“Deal.”
She left, and I sat there for a few more minutes, nursing the last of my coffee and thinking about the way her laugh had sounded. Genuine. Surprised. Like maybe she hadn’t expected to enjoy herself.
I pulled out my phone and sent a message to the group text:Update: Had coffee with Wynn. It went well. She knows about our coordination and thinks we’re ridiculous. But she’s giving us a chance. Don’t screw this up.
Beau’s response came first:Noted. Good work.
Dane’s followed:Rules of engagement?
I typed back: You’re ridiculous.But, be genuine. Be patient. Don’t crowd her. She’ll let us know if she wants more.
And then, because I couldn’t help myself:And for the love of everything, check the group text before you bring her coffee.
Beau’s response was a single word:Noted.
I drove home through streets lined with autumn colors, my mind on dark amber eyes and the sound of laughter that felt like victory.
This was still a terrible idea. Three alphas coordinating their interest in one omega who’d made it very clear she valued her independence.
But it was also the first thing that had felt right in a long time.
And if Sable was willing to give us a chance at friendship, that was more than I’d expected and exactly what we needed.
Sometimes the best way forward was the simplest. And in this case it was just show up, be honest, and let the rest figure itself out.
Chapter 8
Sable
The week started normally enough. Monday brought coffee with Beau at six in the morning, the routine that had become essential without either of us acknowledging it out aloud. Tuesday meant lunch with Silas at The Brew, his terrible stories making me laugh in ways I hadn’t in years. Wednesday was another morning coffee session where Beau and I talked about nothing and everything in the comfortable quiet we’d developed.
By Thursday afternoon, I should have realized something was wrong.
The first sign was Mrs. Patterson catching me at the general store. I’d stopped in after work for groceries, exhausted from a long day of coordinating a multi-county emergency response drill. All I wanted was to grab apples and bread and maybe some cheese, then go home and collapse.
Mrs. Patterson had other plans.
“Sable, dear,” she said, somehow materializing beside me despite being seventy-five and supposedly having bad knees.Small towns had a way of defying physics when gossip was involved. “I’ve been meaning to ask how you’re settling in.”
I’d been in Hollow Haven for five years. The settling in question had long since been settled. But Mrs. Patterson wasn’t actually asking about settling in. She was fishing for information, and we both knew it.
“Fine, thank you.” I reached for apples, hoping she’d take the hint.
She didn’t.
“It’s just that I’ve noticed you’ve been spending quite a bit of time with our sheriff lately. And the Calder boy from the fire station. And that charming paramedic with the dimples.” Her eyes gleamed with the particular joy of someone who’d found fresh gossip in a town that recycled the same stories every six months. “Three very eligible alphas, all suddenly very interested in our emergency coordinator.”
My hand tightened on the apple I was holding, hard enough that my thumb pressed into the skin. “We work together. Professional coordination is part of my job.”
“Oh, of course, dear. Professional.” She patted my arm with the kind of condescension that made my teeth grind. “Though I will say, it’s lovely to see you finally opening up to people. You’ve been so closed off since you arrived. A young omega needs an alpha, you know. It’s not healthy to be alone.”
The words hit harder than they should have. Maybe because they were true. Maybe because I’d spent five years convincing myself that being alone was the same as being safe.
“I’m not alone,” I said, more sharply than intended. “I’m independent. There’s a difference.”
“If you say so, dear.” But her expression said she didn’t believe me for a second. “Though between you and me, if I had three handsome alphas paying me that kind of attention, I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss it. Not at your age.”
I set the apple down with more force than necessary. “Have a good evening, Mrs. Patterson.”
