Hell, Jack had even done my laundry since everything had been soaked through and wrecked by the storm. Of course a small part of me missed the excuse to wear their clothes, but with the agreement, I guess I didn’t really need one.
The lingering touches from Jack and Boone were enough to work a girl up. I could tell they were both trying to let me set the pace which I both appreciated and abhorred at the same time.
Getting to know them better was fantastic, but the more I got to know them, the more I wanted them. It was a cycle that had left me hot and bothered which was why I was thankful for the relief of the crisp autumn air as I strolled down Main Street.
“Well if it isn’t the girl who's taking Holiday Hollow by storm!” A warm voice exclaimed, grabbing my attention.
Janet Halston was sitting on a park bench framed by two men who were almost double her size and looking at her as if she hung the moon.
“How are you doing, Mrs. Halston?”
“You either call me mama or if you’re not comfortable with that yet, Janet, you hear me? None of this Mrs. Halston business. You’re family as far as I’m concerned missy. I don’t think you’ve had a chance to meet my alphas and the boys’ dads, Ross and Bill.”
The two inclined their heads politely at their respective names, the one who I assumed was Ross, reaching out to clasp Janet’s hand tightly.
“Nice to meet you both. You have lovely sons,” I said, not knowing how much to say.
Sure, a good chunk of Holiday Hollow had turned up to help mitigate the damage on the house, but I wasn’t sure who all knew about the termite damage and that I was staying over at the pumpkin farm now.
Having an omega all up on their personal property might not look good in the future for when the pack decided they wanted an omega of their own. I’d already halfway planned how I was going to have to rid my scent from the place even though the voice inside me screamed at that.
“They better be treating you right up there at the farm,” Ross said.Guess the cat is out of the bag.
Bill grunted. “If they’re not, we’ll come up there and kick some sense into them.”
“What they said,” Janet agreed. “Although I’m sure the three of them are probably keeping each other in line. I’m so sorry to hear about the orchard house, Autumn. If there’s anything we can do personally or as a community to help just let me know and we’ll get that back up and running in a jiffy.”
“Actually, I was wondering if I could run an idea by you…”
Janet was the expert of all things Holiday Hollow and turned out to be the best one to ask for advice with the direction that I wanted to take with Cedarwick’s Orchard.
By the time I arrived back at the house, I was feeling pretty optimistic, which was saying a lot all things considered. I had a formal meeting scheduled with Janet in a week to flush out my idea and I had picked up a bag of supplies from the store.
“Well someone is looking much brighter today,” Hunter said, standing at the kitchen counter, his hair still freshly damp as if he had just showered.
Sitting my bag down, I shrugged. “Perspective. How was your day, Sheriff? Any excuses to break out those handcuffs?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head with a laugh. “I was with the junior deputies I coach today. It's a program set up through the local middle school. We do a lot of community based things and go over some of the trails and fishing. It’s sort of like Holiday Hollow’s version of an all inclusive scout troop.”
“That’s really awesome that you get to do that,” I said, a warm smile stretching across my face. Of all the guys, I was a bit shocked it was Hunter who’d taken to being a scout leader. He didn’t seem the caretaking type but he was honestly the perfect alpha to lead them. He loved being outdoors and had proved more than once he was handy.
“It’s honestly probably my favorite part,” he admitted. “Although it does mean those handcuffs have to stay in their holder. For Hollows sake, could you imagine if they got their hands on them?”
“You’d definitely be getting calls to come save them from whatever hijinks they got themselves into,” I agreed, joining him in a laugh.
“Do my ears deceive me or did you just get my brother to laugh?” Jack asked as he walked in, coming to greet me with a hug and a kiss.
“Hey!” Hunter said in mock outrage. “I’m not the grump of the group. That's reserved for Boone.”
“Speaking of, where is my favorite bear?” I asked.
“He just messaged that he was leaving the shop and should be home soon,” Jack muttered, pulling out his phone and typing away. “There, now we have a group chat! Should have done that ages ago.”
Hunter shot me a look, his eyebrows raised before he made a little whipping motion.
“Oh hush, Hunter Halston,” I told him with narrowed eyes.
Jack blinked up none the wiser. “What did he do now?”