“Soooo,” she says. “Tell us everything!”
“Um, everything?” I’m not sure what that means, and I certainly don’t want to literally tell themeverything.
“Jesus Siobhan, you gotta chill,” Bea finally pipes up. They throw me an apologetic glance. “She’s nosy, but it’s good natured, I promise. You don’t have to tell us anything if you don’t want to.”
Siobhan pretends to pout, sticking out her lower lip, and Claire smacks her lightly on the arm.
“I hope a bird poops on that lip one day,” she says.
“Rude,” Siobhan scoffs, then she turns back to me. “But we would loooooove to know how you and Vee met.”
Her eyes sparkle with friendly mirth, and I decide that’s an easy thing that I don’t mind sharing.
“Oh, well I scent matched with someone my brother hired to clean up our yard. He asked to court me, and the first date he took me on was here, to the lavender farm.”
“So you’re scent matched?” Wren pipes up, curiosity lining her gaze. Her hair is pulled back in a neat French braid, a few tendrils coming loose to frame her face.
I nod. “I actually met Riley first. He scent matched me and our other alpha, Brooks.”
“Ooooh,Brooks,” Siobhan says. “Sexy name. What’s he like?”
“Okay, that’s enough of you. Let’s take a break, get some water.” Claire snags her friend’s wrist and drags her away, leaving me with Bea and Wren.
“Are either of you part of a pack?”
Wren’s face turns pink and she opens her mouth, then closes it and shakes her head.
“Nah,” Bea says. “Maybe someday, but I’m waiting for the right ones, you know?”
I actually do know now. I nod, a small smile on my face. They huff a laugh.
“Yeah,” they say, pointing a dirt-covered finger at my face. “That right there. That’s exactly what I’m waiting for.”
We chat a bit more, with Siobhan and Claire joining back in. I learn that the four of them meet up here every Sunday to take care of their two garden boxes.
Wren is the newest to the group, besides me I guess, as she recently moved to town for a summer teaching position. She seems friendly and polite, not very extroverted.
Bea is fairly easy going, which makes sense when I learn they’re a librarian.
“I’d love to visit the library,” I say. “I’ve only been downtown so far.”
“Stop by anytime,” they reply. “We’ll get you a library card, no problem.”
Siobhan is by far the most outgoing, and has apparently lived here her whole life. She’s a social media content creator, apparently. I’m not entirely sure what that means, so I make a mental note to ask more about it later.
Claire strikes me as the mother hen of the group. Keeping everyone in line, holding the group together. She’s by far the easiest to talk to, as she’s both friendly but laid-back, not quite as overwhelming as Siobhan.
“How’s it going over here?” Vee asks as I’m starting to droop.
“I think your omega needs to be rehydrated,” Siobhan snorts, and I flush, embarrassed.
“I’m sorry, you’ve all been lovely, I’m just not used to being around many people.”
“Oh, no,” Siobhan looks at me with wide eyes. “No, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. You’re good! I just meant you probably need a break from our chaos, and Vee has good timing.”
I nod uncertainly, and she shoots me an apologetic smile as Vee sneaks an arm around my waist.
“See you all next week,” Vee says, waving as we turn to go.
