I cleared my throat. “You okay, Olive?” I asked.Tell me what’s wrong, baby. I’ll fix it for you.
Olive took a deep breath. “I’m fine,” she said, tone harsh and eyes on the ground. “I just don’t need any intrusions.”
And with that, she stepped inside and shut the door on us.
A long beat of silence followed as the four of us tried to make sense of what had just happened.
“I’m not going to say ‘I told you so,’” Summer said. “Wait, no. Actually, I am.I told you so. Not everyone wants a whole welcome committee at their door.”
“Was it something I said?” Lucy asked quietly.
Ivy rubbed Lucy’s shoulder. “I don’t think so. But maybe this was too overwhelming. We can just leave the basket and maybe try another time without a whole group of us.” She looked at me, but my eyes were still fixed on the closed door. I was fighting my instincts hard—my alpha was screaming at me to go after Olive.
The omegas left the basket on the doorstep. When I didn’t move to leave with them, Lucy spoke up. “Are you coming, Easton?”
I rubbed my neck. “Umm, I think I’m going to stay. Check out the ocean.”
Summer arched her eyebrows, and Ivy hid what looked like a smile behind her hand.
“Check out the ocean?” Lucy spoke the words slowly as if they would make more sense that way.
“You know, the waves.” I cleared my throat. “Sand.” I gestured at the shore.
“Come on, Lucy,” Summer said, fixing me with a look that was a little too perceptive for my liking. “How about we get some pumpkin spice lattes?”
Lucy perked up at that and followed her friends down the path,turning to look back at me multiple times until they made it around the bend.
I took a deep breath and turned back to the door. I knocked again, hoping Olive would answer if there were fewer people. But there was still no response.
Helplessness washed over me like the choppy ocean waves. How could I fix whatever was going on with her if she kept the door shut? My heart pounded, and I had to practice the breathing exercises I’d learned in therapy.
Breaking down her door was probably too much, so I forced my feet to head down to the water. I sat down on the large flat rock I’d spent hours on as a kid. I’d even slept on it for a couple of nights when things got too bad at my house. Carina had found me one morning, horrified, and told me I would be sleeping inside with them. No arguments.
I missed her and Fredrik. I wished I could talk to Finn about them, but he shut down anytime I brought them up. I twisted my fingers in my sweater. I just wanted all the people in my life to be happy, would do anything to make it happen.
Stars dotted the sky as the sun sank below the horizon. I sighed and got up, making my way up the path to the lighthouse. My heart leapt when I walked around the front of the house and saw the welcome basket was gone. A smile spread across my face. Olive was inside and had food for dinner.
Maybe gifts were the key to winning her over. Omegas loved presents, at least according to the online articles I’d read. I broke out into a sprint back to town. What could I get her? Definitely more food, and not just the staples she usually got. She deserved all the treats. And what about cozy things? I could get her blankets or even a new jacket for winter. One that smelled like me.
Main Street came into focus, and I tripped as I ran to Lucy’s shop, Spring in Your Stitch. She tailored and sewed clothes and was the perfect person to help me find Olive a jacket. I growled when I saw her shop was closed. I whirled around, scanning the street. Almost everything was closed. Damn these small-town hours.
I trudged to the market. At least I could get her food. Omegasliked sweet things, right? I should buy one of everything until I figured out what her favorites were.
The market door opened and Carmen stepped out, her hands full of papers. I quickened my pace so I could hold the door open for her.
“Thanks, honey,” she said. “I just remembered I told Stanley I’d get him this paperwork by 5:00 p.m.”
“It’s almost seven,” I said with a wry grin, which Carmen returned.
“It’s good for him. Helps him loosen up. I don’t know how Harry deals with that man—” Carmen was cut off as Felix darted in front of her, causing her to trip. I threw my arm out to prevent her from falling, but all the papers flew from her hands.
“Felix!” she shrieked. The cat fixed her with a sharp expression, meowed, and ran away.
Carmen huffed as she crouched down to gather the papers. I joined her, chasing after some that the wind was carrying off.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into Felix lately,” she said. “I barely see him in town anymore and now he does this?”
Now that she mentioned it, I hadn’t seen Felix around for weeks. He was a Starlight Grove mainstay, keeping a sharp eye on things and selecting one lucky person’s house to sleep at each night.
