Page 21 of Rejected Nanny Mate
“Uh-huh.”
“Really. You know him. He's flirting with everyone, and he's constantly joking, and...”
“And...?” Kiera prompted.
“And...” I trailed off, blowing a strand of hair that had escaped my braid out of my face. “A really good dad and a good boss. Friend. Whatever. Why are you guys so nosy about this?”
“Because, Gwen,” Nayeli leaned forward, “I've never seen you defend a guy before, or talk about him so passionately.”
“And he's not your type at all. You're usually into nerdier guys,” Kiera added, and then clapped her hands. “Oh, my goddess, Gwen. Do you have a crush on him?”
“Absolutely not!” I gasped, a blush creeping across my cheeks. The memory of our single kiss flashed through my mind, and the blush deepened. “Are you insane? That's the most ridiculous thing you've ever said.”
“I don't know. Seems like it makes sense to me,” Rhie muttered, and the others nodded.
“You guys are the worst. And, for the record, you're all terrible at gossiping. This feels more like an interrogation.”
They laughed, and I joined in after a moment. None of them knew that Joe and I had a sort-of-romantic history, and I wasn't about to let them know. They'd never leave me alone about the subject if they knew. I knew how perfect it looked on the outside, each of us mating with an Alpha, but they were just going to have to put that little fantasy to rest. It wasnothappening.
Just as I stood to get them some drinks, the bell above the door rang again. This time, it was Joe, having appeared as if somehow he knew he'd been talking about him. I saw Joe every day, for multiple hours, but somehow his presence still mademe feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He was wearing old, faded jeans and a white t-shirt that stretched over his chest, with a few smears of soil on the fabric. He must have just come from his plant and garden shop, Emerald Blooms.
“Well, hello, ladies,” he grinned, looking at all of us. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Hi, Joe,” Rhie smiled shyly, and I watched Kiera elbow her.
“Where is Rose?” I asked, immediately alarmed.
“Relax, I left her with Deb. She's sound asleep after her lunch bottle.” Deborah, Joe's older store manager, had fallen in love with Rose the second she met her, and was one of the few people outside of me that Joe trusted with the little girl.
With that settled, he returned to charming the other girls. Joe, of course, knew the two Lunas and was probably familiar with Rhie as well, but he was still putting on the full flirtatious show. It made me scowl, but he didn't seem to notice, all of this attention on the other three women. He grabbed the chair I had vacated, turning it around so he was straddling it with his long, muscular legs, folding his arms on the back of it.
“How fortunate that all the most beautiful lady wolves in all of Crystal Creek just so happen to be at my favorite coffee shop,” he said. “You must be stalking me.”
“Ha, ha,” Kiera snorted, “We're here because we wanted to check up on Gwen. You know, our best friend, that you have kidnapped and whisked away to your giant house in the middle of the woods.”
“Is that so?” His gaze flickered to me, but only for a moment. “Did she tell you I'm on my best behavior?”
“Oh, please,” Nayeli said, shaking her head.
“You know what,” Joe said suddenly, reaching over and squeezing Nayeli's hand. “I've got a new variety of wildflowers blooming right now, and I would be honored if the Luna of Shadowbay would accept a sample.”
She brightened immediately, and I tried not to feel jealous. Then he turned his attention to Kiera. She'd worked for Joe for some time, but when Nayeli became Scott's wife and joined his pack, effectively quitting her job as Samson's assistant, Kiera had quit Emerald Blooms to help her husband with all the administrative stuff his cousin used to do.
“And for the Saltfang Luna...hm...” Joe had this annoyingly appealing sales tactic of matching people—actually, only women, now that I thought about it—with the perfect plant or flower. I was of the opinion that he was just bullshitting and picking a random plant, but it still made women giggle and blush.
He'd never done it for me, of course. Joe is so uninterested in me that he doesn't even bother with the fake flirting that the other girls got. I tried not to let it bother me, but it did. Like always.
“Let's see. Hibiscus, I think, is just the flower for you.”
“Why's that?”
“Because,” he grinned, “it's a little spicy. I've got some seeds for you, since I know you already have your own little garden at home.”
Kiera's eyebrows shot up, and I saw the slightest hint of pink appear on her cheeks. If Samson had been in the shop, Joe would have been a dead man. Joe, however, was focused entirely on Rhie, and my heart squeezed uncomfortably.
“You, Rhie,” he murmured, taking her hand. “Something delicate and lovely, hm? A snow-white Orchid, maybe. I have one that needs a little TLC, but something tells me that you're the right person to bring it back to full health.'
“Um, yes,” she whispered. “Thank you, Alpha.”
