Page 8 of A Hutch for Hoover (Omegas of Animals #15)

Grant

“Grant, is that you?” The voice carried over the whirr of blenders as we made up smoothies for the crowd.

We’d stopped taking orders about ten minutes into the event because the line was starting to block the way for other people.

Instead, I had Ronny and Jen making full blenders of each of the five flavors and pour them into the smaller cups we’d brought.

I was handing them out and telling people what was in them, answering other questions.

“I should have known!” My cousin Marty came around the table and opened his arms for a hug. “As soon as someone said the world’s best smoothies guy is here, who else could it be? Wait until I tell the uncles I saw you here.”

“How are things back home?” I stepped into his embrace and squeezed him back. “It’s so nice to see a familiar face. Tell me everything.”

Marty, the one wolf I’d ever met who was built more like a bear, launched into a description of the home place, starting with my dads and clearly ready to tell me about each and every member of the pack until Ronny cleared his throat.

“Uh, boss? Sorry to interrupt, but the line is getting really long.” And I was the one who was supposed to be handing out the drinks. Oops.

“No, you’re right.” I stepped back and looked Marty up and down. “You’re looking great. Are you in the area long?”

“For about a week. I’m here to meet with some pack leaders and other pack business.”

“They sent you a long way. We need to get together for dinner, and you have to come see the shop.”

“Man, I remember when you had that cart with that tiny solar panel. And pedals, and what else did you try?”

“Everything. Anything. But right now, I need to hand out smoothies. So, take one, and tell me when you can find time in your schedule. Do you have my number?”

“I was going to call you tomorrow. So, why don’t I do that anyway?”

We spoke for another few seconds, and then I had to reluctantly let my cousin go. I hadn’t been particularly missing home, and I talked to my dads often, but seeing someone from there made me want to visit soon. Before he left, we hugged again one more time, and I soaked up the scent of family.

But as he made his way to another table, another scent filled my nostrils. Not family, or at least, not the birth kind. No, this was the fated kind. But where was he? We were well into the evening now, and the crowds were showing no signs of lessening.

The scent was not that of a wolf, but I couldn’t quite define what it was.

A shifter, certainly, but something more exotic and delectable than one of my kind.

A hint of spice and something sweet. Nobody I’d ever met had smelled so good, which made sense since nobody I’d ever met had been my mate.

I had to find him, but I couldn’t walk away from the table and leave my responsibilities.

It was a real honor for a new business like mine to be invited to this event.

I saw a famous designer at one table, a chef who’d been guesting on the local morning show, pack leaders, all sorts of people who were much more important than me.

But if I didn’t go look for him, he might leave, and we’d never meet.

This might be our only chance to connect.

My chest grew tight and muscles tensed, ready to chase him or maybe shift.

I’d been told shifting was allowed at Animals, but this didn’t seem like the most appropriate time. And nobody else was doing it.

Then, while conflict surged within me, he appeared from within the crowd, and I would have leapt over the table to get to him, except it was filled with blenders, and a small group of kids, with parents insisting it was getting late and they had to leave as soon as they had their smoothies, charged the table.

The alpha, the one my wolf swore was ours, approached the table. Our eyes met, and I was one gone wolf. “Hi,” he said.

“Hello.” Weren’t we the well-spoken ones. “Would you like a smoothie?”

“Sure.” His gaze took in the fresh fruits and vegetables, the various juices and milks that went into our drinks. “What do you recommend?”

“Let me make something. Trust me?”

He grinned, and my knees went weak. “Of course I do.”

Looking over the various ingredients we had, I mixed a layered smoothie of strawberries, pineapple, and blue spirulina and handed it to him. “Hope you enjoy.”

He closed his lips around the straw and drew up a long sip. “My gods, how do you do this? I bet you sell a lot of these.”

“I just made it up for you.” Off the top of my head. “I—we have to talk. I can maybe step away for a minute.”

“No, don’t. It’s important that you’re here to handle things. I’ll go look around and come back in a while.”

A while sounded like an eternity.

He was hot, and I soaked in every detail from his blond hair to the piercing green eyes and he looked just as good walking away, although I wished he wouldn’t leave.

He had hearing aids, I noticed, wondering how well he could hear with them.

Hoping they helped with whatever level of hearing loss he had, and then he was gone, disappearing into the crowd.

“We want the red one,” demanded a small girl. “Do you have a red one?”

“Of course.” I directed Jen to make the flavor they asked for.

The only red we had was the same one we’d made for Karma, and Jen and Ronny soon had two blenders whirring away with the flavor requested by the little ones.

She filled the cups about three quarters to minimize spillage and lined them up. “Red all around.”

After the giggling girls left, slurping up their smoothies which were much healthier than they probably imagined, I served the next group and the next and the next.

It was a never-ending line, which made me feel great, except I was having a heck of a time letting my assistants go and have a look around for themselves.

Much less, leave myself to track down my mate.

I could still scent him in the building, but was he still here?

Or had he left his scent to torment me while I searched for him for the rest of my life?

Dramatic, much?

“Ronny, go take a quick walk around, okay?”

“You sure? It’s still very busy.”

“I hate for you to miss out. As soon as you get back, Jen can go.” They needed the break, and there were so many things to check out. “I’m just sorry I can’t give you longer.”

Once Ronny was gone, we were even busier, but he circled back in about ten minutes. I knew he’d wanted to stay gone longer, but I promised myself I’d reward him, and Jen, as well, since she ended up refusing to leave at all.

An evening that had been flying by slowed to tortoise speed as I wished for the night to be over so I could find my mate and at least talk together.

But it dragged on and on and on. Networking didn’t matter anymore, just finishing up so I could find my mate.

I caught glimpses of him in the crowd from time to time, but it wasn’t enough.