12. Luca
Luca
We're royally fucked.
First off, suits? True, we plan on having a business meeting after this, but for fucks sakes, I don't think we can clash with Sunny's life any less.
She's so sweet and so cute with how she glares at all of us. I’m meant to feel intimidated, but all I can think about is how much I want to trace my fingers over that adorable little crinkle on her nose.
I suspect that our Sweet Girl planned for it to be this much of a trainwreck.
She wants us to see how much we don't fit into her life.
How she talked about this town in the Café really slams home how much she loves this place.
I don't think she sees us, a corporate pack from the city, fitting into it at all.
She's given up on us even before giving us a chance.
That won't do. We have to salvage this. I don't know how to fit our two worlds together, but I'm not giving up before I've started. Unfortunately, my dominant alpha doesn't feel the same. He looks as resigned as Sunny. Both are picking at their food, and neither is making eye contact.
"This food is so good," Jess says, really tucking into his plate, oblivious to the tension going on around us. Bless that boy, but social intuition isn't his strong suit. “Thank you so much for this. Do you like to cook?"
I want to groan, but Sunny actually perks up a bit.
"I do like to cook when I can,” she says. “I don't get a lot of time for it."
He nods. I'm not letting the conversation drop again.
"I saw you had some employees when we were here last,” I say. “Do you get some time off at least?"
She hums on a bite. "Technically, this place could probably run fairly smoothly without me for a while if I wanted to take the time off.
But there's always so much to do that it doesn't really occur to me to.
I don't know what I'd do with myself." The admission seems to surprise her because she takes another big bite, precluding more information.
Cole is still picking at his plate, and I want to kick him. He's the dominant alpha of this pack. He should be leading the charge to woo Sunny, but he seems to have retreated into his most brooding self. I'll have to take up the mantle as the next most dominant.
"Miss Howard," I begin.
"Sunny," she cuts in. "I'm pretty sure scent sensitivity gets you into first name territory." Her face is calm, giving none of her emotions away. The flirty, happy girl from the Café is nowhere to be seen. I tilt my head to peer across the table at her. To her credit, she doesn't look away.
I swallow and try again. "Sunny—"
But at that moment the front door slams open. We're instantly on our feet, growling. A bald beta man in a t-shirt and ripped jeans comes barreling through the door.
"Sean, what is it?" Sunny asks.
"Vandals again—at the back acre!" the man wheezes urgently, his eyes wide with panic. Without hesitation, Sunny sprints from the room, bursting through the front door.