9. Lars
9
LARS
The tension was so thick in the house, hanging in the air like a tangible thing, that it was a relief when we walked out the front door. I took a deep breath, the slightly salty tinge to the air clearing my mind.
Finn was pissed at Easton. For good reason. I loved Easton, but he could bulldoze over the people in his life. Sometimes it was the necessary push we needed to do something, but this time he had overplayed his hand. Finn’s face was fixed in a permanent scowl, but his expression masked the deep hurt I knew he was feeling. Finn had been heartbroken when his grandparents died. He hadn’t been back to the lighthouse since his grandpa passed, and now he was returning, but not on his terms.
I clasped his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, trying to lend him some support, but his body remained rigid. I removed my hand with a sigh.
What could have possessed Easton to bid on the grant? Historic restoration jobs were competitive, but we weren’t hurting for money. Besides, Easton was the worst person in the world with a budget. Last week, he’d come home from his now-frequent market trips with four types of name-brand ice cream. No, this move had been motivated by something else .
Finn trudged slightly behind me, as if he were being led to his execution.
I wasn’t thrilled Easton had pulled this either—we were supposed to be a team, and he had decided without us. But I loved the lighthouse and was excited about this project. I had happy memories there, of visiting Fredrik and Carina, and there was no one more qualified to do this restoration than my brothers and me. Certainly not anyone who cared as much as we did.
For all of Finn’s anger, he never would have been happy with anyone else doing this restoration. He was too lost in his grief to have willingly applied, but he would have been heartbroken to know someone else was doing the job. And in that way, Easton had given him a gift.
We turned the bend and the lighthouse came into view, stretching high to the sky. There was a slightly rusted bike leaning against the cottage, and I recognized it as the one I had learned to ride on. Shit, that was over two decades ago. There were new flowers in the flower boxes under the windows, and the tension in my chest eased. I didn’t know anything about the new lighthouse keeper, but they were taking care of the house, and that mattered to me.
Easton was practically vibrating in anticipation as he waited for us to catch up to him at the front door. He beamed at me before knocking.
I strained my ear to see if I heard any rustling or movement from inside, but there was nothing.
A few tense moments passed, and Easton knocked again.
Still no response.
Finn huffed, arms crossed. “Glad to see how seriously she takes this.”
Easton’s smile fell. “Maybe she just got the times mixed up. Or she could be around the back?”
The three of us walked around the cottage to the lighthouse entrance, but the door was closed. I could feel Finn’s rising agitation.
“Maybe today isn’t the right day,” I said, glancing between a crestfallen Easton and an angry Finn. “We can arrange to come back another…” I trailed off as Finn spun around and stormed back to town.
“Her phone number isn’t on the information form we got,” Easton said. “But maybe she’s in town and just lost track of time. I’m going to go see.”
Before I could say anything, he was already jogging back down the path.
Well, that went about as poorly as expected.
I didn’t have it in me to follow my brothers, so I headed down to the beach. We’d been so busy the past year with restoration projects that I’d barely had time to just be . Every step closer to the water soothed me—the sound of the waves, the salt in the air. The coast was rocky here, but still beautiful.
My booted feet hit the hard-packed sand as I strode down to a little cove I used to go to when I was younger. Except, as I approached, I saw someone else sitting on the large, flat rock. As I got closer, I realized it was a woman. She wore a large charcoal gray sweater, her arms tight around her bent knees. Even under the sweater, I could see how deliciously curved she was. I clenched my jaw. I was not going to be a creep and approach this woman with a hard-on. I turned around to leave when I caught a hint of it on the wind—pumpkin spice. I whirled back around, my heart pounding so hard I could barely stay upright.
She was here. The omega from all those years ago.
And she was staring at me.
A strangled sound I was sure I had never made before emerged from me, and she bit her lip, looking anxious.
Fuck.
I needed to get my shit together. Put her at ease.
“Hey there!” I said with a chipper wave.
Hey there??? What the fuck was that? And why was I waving like I’d only just discovered I had arms?
“Um, hello,” she said softly.
She didn’t look like she was going to run away—at least not yet—so I continued my slow walk towards her. The closer I got, the more I could see how perfect she was. Her dark brown hair was a mess in the ocean breeze. Her bangs framed her dark eyes and golden skin. My eyes flitted to her plump pink lips before I ripped them away and forced myself to look out at the ocean.
I swung my arms at my side. “Nice waves we’re having today.”
Fucking kill me.
Now I was the one about to run away in fear. I was making the worst possible first impression on the perfect omega who had only been the sole focus of my dreams for the past six years.
A smile tugged at her lips. “Yes, very nice waves.”
I couldn’t stop staring at that little curve of her lips. It wrecked me. Destroyed me. Any other goal in life I’d ever had was gone and was now replaced with the need to see this omega smile every day for the rest of my life.
I cleared my throat. “I’m Lars.” I stepped close enough to extend my hand. Her small one slipped into mine, and a wave of calm washed over me. Then I frowned. “Your hand is freezing.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “They’re always cold.”
My alpha hated that. I quickly took off my light jacket, wishing I’d brought mittens…and a hat, scarf, and blanket.
The omega’s mouth fell open as I wrapped my jacket around her.
“Oh, you don’t need to do that.” She went to take the jacket off, and I stilled her hand.
“Tuck your hands under the jacket.” I tried to keep my tone light, but her slight shiver told me I’d failed. “If you want,” I added in an awkward mumble.
There was a pink tinge to her cheeks as she tucked her hands under my coat. “Thanks.” She chewed her lip, looking uncertain for a moment before she spoke again. “Do you want to sit down?”
The rock she was sitting on was a pretty good size, but I would still crowd her on it.
I sat down.
My thigh pressed against her leg, and I held my breath to see if she would move away or show any other signs of discomfort.
“I’m Olive, by the way.” She was looking out at the water but didn’t seem uncomfortable.
It would be so easy to put my arm around her. Pull her into my lap. Of course I wouldn’t, but I could imagine how soft and perfect she would feel against me.
“Are you here for vacation?” I asked.
“No. I’m actually the new lighthouse keeper.”
God, if I had more than one functioning brain cell in her presence, this would have been obvious. Everything was making sense now. Olive was the woman Easton had been secretly obsessed with, the reason he’d applied for this job. I’m sure he was convinced we would all fall in love with Olive the moment we met her, and he would be fucking correct.
“I should have guessed that,” I said.
She met my gaze, surprise on her face. “Yeah? I feel like most people don’t think an omega is the right person to run a lighthouse.”
I shrugged. “Don’t know what designation has to do with it.”
I was rewarded with a real smile, and I swear my heart skipped a beat.
I meant it. Of course omegas could do anything they wanted. My sister and moms proved that. But the idea of her being isolated from town in the lighthouse put my alpha on edge.
“I’m actually one of the guys on the restoration team.”
Her smile disappeared and she turned back to the waves. “Oh, right. Did you come looking for me so I could unlock the door?”
Her scent soured with something like shame and I fucking hated it. I couldn’t stop myself from putting my hand on her shoulder.
“Nah, I came out here because I didn’t really feel like working today.”
She kept her face hidden.
Shit.
“Was there a reason you weren’t there?” I asked gently.
She shrugged. “I’m sorry. We can reschedule.”
“Hey,” I said, gently touching her face and tilting her chin towards me. “I’m not upset.”
Her eyes met mine—deep and dark. “I’m not good with strangers in my space,” she whispered.
My heart ached. Olive was shy . Of course it would be overwhelming to move to a new place and have three alphas immediately in her space.
“Good thing I’m not a stranger now.”
She swallowed hard, but her scent turned sweet again.
“And I think you’ve already met my packmate, Easton?”
The blush on her cheeks was back. “We don’t really know each other,” she said. “I’ve just seen him at the market.”
I couldn’t stop a grin from spreading across my face. Another mystery solved. Easton must really care about her if he had tried this hard to restrain himself. It made sense, though. Olive was skittish. I could picture her leaping into the ocean and turning into a mermaid if she got overwhelmed.
And I’d fucking follow her. Even if it meant drowning.