61. Olive
61
OLIVE
I was bundled up on the couch in front of the fire. It was my first time leaving my nest since my heat started… well, besides my beach adventure. My muscles were sore and my emotions were raw as I rode the waves of hormones still surging through me, but I could feel my alphas through the bond, sending pulses of love and care to me. An unshakeable sense of calm filled me from head to toe.
Felix had braved coming back inside and was curled up on my lap while my guys cleaned up the nest and got us food. Lars had gotten my phone for me and I turned it on for the first time in days. I blinked when I saw 142 unread texts. Holy shit. Almost all of them were from the omega group chat. I scrolled back to catch up on everything I missed.
There was a barrage of texts telling me not to worry because they had the lighthouse shifts under control and to have so much fun. Summer had sent a long series of dirty emojis that made me smile. I skimmed through the texts until I got to the ones from today.
Lucy
Did you hear Stanley’s announcement? Most of the shops on Main Street don’t have power after the storm and it looks like the Harvest Festival will be canceled
Summer
Oh no, really? Is your shop ok?
Lucy
Shop’s fine. No power but also no damage, so I’m relieved. But I’m so sad about the festival. I know we make fun of Stanley but I actually love it
Ivy
Me too. And I already have everything for my booth ready
Summer
Don’t tell him but yeah, I do too. And I’ve seen how much work he’s put into it from my hours working with Harry
Ivy
Are you sure there’s nothing we can do? Like an alternate location?
Lucy
It would be a ton of work to move everything but maybe we can make it work. The issue is that we have to have a power source, so the park isn’t really an option
“This is sad, Felix. Do you like the festivals?”
Felix meowed.
I chewed my lip and drummed my fingers against my phone screen. If they needed an open area with access to power, there was an obvious solution.
Here. My home.
There was a large flat field next to the lighthouse and our massive generator was strong enough to power both the lighthouse and the cottage during storms.
“I have to do this, don’t I? ”
Felix placed his little head on my arm.
“Ugh, I can’t refuse that face. But if I do this, I’m officially part of the town, which was totally not the plan. I moved here to be alone. I was going to be the mysterious lighthouse keeper witch who the town’s children made up scary stories about.” I grinned at Felix’s exasperated expression. “I guess this is better, though.”
Lars came over to the couch carrying two steaming mugs. He handed one to me and I sighed happily when I realized it was hot apple cider with whipped cream.
“You spoil me,” I said, curling into his side.
He kissed the top of my head. “Only what you deserve. How’re you feeling, sweetheart?”
“Sore, tired, but good.”
“I’ll give you a massage when you finish your drink.”
“Be careful or I’ll get used to this kind of treatment.”
His scent sweetened, and he wrapped his arm around me. “As you should.”
I smiled and took a sip of my drink. I wiggled happily at how good it was, earning me a low chuckle from Lars.
“So… I have an idea I wanted to run by you,” I said.
“What’s that?”
“The Harvest Festival is supposed to be tomorrow, but I guess the storm did some real damage in town and Main Street doesn’t have electricity. So I was thinking…” I trailed off, my fingers twisted in my blanket. I wasn’t used to this—wanting to be social . “I was thinking we could offer to have it here, in the field, and use the generator for anything that needs electricity.”
Lars cupped my face, tilting it up to meet his gaze. “Yeah? You want to do that?”
I shrugged. “People seemed really excited about it, and it seems a shame to cancel it when we have the space here.”
He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. “Stanley is going to be fucking thrilled.”
“Come on, people! Is no one following the proper setup maps from the Emergency Harvest Festival Relocation Binder? It’s figure 17.3 in Appendix Three!”
“Oh, relax, Stanley!” Carmen shouted.
“He’s in rare form today,” Easton murmured in my ear.
I grinned. Stanley and the festival volunteers had rolled in early this morning, mowing a path through the field and figuring out the best way to hook things up to the generator. Most of the booths were set up—I’d seen Felix running around with a small knife from the pumpkin carving station—and the smell of pumpkin bread and apple cider filled the air.
My guys had been very protective, making sure at least one of them was hovering over me at all times, preventing me from doing anything too strenuous. I’d helped Ivy set up her rocks and paints before Easton insisted I step away and eat a snack.
I was finishing up my PB&J—Easton’s arms wrapped around me from behind—when Stanley approached, trusty clipboard in hand. He’d swapped his usual gray cardigan with a festive forest green one with a crocheted leaf pattern. His husband, Harry, was wearing a matching one, which I thought was adorable.
“I notice you didn’t complete the application for your festival booth,” Stanley said with a look of deep disapproval.
Easton cleared his throat.
Stanley let out an aggrieved sigh. “Which I guess is acceptable since you’re allowing us to use this space, although this field technically is town property?—”
A low growl rumbled through Easton’s chest, and I bit my lip to hide my smile.
Stanley huffed. “But I suppose that’s beside the point. On behalf of the Starlight Grove Senior Committee for Overseeing the Committee for Town Festival Planning, we want to extend our gratitude to you.”
“You’re very welcome. You’ve done an amazing job organizing this on short notice. I’ve never seen such an incredible festival.”
He puffed up with pride, and something about it reminded me so much of Felix I had to hold in my laughter .
Stanley tapped his clipboard. “Well, must be going. There’s plenty more to do.”
Easton and I watched him walk away and then burst out laughing.
“What the fuck was that committee name?” Easton wheezed.
“Oh, you mean the Senior Committee for Overseeing the Committee for Town Festival Planning? Seems like a perfectly normal name to me.”
We were still laughing when Lars and Finn joined us. Lars had helped Lucy set up her booth before Carmen and Marisol had roped him in to set up their booth. I was pretty sure it was just an excuse for them to ogle his arm muscles, which… relatable.
“You get everything set up and up to code?” I asked Finn.
He leaned in for a kiss. “That took all of five minutes. The rest of the time was taken up by a very tedious lecture from Stanley. Char finally distracted him for long enough so I could escape.”
“Well, everything is looking good. Will you guys do some booth crafts with me?”
Easton slung his arm over my shoulder. “Oh, I’m excellent at crafts.”