Chapter 9 #2
“Well, allowed in the sense that I was tossed over Colter’s shoulder after his pictures were done, and he… um, kept me occupied,” she explains, and I wrinkle my nose.
“Oh. Ew.” That’s another mental image I could’ve lived without.
“I was also told that if I picked up a calendar there would be consequences. They were teasing, of course, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the outcome of my rebellion…”
“Oh my god. Please stop, I beg you.” I tilt my head to the side, trying to use my shoulder to plug one ear because my arms are full. “Lalalala,” I chant, making her crack up, letting out a maniacal giggle.
“Are you being naughty, Angel?” Colter asks her as he turns around. In order to avoid watching my friend make out with another of her mates, I take his place and step up to the table as her scent blooms around us like a damn pumpkin farm.
“If you were already assigned a booth, fill out this form,” the older omega, Mary, says while her event partner, Tiffany, glares at me.
“I did. These are the items.” I show them the box.
“Great, go ahead and fill it out while Tiffany takes a look at the donations.” Mary offers as she hands me a pen after I set the box down in front of Tiffany. She lifts a brow, glancing from me to the box.
“Is this everything?” she asks.
Surely I’m just imagining the sneer in her voice. Tiffany might be a bitch most of the time, but she’s working right now. She’s got more class than that, right? Oh, who am I kidding? It’s Tiffany. She doesn’t care that I worked incredibly hard on these ornaments.
“Yes. They’re small, so they all fit in one box,” I mumble, feeling ashamed.
Will everyone think I don’t care? That I made so few because I didn’t take this seriously?
“Mmm.” She nods, the look on her face saying more than her words need to. She’s judging me. Something that never used to bother me, but right now? Fuck, what is happening to me?
When I’m done filling out the form, I head over to my booth and set up my little display. Sable had to head to her booth, with Rhian at her side to help her sell her homemade candles, while his brothers handled their booth.
The event is only supposed to last for three hours, but my measly twenty ornaments sell out in the first hour.
I feel so pathetic that I head to Sable’s booth to help her.
Somehow, she managed to get over three hundred candles ready for today, and she’s selling them for twenty bucks apiece.
It’s only a five-dollar discount, but her candles are very popular.
They’re selling fast, and the line for her booth is long. Staring at the line, I can’t help but feel more than a little inferior about it. I should’ve worked harder, been less distracted. I could’ve made more.
“Guess what?” Sable whispers, leaning my way as she wraps a candle in paper for Benson. I’m actively avoiding making eye contact with him as I count and separate the cash box.
“Hmm?” I hum questioningly, pretending I don’t feel his eyes on me.
“Frosty Fir was inspired by your scent.” She wiggles her brows at me when I glance at her, and she hands the bag of candles over to the alpha. Looking up at him, our eyes meet, and he winks at me.
“Thanks, Sable. This one’s my favorite so far,” he says to my best friend, keeping his eyes locked on mine.
“Obviously,” Sable replies, wiggling her brows at the man as he blows me a kiss and struts off. “Nick bought six before you got over here. So, between the two of them, if they burn one candle a month, they’ll have your scent all year long.”
“What?” I hiss, grabbing a candle. I pop the top off to sniff it as the next person in line holds their cash out to me while telling Rhian their order.
It smells so similar to my scent that I’m actually shocked.
I don’t know why; Sable is amazing at what she does, but damn, this is impressive.
“So the entire town is stocking up on my scent? Fantastic,” I grumble, shooting her a wink so she knows I’m teasing.
Honestly, I’m just trying to pretend like the alphas didn’t buy twelve between the two of them.
“Kai tried to buy all three hundred,” Rhian adds absently as he wraps up another candle. I’m halfway through counting change for the current customer when he speaks.
“Rhian!” Sable scolds him, and he looks over at us, confused.
“It’s fine,” I quickly lie, returning to my counting. “He probably didn’t realize it was my scent.” I shrug.
“Of course he did.” Rhian says it like it’s obvious, and Sable and I are both glaring at the man as he purses his lips. “I sense I somehow fucked up. Oops?” This time, his voice is a lot more unsure, a questioning lilt given to the statement. Sable shoots eye daggers at her mate.
The omega clearly doesn’t know what he said wrong, as he stares down at his girl with a confused expression, apologetic eyes seeking her forgiveness.
“Don’t worry. For an omega, you sure are clueless sometimes, I swear.” Sable sighs, then shakes her head at him as we return to our tasks.
Three hundred candles. Three hundred? I know Kai is working hard to try and get me back, but he’s also trying to purchase over three hundred candles that smell just like me? Why are men like this? Only they have the audacity for this sort of behavior.
We’re wrapping up the last few candles, the event nearly over, when Tiffany gets up on the gazebo. She has a microphone in her hand and instantly starts yapping, her voice making something tense in my shoulders.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please? Everyone?” Sable and I share a mutual look of irritation, making us both snort as the crowd all turn to listen to the omega speak.
“I don’t like her after the way she treated Sable,” Rhian grumbles, and I assume he’s referring to an incident at the popular coffee spot last month.
Tiffany Baker has always been a bitch, just like her pissy-ass grandmother.
“Same,” I agree. I’d leave to get out of listening to her if I could, but this charity is important to the town. No matter who helps run it, I’ll be here to do what I can to give back. Even if that means suffering Tiffany yapping every year.
“Everyone!” Tiffany’s high-pitched voice creaks through the speakers, and my eye twitches at the sound. “I have some extremely exciting news. We’ve just had a last-minute donation made.” Her eyes fill with an unusual sparkle I can't name as she grins like a hungry cat.
Right, because that’s not suspicious at all.
“This is odd,” Sable murmurs, and I nod. Everyone here is making donations in one way or another, so I’m not sure what this could be about; last-minute donations happen all the time.
“Many of us have known this man most of our lives, and today he’s made a donation so substantial it deserves recognition.” Tiffany gestures to someone I can’t see from this distance until she reaches out, grabs his hand, and attempts to pull him onto the gazebo with her.
“Kai Berrywill has donated…” She trails off with a grunt, and it’s clear, even from my distance, that he’s trying to resist her.
“Come on, Kai!” She pleads, gritting her teeth while somehow keeping that fake-as-fuck smile plastered in place.
“He has donated enough money to cover the cost of all school meals for every child in town for over a year, with a—” She grunts again, giving the beta’s reluctant arm another harsh tug.
“With a pledge to keep donating every year going forward!”
As the crowd starts cheering, and people shout for him to make a speech, Kai finally gives in and joins Tiffany on the gazebo. It takes my mind a long moment to catch up with her words, but as they sink in, my heart and mind race.
Kai’s donation…
In the blink of an eye, on this Sunday afternoon, Kai just fulfilled my biggest childhood dream. I watch him as he tips his head to the townspeople, looking more than a little annoyed to be up there.
Did he remember? Did he do this because of me? Was this a part of his plan? I mean, it must be. Why else would he do this, of all things? He could have just donated a lump sum to the charity and let them decide where the money should go.
I don’t think ensuring every kid has free school meals has ever been on their agenda. They assume all kids get fed and that their parents, foster parents, or guardians are taking care of it.
Sometimes they are, but when they aren’t, the child is the one who has to pay the consequence. When they aren’t, the kids suffer.
"Hello everyone." Kai lifts his hand, waving to the crowd circling the gazebo.
For one child to eat breakfast and lunch at school for an entire month, the cost is roughly one hundred dollars, give or take. So for the families who already make sure every meal is paid for, this will save them money, and foster parents can stock the pantry inside of the school account.
Families with multiple children will save so much. All that money goes right back into their pockets, which in turn goes back into the town. It helps everyone, but that’s not why it was my dream.
For every twenty kids with a great support system that makes sure they’re fed, there’s at least one who goes hungry.
“Please.” Kai makes a gesture with his hand to settle the crowd, and as they quiet down, he tries to offer a smile. He’s tense, and even though I'm not close enough to catch his scent, I'd be willing to bet it's burning with agitation, maybe even anger.
He clearly didn't want anyone to know he was the one to make the donation, but why? So I wouldn’t find out? I mean, a donation like that would’ve gotten out eventually, particularly when parents were informed that their kids' accounts had been paid for the remainder of the school year.
That’s so much money. Mentally I try to multiply the number of days left by roughly how many kids are in school, then by the cost of the two meals a day, but math has never been my strength.
I think the number has to be somewhere around two million dollars just for the remainder of this school year alone.