Bram looks away, the heavy muscles in his shoulders hiking up. “With the orchard’s finances where they are,” he mutters, the words dragged out of him like pulling teeth, “we can’t provide for you the way we’d want to, anyway.”
Reed stares at the floor, his jaw flexing. “Wait. Are you saying you don’t want to get to know each other? I know we’re not exactly rich, but—”
I uncross my arms, letting my hands fall to my sides. “No, no, I’m not saying that. I’m not in this for pampering and I don’t need to be taken care of financially,” I say, holding each of their gazes in turn. “You don’t need to feel insecure about that with me.”
The collective tension in their shoulders drops a fraction.
“But,” I add, “I can’t just stay for free. I can pay you.”
“We’re not taking your money,” Reed says, instantly defensive, the smoke in his scent flaring hotter.
“Then I’ll work for it.” I level a look at all three of them. “I was supposed to be sipping cocktails by a pool right now. But since my hotel got canceled, I have one more day before my yoga retreat starts, and I’d gladly help around the orchard.”
“A yoga retreat?” Reed repeats, his brows pulling together. “You’re leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes,” I say, the word feeling suddenly heavy in my throat. “But I have a few days left of my vacation after the retreat ends. I’d love to come right back and hang out, if you’re open to it?”
Ash shifts his weight by the window, his eyes softening as he looks at me. “Yes. Yes, of course. We’d love to.”
I offer a soft, tentative smile, fighting down a prickle of regret as the reality of leaving suddenly twists in my chest. “So, in the meantime... deal? Labor for room?”
Bram studies my face for a long heavy moment. He glances at Reed, then Ash. Both alphas give him a barely perceptible nod.
“Deal,” Bram says, extending his large hand again.
I reach out and place my palm in his. Bad idea, as the second we’re skin on skin, I am almost gone again. Heat rushes up my arm, short-circuiting every logical thought in my brain. My Omega is screaming at me to close the distance, to jump into his arms, to let him—
An electronic chirp cuts off the hum. I pull my hand away from Bram’s, and dig the phone out of my pocket.
“Sorry,” I gasp, looking at the screen.
I tap the notification.
Subject: Cancellation Confirmed — Serenity Ridge Wellness Retreat.
10
Reed
“Namaste, Serenity Ridge Retreat, this is Chloe. How can I help you?”
The cheerful voice echoes out of the tiny speaker on Luna’s phone while I’m standing completely still, rooted to the floorboards.
Just two minutes ago, Luna was standing right there, her hand in Bram’s, the kitchen thick and heavy with her gorgeous blend of honey and gooseberries, driving my Alpha half out of its goddamn mind.
But when she checked her phone, her scent... shattered, turning sour with panic. And now, I feel like a cold knife lodged itself straight in my gullet, dragging downward.
“Hi, Chloe,” Luna says, her voice fracturing with a tremor that devastates me to hear. She takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “This is Luna Sae. I just got an email... it says my reservation was canceled.”
“Oh! Let me pull up your file, Ms. Sae.” The clacking of a keyboard fills the silence and my world tunnels down to the woman tremoring in front of me. “Ah. Yes, I see here. Wereceived a priority overnight letter this morning stating you needed to cancel your stay immediately. We processed it an hour ago and our system sent an automatic email.”
Luna’s breath hitches, and the sour tang of her distress spikes, flooding the kitchen. “But I didn’t send a letter. I think someone impersonated me.”
“Oh—” Chloe’s customer-service voice falters. “I am so sorry to hear that. Um, this is... a first for us, honestly.” She pauses for a beat. “The thing is, we’ve already auto-reassigned your room and your spot at the retreat to the next person on the waitlist.”
“What?” Luna gasps. “Oh no. No, please.”
Fuck.
