Page 4 of Marcello
I shook my head and pointed to a table on the other side of the restaurant. “Let’s sit over there,” I said. We were closeenough to Cole’s table that he heard me and looked up. His eyes widened briefly before he turned back to his date. She kept talking as Lewis and I went to the other side of the dining area and sat at one of the little tables against the windows. This was about as far away from the alphahole—because that’s now who he certainly was to me—that I could get while still being in the same restaurant.
Once we were settled, Lewis gave me a look. I sighed and leaned closer to whisper. “See that alpha over there? The blond one with the long-haired brunette?”
Lewis moved his eyes just enough to look, something I was thankful for because he got it. It would be incredibly obvious if he turned his entire head to look.
“Yeah. What about him?”
I rubbed my hand down my face, irritated with myself. “I’ve been dating him. He’s not my mate, but we were having fun spending time together. I thought we were seeing only each other though.”
“Ah. So he’s a jerk? Do you want me to zap him with magic?”
I snorted. It was possible that she was his mate, but I wouldn’t think so. I’d been out with Cole just this week on Tuesday. If she were his mate, I wouldn’t think that he’d be out in public with her so soon. But maybe?
“It’s possible she’s his mate, but he and I went out on Tuesday, and although we got a little hot in the make-out session, that was the extent of things, and maybe he’s decided to try elsewhere?” I shrugged. I sat up when they brought our tray of food to us. “Thanks,” I said to the teenager. Immediately, I recognized him as Monroe’s brother-in-law. He lived with him up on Treasure Ridge, and I guess he was working here.
“No problem,” he told us before he took the number and went back to the front of the restaurant. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket but ignored it. There was nobody I needed to talk toright now, and my strawberry shake was calling to me. I grabbed it first, and after jamming the straw in, I started sucking. Those first few draws were tough, but once you got the ice cream to the top, it was easygoing.
“You didn’t close today?” I asked.
“Naw, Beau did. I close tomorrow and the next five days after that. We take turns. One opens, the other closes. I keep telling him I’ll do both since he has a mate and family now, but he won’t listen. Some days, I force the issue and he gives in, but most of them, he’s stubborn, and we both end up doing both. I keep telling him if nothing else, I’ll open since his mornings are busier, but I get it, he came here specifically to run the bakery, and he wants to be there doing things.”
My phone vibrated again, and then again. I realize it had to be text messages, so I pulled it out, saw Cole’s name on the little window, and rolled my eyes. I set the phone face down on the table and picked my shake back up. The phone vibrated against the table, and Lewis looked at it in question.
“It’s…” I tilted my head to the right, in the direction of Cole.
“Ah. Yeah, no.”
I smiled as I picked up a french fry and shoved it in my mouth. The phone kept vibrating, and I shook my head as Lewis glared at it. “I can turn it off.”
“Naw. What does he have to say though? Because I’m about to go over and embarrass him in front of everyone if he doesn’t stop. Well, not if you actually want to see him again.”
I shook my head, then handed Lewis my phone after unlocking it. He sat there and read the messages, snorting every so often. “He’s whining.” I rolled my eyes at that. I absolutely did not expect this from him. “She asked him out, he said yes, he didn’t think you would show up.”
“What a jerk. He could have said no?” I said. “Just turn the phone off. Or block his number. I’m done with him. Thatlast part is enough. He was happy to go out with her, thinking I wouldn’t find out. Yeah, no. I don’t want to play games. We aren’t mates. I’m good with not putting up with that from someone who isn’t my mate.” I ate another fry and then another.
Lewis typed something on my phone and held it up. I smiled and nodded, and Lewis hit Send. I looked to my right, not caring if anyone realized I was staring at Cole now. He checked his phone, then met my gaze. I smirked at him, then went back to eating my food. “No loss, really,” I told Lewis. It would suck to spend my upcoming heat alone, but it wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last. I could take the suppressors, but they always made me feel terrible overall, and I didn’t care for that.
“Had you been seeing him long?”
“Not really. A few months. He was always nice and a complete gentleman. I thought we were seeing only each other though. But really, it’s not like I really lost anything.” I leaned in closer. “I was going to take things to that next step this weekend, so I’m glad I found out now before I did that with him.”
Lewis’s eyes widened. “Oh. Yeah, I…we don’t…”
I nodded. “Yeah, I get that. But you always find your mates super early, right?”
Lewis nodded. “Yeah, me not so much. Not that I’m old or anything. I’m twenty-four, but still.”
“No, we usually have our mates by then. But I’m not so sure when we’re here. I hope I’m not kept waiting for decades to have my mate.” Lewis sighed and got a dreamy look on his face. “I wonder if there are any unmated dragons around or joining the council anytime soon? I really want a tall mate.”
I chuckled. Lewis was about the same height as I was. A dragon would be at least a foot taller than us. “I don’t care what my mate is,” I said quietly. “I just want to find him someday.” The sooner, the better. I had a good life here, but everyone around me was finding their mates. I wanted that too. It hadbeen a long time since I’d been brought to the council. I had done a whole lot of healing, and the thought of having that protective alpha to take care of me and dote on me like I’d seen from all of the other mated couples…yeah, I wanted that.
“What are your plans for the weekend?” Lewis asked.
I glanced over at Cole. “I’m not sure, actually. I was supposed to go out tomorrow and was hoping to have breakfast Sunday morning with him. I have the weekend off, so who knows.”
“Well, if you’re up for it, I’m making strawberry delight for the bakery.”
I blinked at Lewis. “Seriously? Don’t tease me.” I’d had it. Once. It wasn’t something he made often, and I understood why. Lewis, of course, used magic for everything, but they rotated the menu to keep things fresh. But Lewis’s strawberry delight was so incredibly yum. And it went fast. “When? I’ll be there. Just tell me when?”
