Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Ahh. Nothing like grocery shopping the day before Thanksgiving.
I cringe at myself in the produce aisle. I should have done this yesterday, but we wound up making so many cookie platters for the food drive that it took much longer to transport and load into the trucks than I’d expected.
But the idea of people enjoying those desserts fills me with such joy that I can’t let last-minute perishables get me down.
As I push the cart through the mushrooms and green beans, my eyes fall on a guy I don’t know, but have seen around a bit lately.
He’s just slightly shorter than me, with very dark brown hair combed back and poofed somewhat in the front, a full, well-manicured beard and mustache on his face.
His patchouli scent draws me closer, like it’s familiar somehow, even though this Alpha is a stranger.
When he stops in front of the yams with a frown, I take the opportunity to speak to him. “This store usually still has great quality produce this late in the season,” I tell him.
He jumps a bit, looks up from the root vegetables with wide eyes, one hazel-brown, the other deep green.
Very interesting.
“Uh, yeah,” he says, eyes darting around before landing back on me, his nostrils subtly flaring. Those eyes narrow a second before he says, “I’m Matthew.”
“Will,” I tell him. There’s something about this guy that I can’t put my finger on, but seems to make me run at the mouth. “I have a house guest I don’t know very well staying for Thanksgiving. I’m trying to see if anything stands out to me that they might like.”
Matthew blinks, brows drawing. “You own that B&B in town, right?”
I’m surprised he knows, considering I haven’t seen him around much. “Yeah, I do.”
“Is your guest Izzy Ross?”
I still the moment her name crosses his lips, Izzy’s voice echoing in my brain, telling Asher and me that her ex-boyfriend was in Crescent Lake. That they didn’t hate each other.
My voice is slightly wary as I reply, “It is.” I work a jaw a moment before adding, “You’re the ex she ran into the other day, aren’t you?”
He winces. “That’s me. ‘The Ex.’” Then, he looks over my shoulder, nods his head.
“Iz loves pumpkin pie with lots and lots of fresh whipped cream.” He pauses a moment.
“She also loves garlic-butter roast turkey and roasted garlic mashed potatoes with cheddar.” He blinks, a fond expression crossing his face.
“If you really want to impress her, make some good hot cocoa and add peanut butter whiskey to it.”
I stare at this man, gaping a bit. He just gave me a treasure trove of information. “T-thank you,” I get out on a low whisper, brow drawn tight.
Matthew nods at me before turning to leave without a word, lost in his own thoughts. He didn’t even pick out any produce.
When I make it back home about thirty minutes later, Izzy jumps up from the couch where she’s watching TV and rushes me, taking some of the cloth grocery bags from my grasp with a, “Hey! Welcome back,” and a big smile before she leads me into the kitchen.
Once we’ve unpacked almost everything and put it all away, she spots the bottle wrapped in a paper bag that I brought in and curiously pulls the paper down to reveal the label.
“No way,” she sings with a smile. “I love this whiskey!”
My face heats as I let out a nervous laugh. “A little birdie may have told me you’d like it.”
The words wipe the smile from her face, her lips part, her eyes grow sad. “You saw Matthew?”
Her reaction sends concern through me. I cross my arms before leaning on the counter. “I thought you said you two weren’t on bad terms.”
“We’re not,” she says in a rush.
My brows rise. “You both look either pretty happy or really sad when you talk about each other.”
Izzy takes a deep breath and plops her butt onto one of the barstools. “We had a really strange breakup, to be honest.”
“Strange how?”
“Like… as in we never officially broke up. He just… left L.A. without telling me. After months of pulling away, then getting close, then pulling away again.”
I don’t like the sound of that at all. “So, he just left you and the city behind without warning?”
She frowns and looks down at the countertop. “He has some issues that he wouldn’t really let me help him with. I don’t know for sure, but I think he felt weak for needing help.”
Matthew needs help, and he looks like he’s all alone here in Crescent Lake, even at Thanksgiving.
The thought doesn’t sit well with me. I know what it’s like to be alone, without family or friends at the holidays.
Sometimes, it’s okay, or at least you tell yourself it is.
But if you’re not cut-out to be alone, it’s the worst.
If Matthew already has some issues to work through, the holidays could be really depressing if he’s spending them alone.
And this Alpha with the mismatched eyes has started to resonate with me in a strange way, sort of like Asher did when I first met him.
And that fact makes me wonder...