Page 7 of Emerald Moon (Pitch Mountain Pack #2)

“Correct. Don’t forget it.” She started walking back towards her station. “Who are they for anyway? A new crush?”

Jo rolled their eyes. “I regret telling y’all about my new friend crush problem.”

“What? I can’t ask a simple question?”

They shot her as intimidating a look as they could manage, but they knew it fell flat. “What I said a few weeks ago during moments of pack bonding should remain in moments of pack bonding.”

“Just wondering if you’re infatuated with anyone again like you were with Beta Seraphine.”

“That was a secret!”

Billie laughed, the sound a mix of a chuckle and a snort, and got back to work. “Sorry, I’ll leave you to your mess.”

Jo pouted at their macarons.

The back door of the bakery swung open. Seraphine, the Beta of the pack, walked in.

She looked a bit frazzled, but that wasn’t too far off from normal.

Along with the pack Alpha, Parisa, she ran the pack and Violet Moon, so Jo could only imagine all the things they had to do everyday.

As the Gamma, Wilma helped, and Jo knew from chats with Wil and their Beta that everything had improved since Seraphine and Parisa got together, but it was still a lot to manage.

“Beta Seraphine!” Jo lit up. Their friend crush on Seraphine might have ended, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still one of Jo’s favorite people. They ran over and gave her an awkward hug where they made sure their patchy dyed hands didn’t touch her clothes.

Seraphine patted their back as they returned the gesture. “Practicing again?”

Jo took a step back. “Yep!” they replied, motioning to their mess. “One day I’ll get to where I want to be.”

“And where’s that?” Seraphine asked with a grin. Jo had mentioned wanting their macarons to be out in the cases before, so their Beta knew exactly what their goal was.

But that was too embarrassing to say out loud again. “Just better than they are now.”

She walked over to where Jo’s assembled macarons were on a tray. “I think they’re looking pretty great already. You’ve come a long way. I wish I had your ability to improve.”

“Your bakes have been getting better!” For all the work she did for the bakery, Seraphine didn’t actually bake anything for it. She was better known for producing blobs of barely-cooked dough and burning pots.

“You’re kind. And maybe, but nothing like what you can do. A few more bakes and these will be ready to go out front and be sold!”

“It’s going to take more than a few batches to get my bakes anywhere near what Emmaline and Billie can do. Or even Lock with those hand pies.”

“I don’t think you’re as far away as you think.” Seraphine wiggled her fingers near the macarons. “Can I try one?”

“Of course.” Jo scanned the tray for one of the better-looking ones and gave it to her. They tried to go back to their work while she ate it, but it was too tempting to stare out of the corner of their eye to watch her reaction.

“Jo, these are fantastic! Sweet, but fresh and tart, too. What a great combination. You know what, give these to the next person you have a friend crush on and I’m certain they’ll be yours.”

Jo scrunched up their face. “A friend crush isn’t something I want to be actually romantic! It’s a thing that happens — that I hate, by the way — that passes so I can be a normal friend again.”

“Well, sure,” Seraphine added, “but you never know when you might meet someone that you’ll actually want to stick around as more than a friend.” She winked.

Jo had a moment of panic. Seraphine often talked with members of the Crooked Creek Pack.

Did she know something? Did she know about the thing with Cass in the tent?

No, that was impossible. Only Cass and Krista knew about that, and they wouldn't say anything about it. But Krista could be chatty and, while she’d never spill a secret on purpose, she might talk around it in a way where someone could read through the lines.

Seraphine patted Jo’s shoulder. “Sorry for teasing, but I do mean it! Give your macarons to someone you’re into and they’ll stick around to get more. I’m sure when you finally do agree to sell these, customers will keep coming back to get them, too.”

“Thanks,” Jo mumbled, glancing away and digging the toe of their old sneakers into the floor. It was nice to hear a compliment, but hard to take it. Saying thanks while feeling embarrassed was the best they could do.

“Oh yeah.” Seraphine motioned to the back door. “Almost forgot to mention — your cat’s outside.”

“Dolly!” Jo perked up at the news and turned back to their work to finish faster. “I’ll finish up and go play with her, maybe give her the treats I brought if she’s still around.”

“And I’m late, like always, so I better scoot. Thanks for the perfect macaron!” Seraphine added as she walked away to go through the doors into the front of Violet Moon.

“Why don’t you just go ahead and adopt that cat already?” Billie asked across the kitchen. “I’m sure Alpha Parisa would agree to have her in the house.”

Jo looked down at their blue hands. “Maybe.”

“Just ask. It couldn’t hurt.”

“What? You want me to be happy or something?”

“Never.” Billie narrowed her eyes, trying to look intimidating. She did a better job at it than Jo, but they knew she cared for them as much as anyone else in the pack.

Jo finished the rest of the macarons and tidied their area.

They popped a few of the blue treats in their mouth as they cleaned and, while the shapes could be off, Jo knew their flavors were great every time.

Putting the remaining macarons into a bakery box to bring back to the house to share, they made their way out the back door to go see Dolly.

They squatted outside, looking around for the cat. “Where’s my sweet girl?”

With a loud meow, the white cat appeared from behind a stack of crates.

Jo smiled. That’s where they’d put the house they made for her.

They rummaged through their backpack for the tube of fishy cat treat they’d brought.

Ripping open the top, Jo held it out for her.

The long-haired, white cat trotted closer, eager to accept the offer.

Jo wasn’t sure how long Dolly had been a stray or if she’d always lived outside.

She seemed too gentle to have been outside forever, but she was a bit rough around the edges with her matted fur and a scratch above one of her eyes.

Her white fur was more off-white in color.

She’d been wary of Jo at the beginning, but Jo’s patience earned them the right to pet her and give her a name.

They patted her little head as she licked up the treat.

Billie was right. Asking Alpha Parisa if they could keep her in the house wasn’t a bad idea.

It made Jo nervous, though. They’d grown closer to their Alpha, but she was still a bit unapproachable — not because of her personality, but from how put-together and serious she usually was.

Parisa was strong, clever, and effortlessly fashionable.

Jo was none of those things and got tongue-tied around her regularly.

It would be worth asking to bring Dolly inside, though. The little house Jo had made was better than nothing, but it didn’t come close to being able to sleep on Jo’s bed in a climate-controlled house away from the summer thunderstorms that rolled through the area.

“Do you want that?” They asked, scratching Dolly under her chin as the cat leaned in to the touch. “Do you want to live in my pack house? My room is pretty big. I share it with someone named Wilma. She’s pet you a few times. You know her. I think she’d like you living with us, too.”

Jo spent a little more time playing with Dolly with the wand toy she kept in her backpack and, after making sure that Dolly had enough food and water, gave her a few more pets. They said good night to the cat and started up the path that led to the pack house.