Page 4 of Knight With Benefits

I didn’t care what they thought, as long as they stayed out of my way.

In a seeming about-face, David leaned on the counter with a smile and gestured toward Carl.

“You know, this is the guy you should talk to about helping with your café. He does the work here anytime we need something repaired, and he’s helped a lot of people in Hell with projects like that.”

My eyes cut to the burly man at my side. It was easy to picture him working in construction or doing contractor jobs. His size alone would make him better for some of the things that still needed done for me to get my dream up and running.

“The place next door that’s been shut down forever?”

I dipped my chin at his question, trying to hide my grimace at the description. The realtor might have been a little less than upfront about the condition of the building when he’d been talking it up, and I’d been desperate and hopeful enough to ignore the signs until it was too late. Still, making the repairs the building needed gave me a chance to have it my way, and the lower selling price had meant I still had enough left to live off of for a little longer, but if the doors weren’t opened soon, I was going to be in trouble.

“I bought it and I’m converting it into a café.”

Carl hummed, staring at the wall across from us as if he could see through it to inspect the building next door. I hadn’t gotten around to prying the boards off the windows yet since one of the panes needed replaced, so I wasn’t surprised he didn’t know I’d been working on it for almost a month already. It had taken longer than I’d liked to get the purchase and then all the utilities and permits taken care of, and then I’d had to focus on the duplex I’d bought to live in since it hadn’t been in a much better state than the diner. Having a functional place to sleep at night had taken precedence, so the whole process was dragging out longer than I’d ever expected, but I was determined to get it done.

“I’d have to take a look at it to see what I can do, but there isn’t much I haven’t worked on at this point. I won’t touch electrical problems, but I can fix just about anything else.”

He set his beer bottle on the counter after knocking back the last of it, then stood, looking at me expectantly. I still had a full glass, and I was on a mission, but I had to admit I was excited to finally talk to someone about my plans for the place. I didn’t exactly have friends, and despite my initial reluctance, chatting with Carl had done more than drinking alone to distract me. Even though he was an alpha, he didn’t ring the warning bells that usually went off around his dynamic.

“I’ll save your seat and your drink, and you’re perfectly safe with Carl. Or, if you want to wait for morning, I could go with you.”

Part of me warmed at David’s offer, his sincerity clear on his face. He was only a beta and wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop a determined alpha, but it was sweet that he’d offered, and my hesitance didn’t appear to bother Carl.

Sliding to my feet, I shook my head and gave the bartender a smile.

“No reason to make you get up early to go with us, but if we’re not back in thirty, send a search party.”

He chuckled before walking down the bar to another patron flagging him for a drink.

Carl waited for me to head towards the door, keeping a respectful distance between us, but for a moment I worried what others would think of me leaving the bar with an alpha.

I quickly pushed the concern away. I didn’t care what others thought. I was a grown woman, and unbonded, and I had every right to go wherever I wanted, with whomever I wanted.

I could even do what they would be thinking, if I wanted to.

My eyes slid back to the hulking alpha at my side as we turned on the sidewalk outside The Hangout, my core giving an encouraging clench at the last thought. He certainly wasn’t bad looking, and his easy-going manner was at complete odds with what I expected from alphas, but he was still a stranger, and I didn’t need more complications in my life.

“The place seems a little big to make it into just a café. You sure you don’t want to keep it a diner and have more tables?”

His question pulled my focus back to where it was supposed to be. Staring at the dark shape ahead of us, I wrapped my arms around myself as I tried to find a way to explain my vision. The summer heat was finally giving way to fall, and the chill now that the sun had disappeared was a distraction, but it wasn’t the only thing making my mood drop again.

“Part of it is going to be kind of a lounge area, with bookshelves and comfy chairs. I’ll stock new releases for sale, but I mostly want it to be like a lending library, where people can come find a book that looks good, and be free to read it as they eat, or to take it home with them. I don’t want it to be a place where people just come to get food, and then leave. I want them to linger and enjoy the space and community.”

My shoulders hunched further after I’d spoken the words aloud, my dream sounding silly in the dark as we approached the door at the side of the building. Anthony would have laughed at me, calling me stupid for not aiming for maximum profits, but money had never been the reason I wanted to open something like this. I just wanted a place where I could share my love of reading and baking and make people comfortable. I wanted to give them a place to escape to when they didn’t have anywhere else to go.

“That sounds nice. It’ll be good for the community, and it’ll be more manageable for a small staff if you keep the menu small too.”

I perked up at Carl’s rumbled praise, freezing with the keys in my hand as I looked up at him. He had caught on to another reason I’d decided to convert the diner into a café, and he’d sounded genuine in his approval. It was strange to have someone agreeing with my decision instead of telling me how stupid and incapable I was.

“Exactly.”

My response came out weak as I turned back to unlock the door, emotions swirling inside me. I knew there were good alphas, that not all of them were like the one I’d been bonded to or the others he’d associated with, but it was still hard not to automatically assume the worst after living with it for so long.

The lock snicked open, and I turned the knob, pulling on the handle. It had always stuck a little, but this time, even an extra jerk didn’t make it budge, and my cheeks heated as my stomach sank, stealing the budding warmth Carl’s praise had brought.

Firm fingers pressed into my hip, stealing my breath and stopping my heart as the budding panic in my chest found a new target.

Chapter Two

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