Deciding to be naughty and risk the calories my mom would probably chide me for,considering how hard I’d worked to lose weight, I asked for an oat bar too, then took a seat across from Trisha. She had her laptop set up, a crystal powering the device, a series of documents likely on the screen. She had the privacy screen on because she was diligent about keeping her clients’ data safe when she was working outside of her office.
“Hey, Trisha. You good?” I asked, taking a seat opposite my only real friend in this place. Sure, there were others I was friendly with, except none of them knew me like she did.
Trisha studied me. “What did she do now?”
I slumped and rolled my eyes. “Only spent the day extolling the virtues of today’s top candidate. I don’t even want to think about how much money his family wants to put into the business.”
“Oh, Sully, I’m sorry. What did your dad say?”
Trisha’s warm brown eyes studied my face. I loved how she really listened to me. Her brown skin was flawless in the bright afternoon light. She was wearing a gorgeous red lipstick with an orange undertone that really suited her. Her pointed ears were covered in gold jewelry, looking stylish.
Not that I was any slump in the looks department after her aunt got her hands on me. She had found products that worked best on my pale white skin, making it glow. Trisha’s aunt got me to love how my nose was dotted with freckles. I would get chided for calling my hair mousy brown, because it had gold in it. With their care, I grew to appreciate my delicate features and highlight my sky blue eyes.
After losing my puppy fat, as Mom liked to call it, I had a decent body. Lean, probably in the too thin category when Mom was in charge of my diet. Yeah, I was working on the food issues I’d picked up thanks to her, but I got where she was coming from, and most of it she took from her parents. Her focus was on getting me, her only omega child, a decent mate. Alphas, even prey animals, liked to be bigger and stronger than their mate, wrong or not.
Supernaturals had strange beauty standards not unlike the humans did in their TV shows. Earth Two streamed their entertainment all the time. Humans were too interesting.
“He wasn’t there, which is why she did it.” I fiddled with a napkin, trying not to get angry at my mom again. I was going to enjoy the hell out of that oat bar just for spite. I was workingon her seeing that health was more important than being thin for the sake of it. Especially if I was going to have kids any time soon.
“Right.” Trisha grimaced.
We both moved out of the way when Taylor dropped off my order. “Hey, Sully. Glad to have you back.” They squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t suppose you’re looking for work? The café is pretty busy and we could do with a hand.” They glanced at me hopefully through dark lashes.
Their face fell when I shook my head. “Sorry, my parents have me on reception at the hotel full time. I’m actually taking the night shift. Not that Mom wanted me working nights,” I said wryly.
I’d honestly rather work at the café, but my parents needed the help at the hotel just as much as Rosie likely needed staff. We were at the start of the peak season with fewer summer workers than normal. There was no chance of me doing both with how protective my parents were with me. They were worse since the woods. It had taken so many arguments before they let me take on night shifts on the reception desk without someone with me.
“Well…” Taylor began with a defeated sigh, “if you hear of anyone, send them our way. I swear there are more and more tourists every year, which is great for business…”
“But you’re rushed off your feet. I get it.”
Taylor rushed back to the counter to make more drinks for their mate, leaving me to get the third degree from Trisha.
“So who was it this time?”
“Orson Blaine.”
“Oh!” Trisha’s perfectly sculpted eyebrows rose. “He’s not actually that bad.”
“Not you too!” I wailed.
The walk home gave me time to think about some of the things Trisha said over our coffees. She liked Orson from their occasional business dealings. Apparently the sparrow shifter was handsome. Meeting him wouldn’t be so bad, would it?
“Did you wear sunscreen?” Mom fussed almost as soon as she saw me enter the house.
“Um…” I hedged. Okay, I knew it was the responsible thing to do, but I’d been sodesperate to get away it was lucky I’d taken my inhibitor.
“Sully! Your freckles! Do you have concealer? You can’t go to dinner with Orson like that!”
“I’ve not agreed to meet him yet!”
“What’s going on?” Dad came into view, a frown on his face.
“Your son went out in this,” she waved her hand to the bright light streaming in the window, “without any sunscreen!”
Dad restrained an eye-roll with difficulty. He scanned my face, looking for the flaws Mom saw. “I’m sure it was fine. You only went to Rosie’s, right?” He knew me too well.
“Yeah.”
