Page 10 of A Pack of Honey
Miss Howard,
Would five work for you? We could take you out for dinner.
He looks to us. "Good?"
It's a genuine question, and it takes me by surprise. Cole is usually so confident. I don't think I've ever—not once in the years we've worked together and been in a pack—seen him ask for help. This omega is really doing a number on him. He feels guilty for how he's treated her.
"Add ‘My deepest apology,’" I tell him. “She's making a point. You did call her that."
"When I thought I was dealing with someone entirely different," Cole says defensively.
"You still said it."
He sighs but adds it on and signs his name. Less than a minute after we send the email, another pops up.
I will agree to five but not to going out. I'd rather discuss things in private. You can come to my farm. I'll make something.
Sunny
I pump my fist, and Jess whoops. Cole looks tired, and Luca seems nervous. This is also the first time I've seen Luca anything but stoic. He's an earnest man. Both the older alphas are intense in their own ways.
"Courting gift?" I ask. Jess is already on his phone.
"No service offers same-day delivery here. It's too far out," he says. "Nearby stores include a gas station, the Café, a bookstore, and a place called Dandy Stuff."
"The bookstore?" Luca suggests.
"You would," Jess says, and Luca glares at him. I click on their website, and my heart sinks.
"Closed," I say. Actually, Wednesday seems to be the whole town's Sunday. Lots of stuff is closed.
"Dandy Stuff is open," I go on, peering at Jess’s phone. Everyone visibly sits up a little. I look at the clock. "From ten to two."
It's one forty five, and we don't even know where the place is. Instant chaos breaks out around the room. Everyone shuts their laptops and grabs their shoes. We're out the door without actually talking about it within moments. We pile into Cole's car, and he puts the address into the GPS. He takes a beat to look at the directions and nods. I often forget that he actually grew up around here. It's so incongruous with my image of him.
We drive slightly above the speed limit all the way there. Thankfully, we avoid any cops. As we pull up, we spot a dark-haired woman about the same age as Sunny stepping out of theshop and closing the door behind her. We scramble out of the car.
"Excuse me," Cole calls, his voice edging shy of a bark. The woman in question winces and then turns. An omega based on her reaction. They’re especially sensitive to alpha barks or commands. The smell of lilacs and roses coming from her as we get closer confirms it. It might have been a pleasant scent to some alphas, but after finding Sunny's scent, I find it cloying and hard to be around.
"I'm so sorry. I was just closing up. We open tomorrow at ten." She plasters on a tired customer service smile. I wince. I hate imposing on working people, but to our pack, this is an emergency. We will not show up to our first date with Sunny without a gift. Even if she doesn’t consider it a date.
"I understand," Cole purrs. This is another side of him we're all familiar with. He can be a hammer when it comes to business negotiations, but he knows when a lighter, more charismatic touch is needed. And man, he's a master at that too—in person, at least.
"We apologize for arriving so late. Would it be possible for you to stay open for a little while longer? We can pay for your time." He opens his wallet, and I see the woman's eyes shoot to the bills.
"And we promise to buy something," I add. She hesitates, but then gets her keys out to unlock the door again. Money usually does that—provides things that otherwise would be closed to you. I was on the other side of that a lot growing up. Only with this pack have I experienced what doors can be opened by money..
We walk into a store full of creative chaos. At first glance, the place seems to be a lot ofstuff. But as we begin walking through, I realize that every section is a beautifully curated display.
The center-front setup features stained glass art. The left and right walls have everything from specialty cookware to kids' toys, charm bracelets, delicate jewelry beads, prank gifts, themed wine glasses, and more. The back left corner of the store has a little vintage ice cream parlor with a big neon sign that says Gelato in cursive. I recognize how incredibly lucky we are. We can definitely find a nice courting gift here.
"Are you all looking for anything in particular?" the woman asks.
"Are you the owner, Miss…?" Luca asks.
"Winnie is fine, " she replies. "And yes, I am the owner." Some of the exhaustion we'd seen when she thought she was closing up is gone. Honed curiosity and interest has taken its place.
Cole eyes her as he peruses the shelves. We're all looking, but my heart sinks. We know almost nothing about our omega. How are we going to choose this?
