Page 52 of Fated to the Alpha

Shane took the lead and made their introductions to Carla, giving a few phony details here and there about where they were originally from and why they came to Oakfield. It was so fluid that Kimberly suspected he had rehearsed this all on the way from Tolstone.

“Well, we are sure glad to have you! What can I get you to drink? Coffee?”

“Yes, please,” said Shane. “And an extra glass of water for me.”

“A glass of orange juice and can I try your strawberry Boba tea?”

Carla scribbled down the drink order. “Sure thing. Do we still need a minute on food?”

Shane then struck up a new thread of conversation, asking what their most popular breakfast dish was, but Kimberly barely paid attention. She already knew what she wanted and when Carla paused for a final answer, she slipped in.

“Can I get your Big Breakfast Feast with hashbrowns, raisin toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, and an extra side of sausage patties?”

She went slow enough so Carla could jot it all down on her little notepad. Shane went for an order of their Out of the Park Hashbrowns that came fully loaded with so many toppings that Kimberly couldn’t imagine the size of the entree. Of course, Shane would get the heftiest item on the menu.

Carla grinned and promised their coffee and drinks soon, then hurried away to give the order to the kitchen.

“Think you’ll have room for lunch?” he asked.

“Depends. What’s on the schedule for today, anyway?”

Shane sat back in his booth and blinked hard to mentally review their itinerary. “There’s an appointment at nine to meet with a daycare facility. There are two apartment complexes that fit everyone’s budgets and have enough vacancies for the start of next month. One of them looks pretty nice, but the other doesn’t have pictures on its website, so I wanted to check them both out in person. The idea is that we would all get apartments for a few months until more permanent housing can be arranged. Real homes for the families to rent anyway. There are three grocery stores within a decent radius, so I want to visit each of them and take notes on the variety of products and pricing. Not every grocery store is the same, apparently.” Shane rolled his eyes and turned his gaze out the window to the parking lot. “And there’s lunch and dinner between all of that. I’m going to top off the day with a nice long nap and then tonight, a run. Gotta check out the wildlife neighbors too and make sure there won’t be any … complications in that department.”

“You really have thought of everything,” she mused with pride.

Now, she knew for a fact that Shane would be nothing like Isaac. He was considerate, even if it was inconvenient. Isaac would have just picked a place that suited himself and let the rest figure it out. Not Shane. He was actually helpful. He actually cared.

Kimberly swallowed as another detail finally rose to her awareness. “And sleeping arrangements tonight?”

Shane turned back to her. “I had originally planned to sleep in my truck, but there are a few hotels. While we’re cruising around town, I thought you could look them up and book us a couple of rooms. On my tab, of course.”

Kimberly quirked a brow, ready to test him. “A couple of rooms?”

A sly smile split his face. “Would you rather have one?”

She gave it some serious thought, then shook her head. “Two is fine. Unless you got it fixed, I know you snore like a tractor.”

He laughed. “I will deny that I snore until my dying day.”

“You so do snore!” Kimberly teased. “All those times you fell asleep on the couch during a movie, I had to turn the volume up so I could hear better.”

He stuck up his chin. “You have no proof.”

Kimberly snapped her fingers. “Darn the luck. I did take a video six phones ago, but it got lost in the data transfers.”

Shane pumped a fist. “Saved by the fallacies of technology.” After they shared a laugh, he continued, “But seriously, if that would make you more comfortable, a two-room arrangement is fine with me.”

Kimberly gave him an appreciative smile. Maybe it wasn’t so bad, him knowing about the attack. It made him more understanding and less eager to ask questions or begrudgingly brush the matter under the rug. It only showed just how wrong she had been from the start by not telling him. So far, letting him see the dark and messy side of her hadn’t ended in disaster.

“So, I take it you’re not going to tell him?”

Kimberly looked down at her lap, where she fiddled with a loose thread at the end of her long-sleeved blouse. “Tell who what?”

“You know who and what.”

Kimberly pursed her lips. “Gage is just my alpha. He’s not my keeper.”

“If he or Declan tries to drop in for a visit and you’re not there, and they know I left Tolstone for the weekend, it may not end well. People might talk. Gage might challenge me, however stupid that would be.”