Page 32 of Forget me Knot
“I have a lunch meeting now I can’t miss, so yeah, good.”
“Fair enough,” he murmurs. He shuffles on his feet for a moment, clearly debating whether to say something else, but lucky for us both, he doesn’t and backs out of the office, closingthe door behind him. Silence floods the room again. My eyes drift to the envelope taunting me from the edge of the desk. Mum’s matchmaking attempts have become more desperate lately, and it’s like she’s got some sixth sense that I’m losing my mind over an omega I know nothing about other than that she hooks up with my packmate. Or is that packmatesnow?
I boot up my laptop and try to lose myself in emails and spreadsheets, but thoughts of Lily’s bright green eyes and floral hair accessories invade my concentration, making it impossible to focus on bank statements and client requests. I slam my laptop shut and sigh. Reaching for the envelope, I rip it open and find a dossier on omegas that Mum thinks might be suitable.
They aren’t.
Not a single one grabs my attention in the looks department. Not that they aren’t pretty or attractive, but they don’t hold a candle, or should that be a flower, to Lily Bloom.
I toss the dossier aside, more frustrated than before. It’s like Mum’s trying to fix us up with some catalogue bride.
When lunchtime finally rolls around,Sam has messaged that he and Jack are waiting for me at the cafe around the corner. I drag myself there, feeling the weight of this conversation already weighing down on me. Sam and Jack are sitting at an outside table, bickering over something pointless, no doubt. I pull out a chair and sit down, glaring at them both.
“Right, lads,” I start, not in the mood for pleasantries. “We need to talk.”
Jack sighs but doesn’t look annoyed—more resigned. “Sam says your mum is getting ideas again.”
“No shit,” I snap, then think better of it and soften my tone a bit. Being a prick won’t help me here. “We need to decide what we’re doing about an omega before she decides for us.”
Sam opens his mouth to protest, but I interrupt him by holding up my hand. “I know, but shut the fuck up, okay? You know what she’s like. She will have us in a mating bond before we know which way is up if we give her any sort of opening. We three need to get our fucking act together and stop pissing about. Are there any candidates you want to put forward? Any at all?”
Silence.
Sam leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
Jack glowers at the pavement, his face as dark as a winter night.
“That a no, then?” I ask, my tone as off-putting as fuck. Even I can hear it.
Sam glares at Jack, and I read between the lines. Sam is like me. On the outside with this omega who has got Jack tangled up like one of those vine things he insisted on creeping up the side of the farmhouse. It’s time to put him on the spot.
“Jack. You know we are a pack and that any omega we agree on will be for the pack. This isn’t a single-pairing deal. It’s four of us together. Do you have a problem with that all of a sudden?”
His gaze snaps to mine, and he gives me a withering glare that could kill a house plant. “No, I don’t have a problem with that all of a sudden.”
“So, what’s the issue, then?”
“Yeah, Jack,” Sam pipes up, suddenly all interested. “What’s the issue, then?”
I roll my eyes at him. He can be such a tool sometimes.
“No issue,” Jack grits out.
I study Jack’s face, searching for any sign that he’s going to come clean. His jaw is clenched, and he’s avoiding eye contact. That’s enough of a tell. He’s definitely not going to be honestabout her, so that gives me only one option. To forget about her and move forward.
“No issue, my arse,” I mutter.
Jack’s eyes flash with frustration. “I told you, there’s no issue.”
“Then why the secrecy?” I snap. “Why are you both acting like I’m the enemy here?”
Sam raises his hands defensively. “Whoa, don’t drag me into this. I’m just trying to help out wherever I’m needed.”
“Bullshit,” I growl. “We’re supposed to be a pack. We share everything. You two have been off doing your own thing and leaving me in the dark. It’s not right.” I hear my complaint, my whinge more like, and wince inwardly, but I guess I’m feeling more left out than I originally thought.
Jack’s shoulders slump slightly, and he rubs the back of his neck. “It’s not like that, Max. There’s just a lot going on.”
“Then talk to me,” I insist. “If there’s something going on, we need to handle it together, and we need to decide what we’re doing about an omega before my mother decides for us.”
