Page 42 of Bonded By Tea and Tarot

It’s weird. Nice to feel wanted, but also a bit excessive, and entirely unnecessary.

I don’t need gifts, nor do I really want any. What I want is to be done working on a Saturday so I can go spend time with Siobhan. We’ve been video calling every day, and I love hearing about her work and the readings she does for people. She’s so passionate and creative, so clever in how she interprets her cards.

A sliver of doubt shoots through me. It’s been lingering ever since she met up with the alphas. She said she wants me, but I can’t help doubting it every now and then. Although…

I think of the muffin basket again and chuckle under my breath. If that’s what I’m competing with, I think I’ll be fine. I roll my eyes at myself. In all honesty, I do hope they’re better at thinking of gifts for her. She deserves way better than too many muffins for one person to eat.

What I’ve been avoiding thinking about is the fact we have a date later today—all four of us. The first time I’ll be officially meeting Jayce, despite us having chatted a bit over text. And I suppose my earlier encounters with Hayden weren’t particularly note worthy, so it’ll be almost like a first impression with them as well.

I suck in a slow breath to center myself and focus on wrapping up the last of my work now that the morning classes are over.

Me: Still want me to pick you up?

Siobhan: Yes please!

Me: Heading out in a few

Siobhan: See you soon

She greets me with a smile that makes my heart skip, and within a few minutes I’m parking outside the café the alphas chose for our late lunch date.

“You ready?” I ask, glancing at Siobhan.

“Are you?” she counters, which is fair. She seems eager, excited, whereas I’m feeling more apprehension and nerves.

“Sure,” I say, forcing a smile.

“Hey.” She takes my hand in hers. “It’ll be good, I promise. And if it’s not, we’ll leave.”

I nod, hoping she’s right.

And of course, she is. Both alphas are polite when meeting me and show interest in my work. Maybe things are stilted at first, but now this date flows much easier than how the first meetup at the bakery sounded. We all order a half-sandwich with a cup of soup and tuck into a corner booth. Siobhan is next to me, with Jayce and Hayden facing us.

“So,” I say during the next lull, trying to hide the smile from my voice. “Whose idea was the muffin basket?”

Siobhan does a double take, glancing at me. “Muffin basket?”

I nod, but my eyes are locked on the alphas. One, in particular, whose lightly tanned, heavily freckled skin is slowly turning bright red.

Jayce rubs the back of his neck with a meaty hand, then clears his throat. “Oh, uh. Yeah, that was me.” He holds that same hand up like he’s raising it to answer a question.

Siobhan’s eyes bounce between us, and I can’t help but grin now.

“While I appreciate the effort,” I say. “I really don’t need gifts.”

“Oh.” Jayce looks to Hayden for a moment, who is watching all of us silently. I get the impression their eyes miss nothing. “Do you… not like muffins?”

“Oh, no,” I’m quick to reassure, not wanting to hurt the big guy’s feelings. “No, they were great. I enjoyed them, and so did the rest of the staff.”

“Wait,” Siobhan says. “You bought muffins for the whole community center?”

“I sent a basket,” Jayce mumbles, and the only reason I can understand him is because I know what he sent.

“What was that?” Siobhan says, mischief lighting her eyes. She senses prey in the water, and she’s going for it. “I didn’t quite hear you.”

Jayce’s face—impossibly—turns redder, passing flushed and hitting tomato territory. “I sent him a basket,” he says, more coherently this time.

Siobhan is clearly holding back a laugh, attempting a straight face. “A basket? Like, a muffin basket?”