The guys ushered me to the car, and Ben slipped into the back seat with me.
“I’m sorry,” I said, breaking the silence. I wasn’t sure what I was apologizing for, except that I had been the one who wanted to go out, and it had turned into a complete disaster.
“Baby girl, none of that was your fault,” Cam said tenderly, turning in the passenger seat and grasping my hand in his. “I’m sorry we didn’t do more to defend you.”
“I just kept hearing Amirah’s voice in my head saying the DC will try to take you away from us,” Theo said, a vulnerable look on his face. “We don’t believe anything they said. Forgive us?”
It took a minute for my brain to catch up to what he’d said.Hewas asking formyforgiveness?
“There’s nothing to forgive,” I stammered.
Theo reached out and held my other hand, rubbing my palm where my fingernail indentations had been.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get our revenge,” Ben said. “I’m texting Seb.” He kissed me on the cheek before continuing to text furiously. “Those women are about to have a terrible dining experience.”
“What? Who’s Seb?” I asked.
“Seb is my good friend who happens to be the owner and head chef. And he owes me a favor.”
“Ben, you shouldn’t do anything,” I said without much conviction, a smile spreading across my face.
“Oh, but I should,” Ben responded before letting out an evil cackle.
“You’re such a dork,” Cam told Ben with a grin.
“I have to tell Sam his mom won the betting pool,” I mused.
“That was Sam’s mom?” Theo asked.
“Yeah, Victoria. She’s always been super quiet. I wasn’t even sure she could speak for a long time. But she came by Sam’s apartment right before he moved out to say goodbye, and I heard her tell him she loves him.” Of everyone in the OBS, Victoria was the least evil.
“You grew up with all of them?” Ben asked.
I nodded, but before I could say anything else, there was a tap on the car window. A middle-aged alpha wearing a white apron stood outside with several large paper bags. He was all warmth with brown skin, dark brown hair, and a beard streaked with silver. I caught a hint of his cardamom-orange scent as Ben opened the car door, instantly putting me at ease.
“Seb!” Ben exclaimed, taking the bags from the chef and putting them in the trunk. The two of them clasped hands in greeting. “I didn’t think you’d be the one running these out here.”
“I had to,” he said, turning his gaze on me. “Had to apologize to this sweetie for her less than stellar dining experience.”
“More like you were feeling nosy,” Theo said with a smirk.
Seb’s eyes sparkled. “Can you blame me? I’ve never seen Ben this excited. I just had to meet the lovely lady.” He held his hand out to me, and I giggled as he bowed dramatically before kissing it. Cam growled and Seb’s smile grew wider.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Josie.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” I said.
Seb released my hand, and his face grew more serious. “I am truly sorry you had such a poor experience in my restaurant, sweetie. My servers and cooks have received special instructions for how to deal with a certain table, so rest assured we have everything under control,” he said with a wink. “Now I have to run, but please come back soon.” He clasped Ben on the shoulder before jogging back to the restaurant.
“How about we set up a picnic in the courtyard?” Theo suggested as he pulled out of the parking lot.
“That sounds nice,” I responded.
I still felt bad about ruining the evening, but then Ben moved to the middle seat and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned into his embrace, running my nose along his neck to breathe in his scent. He gently massaged my neck and I groaned, not realizing how tight my muscles were. He kept up the massage all the way home until I was slumped against his chest, totally relaxed.
Cam opened the car door for me, taking my hand firmly in his as we walked to the courtyard.
“You need string lights,” I mused, looking around the garden.
