Page 31 of Sunshine

“I am right.” She sounded smug. “I want you to be nicer to yourself.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I liked this bossy side of her. She could boss me around any time she wanted.

“You know, speaking of your pack, you guys really are allowed to use the facilities any time you want.” She gestured at the grounds we were taking a slow walk around. “Sauna, spa, you name it. I told Logan, but I wanted to remind you.”

“A spa day sounds nice,” I said, wondering how Julian would handle the strange smells. He didn’t like most spas because he didn’t like the scent of other people when he was trying to unwind.

“Even the matchmaking services.” She looked at me out of the corner of her eye, before continuing cheerfully. “If you guys want to be put into the system and see what kind of matches you have, you can do it any time.”

“Thank you. Logan did say we were welcome to that.” I grinned, trying to soften the blow. “But I’m afraid we’re too set in our ways to be good for matchmaking.”

I didn’t want her to feel like we didn’t appreciate what she was doing for other packs. But when I thought of the endless, tedious matching process, of going on first date after first date only to reject each hopeful person, I wanted to crawl in a hole.

“That’s fine,” she said, her voice sounding strained. “I just wanted to remind you.”

“It’s incredible, what you’re doing,” I said quickly. I hoped I hadn’t offended her. “The algorithm Ember and Terran invented is amazing. You’re all helping people find their forever packs, using crystals and other energy methods to do it. This whole place has me in a better mood just being here.” I gestured at the rolling fields around us.

“Thank you.” She gave me a quick smile, but the teasing smirk was gone. “We’ve worked really hard.”

“And of course, the company can’t be beat.” I touched her shoulder.

“Thanks.” She smiled at me again, but it wasn’t as open as before. I wouldn’t have noticed, if she hadn’t spent the afternoonlooking at me like I was something special. “I should get back to work before Raina comes and hunts me down.”

I bit back my instant reply that Raina would have to fight me. “Right. I didn’t mean to bother your workday.”

“You didn’t,” she said quickly. “You’re always welcome to come over.”

I nodded. “I might take you up on that, you know, so I hope you mean it.”

“Of course.” Now she had a soft look on her face.

We reached the Welcome Center too soon. Far too soon for me to figure out if I had offended her, or it was something else.

Logan was right. She wasn’t ready. I’d flirted a lot today, hopefully giving her some idea of my feelings. If I could just be patient and not drag her back to my cave, she would come to trust me and my pack in time.

But I wasn’t a patient person, not with the thought of Sunshine running around in the world without my scent and bite to protect her.

I shoved the alpha caveman back into the box and drove away, pleased and frustrated in equal measure.

Chapter 10

Sunshine

The day of the First Responders' Festival was clear and beautiful. At a cool seventy degrees with a breeze, it was the perfect day for the festival. The air smelled sweet and woodsy.

One of the local fields hosted the event, and it was set out as one long winding maze of booths, tents, and tables. There was a small petting zoo, food trucks near the picnic area, and tents showcasing everything from local microbreweries to homemade jams.

We got there early to set up our own booth. Zephyr and Raina were in charge of the actual white tent, while me and Ember worked on the awning, the table set-up, and the pamphlets.

Stella had brought her pack, and Simon, Evan, and Jerrick were helping her with the crystal display. Crystals were an easy draw for the crowds, and in addition to the cost of admission, we donated the proceeds to the First Responders’ Charity.

West, Ember’s male omega partner, helped organize the intake papers. West and Ember had been together since they were teenagers, and he made Logan look like a chatterbox.

If people wanted, we’d ask them questions about their preferences for partners, and get them set up in the databaselater. Ember and West would be manning that station while Raina and Zephyr talked about corporate retreats and rentals on the grounds. Luna had her essential oils set up, and I had my event books so people could see the previous gala we’d done. Terran helped wherever we needed an extra set of hands.

“Hey babe, what’s shaking?” Julian smiled at me as he walked over to our tent. All sense left my head when I saw him in his shorts and t-shirt with the fire department’s insignia on it. His hair was pulled into a manbun, and he wore flip flops.

“Hi.” I walked over, drawn to him.

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