52. Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Two

Arrow

J ust another boring day at the front desk, wishing my life away until my next mealtime, meanwhile Alpha number one is having a lunch date with the one and only woman I'll ever fall for while Alpha number two cooks for them.

Okay, so the lunch isn't exactly a date.

But that's only because our girl has too much trauma to jump straight into that kind of situation.

We don't know how long it'll take for her to get over her past, and she won't be ready to accept us until she's well and truly over whatever actually happened to her.

I stand up straight when I hear Gio's chair scraping the floor.

Moving to the side of the desk, I glance into the dining room to see him headed into the kitchen.

If he's gone to find Jack, then I'm guessing our Delta is currently distracting Enzo back there.

Jack isn't usually the one to tempt our Alphas when it's not appropriate, but he's been more sexually charged since we met Beth. He always used to date blonde girls and he didn't really know why, especially when he met me and realized he was bisexual. Now, he thinks it might have been some underlying instinct that told him his mate was going to be a blonde woman.

Who knows, maybe it was?

All I know is we're both excited at the arrival of a new mate.

I've never been with a woman before, so it's new to look at this woman and feel the things I always feel when I'm with my Alphas and Jack.

I glance into the dining room again, just in time to see Gio return to the table.

He sits down with a mug of coffee, his favorite thing to drink after a meal.

They're not done talking, then.

Hopefully, that's a good sign.

She seemed a little nervous when she arrived, but the general vibe has been warm and friendly since they sat down. It's hard to tell what she's feeling from this distance, probably because we're not mated yet, but Gio seems happy, and I've heard some laughter from them both.

I relax as I move back behind the desk, returning to my regular job of staring out of the window, daydreaming about how things are going to be one day soon, when Gio's stopped agitating Enzo and my perfume is back at full potency.

A steady stream of people passes by, like usual, completely ignoring our restaurant.

Eventually those people blend together, and I'm gazing at a blur while I let my thoughts drift to sweeter things, imagining an indeterminate time in the near future where everything is perfect.

Just me and my five mates, all happy and harmonious, and …

Wait, did I think five?

I must have meant all five of us.

Huh. Weird. Five feels right, but it's not.

I wonder what that's about.

While I'm pondering, Gio and Beth step out into the reception area together.

I straighten up and turn to them, my gaze on Beth. "Please, tell me you took the job?"

"I did," she says, glancing at Gio.

She's nervous all over again, but also excited and kind of turned on.

I can tell she's really into my Alpha by how she looks at him, and I see the way she looks at me, like she can't quite believe I'm real. It's a little like how Jack looked at me when we first met, and the echo of that memory makes me smile.

"Great. I can't wait to see what you do with this place."

She blushes a bit at that, and I realize her nerves are at least partly down to the fact that she's been given a job to do. "I'll do everything I can to make sure this place is a success. It deserves to be packed every day."

"That'll be awesome," I admit. "I can't wait."

"I'm giving Beth a tour around the restaurant before I take her home," Gio explains.

Damn. She's barely been here for an hour and she's already leaving.

I guess at least she'll be back since she said yes to the job.

"Well, come spend some time at the front desk tomorrow," I offer. "I have some ideas if you're thinking about changing this area."

Gio gives me a warning look. " You have some ideas?"

"I've been thinking about it since Jack told us what Beth's initial ideas were," I defend myself. "It's not like I've been standing here watching us sink without wishing I could do something about it sooner."

"That sounds great," Beth says quickly. "I'll spend some time with each of you. It'll help me to compile the list of things we need to change and in what order they should be done."

Gio nods slowly. "Okay. Great."

He takes her hand, and she chews on her bottom lip.

He's been doing that, and she's not sure she should be letting him, I think.

Probably because he hasn't tried to ask her out, and we've made the decision not to tell her she's our mate, for now. I still think that's a bad idea, and she's going to be really fucking confused if we don't tell her soon.

"It's this way to the office," Gio says, leading her by the hand.

She goes with him, smiling at me as they walk by the desk to get to the other side and the corridor with the restaurant's bathrooms, and the back office that Gio barely even uses.

His laptop with the accounts stuff on it is upstairs in the apartment.

I suppose the safe with the petty cash and the check book is still in there though.

I sink back into my bent forward, staring out the windows position.

And that's when something strange happens.

Someone's out there, leaning against the wall of the nearest building, staring right back at me.

A tall guy I've never seen before. Dark clothes, slim to average build.

I move out from behind the desk and step closer to the window to get a better look.

My stomach starts to flutter as I look at him through the glass.

He's staring at the building, not me. He can't see me.

But I can see him, and I can feel what he means to me deep in my gut.

"True mate number five exists," I murmur.