Page 18 of Omega's Midlife Love
Chapter 8 - Alan
Ithanked my final guest, then breathed a sigh of relief when I heard the door close behind them.
The dinner party had gone better than I’d expected, but not as well as I’d hoped. It was clear from my guests’ demeanor that they’d heard the rumors that continued to hound me, but at least they were less openly hostile about it. Some part of me prayed that they were giving me an honest chance, rather than believing the lies.
I trudged towards the kitchen, wanting to spend a few minutes talking to my omega.
I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when I’d started thinking of David as mine, hell he still called me Mr. Beischel. But just being around him soothed me. Baring my pain to him only hours earlier had been amazingly cathartic, even if it terrified me to show such weakness.
Mine or not, I needed him in my life.
The kitchen was still a hub of activity; the servers scraping plates and stacking them near the sink while David packaged up the extra portions to send with them. It was just one of the little things I’d discovered about him. He always made a couple extra portions in the event of an unexpected arrival or that a guest wasn’t satisfied with their plate for whatever reason, but at the end of the evening he sent the extras home with the hired servers as appreciation for a job well done.
Maybe my old chefs had done the same, and I’d never noticed.
When I’d asked him about it the first time I saw it happen, he’d laughed and told me that servers remember the good tippers, and take care of the people who take care of them. Sure, they were getting a higher wage for the evening, plus a tip, but he said that he could still treat them to a bit of food. It made their lives easier that night. They didn’t have to go home and make something, or order takeout. And in the long run it made hiring event staff easier for me because there would be people wanting to work for me, rather than trying to avoid it.
It just added to my admiration of him. David was a kind and generous soul who’d never let his struggles weigh him down.
My housekeeper swooped in and took a spot at the sink to start washing dishes, while the servers returned to the patio for one last sweep for anything they needed to bring in.
I perched on one of the stools and watched as everybody worked. Part of me thought to offer assistance, but I honestly had no idea where to start.
The servers finished, and David handed them their meals while Victor gave each a tip. They were all smiles as they left, and I chuckled as they discussed stopping at one of the bars for a drink.
David glanced over at me and nodded when our eyes met.
I smiled. My omega understood that I wanted a few minutes with him. He turned to help the housekeeper with the remainder of the dishes, then grabbed a pen and paper as she left, preparing to inventory what was on hand before deciding if he needed to shop the next day or not.
However, as soon as we were alone, I found that I had nothing to say. I couldn’t tell him that I just wanted to be near him for a few minutes before he went home.
“Is there anything you want tomorrow?” he asked after a few minutes.
“Something easy for you,” I said. “You worked hard tonight.”
He chuckled. “Nothing I’m not used to.”
“Regardless, I think an easy day for you is in order.”
“I think I can handle that,” he laughed.
I motioned to the other stool. “Have a seat.”
He eyed it momentarily. “Are you sure you don’t want me out of your hair? I’d thought you’d want to call it a night.”
I did want to settle in for the evening, but with him nestled in my embrace, not watching him walk through the door again.
“I wanted to thank you,” I said.
He cocked his head. “For what? I didn’t do anything different today.”
I smiled. “No, you did. You let me get a lot off my chest. I was able to enjoy the party much more than I had the prior ones.”
He ducked his head, the barest pink of a blush tinting his cheeks. “All I did was listen.”
“And it was exactly what I needed.”
He looked up again and our eyes met. “I like talking to you, Mr. Beischel.”
