Chapter Thirty-Three
Gwyn
I appreciated that Carl was trying to be responsible, it was more than I’d have expected from an alpha before meeting him, but I kind of hated him at that moment. I had been looking forward to what might come after since I’d made my decision, so I hadn’t been prepared for him to force me to wait.
It was the right thing to do, but it sucked.
My core throbbed as I breathed in his lingering scent, half tempted to follow him out into the night. It was a little appeasing that he’d seemed to struggle to leave, but part of me was ticked that he had been able to. I couldn’t even give myself any relief, because with his pheromones in the air, it would be just as risky as if he’d stayed.
Groaning into the silence, I turned around and took hold of my glass, downing the rest of my drink in one gulp. The comfortable warmth of the first one had faded, temporarily replaced by the heat of my desire, but now I was left to face reality alone in my cold kitchen.
I eyed the bottles sitting on the counter, well aware there was enough for me to pour another drink or two, plus Carl’s glass remained mostly full. It was enough for me to get a good buzz if I drank it fast, but I found myself cringing away from the idea. I’d used alcohol as a crutch to get through the loneliness before Carl, but I no longer felt like I needed it.
Dumping his glass in the sink, I put the two bottles under the counter so they were out of sight before making my way to my bedroom. With the excited buzz of what was coming faded since the moment had passed, my eyelids were beginning to droop. Going to sleep would bring the next night closer, so there was no reason to resist the pull of my nest.
I woke before my alarm, blinking into the darkness as I oriented myself. My dreams had been a jumble of running from shadowy figures, and being tangled up with Carl, so my instincts were on edge. I found myself straining my ears, searching for any sound that might let me know which way the day was going to go.
It wasn’t long before my alarm went off, jolting me out of the light doze I’d fallen into as I’d listened to the silence. While it was usually a struggle to pull myself out of bed, there was an itch under my skin that sent me upright and scooting for the edge.
The first stop was the kitchen to get the coffee going before I jumped into the shower, enjoying the few minutes of warm water before it became little more than tepid.
Another issue for another day.
With something to look forward to, I wasn’t going to let the pile of things that usually bothered me bring me down. I was dressed and ready to go before the sun had done more than made the sky blush, deep purple still holding court over the west. A familiar scent tickled my nose as I strode down the sidewalk with my coffee in hand, making me falter for a moment as the smokey chocolate filled my mouth with saliva, but a quick glance around proved Carl wasn’t there. The soft breeze should have pushed his scent away overnight, so all I could think was that the wind had only begun with the coming dawn and I was simply more sensitive to the alpha’s smell due to my coming heat.
Shaking off my hesitation, I crossed the street and headed for the short one that would bring me to The Hangout. It felt strange to have gone so many days without stopping in, and I realized I missed talking to David. He had been the closest thing to a friend I’d had since moving, hell, since Anthony had claimed me , and I didn’t want him to think I’d abandoned him as soon as an alpha showed interest in me. There was no romantic pull between us, but I still wouldn’t want him to think I was that kind of person.
Resolved to stop by and say high before leaving for the day, I was humming a tune as I came around the corner and spotted my newly painted café. The sight of it put a smile on my face, the obvious change lifting my spirits. It seemed like I’d worked for so long without anything to show for it, then suddenly it started to look like a real business almost overnight. While the inside was still empty, I was getting closer to being ready to open.
The blank slate reminded me of another task I faced, and my cheeks warmed despite no one being there to see or able to hear my thoughts. I still needed a sign, and I’d finally placed the workorder for it, but there were lingering doubts about the logo I’d chosen. Anthony would have laughed and called me names for what I’d picked out, and even though I knew Carl wasn’t the same type of man, I’d been hesitant to even tell him the name the other day because of the fear he’d think the same.
Pushing aside my worries, I unlocked the door and slipped inside, locking it behind me. It had become habit to lock any door I could, and while I knew it was smart and kept me safe, I hated that I lived in a world where it was a necessity.
My barren kitchen welcomed me, the empty space cleaned of all remnants of the previous counters in anticipation of the new ones arriving. Carl already had the new sink sitting in the corner, ready to be placed, and the excitement over seeing everything coming together made my heart speed up.
The space out front looked like a different place than the one I’d bought. Adding the wall made the area smaller, but it also helped it feel a little cozier, especially with the fresh paint and new flooring. I still had more to do on the lounge side, but the dining area was ready for tables and decorations. Everything had been ordered, we’d decided to go with a pre-built display case, and once it arrived Carl would build the counter around it, and then I could have the rest of the furniture delivered.
I’d planned to use my time at the café while I waited for the window to be replaced taking care of bills and making a grocery list, but I decided if I was finally going to have intact windows, it was time to show them off. We’d removed the plywood to paint but had replaced it with paper on both the inside and the outside to protect the glass. Since the guys had finished painting the outside yesterday, I wanted at least the outer layer off.
It didn’t take long to slip out and pull down the paper covering the windows, but doing so showed me how dirty they were. Deciding taking care of that was my next task, I was so lost in scrubbing away layers of dirt I didn’t notice the truck pull in or the man approaching until the crunch of rocks was right behind me.
My immediate reaction was to freeze in place and prepare for a blow. Every muscle tensed, my breath held and my heart racing.
It took a moment to remind myself I was expecting someone, and it was far too early in the day for Adam or any of Anthony’s old cronies to be up and about. They kept late hours and tended to sleep in until noon, so I sucked in a deep breath and gathered my courage. Peeking over my shoulder, I spotted a portly beta with scraggly grey hair peering back at me.
“Ms. Cogann? I’m here to replace a window?”
The tension in my shoulders eased as I turned to face him, pasting a smile on my lips.
“Yes, thank you. It’s this one over here.”
I pointed around the corner before leading the way to the front of the building.
“It’s been like this since I bought the place, so I’m not sure what caused it. I’m hoping it won’t be too much trouble to take care of.”
He shrugged off my worries, passing me to get closer to the window. Pressing on the glass along the cracks and edges of the frame, he muttered under his breath before turning back to me.
“Won’t be too hard, but I’ll have to go inside to tape it so we don’t end up with glass everywhere.”
Nodding, I stepped out of the way as he started walking back toward his truck. His lips were moving again as if he were talking to himself, and his eyes were a bit unfocused as he looked past me.
“I understand. I can let you in.”
I waited at the door as he retrieved a roll of what looked like plastic wrap from the back of his truck. The roll was almost as thick as my leg, but he hefted it to his shoulder with the ease of long practice, slipping tools into the loops on the work belt he wore before joining me.
“The front is to the left.”
I wanted to kick myself as soon as the words were out of my mouth since he already knew where the broken window was, but he didn’t bother to point out that I’d stated the obvious. Following him inside, I lingered in the short hall between the front and back of the building, chewing on my lip as I wondered if the place looked as ready to him as it did to me. I’d seen the state it had started in a month ago when I began the renovations, and it had come a long way since then, but would anyone else see a business waiting for the finishing touches, or would they see an empty building with no potential?
My knuckles popped as I clenched my hands together, dragging my attention to what I was doing. Pulling in a steadying breath, I shoved the insecurities away and strode further into the dining area.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
He didn’t bother to look at me as he grunted a no, but I tried not to take it personally. He was already stretching the wide roll of plastic tape across the window, presumably to keep the glass from breaking more. He placed a piece horizontally from edge to edge before placing another vertically, from as high as he could reach to a few inches from the bottom.
It seemed to take no time at all for him to scrape off the sealant along the edges, brushing it onto my clean floor and making the omega part of me want to hiss. I itched to get the broom and clean it up, but I knew I’d be in the way if I did, and it likely wasn’t the only mess that was going to end up on the floor while the window was being replaced.
Knowing I’d only get anxious and be in the way if I stood around watching him work, and too distracted to focus on shopping lists or bills, I collected the paint and brushes to work on the reading nook. I’d gone with a smokey blue for the walls but was painting the inside of the built-in shelves sky blue for a contrast to help the books they’d eventually hold stand out. The couch and chairs I’d ordered were a dove grey that I might come to regret since it would stain easily, but they’d looked too nice to pass up. I planned to add some accents that matched the color of the dining area to help tie the two together, and had found some pretty light fixtures I was hoping Carl could install that would give the space a cozy atmosphere.
I set to working with one ear on the banging and cracking coming from the other room. Some of the noises were concerning, making my heart skip a beat when I pictured cracks in the wall or more of the windows breaking, but I forced myself to stay out of the way unless I was called. Carl trusted the man, so I was willing to set my worries aside until there was a reason not to.
Most of the shelves were finished by the time I heard the man calling for me. The light flooding through the opening from the dining area made my heart race, and I couldn’t stop a grin when I spotted the clear glass letting in the sun.
“Oh, that looks wonderful! Thank you so much!”
The beta glanced at his work and nodded, wiping his hands on a rag.
“Everything is sealed up, it just needs a day to cure. It isn’t supposed to rain, so it should be fine. The sealant on the other windows was all dried out and flaking away, so I went ahead and re-did those, too.”
My eyes widened and I struggled not to tear up, blaming the surge of emotion on the nearness of my heat. I was used to people doing as little as they could get away with, not going beyond what was expected, but I was learning more and more that it was simply the people I’d been around. Not everyone was like that, and some still cared.
“I can’t thank you enough! Can I give you extra for your time?”
He was already shaking his head before I finished speaking, stuffing his rag into his pocket.
“It’s already taken care of. Carl and I help each other out when we can, and I don’t do a job halfway. It’ll be nice to see this place open again.”
Surprised he knew it had been closed for a while, I studied him closer to see if I recognized him, but I couldn’t place his face or frame. He was average enough to be easily overlooked, especially as a beta, but it wasn’t like I’d been in the area long enough to meet the locals. I hoped that would change once the café was open.
“I really do appreciate it. Feel free to stop in for a complimentary cookie once we’re open.”
Bushy brows rising, his eyes lit up.
“Is this going to be a bakery? We haven’t had a good bakery around in forever.”
His excitement had my own stirring, and hearing there was even one person who was interested in what I’d be offering had the aches in my body fading as if I hadn’t been working for a month solid to get the place in shape. It had me itching to get things done even faster.
“It’ll be more of a café, but I plan to offer baked goods and coffee, as well as simple meals. I’ll be open for breakfast and lunch all week, maybe dinner on the weekends. Then if it seems like there’s interest, I might expand to doing dinner all week too.”
Nodding, he rubbed his hands together as he took another look around the inside, as if trying to imagine what it was going to be like. I loved that it was getting closer and closer to the image I had in my head.
“I’ll definitely be back then. And I’ll spread the word.”
I thanked him again as I walked him out, energy humming beneath my skin from the interaction. It had taken a massive leap of faith to buy the building and start working toward my dream, and it had been hard to ignore the doubts that still plagued me about failing, but every step I took towards my goal brought me more confidence that it was going to work. That despite being nothing more than an omega, I’d be able to accomplish something with meaning. Even if I never made a massive profit, as long as I could pay the bills and provide a place for people to come together and enjoy a full belly and safe space, I’d be happy.
And with the main task of the day complete, it was time to get to the store and stock up for what I hoped would begin that night.