Twisted alpha.
Shouldn’t be allowed in a decent society.
My jaw ticked as the voices of angry high school parents and teachers echoed in my mind.
“How’s your day going, cat rescue aside?” she asked, breaking the heavy silence.
“Fine.”
“Right. Well, that’s…” She trailed off like she didn’t have the energy to generate a response to my pathetic nonanswer.
Come on.Conversate. “What have you been working on?”
“Just some custom orders.”
A heavy feeling settled low in my stomach. When Lucy had been at my cabin, she’d barely stopped talking. I wanted that again, for her voice to form the soundtrack of my life.
“Are you sure you’re okay? I should take you to the hospital.”
I looked around to track down Rosie to tell her we needed our food to go but froze when a gentle hand closed around mine.
“I’m fine, I promise. I just feel bad for taking up your time. If you need to go back to work, I’ll be okay.”
She was smiling, but her eyes were so fucking sad.
“I want to stay.” I dragged in a deep breath. “I’ve missed you.”
Her lips parted, and I might have thought she was upset if it weren’t for the sweet burst of her scent—wild strawberries and flowers and sunny days lying down on the forest floor. Nothing in my life could compare to the satisfaction I felt when I made Lucy happy.
“Thanks for the cookies, by the way,” I added.
She beamed. “Did you like them?”
“I ate them all. Pissed off the guys.”
“Well, I’ll have to bring more for the guys, then.”
I grunted.Ishould be the only one she brought cookies to.
“You should come to the grand opening of Summer’s bakery,” she continued. “It’s in a few weeks.”
I’d noticed theComing Soonsign in front of the bright yellow bakery on my many drives past Lucy’s store. “Might have to do that.”
Rosie dropped off our food. I waited for Lucy to start eating before I took a bite of my burger.
“What custom orders are you working on?” I asked, hoping I could tempt her into conversation. This time, she brightened and started telling me about the custom suit she was making, the outfits she had designed for Felix, and the craft night she was planning.
As she was talking, she placed her pickle spear on my plate. I locked eyes with it. I hated pickles, but Lucy had given it to me. Was this some sort of omega pickle ritual? I couldn’t risk upsetting her, so I stabbed it with my fork and choked it down.
“Craft night is actually in a few days. The past couple weeks have been so busy it totally snuck up on me. I’m kind of nervous about it.”
“You have no reason to be nervous.” I would destroy anyone who dared say anything bad about her event. “What kind of craft are you doing?”
“It’s a beginner embroidery project.” She chewed her lip. “You should come. If you want.”
I blinked. Lucy was inviting me to craft night. I must have passed the pickle test.
“Not sure I’d be any good at embroidery.” I stared down at my huge, scarred hands.
