“Yes, Stanley?” I batted my eyes and smiled innocently.
“The meeting started eleven minutes ago. I cannot believe you’d choose to be late.Again.”
My lips parted with a sharp gasp and my hand flew to my chest. “After your compelling speech about punctuality? Never. I’ve been here since the meeting started.”
Stanley pursed his lips. “I didn’t see you.”
“She came in with me,” Leo said.
My heart squeezed. He was defending me? Did that mean he didn’t hate me?
“What?” Stanley spluttered.
“Lucy and I were talking before the meeting.” Carmen smiled mischievously from her seat on the stage beside Stanley and gave me a wink.
“Can we get back to the topic at hand?” Hank, the grouchy bookstore owner, grumbled.
Stanley shot me one more narrow-eyed gaze before jumping back into the meeting agenda.
I let out a long sigh and slumped in my seat. “Thank you.” The only threat Stanley posed to me was the ability to bore me to death, but my omega still preened at Leo’s protectiveness. She wanted to curl up in his lap and rub her scent all over him. But first, I had to apologize.
“You’re welcome,” he said, lips quirking into a smile that made me lose track of all my thoughts. “Your entrance makes a lot more sense now.”
I swallowed hard and grabbed his hand. “Leo, I am so sorry about this morning. My phone died and I just got back and plugged it in and saw your messages. I totally forgot about our date. I don’t expect you to forgive me or give me a second chance, but I just need you to know how incredibly sorry I am.”
He blinked, looking somewhat dazed. Then he did somethingthat made my world flip on its axis. He entwined his fingers with mine and squeezed. “It’s okay.” He ruffled his messy curls with his other hand. “I thought maybe you changed your mind because my date idea wasn’t very good.”
I swallowed hard. “Never. Lattes and pancakes make the perfect date.” His easy forgiveness was disorienting. Shouldn’t he make me work for it? Instead, he settled back in his seat, keeping my hand firmly in his.
“What did I miss?” I leaned into his shoulder.
“It was a solid five minutes of Stanley arguing with Carmen about the rules of order for the meeting. Then Felix popped in, stole his gavel, and ran off. So nothing much, really.”
I grinned. I loved this crazy town and how easily Leo had fallen into step with all of us.
“People, pay attention!” Stanley shouted. He resorted to banging his fist on the podium since he was gavel-less. “Last year, Briar’s Landing hid ten thousand Easter eggs in comparison to our measly nine thousand. This year, we’ve set an ambitious goal, but I trust we will all rise to the occasion!” He raised both arms in the air in victory.
“How many eggs do you want to hide?” Carmen asked with a dramatic sweep of her bright pink kaftan. “Last year almost ended in disaster.”
“That willnotbe happening again. Easton has a lifetime ban on attendance.” Stanley glared at the alpha, who had one arm slung around Olive’s shoulders, an easy smile on his face.
“Just try and stop me,” Easton said. “I will be the egg hunt champion once more!”
Stanley’s face was turning red. “Town ordinance thirty-seven point nine states that the mayor of Starlight Grove has the power to ban any town citizens from official town gatherings if they pose a threat.”
“Last I checked, Felix hadn’t banned me from any festivals,” Easton said smugly.
Stanley’s face turned redder at the reminder of who we thought ofas the true mayor. “I will not hesitate to unleash the full power of the law on you! Tread carefully, or you’ll find yourself in jail.”
“We don’t have any cops,” Marisol shouted from her seat. “Or a jail.” Tittering laughter broke out across the room, and it took Stanley a few minutes to regain control.
“People, we need to be united. Do you want Briar’s Landing to defeat us?” This had a sobering effect. Starlight Grove town pride ran high when it came to our festivals.
I nudged Leo. “I hope you didn’t move here to be a secret undercover operative with the express purpose of sabotaging our Easter Eggstravaganza.”
“You mean did I come to Starlight Grove months ago, rent a building, set up my apartment, and start a whole flower business for the express purpose of undermining the Easter egg hunt?” He leaned in close, hypnotizing me with his warm brown eyes and dark lashes. I swayed closer, drawn in by his sweet scent swirling around me. “You caught me. But now that you know my secret, what will I do with you?”
Arousal shot through me, and I bit my tongue to hold in a whimper. I wanted to kiss him, crawl into his lap, strip down, and…
