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Sighing, I press the accept button and lift the phone to my ear. “Yes, Mother?”
Her brisk voice fills the line. “Oh, good, you answered.”
I resist the urge to sigh again. She knows I’m at work right now, but she has the misguided opinion that, as the owner, I should be available whenever she needs me. “What can I do for you?”
“Your presence is required on Saturday for lunch. Katheryn’s intended will be coming to the house, and I’d like all of the family to be there to meet him.”
I close my eyes in frustration. “I’m working on Saturday.”
“Then rearrange your schedule,” she says sharply. “You owe me that much after how horribly you treated Herold. I had to send an apology gift to both him and his father, and you know we can’t afford the extravagance in our current situation.”
No, but she can somehow afford to continue to pay the exorbitant rent on Katheryn’s penthouse and for the expensive luncheons she attends daily.
Sometimes, I wonder if I’m really her son, because I’ve never felt comfortable throwing money away with her level of abandon. Being adopted would certainly explain how I turned out to be an Omega. Too bad I’m her spitting image in male form. Her genetics completely obliterated my father’s when it came to their children.
Knowing I won’t escape this without a fight, I resign. “What time?”
“Two o’clock, sharp. Don’t be late.” The line falls silent, and I pull the phone away from my head to find the screen now blank.
Apparently, social niceties are reserved for non-family members.
Pulling up my calendar app, I set myself a reminder.
Wouldn’t want to be late to meet my future brother-in-law, after all. I just hope the poor guy can survive the combined force of my sister and mother better than I have.
7
Saturday arrives with a letter from the tea shop’s new owner, informing me they’ll be by on Monday to check out the space.
I don’t recognize the business name on the letterhead and do a quick search on the internet, crossing my fingers that maybe it’s a company that at least dabbles in tea. But the only thing the internet pulls up is a business license and location. They’re local and too new for me to get my hopes up.
They’re probably like I was five years ago, fresh from college and eager to put their stamp on the world by opening a small store. The likelihood they’ll keep it as a tea shop is slim.
I open the store with a heavy heart. This weekend might be our last, and I’ll miss part of it because of my mother’s stupid desire to pretend we’re a united family.
At five to eight, I receive a desperate call from Steve, apologizing that his car broke down, and he’ll be late. I try to ease his worry while, inside, I start to panic. Roman always stops in from eight-thirty to nine, and I’ve succeeded in avoiding that awkwardness so far. All I can hope for is a rush in customers that will keep me too busy to talk to him.
The rush in customers arrives, much to my relief, but Roman does not, and I find my eyes drifting to his usual table more than once, to see if I missed his entrance. In the past, when Roman planned to not visit, he always made some offhand comment about going out of town for a week. It had always felt like bragging at the time, but now I realize how much I’ve come to expect our brief interactions, and not having them now puts me on edge.
When Steve arrives at ten, I let him take over at the counter while I restock the pastry case.
In between customers, he joins me, his voice low. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here this morning.”
“It’s no problem.” I slide pastries to the back of the tray to load the fresh ones in front. “I can handle the place alone for a few hours.”
His voice drops even lower. “Did You-Know-Who cause any problems?”
My lips twitch with an unwilling smile. “You guys can say his name. It won’t hurt me.”
Steve’s eyes shift to the table Roman usually sits at. “Did he… Are you fighting? Or did he do something to you?” Then his eyes jump back to me, and he flushes. “Not that you have to say. It’s just… Mia’s been worried. If he bothers you, we can ban him from the shop.”
Warmth fills me at their concern. “No, we didn’t fight. Things are just complicated right now.”
Steve’s focus shifts to my throat, and his blush deepens. “You didn’t use to wear… that.” He taps the side of his neck in case I miss what he’s talking about, and I tug my turtle neck a little higher. “We didn’t know you were an Omega. We could have supported you better. We’re friends, you know. You can rely on us more.”
Eyes stinging, I look away as I blink back tears. I hadn’t realized they thought of me like that. I mean, we get along, and I know more about their lives than I do about my own family, but I’m also their boss, and I always thought that put a wall between us. Maybe that had all been in my head, though. It was a shame I was only just discovering this when I was about to lose my store.
Steve’s hand tentatively touches my back. “So, if Roman took advantage of you, we have your back, okay? We’ll make sure he doesn’t come in here again.”
