Stanley ended the reading with his arms raised in the air, voice triumphant. The audience was silent besides some awkward throat-clearing.
The mayor rolled his eyes. “Does no one value poetry anymore?” With a sigh, he continued. “Starlight Grove has been given theprestigioushonor of receiving the National Historic Lighthouse Restoration Grant for Historic Lighthouses on the Eastern Coast, orNHLRGHLEC for short. The grant pays for a restoration team to make repairs in the areas of electricity, plumbing, woodwork, and plasterwork to ensure this magnificent beacon of light remains standing for another two hundred years. But before we cast our votes to see who wins this project, let’s all give a warm welcome to Olive Autumn Harvest, our new lighthouse keeper!”
All eyes in the room followed Stanley’s outstretched arm to the back of the room.
Noooooo.
Death, please take me.
My cheeks burned and sweat trickled down my armpits as I prayed for someone,anyone, to wake me from this nightmare.
Movement towards the front of the room caught my eye, and I realized it was Easton. He was standing and waving wildly at me, a huge grin on his face. I wanted to shrink further down in my seat. Not only had I rejected him multiple times, I’d been so freaking rude when he came over with the omegas the other day. I didn’t understand why he looked so happy to see me. He should despise me for how I acted.
I despised myself sometimes.
Stanley cleared his throat. “Our fine city council members narrowed down the applicants to two businesses. The first is Legacy Corporation out of Briar’s Landing.” There was censure in Stanley’s voice as he spoke the name of the neighboring town. “The second is our very own Moonlight Restoration company, who apparently have the correct qualifications for this project even though they’re hoodlums with a penchant for TP-ing homes, egging cars, and stealing garden gnomes.”
My lips twitched in an almost smile, but then Easton stood again and waved at the crowd. “Allegedly,” he called out with a chipper smile.
Ohmygod noooo.Easton was on one of the teams? He looked completely unbothered by Stanley’s statement as he gave me a wink and sat back down.
I couldn’t let this happen. I already got too flustered around him, and my omega waswaytoo interested. I couldn’t let myself getinvolved. The more time Easton spent around me, the more he would realize that I was dull and boring. Absolutely not the right one for someone bright and fun like him.
The Legacy Corporation team—composed of two older betas—did a quick presentation focused on their qualifications and how they would source their materials. They came across as a bit pretentious, slipping snide comments about Starlight Grove’s crumbling infrastructure into their presentation. Even so, I cast my vote for them—filling out the little paper form and dropping it in the collection bucket at the end of my empty row—before Easton even started his presentation.
Easton didn’t have anyone with him as he presented his proposal for the restoration, but apparently there were two other people on his team. He talked about how one of the guys, Finn, had grown up in the lighthouse because his grandfather was the former lighthouse keeper.
Now I felt bad for not voting for them. I chewed my lip, wondering if I should swap out my slips, but my anxiety won out. I was too overwhelmed by the idea of Easton being in my space for weeks on end to complete the extensive renovation. All I’d wanted was to move to a town where no one knew me. Being alone was the only way to avoid heartbreak, and I could see Easton breaking my heart way too easily.
There was a low murmur of conversation as everyone cast their votes. Carmen took all the slips of paper and tallied them up before handing the result to Stanley. A deep frown settled on his face. “People, must we do thiseverytime? I’m convinced you’re colluding to do this on purpose.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “It seems we have a tie.”
The room erupted in excited chatter as everyone peered around as if looking for something. I caught whispers of the name “Felix.”
“He’s outside, Stanley,” Carmen said, a wide grin on her face.
“Open the door, then,” Stanley said, looking utterly defeated as he waved his gavel towards the door at the back of the room.
This was allreallyweird.
I turned in my seat as someone opened the back door and inwalked Sir Cat. The anxiety I’d carried all day at his absence eased but was quickly replaced with confusion. He was wearing a plaid bow tie and heading straight to the front of the room. His head swung towards me, and I could have sworn he winked.
“Bring out the cards!” Carmen said, clapping her hands.
A young kid—maybe ten or eleven—rushed out with two laminated cards that saidOption AandOption Bin bold letters.
“Thank you for being here, Felix,” Carmen said. “We are deciding between two companies for the lighthouse restoration project. The first option is Legacy Corporation, and the second is Moonlight Restoration.”
Sir Cat is choosing the restoration company?
I looked around, jaw dropped, to confirm this wasunhinged, but no one seemed remotely confused. People watched attentively as he peered at the two cards.
Okaaay. I guessedFelixwas deciding my fate. Maybe this wasn’t a bad thing. As sad as it was, Felix knew me better than anyone in town. I’d grown to love him, and he seemed to at least tolerate me.
His head turned, glowing eyes fixed on mine.
Not the alphas. Not the alphas.I tried to send the message to him telepathically. An expression came over him that could only be described as smug. He turned back to the cards and lifted a decisive paw up to Option B. Moonlight Restoration.
My heart pounded as betrayal washed through me. It was ridiculous to feel this way—Felix was acat. He didn’t understand what was happening. But as he swaggered back down the aisle, I couldn’t help feeling that his actions were intentional. I scowled at his swishing tail as he disappeared through the door.
