Searching For His Omega - Harper B. Cole Page 0,36

finished my first coffee.”

He sat opposite and pushed an espresso toward me. “Though you might need something stronger.”

“Nah. I’m limiting myself to one coffee a day. But thanks.”

“Got something on your mind, boss?” It was weird him calling me that ‘cause he was older by at least twenty years. But when I’d mentioned it, he said it was what he preferred. He checked his phone. “We have ten minutes.” He pushed a plate of ginger cookies toward me.

“Love, Charlie. You can’t live without it, but it’s not easy living with it.” I nibbled a cookie and then scarfed the rest of it. So good!

Charlie threw the espresso down his throat. “So it’s love, is it? With you and TV guy?” Chet had raved over Charlie’s chocolate cherry biscotti, and the older man had given him a box to take home. Chet’s home. Not mine or ours, but his, which was far away.

I wanted that alpha in my kitchen dropping crumbs everywhere, and me telling him to sweep them up.

“It is. But I haven’t said the L word yet.”

“Why not? You let him leave without telling him?” He shook his head and imagined him saying, “Young people today,” to his husband when he got home.

“Well, I sort of did but…”

“Either you did or you didn’t, boss. There isn’t any in between.”

“We messaged one another.”

Charlie slapped his brow. “Not a message, boss. He has to hear it from your lips.”

He’s going to give up on me when he hears what I’m going to say next. “My text was about dancing.”

He screwed up his face as I ripped a napkin to shreds. “Is that code for something?” he asked.

Now I’d said it out loud it did sound ridiculous. “We danced one night at my place and in the rose garden, though he was a bit crap at the waltz. But his hips…” My voice trailed off as I fanned myself with another napkin and licked around my mouth, catching crumbs.

“So, will we be getting a new manager for the café or is the dancing man going to give up the glamorous life and settle here?” He stood up and adjusted the dish towel over his shoulder. “I love this town, but it’d be a big adjustment for Chet.”

“Mmmm.”

“Paul, have you checked the date pinwheels?” Charlie yelled. “I heard the timer.”

“On it,” the young apprentice answered.

“You have a choice, boss. Talk to your alpha and work this out, or you risk muddling through the next days and weeks hoping one of you makes the sacrifice and moves. If it doesn’t work out, you keep going. But trust me, you don’t want to look back and have regrets.”

“You remind me of Amanda, my therapist,” I told his retreating back.

“Well, she is one damn smart lady taking after me.” He cackled as he went into the kitchen.

I didn’t want to put it off. We had to have the talk. “Bart,” I said to the barista behind the counter. “Can you open up? I have to make a phone call.”

Going up the stairs was harder than before I was pregnant, and I was puffing when I reached my apartment. I took a moment to catch my breath and sip a mouthful of water. Still not ready. Peering out the window that overlooked the rose garden, I pictured what it would look like when the flowers bloomed. Not the only thing blossoming, I thought as I rubbed my belly.

“Let’s do this.” I wanted to hear his voice, but this was scary. And a huge step. What if he demanded I leave my job? No, he wouldn’t do that. Ask. Suggest. Hint. Yeah, those words. But that would force me into making a choice, and I might say, “No.”

Twenty-Four

Chet

The reshoot was bullshit. There was nothing wrong with the footage. The network was trying to squeeze an extra episode out of me after hearing about the stupid festival and there was jack shit I could do about it.

“I’m so sorry.” Glann handed me a cup of crappy coffee, because as cute as this stupid little grilled cheese place was, their coffee was awful. Beyond awful. I wasn’t sure it even qualified as coffee.

Fair to say I was a little bit grumpy.

“I really didn’t know. You have to believe me.”

“I do. I just hate it.” It was one thing to take advantage of me, but to lie about it. it wasn’t like they didn’t have me bent over with the contract I signed as it was. “I love him.”

“I thought so.”