Chapter 31 - Timber
Timber
Ishuffle in my seat, trying not to tug at my collar and make it obvious how uncomfortable I am.
I had to confess to Marilyn that I haven’t found an omega. Not that I’ve been trying when I’ve been so obsessed with maple syrup that I basically can’t settle anymore unless I think it’s there.
I’m still kicking myself for not telling Luke I know about his designation. If I’d just fought through the fear that exploded through me when I came home, I could be sitting here with him instead of a stranger.
Marilyn’s still annoyed that I only told her two days before the actual date. But she didn’t have the fun of see-sawing wildly between telling Luke or hiding what I knew, so I could uncover the true motives that seemed nonexistent.
Or maybe he was just that good.
I hoped Marilyn wouldn’t be able to find anyone, so I could get out of it. But she said this morning that I had to be there or I’d suffer the consequences.
Ash arrived first. After we introduced ourselves, I had the pleasure of feeling guilty as well as making it as awkward as possible for both of us.
It’s not like Luke said he had feelings for me or we were anywhere close to dating. And there was no way something could happen with Ash.
It’s not just that I can’t talk to her properly; it’s that all my anxieties about omegas that Luke has fostered are swirling around in my head. Even though Marilyn vouched for Ash, it’s not enough to make me relax.
It doesn’t seem like either of us is interested in the other. As soon as the drinks come, we begin chatting, but it feels like we’re forcing the conversation.
“So, where do you come from?” she asks, twirling a slice of bread in a small bowl of olive oil. I think the bread captures her attention more than I do, and I get it. Who would be excited about going on a date with a forty-two-year-old hockey player who has nothing going for him?
I tilt my head and hold back my sigh. She’s beautiful in every way an omega should be.
Her tanned skin complements her long, dark hair, which spills down her back and covers the straps of her deep purple dress.
But that’s the problem. Even if she was one of the supermodels that Kane was usually seen with, she’s still an omega.
As soon as we start talking, she’ll turn out to be the same as all the others.
I could rudely burst out with, “What do you want from me?” and get it over with. I want to make an attempt to talk to her like she’s a person, and not another version of my ex-wife.
Kane pushed that I should see this as a fun experience, and what’s more fun than a forced exercise in facing my trauma? Though Kane doesn’t know I’m dealing with it all the time now that there’s a sexy maple-drenched omega in my house.
I keep scanning the restaurant for him. I already told him I won’t meet Ollie, but that’s why I forced myself into this suit and came. Well, that, and I might get more information about Luke. I need to see her, maybe scent her. Just to know I’m not going completely insane.
If it turns out that she’s not my match, I can drop the whole thing and try to sort out my feelings for Luke.
“Are you even listening to me?” Ash’s voice cuts through my worrying.
I jump as I meet her scowl, and more guilt pierces me. I’m really the worst person she could be on a date with.
“Did Marilyn make you come here as well?” I blurt out.
Her eyes widen; her hand pauses, bread buried in the bowl of olive oil.. Tenseness crowds my body as I wait for the answer. I don’t want to get stuck in my head any more than I already am.
Her hunched shoulders ease back, and a smile spreads across her lips.
“Oh, so Marilyn roped you into this as well?”
“Something like that. I’m wondering if you had as much of a choice as I did?”
My anxiety chips away as she laughs, leaning back in her chair.
“Look, I’ll be honest with you. She bribed me with this dress. I’m not allowed…” She nervously tucks her hair behind her ear like it’s annoying her. “I just moved to Nashville, and I don’t know anyone, and well, she promised me a dress and a fancy dinner.”
“So you’re not here to plan a future with me or anything?” I ask as I reach for some bread as well.
Ash laughs again, and I’m caught by the way she smiles. It feels like she’s finally opening up after fifteen minutes of awkwardness.
“God, no. I can’t.” She frowns like she wasn’t supposed to say that, and her gaze drops back to the thin slip of cardboard in her hands that’s supposed to be the menu. “I don’t know what half this stuff is.”
I pause, but a smile creases my lip. “Yeah, me too. It’s all way too fancy for me to get my head around.”
She shoots me a playful look. “Then, shall we order whatever sounds the least weird and try to have a good time? I’d say about an hour is long enough to keep Marilyn satisfied.”
“You got it.” I chuckle.
I think we can finally have a nice meal, and I can stop worrying.
If she doesn’t want anything from me, then I don’t have to worry about her trying to take things further.
I can see it as having dinner with a friend, rather than putting my guard up and looking for ways she could be plotting to get to me. And maybe take my mind off Luke.
She could be lying. But she doesn’t have stars in her eyes, and she’s not angling her body, or smiling like omegas do when I feel like I’m being hunted. So, I’ll do what Kane suggested and try to have fun.
We’re beginning to settle in and talking about our jobs when a familiar voice curls out from behind me.
“Mind if we join you?” Kane purrs.
I stiffen as Ash glances up at them, and Kane steps into view with his arm around his date.
The second I see Ollie’s face, the piece of tasteless bread I’m eating falls from my hand, clattering on the plate as my jaw drops. The air flies out of the room, and I’m pinned to my seat, tracking her as Kane leads her to the seat next to Ash.
“You didn’t say he was going to be here,” she whispers to Kane, though Ash and I can hear her clearly.
Kane chuckles as she glances around the restaurant like she’s looking for an escape.
He pulls out the chair for her, sweeping her long blonde hair over her shoulder to lay a kiss on her neck.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he murmurs, and she softens as he smiles.
It’s only when she sits down that her gaze snaps to mine. I jump back as her lips curve, exactly the way Luke’s do when he teases me.
“Timber, this is Ollie,” Kane says with a proud smile as he slides into the seat next to me, his gaze never leaving hers.
He takes her hand and rests it on the table as he threads his fingers through hers. “I’ve wanted you to meet her for so long, but we’ve never found the time.”
She narrows her eyes at him, and I shift away as he leans forward, offering his hand to Ash.
“I don’t believe we’ve met before,” Kane says, turning on his usual charm. I would laugh at how Ash eyes his hand, unimpressed, if it weren’t for the way Ollie glances at me again before she focuses on Ash.
I’m surprised by the way she scans Ash from head to toe, and her gaze turns dark.
My throat tightens as I watch her; her bare shoulders are pulled back, and she pours herself a glass of water.
I’d never been good at reading people, but she’s staring daggers at Ash, who clocks it as well.
“This was kind of a last-minute deal.” Ash shrugs as she shakes Kane’s hand and says a stiff hello to Ollie.
Ollie gives her a tight smile before returning to Kane and blanking her out.
Even though she’s acting possessive over Kane, exactly like the type of omega I hate, I can’t look away. The similarities are too much.
There are no piercings except for a stud in each ear, but the curve of her nose, the shape of her chin, and gold flecks in her eyes that I’ve only seen in Luke’s when I bent in close and wiped hot chocolate from his lips. Even the way her red fingernails tap her glass reminds me of him.
She looks like the female version of Luke. Her red velvet dress cuts a sharp line across her chest, exposing her shoulders and collarbones. The sleeves cover all of her upper arms, and she’s so skinny that I can’t imagine there’s any muscle there.
A purple pendant that sits between her collarbones on a gold chain matches her drop earrings.
Her lips are deep red, her eyes heavily lined, and she looks like she’s comfortable in these kinds of restaurants.
I suddenly feel lumbering and awkward compared to her, and I keep reminding myself that I’m at least twice her age, if Luke is anything to go by.
All the arguments I made for staying away from Luke apply here as well.
The intonations in her voice and how her head tilts as she laughs are identical to Luke’s. It’s so uncanny how I can’t separate them.
Each time Ash or I speak, she squeezes Kane’s hand as if she needs him for support.
Apart from that one glance, she doesn’t look at me again.
Both Kane and Ollie do the heavy lifting by chatting to Ash, though Ollie keeps her answers cold and short, and she nearly growls as Ash talks.
I can understand why she’d be protective of Kane, but there’s no reason for her to feel threatened, and what do I have to do with it?
I hate possessive omegas more than anything, because that was exactly how my ex-wife kept me cut off from everyone apart from my team when we were together.
My alpha side is rising with the craziness that first captured me when I met my ex-wife. Seeing Ollie and Kane together, blending seamlessly between talking to Ash and seductive smiles, is messing with me.
I won’t give in to the urge to purr in approval as Kane strokes the back of her hand with his thumb.
I don’t realize how long I’ve been staring.
The waiters take our orders and leave, and we’re still waiting for our food when a chair bangs to the floor across the dining room, loud enough to pull my eyes from Ollie.
“What the hell are they doing here?” I mutter as I catch sight of another guy from the team.