Page 16 of One for the Money
However, Alex doesn’t have any Alphas to provide input, so this is likely to be a quick in-and-out experience.
We follow her down an aisle full of pillows, keeping a safe distance so she doesn’t feel overwhelmed by our presence. I wish I were a little closer, so I could be a part of the process, but that’s the Alpha in me. It’s just a quirk of my biology that makes me want to be a part of this.
“Shouldn’t she have brought her nest with her?” Teo whispers, leaning close to me.
“Yeah. But who knows? Maybe she wants to start fresh since it’s a new space?” I reach into my pocket and pull out a sour hard candy, tossing it into my mouth. It makes my mouth water, helping to lessen the dry mouth caused by cannabis use.
Chronic pain is a funny bastard. Sometimes, I spend all day chasing it, hoping to have a normal day, just once. Other times, it’s manageable, and I almost forget it’s there. It’s been a few years now since I’ve been dealing with this mystery illness, and the only explanation I have for it is one I’m not ready to entertain. When I tried cannabis medicinally, it opened up a lot of doors for me. It’s a delicate balance between too much and not enough, and then my tolerance will change, but it’s better than being stuck in bed or miserable all the time.
Alex picks up a long, oval pillow that’s a pretty shade of pale blue and wraps her arms around it. She looks like she’s testing it for cuddleability. Alex’s eyes keep flicking towards us, watching our faces as she grabs things and then puts them back on the shelf.
“How come she hasn’t picked anything?” Matteo asks when she puts the fourth pillow back.
When she glances back at me again, another pillow hanging loosely in her hands, it his me like a lightning strike. “Oh, shit.” I take a few steps closer to her and clearmy throat. “I really liked that blue one you picked out,” I tell her conversationally. I have to play this cool, and keep my voice mostly disinterested.
“Yeah?” she asks, chewing on her lip. She wanders down the overstuffed aisle, stopping in front of the aforementioned pillow. Slowly, she picks it up, turning it over in her hands. After a few sideways glances at me, which I answer with a slow nod, she throws it into the cart. “Me too.”
“Maybe I’m an idiot, but I feel like that color blue matches with the gray one you were looking at, didn’t it?” I say, chewing my nail. “But I’m not super good at color theory. That’s more Teo’s jam.” I gesture at my black-on-black clothing and chuckle. “If it wasn’t obvious.”
“They do match, so I guess a clock is right twice a day after all,” she teases, grabbing the fluffy gray pillow as well.
She turns down the next aisle, and Matteo places his hand on my chest, stopping me from trailing after her like a lost puppy. “What was that?” he asks quietly.
I puff out my chest. “That was her Omega nature needing my approval.”
“An Alpha’s approval, or yours?” He crosses his arms over his front, his shirt tightening and showing off his killer figure. “You’re going to read into this, aren’t you?”
I hum happily. “Probably.”
I decide to step back in the next aisle and see if she’ll start making her own decisions now that I’ve gotten her started, but she doesn’t. Once again, she touches multiple blankets, unable to make up her mind.
She’s standing in the middle of the aisle, rubbing her arms and looking completely fucking miserable when I take pity on her. Seeing her struggle like this makes me want to climb out of my skin. “Hey Matteo,” I say conversationally, not looking at her. “Do you have any flannelblankets? Being here made me realize how much I love them.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Alex grab a black and blue flannel blanket from the shelves. Matteo notices, and he shakes his head, trying to hold back a smile. “Nope.”
“Damn,” I snap and click my tongue. “I’ll have to make do with my fleece one. Good thing it’s soft.”
A fleece blanket makes its way into the cart.
We continue through the store like this, and I don’t think Alex even realizes what is happening. I help her get a set of blackout curtains, some string lights, and even a few cozy outfits.
Eventually, she’s got her cart loaded up, and she’s pushing it through the checkout line.
A sweet-looking Omega is working the register, his smile broad as he looks at all of the things Alex picked. His straight, dark hair is pulled back in a small clasp at the back of his neck. “You made some good choices,” he says conversationally. “I have this blanket myself. You and your pack will be really comfortable in your nest.”
“Oh, they’re not my pack,” she says, waving him off. “They’re my coworkers.”
He wrinkles his brow in confusion. “I just thought because-” I make a cutting motion on my neck, trying to shut him up. I can’t have him ruining this for me. Alex seems like the type to return the things to the shelf out of pure spite if she realizes I guided her choices. He rolls his lips, holding back a laugh, and nods, continuing to ring up her items.
“Okay, hon, your total is $561.25.”
Alex’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.
“I…” She pulls out her wallet and grabs a wad of cash, slowly counting the bills. Eventually, she sighs and starts picking through stuff on the belt. “I’m sorry, can we remove a few things?”
I wrinkle my nose, not liking the despair in her voice at the idea of putting back some of the things she picked out. What kind of doctor struggles with money? Don’t they make a ton?
“I don’t think you need to do that,” I say, pulling my card out of my wallet and holding it up so only the cashier can see. “I think I saw a half-off total purchase coupon in the paper. Don’t you have that promotion running right now?” I widen my eyes, waving my card to make sure he understands what I’m trying to do here.
