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“Thank you!” I put my hands together, ever so grateful.

I stood in line for a few minutes, looking around. The shop was packed. The poor staff was running around like crazy, trying to get everything done. The delicious treats behind the glass were disappearing like the proverbial hotcakes they were. Thankfully, everyone was clearly working hard behind the scenes to replenish them because, every few minutes, a fresh tray of goodies appeared.

I took a few moments to pick out a few other things. My Summer needed more than just cinnamon buns. She had a sweet tooth, and I was going to indulge it, but there were also fresh-baked breads I knew she would enjoy.

We were planning on chicken soup for lunch, so freshly baked bread would go great as a treat with that.

“Emmett! What are you doing here and not at work?” Clarke, an alpha I went to high school with, entered the store and came over to me. He was dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans, his hair messy and wild as always.

“I’m having a lazy morning with Summer, and she’s been craving Audrey’s cinnamon buns.”

Clarke looked wistfully at Audrey. He had been holding a torch for her for as long as I could remember, but she simply hadn’t noticed or wasn't interested. As quickly as he looked at Audrey, he turned back to me, a big smile spreading across his face.

“How is your mate settling in? Everybody in town has been talking about her.”

“She’s doing amazingly,” I said as I stepped up to the counter.

I didn’t really care what others were saying about my mate. It was obvious that a few women were peeved that an eligible pack was off the market, but it didn’t bother me one bit. Summer was the most impressive omega ever in my eyes.

“You’re lucky, dude.”

I smiled. “I know I am. How’s work going?”

“Worky.” He laughed, putting his hands in his pockets and shrugging. Clarke worked for the council, usually on town care and maintenance. “There are talks of redoing the town square.”

“It could use it,” I pointed out. The infrastructure was starting to get a little… dated. Aesthetically, that wasn’t an issue, but structural concerns were starting to creep up.

“I know, but Old Man Whithers is being a pain in the ass about it. You know he wants the kind of wood they used over a century ago when they built the town hall. That wood isn’t even available anymore, but he refuses to listen. We can do the repairs and keep the style and charm, but I can’t use materials that are simply obsolete.”

“Should I expect a call from him soon, asking about the town bylaws?”

Clarke grimaced. “I’m surprised he hasn’t done it already.”

“Ah, give it time.” I shrugged this time, seeing my food as it appeared in a paper bag. “Thank you. Well, I’m off to⁠—”

My phone rang as I took the cinnamon buns off the counter. It was work. I had hired a temporary assistant to replace Jenn, and she wasn’t the most competent, but she was better than nothing.

“Hey, Kenzie. What’s up?”

“You need to come in; there’s been an issue with the Hammond case. It seems like they didn’t take your advice in our last meeting, and they’ve had a major data breach. At least, I think that’s what happened, they were shouting a lot on the phone.”

I groaned, holding my cell, and nodded thankfully at Audrey, who waved me off.

“Okay. Give me twenty minutes. I just need to go drop off some cinnamon buns at home, and then I’ll come straight there.”

There went my morning with Summer, but hopefully she could spend the day relaxing with Milo. As soon as I stepped out of the bakery, I veered left, making a last-minute decision to go to the coffee shop for one of those fancy crème brȗlée iced lattes she liked so much. It was the least I could do for abandoning her for the morning.

I felt terrible about it, but we’d been dealing with that client for nearly a year now. The owner was endlessly stubborn, and he was one of the few people who made me dread going to work. I loved my job, but there was always one. One asshole who just wouldn’t listen and risked the people around him when he chose to go off script.

Ugh, it’ll be fine. You’ve dealt with him before.

Still, I silently admitted that I wouldn’t be upset if he decided to use someone else for legal advice. If he didn’t earn the firm so much money, I would’ve told him off a long time ago.

I was in and out in a flash, and then I hopped into the car, getting back to Summer so that I could at least steal a few more minutes with her.

“Hey, I have cinnamon buns!” I said, rushing into the kitchen and placing the treats and iced coffee on the counter.

Summer padded into the kitchen, her face pale and tense. That didn’t sit right. “And coffee?” she asked softly.