Chapter 20
My bare feet pad quietly around the side of the small villa in the light of the early dawn, as my fingers tap at my phone to book a taxi.
My purse and the shirt are in my other hand and my shoes are dangling by their heel straps from my pinky.
I'm so distracted by the tug in my chest, by my omega's desperate attempt to go back inside and make herself a nest and destroy their perfectly orchestrated lives, that I almost miss the sight of the large, well-maintained pool, winking invitingly in the soft light of the dawn.
I'm totally oblivious to the sight of the grey-haired, tiny woman in an oversized linen shirt reclining in the faded pool lounger until she hisses at me and waves me over to her.
I bite my lip, and drag the heel of my palm across my cheeks as I carefully approach her, trying to stuff the shirt that won't quite fit into my tiny purse.
"Morning," she whispers. "Want a coffee?" She gestures at a half-full French press and a pair of cups on the small table by the lounge.
I blink. "Uhhh…" My voice isn't wavering too much at least. I clear my throat. "Sure. Thank you. Um, a quick one though. My taxi will be here in ten minutes."
She smiles at me, pours a generous cup, and pushes it to the side of the table next to the other worn sunlounger. I perch awkwardly on the edge, depositing my stuff next to me while praying I'm not inadvertently flashing her, and sip.
It's good.
My stomach growls at the intrusion of the coffee. The woman frowns.
"Do you want something to eat as well?"
I shake my head. "I'm fine, thanks. I don't want to put you out."
She raises an eyebrow, and silently tops my cup up with more coffee.
"Don't think I've ever met someone so hospitable to a potential burglar," I mutter between sips.
She chuckles quietly. "I know a walk of shame when I see one."
I hope it's too dark for her to see my face.
"I know my son. He's extremely picky with who he lets sleep over. If he and his pack brought you home, and invited you to stay the night, it's for good reasons."
My eyes absorb her features. The sharp, aquiline nose. The stormy grey, clear, bright eyes. My chest tightens again.
"Are you… you're Ralph's mum, aren't you?"
She puts her cup down and turns towards me.
"He introduced himself to you as Ralph?"
I nod, mutely.
"Huh. Wow, you must have made a real impression on him. Yes, I'm his Mom. Johanna to my friends, Mrs Blackwood-Clarke to the people who are afraid of me." She waggles her eyebrows.
I let out a shocked giggle. "Nice to meet you, Johanna Blackwood-Clarke."
"Excellent hedge, young lady. Well done. And nice dodge as well. But I'm still going to need you to tell me your name, so I can tease my boy about it later."
I bite my lip. "Uh, I'm Dellie." I take another sip. "Thanks. The coffee's delicious."
"Mmm. It is, isn't it? Now, as a mother, I just have to check—did my boy and his pack treat you right? Because I don't care how old he is, I will spank his ass—figuratively, mind you, I don't believe in corporal punishment—if he mistreated a woman or let his pack get away with that."
"Oh! Oh they were… no, nothing like that. They're… they're incredible. All of them. You've raised a wonderful man."
"Good." She picks up her coffee cup and takes another sip. "So, tell me, Dellie, is there a reason you're sneaking out like a thief in the night instead of letting my boy and his pack treat you like a lady?"
My stomach turns to ice and my cheeks flood with shameful heat.
I pause, hoping she will give up and fill the silence.
But there is no relief. "I, uh, just don't want to disrupt things.
I… I didn't really know what they did for work until his phone went off…
um, and I could feel myself getting… I don't know…
clingy, I guess. I just don't want to wreck things for them," I mumble, frustration building.
"I guess I just didn't know how to talk to them without making their lives worse. "
I stare at the half empty cup in my hands, fidgeting with the handle. A warm hand wraps around mine.
"Hmmm. It sounds like that isn't a standard reason for not wanting to see the faces from last night the next day."
I shake my head, silently willing the burning behind my eyes to stop. "I… I wish I didn't have to go. But I do."
There's a clink from the table, followed by a second hand resting on mine. "Do you? You seem very sure about that."
I let my chin fall into my chest, a tear plopping onto the skirt of my dress. "… I would wreck everything for them." My voice is hardly a whisper.
I feel the sunlounger shift as she sits next to me, her warmth pressing against my side. "Would you now? Huh. Wow. That's impressive."
A chuckle slips through my tears. This close to her, I can smell a faint waft of warm mint chocolate. Now I see where he gets it from. My chest tightens again at the thought.
"That's an impressively honest answer as well.
Tell you what. You feel like someone who tells the truth, and I like honest people.
How about if I put my number in your phone?
That way, we can have another delicious coffee later, and have a chat about whether talking to my boy and his pack would really be quite as bad as you think.
And whether you're regularly the one who settles for less than you need. In clean clothes. And, uh, underwear."
Holy heck, I must look like a tomato right now.
"Relax, Dellie. I was a sex therapist before I retired. Nothing shocks me."
I look up at her, my mouth agape. She chuckles quietly and slips her hand out. I sigh, unlock my phone and pass it to her. She taps in her number and hands it back to me.
"There. Now, Dellie—"
My phone vibrates. My taxi's here. "I'm sorry, Johanna. I think I have to go."
I drain my cup and place it gently on its saucer with a small clink. I stand, grabbing my shoes and purse and the shirt.
"That's alright, Dellie. It was great meeting you. Promise me you'll call when you're ready?"
The faint honk of a horn pulls my focus.
"I'm sorry. I have to go."
I turn and dash away up the brick path.