Page 14 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas
"It's already warmer down here," she said, unwrapping herself from the jacket for the first time since I'd arrived. "Thank you. Really. I know this was supposed to be about customer service, but it feels personal."
"Maybe because it is personal."
The admission slipped out before I could stop it. We stared at each other for a moment, the weight of that acknowledgment hanging between us.
"Rhett…"
"I’m all done for the day," I said, cutting her off before she could say whatever she was planning to say. "I should head back to the shop."
"Of course. Yes. Thank you again, for the heating and the pastries and..." She gestured vaguely. "Everything."
I gathered my tools and headed for the stairs, hyperaware of her following behind me. At the top, I paused, hand on the door handle.
"Willa?"
"Yeah?"
"Welcome to Hollow Haven. For real this time."
I left before she could respond, but I caught the small smile that crossed her face. Like maybe, for the first time since she'd arrived, someone had made her feel like staying might not be the worst idea she'd ever had.
Chapter 7
Willa
One week into working at Pine & Pages, I was starting to think I might actually be able to do this. Build something that looked like a normal life in a place where people seemed determined to be kind despite my obvious reluctance to let them.
The heating system was working perfectly thanks to Rhett's repairs yesterday, which meant I could finally take off the jacket I'd been using as armor against both the cold and curious looks. Hollis had complimented my work with the weekend inventory, and even the customers seemed to appreciate that I could recommend books without trying to oversell them on things they didn't want.
It felt almost... peaceful. Like maybe I could disappear here in the best possible way, becoming part of the background instead of constantly having to perform or defend or explain myself.
Which, of course, was exactly when Mrs. Vaughn decided to make her presence known.
I was organizing the new releases display when she approached, moving with the kind of purposeful energy that suggested this wasn't a casual book browsing visit. She was an older omega, probably in her seventies, with silver hair pulled back in a precise bun and the kind of clothes that suggested she'd been the height of fashion sometime in the 1990s and saw no reason to change now.
"You must be the new girl," she said, looking me up and down with obvious assessment. "Ida Vaughn. I've been coming here since Hollis opened the store."
"Willa," I replied, forcing a smile. "Can I help you find anything?"
"Oh, I'm not here for books today. I'm here for information."
The way she said it made me immediately wary. In my experience, people who announced they were collecting information rarely had benign intentions.
"What kind of information?"
"About you, dear. You're quite the topic of conversation around town. New omega, living alone. People are curious."
I felt my carefully constructed composure start to crack. "I'm sure they are."
"Now, don't get defensive. It's natural for a community to want to know about newcomers, especially young omegas who might be... in need of guidance."
"I'm not in need of guidance," I said, keeping my voice level with effort. "But thank you for the concern."
"Of course, dear. Though I have to say, living alone at your age, working instead of focusing on pack formation and proper nesting behaviors... it's quite unconventional."
"Unconventional isn't illegal."
"No, but it's not healthy either. Omegas need structure, dear. Community support. The kind of guidance that comes from older, more experienced members of our designation."
