open doorframe as I’m staring at my walk-in closet, and I quickly back out and shut the closet door, hoping she didn’t see inside.
“Oh good, you haven’t dressed yet,” she says. “I know it’snot super exciting, but as it’s Sunday, we have some fun activities around the farm today. I thought we could do some of that for our date, that way we can stay close.”
I slump with relief. “That sounds perfect.”
I quickly shrug out of Brooks’ oversized t-shirt I slept in last night and throw on a comfy outfit.
Next thing I know, Vee’s tucking a croissant from the bakery into my hand as she pulls me out the door.
“I figured we could start with a more comprehensive tour than that ramshackle one Riley gave you,” she says with a wry grin.
I take a big bite of my croissant and return her smile. Her hand is warm around mine, and it feels nice to meander among the rows of lavender with her. We’re away from the areas where customers and tourists are, for now at least, so it’s quiet with just the morning birds chirping around us, and a few bees waking up.
She guides me behind the house to a part of the farm I haven’t seen before.
“Is that a barn?” I ask, squinting at what looks like a slightly dilapidated building.
Vee wrinkles her nose. “It used to be a pole barn, where the previous owners stored all manner of machinery and equipment. I was trying to clean it out for a while, but I didn’t keep up the maintenance on it.”
“Oh, so you don’t have any animals, then?”
She looks down at me, a contemplative look on her face. “We don’t, but I’m not opposed to it. What kind of animals would you want on our farm, Sage?”
“Oh,” I splutter. “No, I didn’t mean?—”
