Page 18 of Prayers for the Prickly

“And trust me when I say they like to talk,” a voice called from the opposite end of the table.

Uncle Mike leaned out and waved at me. He’d been one of the mates who’d really struggled with being overwhelmed around us and because of it, his early mating with my aunt Grace had been rocky and produced a number of tears, from both of them. Eventually, he’d come to realize that we were harmless. We just tended to live inside one another’s bubbles a lot, but never meddled. We were just each other’s closest friends and confidants. In fact, a few of my siblings had bemoaned the fact that the rest of us tended to side with their mate instead of them because we’d grown up with them and knew the irritating shit they could do.

“I’m not a talker,” Gregor said. “Not much of a listener, either, unless it’s to the wood that I’m looking to carve into sculptures, then I can listen just fine. My youngest brother tends to think I make a good sounding board, whatever that is. Most times his lips are moving while I’ve got earbuds in and music blaring, so I never know what the hell is going on.”

Uncle Lane chuckled at that. “At which point, I can see why he’d call you a good sounding board, he can say whatever he wants and vent away if something is pissing him off, and you won’t hear a word of it to ask him about later.”

I can see when the words and their meaning clicked for Gregor because he raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“Gotcha,” Gregor said. “In that case I’ll quit worrying about whatever the hell I missed and be thankful I don’t know what the hell he’s fussing about.”

“Exactly,” Aunt Maisy said. “He knows the earbuds are in when he starts talking to you, in fact, I’d bet he’s counting on you having them in so he can let loose.”

Again, Gregor’s eyebrow quirked up and this time the corner of his moustache went with it. Was he? Oh goddess, yes he was! My mate was smiling.

“You know,” he said in a slight drawl that I was just beginning to notice. “I’ve never stopped to think of it that way. Thanks for that. Pretty sure Olly would thank you to.”

“Olly?” Aunty Eunice said from just to the left of me. “Isn’t that the boy you’ve been mooning over, Ever?

“I’d swear that’s what the name of the boy was,” Uncle Gus said as he leaned back and made eye contact with Aunt Phillis, “that was his name, wasn’t it?”

“I think so,” Aunt Phillis said.

“Yes, his name is Olly,” Ever said, sighing heavily when everyone turned to look at him.

“What’s wrong, honey?” Mom asked. “Didn’t you tell me your date was amazing?”

“I thought it was, only I haven’t heard anything from Olly since,” Ever explained.

“It’s not you, it’s probably just another case of Olly’s Mom filling all of his free time with a never-ending list of things she needs him to do, which leaves him no time left for the thingshewants to do.”

“Not when he works in your shop, too,” I blurted.

“Exactly, and he’s amazing at what he does, but when he tried to do that around the farmstand, she would gratefully accept his help, but she wouldn’t compensate him for the time and effort he put in. Since he’s her kid, she expected free labor, even when free labor meant that Olly wouldn’t be able to save up the money he needed to move out. I tell you what, I’ll tell him to take an extra-long lunch tomorrow, that way he has a chance to contact you when he’s on my time and with my explicit instructions to do so, too, in case he runs into her while you’re talking.”

“Shit, seriously? Thanks, man,” Everett said.

“No problem, my brother needs more friends in his life.”

“And if it turns out we’re more than friends?” Ever asked as a collective hush fell around us.

Gregor just nodded, cocked his head and smirked at him. “In that case, this family would be bonded two ways instead of just one.”

Chapter 7

Gregor

“Whoa, you live here?”

I watched my mate’s eyes trail from the base of the converted lighthouse that I’d turned into my home. We’d decided to come here after supper, wanting time alone with the way our scents had intensified all through dinner. Bonding was going to have to come after mating, not that either of us cared. We just wanted to get our hands on one another.

“Yup.”

“Like, just you?”

“Just me, well, and occasionally Olly when he can’t stand staying at his mother’s house anymore,” I explained.

“I bet the view is amazing.”

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