Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“If I really was your girlfriend, I would be a horrible one.” I huff into my phone, annoyed with myself, but Benson just chuckles.
“Nah. It’s been a busy two and a half weeks, Sugarplum. We’re all doing our best. Nick and I have been just as busy since the Christmas Village opened. It ran for six hours total last weekend, and we’ve spent the last six days getting ready for tonight.”
“I didn’t think my ornaments would sell as well as they did,” I admit.
Last Saturday Nick arrived bright and early in the morning on opening night of the Christmas Village to help me set up my ornaments in their farm shop, and that night, out of the seventy-five I managed to bring, I only had thirty left by the end of Sunday night.
I sold over half my supply in two nights.
Which was amazing and wonderful, but also a bit distressing.
I need twenty for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving charity event, as well as enough stocked for not only this weekend in the farm shop but also the following four weekends.
Once wedding festivities start, I’ll have some time between wedding events and Christmas activities to make more, but not much. Not enough.
Thankfully the wedding is on the twentieth, so the last weekend for the Christmas Village this year is December thirteenth. It’s a good thing that those seventy-five ornaments weren't my entire stock, but I still spent the last six days working my ass off making sure I have a decent amount.
“I knew they would. You make incredibly beautiful art, Plum,” Benson says sweetly, and I sigh. If he were my real boyfriend, I think he would probably be a pretty great one. He’s patient, understanding, and kind. Boyfriend material for sure.
“Well, thank you,” I murmur, blushing as I finish tugging my pants on with one hand.
Over the last eighteen days, Benson and Nick have met me for either pre-work coffee or a quick lunch. Just enough to make sure word gets around that we’re definitely seeing each other.
It only took about five days for Sable to start asking questions, so we sent out an official group text that Sunday.
“If this was real, I would just text Sable. She’s not much of a caller,” I tell the guys, staring at my phone screen as I pull up Sable’s contact. She texted me earlier this morning after our coffee date, so I came to the farm for dinner so we can talk about how to tell everyone.
Sable: Why have I been hearing about your coffee dates with two alphas from random customers and not my best friend… No pressure, but like, rude.
“Stella hasn’t mentioned it, but I have no doubt Val’s mentioned it to her. She’s probably just trying to be patient.” I nibble my lip, worrying about what’s currently going through my friends’ heads, and decide it can’t really wait any longer. “I can text her as well…”
“Hold on,” Benson says, grabbing my phone out of my shaking hand.
“You’re too tense. Come here.” He lifts me out of my seat at their dining table and sits in the spot I was just in, bringing me down with him onto his lap.
“Let’s send a group text to Rhian, Sable, and Stella with a picture of the three of us. ”
Nick is sitting beside us in his own chair and scoots it closer, clearly on board with the idea.
“Okay,” I agree, and Nick pulls up the camera on his phone and positions it so you can see all three of us in frame. When I see my face on the phone screen, I sigh. “I look like I’ve been taken hostage, not like I’m in a joyful new relationship.”
Nick hands his phone to his brother and turns until he’s facing us. Then he grabs my face between his hands and pulls me in for a kiss. I hear the camera click several times as Benson takes the pictures, but I’m not paying any attention to that now.
Nick’s kiss is rough, just like him, and it steals my breath, along with every rational thought. The desire to climb into his lap is strong, but then he’s releasing me and sitting back.
“There. It’s sent,” Benson announces as I blink dumbly at Nick. The older alpha smirks back, and I need to break eye contact before I do something crazy.
Answering the slew of texts over the next hour was nerve-wracking, but once it was over I felt a little more relaxed.
Lying to my friends is awkward, but it’s for a good reason, and I know they’d understand.
Telling Stella would put her in the shitty position of having to either betray my trust or withhold information from her fiancé, and it doesn’t seem fair to only tell Sable.
Maybe once this is all over and Kai is long gone, I’ll tell them both.
Nick’s kiss keeps crossing my mind. It was good—well, it was a good performance for the photo, anyway.
Even I got caught up in it, so it must have looked convincing.
I haven’t kissed either alpha since then, with the exception of a kiss to the cheek or forehead during our daily mini dates.
Not that I’m expecting them to do more; they’re already putting a lot into this for me.
We attempted an official date night last night. We were all so tired from working to get everything ready for the weekend that Nick and I both fell asleep during the movie. After attempting to wake us up three times, Benson gave up and let us sleep.
It was a rather pathetic attempt at a date, so tonight we’re having a redo.
Bee and Kai will be at the Christmas Village, along with my best friend Sable and her mates.
This should give the three of us a chance to make this whole scheme look real and, with any luck, keep Kai at arm's length for the entire month of December.
“I’m sorry I’m running late,” I grumble, digging through my sock drawer for two socks that are at least slightly the same style. Why must the dryer only steal one of each pair? It’s inconvenient as hell.
“We work and live here, remember? We’re going to be here all night, babe.
Take your time; don’t rush. And please drive the speed limit.
It’s getting cold enough for the roads to freeze at night now, and I don’t want you getting hurt because you think Nick and I will be offended that you’re not here exactly at six,” he says.
“You’re going to be a fantastic boyfriend for someone someday,” I murmur thoughtlessly as I tug on my sock before shoving my feet into my favorite winter boots.
“I already am,” he teases, and I snort.
“Okay, I’ll see you soon, lover boy.”
“See you soon.”
I hang up, then do a quick double-check that I look cute in my oversized dark green sweater and candy cane leggings.
I’m wearing an undershirt, and the leggings are fleece-lined, so I should be cozy tonight.
My hair is down and straight, and I’ve kept my makeup simple and just added red lipstick.
It’s simple but cute—exactly what I was going for.
Tonight is about testing how well we’re going to do when surrounded by more than just random townspeople.
God, I hope we can pull this off convincingly.
I guess it’s probably for the best that I haven’t had any free time to focus on the growing nervousness I feel whenever I’m around the two alphas.
I’m overwhelmed enough as it is already.
Not giving myself the chance to overthink it more, I grab my purse and keys, then rush out the front door.
I’ve taken a single step into the hallway when I see the massive bouquet of flowers waiting by my door and sigh.
I already know they’re from Kai, because there are currently fifteen days’ worth of flowers dying in this hallway because I refuse to bring any of them inside.
I’ll only touch them enough to push them out of my direct path, adding them to the row of floral death.
Each one has gotten more extravagant than the last. It’s a waste, and I hate it.
I hate that he thinks he can buy my attention with gifts.
I hate that he thinks he needs money to impress me.
I liked him just fine before he abandoned me for all that wealth he’s trying to flaunt.
Now this is just a reminder of what he put before me.
The daily bouquets and shows of wealth might work on some, since a man with money is a man who can provide for his woman, but I’ve been doing just fine without him. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now. I don’t need him to do it.
Honestly, if he really wants to impress me with his money, he shouldn’t spend it on me.
He should spend it on this community. On the town that raised us and the people who spent years caring for us.
On all the kids whose parents don’t make enough to pay for every meal but still seem to spend eighty hours a week working.
If Kai has so much extra to give, I don’t want him to give it to me. I want him to be the person he was before he left. The one who shared my dreams.
But that Kai is gone, and so are those dreams.
Ignoring the huge bundle of long-stemmed red roses, which I have never liked, I pull my door shut and lock it.
I take a step before turning back and double-checking just to make sure it’s definitely locked.
If I stupidly left it open, I wouldn’t put it past him to start leaving the flowers in the apartment itself.
“Plum,” Kai says behind me, popping out of his apartment and scaring the shit out of me.
I scream, tossing my keys in the air, cringing when they go flying over my head into the wall behind me. He’s quick to snatch them up, holding them fucking hostage as he frowns at all of the rejected gifts.
“You don’t like any of the flowers I’ve sent you?”
“No,” I snap, not meeting his eyes as I turn to face him. “Now give me my keys and leave me alone.”
“I will when you tell me why you don’t like the flowers. Is it because you don’t like any of the ones I picked out, or is it just because they’re from me?”
I don’t know why I do it, but I look up into his eyes.
Maybe it’s his tone, so soft and wounded, like he’s in pain. Maybe I just want to see if it’s really there in his eyes, or if this is only a trick to get me to lower my guard.
For a moment, he stares back at me, looking almost like the boy I once knew. The boy I once loved. Vulnerable. Kind. Genuine—like he just wants to make things better for me.
“Both.” I sigh, letting him see way more of me than I should. “You used to know what my favorite flower is,” I add in a whisper, breaking eye contact to stare at my feet.
“Those are weeds, Plum. Not flowers. No one sells them,” Kai says, and I wince.
“Well, weeds or not, you never needed to buy them for me in the past, did you? Or are you too good to go out and pick them yourself now?” I snap, feeling that familiar ache of old wounds ripping back open. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want you sending me flowers or anything else.”
He goes both still and silent, so I seize the opportunity to snatch my keys back from his hand. The second I rescue them, I spin on my heel and escape down the hall before he can recover. The next time I face him, I won’t be alone, and maybe, just maybe, I won’t feel as weak as I do right now.
Tears sting my eyes, and I swipe at them angrily.
Maybe dandelions are a metaphor for the love I thought we once had. I always thought they were the best kind of flower because they grew anywhere. They’re vibrant and beautiful, but they turned out to just be weeds.
That’s us. Nothing more than a pretty trick.