Page 14 of Talk About… History

“Hello,” I answered back as I tried to look like I wasn’t staring. “Are you Cohen?”

He nodded and his smile grew, the pride in his business evident in his expression. This beta was adorable.

“It’s a beautiful shop. I’m going to peek around a bit,” I said, offering him an out as I snagged a cute silver basket and started at the first shelf.

The bulk on this side were different nut and granola mixes, the jars on the shelves above a various mix of jams and jellies. I snagged a seedless raspberry jam and a hot pepper jelly before moving on.

When I rounded the back wall, I found refrigerated displays with homemade butter and cream cheese mixes, the shelf next to it lined with breads from the local bakery to accompany it.

My basket grew heavier the longer I spent wandering the store, but I couldn’t stop myself. There were too many things I was dying to try. This beta had put more love and attention to detail into his products than I thought possible.

He even had spice mixes for dips and sauces, along with homemade popcorn salts. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a sucker for popcorn. I snagged at least three different ones, but only because I was running out of arm strength to carry my selections and had to hold myself back.

I frowned down at my basket as I reached the final shelf, realizing I had no choice but to stop. With one last longing look at the lotions, I turned, nearly screaming as Cohen stepped closer.

He reached out and caught my basket before I could topple, the scream catching in my throat.

His cheeks flamed red and his voice was even more quiet as he finally spoke.

“Sorry, I was coming to ask if you needed any help or wanted me to set this at the counter.”

“You just startled me a little, no worries,” I rushed out, my hand brushing his as I handed it over. My breath caught as the sweet citrus and herb scent hit me harder, my body reacting with a flood of heat. My heart was thudding like crazy in my chest, the omega in me perking right up.

His own eyes widened and he breathed in before his pupils dilated. He took an involuntary step forward as his skin flushed again.

“Oh my god,” he breathed out, while I had to bite back tears.

This reaction was different than anything I’d ever had. With my exes, the scent had me horny and wanting to climb them, this was something soul deep, an awakening, almost.

My body was on board, but so was my entire soul. Every inch of my body was focused on this man, from my attention, to my gaze. We were both locked in this strange stance, the basket the only thing between us.

“We’re mates,” he finally managed to get out.

“I guess we are,” I said, the panic starting to rise now that the initial shock was wearing off. He seemed to notice the change and stepped back, his words stuttering a bit now.

“We don’t have to, I can just,” He trailed off, panicking a bit now that I was.

“No, I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m just complicated and I don’t know how to process this.”

“How about I get all this up there and your order started. You finish looking and meet me up there. No strings, no awkward conversations yet, then I’ll leave you with my number. Use it if you want to, otherwise I’ll give you space.”

It was so fucking sweet that I nearly sobbed. Instead I nodded and blinked the tears away before spinning around. I barely registered what was on the shelf though, my body still on high alert.

Fuck, I needed out of here.

Yet, Cohen was so sweet I couldn’t bring myself to bolt. Instead I let him ring up everything I got, without making eye contact. He waited until I signed the receipt to hand over a card and finally meet my gaze.

“Thank you, Avery. I hope to hear from you soon,” he said gently. I took the business card with a shaky hand before gathering up my bags.

I was still in shock as I loaded the bags in my car. This was not how I expected my day to go.

What I needed was a distraction and time to process, so I headed for the coffee shop next, hoping the caffeine would help more than it would hurt.

As I sat at a booth in the back, trying to process, my fingers wrapped around the small card. I pulled it out and looked at the number a few seconds before entering it into my phone.

I wasn’t ready to send a message, but maybe later.

Leave it to me to find a mate in this tiny town, right after my massive breakup, with no real set future ahead of me.

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