“Smart.”
I smiled again. “Yeah.”
“I noticed something.”
“Hmm?” I asked
“Not once in your description so far have you told me what he looks like. You’ve told me about him as a person.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
He laughed. “Quite the opposite. I’d be worried if looks were all you cared about.”
I chuckled. “He’s beautiful, but probably not in the way many alphas would appreciate. He’s got this thick, full beard, and I keep seeing stars in it. Sometimes it’s from sawdust, or just the light hitting it right. Pinpricks of light blinking in and out of existence as he moves. His hands are hardened from years of woodworking. He’s fit from lifting heavy boards and chunks of wood every day. He’s got this solid build that matches his demeanor.”
I sighed. “And his eyes… I could get lost in the subtle variations of brown within them.”
“Nate was right. You’re gone gone.”
I was silent for several seconds. “Maybe I am.”
“So you gonna ask him out?”
I licked my lips. “I want to, but…”
“But?” Spencer prompted.
“According to the guys at the mill, he’s been single for a very long time. Long enough that nobody knows if he ever had an alpha. Long enough that single has become the safe choice.”
There was an intake of breath from behind me, but I didn’t know from whom.
“I want him to know I’m serious… yanno?” I paused. “I don’t want to hurt him.”
“What are you going to do?” Joey asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ve been saving scraps of wood for him. Pieces that have neat characteristics or grain to them. Somebody at the mill even bought a cheap bin from a dollar store and labeled it ‘Craig’s Dowry.’”
I chuckled. “I guess that’s about as good as anything else I could do right now. Shows him I’m thinking about him, without being pushy. And there’s always the excuse that I was just doing it because he’s a good customer.”
“Plausible deniability,” Aaron said.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Can I say something?” Robbie asked.
I nodded, stood, turned, and leaned against the railing. “Please.”
He fidgeted for a few seconds. “Obviously, I can’t speak for him. But… as an omega… I like your approach. You’re talking to him, and it sounds like you’re giving him the space he needs. More importantly, it doesn’t seem like you’re being pushy. Sometimes it’s like alphas only care about getting intoour pants, and… when you’re single for a long time… that feels so degrading.”
Nate scooted closer and squeezed Robbie’s shoulder.
Robbie smiled at him, then turned back to me. “You’re probably in for the long haul, though. Pick up some scent-neutralizing spray?”
I laughed. “Will do.”
He nodded. “And I’ll get some under-nose strips for when we all hang out.”
“Is there anything the rest of us can do?” Aaron asked. “Besides moral support?”
