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But now this Alpha had come storming into my life and had blown it apart. I didn’t want to feel this much for him. To be so upset by it that I’d run out on him and hid in the bathroom wondering if he was still out there. Worrying that I might have upset him or hurt his feelings. I splashed more water on my hot face and whirled around to look when the bathroom door opened, afraid it was Bousset.
“What are you doing, Jax?” Hailey asked me softly. “Are you hiding in here? From your Dragon?”
“What if I am?”
“Oh, Jax, you have to face this thing. Why not try to talk to him and see what he thinks? This might solve your lease problem, anyway. He may be fine with you staying on and running your business for a while.”
“For a while? This isn’t some silly whim of mine. Something I’ll do for a time and then give up. I want this to be my career, and I want to make a name for myself.”
“Okay, tell him that and see what he says.”
“What difference does it make whathesays? He’s not in charge of me.”
“Except from what I know about alphas, he could be, right? If he bought you from your father?”
I could feel my face crumple. “Oh gods, I hate this, Hailey! I’m not some stereotypical omega. I’m strong and I want a career. Someone shouldn’t be able to simply buy me like I’m a-a sack of flour! Like I’m not even a real person.”
“Agreed, but until Dragon law changes, there’s not much you can do about it, is there? I suppose you could run away, but that’s not a great solution. You’d have to start all over again somewhere else, and this time with no money. And your father would have the right to come after you and drag you back home. I know you’ve already sunk what money your grandmother left you into the business.”
I covered my face with my hands and moaned. “Oh, what can I do?”
“Talk to Dominic Bousset. Maybe he’s not what you think. Maybe he’ll protect you more than control you. You don’t know really, unless you get to know him. Besides, a man like that doesn’t strike me as the type to just give up and go away. Maybe you can explain to him how you feel and see what he thinks about it.”
“He won’t listen. He’ll be just like every other Alpha in the world and demand his own way.”
“Okay, so now who’s stereotyping?”
The door opened and Damon poked his head in. “Everything okay? We can hear you guys yelling out here.”
“Oh crap. I’m sorry, Damon. We’re coming out.”
“Okay. And if this is about that big, good-looking guy that was just at one of my tables, I congratulate you, man. He’s not anyone I’d kick out of bed.”
“Thank you, Damon, for your input.”
“No problem,” he said, grinning. “And hey, the line is getting pretty long out there. We need somebody at the register.”
“Shit! We’re coming. Hailey, we have to talk about this later. We have to get out there.”
We both hurried out of the bathroom, and I took my place in the kitchen, while Hailey went back behind the register. In another hour, the lunch rush had died down, and I was just cleaning up and prepping for the next morning when I heard Hailey calling me back to the front. I went out and saw an enormous bouquet of pink and white cabbage roses and peonies—a mixed dozen of each—in a gigantic vase on the counter. I gasped out loud when I saw them.
“The florist shop just delivered these for you.” Hailey held up a little pink square. “There’s an envelope—do you want it?”
I snatched it out of her hands and opened it. Inside was his business card and a copy of the letter rescinding the eviction notice. Scrawled across the top was a note from Dominic Bousset that read—
You can tear the notice up—I am not going to try to evict you and your business. Come to dinner with me tonight, and I can explain more? We need to talk. I’ll pick you up at eight. My number is on the card. –Dominic
“He’s canceling the eviction and he wants me to go to dinner tonight. Let me rephrase that. Hetoldme I was going to dinner, and I’m not fooled by the fact he put in a question mark like an afterthought. He knows I have to go with him.”
Hailey sighed, looking over my shoulder as she read. “I don’t get that impression from this note at all. I think it’s sweet.” She clasped her hands under her chin, batting her eyelashes like a green-haired Minnie Mouse in a Disney cartoon. “This is so romantic.”
I rolled my eyes and glanced over at the gorgeous roses again and made a scornful sound.
“It’s ostentatious. Too big and over the top.”
“But beautiful. Like Dominic Bousset.”
I nodded and sighed as my shoulders drooped. “Yes. Just like that, I guess.”
