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“I would never,” she deadpanned before bursting into laughter. “A mom has to hope. You boys have all fought finding an omega for so long. I’m not getting any younger, you know.”
“I’m gonna go,” I joked with a groan. It wasn’t the first or likely last time we had this lovely little chat. She’d be an amazing grandma, she just had to be patient.
“Actually,” she said, more serious this time as she stood and went to one of her work tables. “I need to run this over to her. Save me a trip?”
“Smooth, mom,” I laughed. “But yes, of course I will.”
“This time no underlying intentions. The festival is coming on fast and we just had another dispute about booth placements and the high school is putting on the haunted house and a few of the kids are dropping by in twenty minutes to give me the rundown for approval.”
Mom was clearly overwhelmed and I made a mental note to make her a batch of cookies and drop them off tomorrow. She needed to stop running herself ragged but that wasn’t something I could say out loud. Mom was a proud omega who barely listened to her alpha, let alone her worried son.
I gathered up the basket and swung by home for the cookbook before dropping both off at Autumn’s house. Even I wasn’t too proud to admit I was glad for another reason to see her.
The hug I got for bringing them by and the scent of everything fall wrapping around me meant more than I dared to give thought to and I left her house trying to cling to the faint scent of her that filled my lungs.
This season was definitely going to be interesting.
Chapter9
Autumn
I’d spent most of the morning pouring through the cookbook Jack had brought by yesterday afternoon, incredibly grateful that he’d found it.
Seeing my grandma’s familiar writing in the columns and all over the sheets of her typed up recipes brought back fond memories of us in the kitchen and barn. It was a treasure I didn’t expect to have and it honestly couldn’t come at a better time. There were so many good ideas to use for the Fall Festival, here and ready for me to make use of.
It was the steady sound of hammering that pulled me from the book and had me opening the door, wondering what on earth was going on.
There on his hands and knees, seemingly fixing the rotting step of the porch was none other than the big teddy of an alpha I’d had lunch with yesterday.
“Boone?”
The hammering stopped for a moment as he tilted his eyes up in acknowledgement before getting back to work.
Not knowing exactly what to do, I went back inside to fetch him a cup of coffee. I didn’t know how he took it so I made it exactly like mine with half the amount of sugar.
In the short time it took me to make him a cup he was already working on the last step, the old boards set aside in a corner pile. He paused when I came out, accepting the cup from my hands.
“Thanks,” he said, trying to hide his wince as he took a sip.
“Sorry,” I apologized, quickly trying to take the mug back from his hand. “I didn’t know how you took your coffee.”
He let me take the cup, reaching a hand back to rub his neck. “I’m grateful either way. Do you want these stained to match the rest of the deck or do you want to wait until you’ve decided what to redo with the place?”
“Wait until I’ve decided,” I confirmed. “It’s no use going to the extra work for aesthetics right now. I sure am appreciative, but you didn’t have to come all the way out here and take time out of your day to do this Boone. I was planning on swinging by later.”
“You mentioned it yesterday,” he said with a grunt. “Didn’t want you hurting yourself or anything. Can I take a look at the stove?”
I watched as he gathered his tools, adding them to the large metal box at his side before turning to face me again, his shoulders curling in on himself when he found my eyes on him. I didn’t know who’d hurt him in the past but bless their heart, I wanted to carve their rind.
“Sure, but I have a few questions for you first,” I said, startling the poor alpha.
He grunted, his feet moving half a length back. “I overstepped.”
“Hush,” I told him, taking a drink from the mug I’d taken back from him. “They aren’t life or death questions and I’m extremely grateful for you coming out here, Boone. I just want to know how you take your coffee.”
“Why?” He asked, the confusion in his voice clear.
“Well, I’d like to know for the next time we’re together so I don’t apparently try to poison you with my cream and sugar with a splash of Joe.” I swear to all things wholesome in Holiday Hollow the alpha actually blushed and I felt a lick of desire roll through me. “So?”
