Page 31 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

Ashton stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets and nodded. “Sure. What are we gonna do?”

“I thought I might give you a tour of Harbor Mills. I figured you guys have probably been too busy for your mom to show you around. Might even drive by the high school, show you whereyour mom and I first started dating. After that, we can sort of wing it. Is that good with you, Avery?”

“Sounds cool,” Ashton said.

“That sounds like a wonderful afternoon,” I said. “Text when you’re on the way back. I might head to the store while you’re gone. Maybe I’ll see you two while you’re out and about.”

“Okay, then let’s get going,” Cole said, waving for Ashton to join him.

My son bounded down the front step after Cole. As they walked away from me, side by side, I almost slid to the floor at the sight of them together. They were so similar. The afternoon light outlined them—they had the same broad shoulders, the same cocky swagger, and the same dark hair. It was almost like watching Cole, the old and the young, striding out of my dreams.

Then, they got into the truck and drove off, both of them waving to me through the windshield. Knowing that a piece of my heart was driving away with the man who’d stolen that very same heart almost two decades ago was almost too much to bear. Before I could dissolve into tears, I grabbed my things and headed for the garage. Errands would help keep my mind off it all. Or so I hoped.

My first stop was the hardware store. The house was in desperate need of some upgrades. I’d already started a list that included new towel and toilet paper holders, a faucet to replace the thing that was right out of the ’70s, and a few boxes of light bulbs.

The Harbor Mills General Store was more of a hardware and feed store than a true general store, and it had managed to survive the arrival of bigger brand-name stores nearby. I couldhave gone to one of those, but it didn’t appeal to me. Something about Harbor Mills made it feel like youhadto shop at the old places. Maybe it was nostalgia, but either way, I pulled into the parking lot and headed inside, ready to spend money in what was, in my mind, a local landmark.

The selection wasn’t as good as larger hardware stores, but I found everything I needed. My cart held the fixtures that I thought would look good in the house, and I was trying to decide which of the four faucets on display was the one I wanted, when a voice spoke up behind me.

“Hey there. You’re the new lady in town?”

By the grace of God, I managed not to flinch or scream in fright. The guy was only a few inches from my ear. Spinning, I took an instinctive step back. The guy was a shifter—that much was obvious from the aura he gave off—but unlike most, he was not an attractive person. A balding man in his early to mid-forties stared back at me with rheumy blue eyes.

I had to force myself not to take a second step backward or to shudder. The man was ugly beyond belief—there was no kinder way to say it. His nose was squashed and crooked as though it had been broken multiple times. He wasn’t fat so much asbulkyin a strange way, muscular but lumpy and oddly shaped. The thick ears and droopy earlobes didn’t take my attention away from the crooked, yellowing teeth grinning back at me.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“Name’s Kyle Alexander. Didn’t mean to startle a pretty little thing like you. My apologies,” he said, putting a thick-fingered hand to his chest, then ran his other hand through the few sprigs of pale red hair that remained on his nearly bald head.

“Okay,” I said, frowning deeply at him and moving another half-step back. “I don’t think we know each other.”

He chuckled, but the sound reminded me more of heels dragging through gravel than of laughter. “That’s true. Smart one, you are,” he said, pointing at me. “It’s sort of my job to know things, you see. I’m actually a friend of Mr. Garrett. I’d heard an old friend of his might be back in town and thought I’d say hello.”

This man had the charm of a rattlesnake, and something about him made my skin crawl.Thiswas a friend of Cole’s? What kind of people had he been hanging out with for the last fifteen years?

“You know Cole?” I asked in disbelief.

He nodded, straightening his dress shirt. “I do. We’re more business partners than anything else. Me and his family go wayback.”

“I see.” I did not see. At all. My family also went way back in Harbor Mills, and I would have remembered this slimeball, even if only to be sure to avoid him.

“I see, too,” Kyle said. He didn’t even try to hide the leer as he swept his eyes up my body. “I see why Cole’s been sniffing around. Mighty nice prize you are.”

“I’m not a prize, buddy,” I snapped. “Maybe keep your eyes to yourself unless you want to lose one.”

“I like that,” Kyle said, nodding and rubbing a hand across his paunchy belly. “Shows fire and passion.” He leaned forward, and I caught the sharp scent of whisky on his breath. “Wonder where else you might show fire and passion. Bedroom? Maybe the shower or bathtub?”

“Goodbye,” I hissed, and pushed my cart past him. I was not going to stand there and listen to this pervert any longer.

“Bye-bye,” he called as I hurried to the register. “Tell Cole I said hi, and let him know I’ll be coming for what’s mine soon.”

“Tell him yourself!” I shouted over my shoulder.

I still needed lightbulbs and a faucet, but I had no desire to stay in the store any longer than necessary. My skin wanted to crawl off my body as I recalled how the creep’s eyes had slid across me and his suggestion that I would be passionate in the bedroom. I could practically see all the things he was imagining doing to me, and I shuddered at the mere thought of it.

Out in the parking lot, I glanced around, ensuring the man wasn’t around before heading to my car and unloading. The thought of that man and Cole having drinks over some business contract made me sick. No matter what the guy said, I didn’t think he was friends with Cole. Regardless of how much had changed over the years, people tended not to change enough to rub elbows with someone like that.

I’d bring it up with Cole when I saw him later. A nagging voice at the back of my mind told me he’d want to know about some creeper walking around town, saying they were buds. I had no clue who this Kyle guy was, but everything about him screamed bad news.

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