Page 102 of Knot So Social

Joel steps up beside me. “His truck’s still there.”

The woman’s gaze swivels to Joel.

“This is my brother,” I say. “He’s looking after me while I’m . . .” I lift my arms and glance down, grabbing the crutches before they fall.

Debbie smiles. “Okay, well that’s a plan, then, so long as you’re sure you’re up for it. If you need, one of us can collect your truck. If you can’t drive?”

“No, no.” I flash her my most reassuring smile. “I’m sure I can manage that in the next couple of days.” No way in hell am I letting someone else do the follow up.

As we’re about to leave, the Human Resources director comes out of the elevator. “Jeremy!” he calls, waving. “Good to see you up and about.” He points at my crutches. “Well, more or less. How are you feeling?”

“Like someone buried a live wire in my hip.”

He winces. “Geez. I can’t even imagine. Hey, next time you’re coming in, let me know and we’ll have a chat about your future.”

There it is. The impending end of a great thing. “All right. I’ll let you know.”

“Great.” He introduces himself to Joel and then checks his watch. “I’ve got a meeting, but all the best with your recovery. Don’t overdo things, yeah?”

Polite, sure, but hard to know if he thinks I’m a nuisance or not.

We head out, a copy of my documents under Joel’s arm. My brother stays quiet as he waits for me to lever myself into the van’s passenger seat and then takes my crutches.

The vehicle rocks as he gets in. Keys jingle, but he sits back after inserting it into the ignition. “You really like this omega, huh?”

I turn to meet his thoughtful gaze. “Yeah, I do.”

One corner of his mouth twitches. “At first, I thought it was just the pheromones and the post-heat high. But back in there, I saw something else.” He sets both hands on the wheel and leans forward, still looking at me. “So, what happens when you have to go back to work fucking other omegas?”

I stare out the window at the big building. Two ladies stroll toward the entrance, one towing a suitcase. Dozens of omegas walk through those doors every week, and it’ll be my job to help them.

“Well, I probably won’t have a job after this. You know my luck.”

His smile turns sad. “Bro, I think those people in there really care about you. They didn’t seem hostile at all.” He turns the ignition, waking the engine. “But hey, maybe you’re right.”

If I’m right, I’ll be jobless again. If I’m wrong . . . for the first time in my life, I think I’d prefer to get fired.

Chapter thirty-two

Alessandro

I hum an old Italian opera as I mow a frame around the edge of Mr Monstead’s lawn. Life’s never been better! Willow fell asleep in my arms like we’d been together all our lives. After that, I got up and put the breakfast food away and contacted the scheduled home owners to defer bookings before heading back to bed to keep my promise. This makes my first day of missed work since arriving in America.

Willow slept for a full two hours, and I even drifted off, her sweet Jasmine scent lulling me into nice dreams. After that, I worked on her fence and played with Mr Shares until I wore him out.

The omega never once stepped outside, but now I understand her reluctance.

I glance up at the clear blue sky radiating summer heat waves as intricate as the scars on her legs. Could I make myself step outside again after being struck by lightning twice? It would feel like a cosmic challenge.

And they say bad things come in threes.

I cross my chest and mutter under my breath, not sure exactly what I’m praying for but feeling like I need to do something.

When we woke up, we spent the evening together, chatting about life, mostly mine. Willow wanted to know all about my family, and I loved every minute of satisfying her curiosity. She’ll need time to work up to sharing more of her story. We fell asleep in each other’s arms again, her trust so precious I barely felt pain from my blue balls.

The air fills with the damp scent of broken grass stems as I finish back where I started, the giant lawn framed in a short, pale green border. Better keep my mind on the job for this next stage, because of course Mr Monstead wanted the most difficult diamond cut.

My guess is he liked the sound of the name.