Page 51 of They Love Me Knot (Starsfalls Omegaverse #2)

Daphne

I walk out of Queen of Hearts and enter the dark green wooden door at Pen and Tellem just a few minutes later.

I’m still not used to the walkability of this town.

I’m barely a few feet in when I have to stop and stare.

The bookstore is several stories tall, which is obvious from the outside, but in here you can see every level, with the gallery balconies open to the ground floor. There must be hundreds of books, thousands actually, on every level.

I squint, unable to make out much on the highest floors. Most of them are hidden in shadows, but I assume there are even more books lurking up there.

The ground floor alone would take hours to wander through, shelves and tables filled with books old and new, plus fun accessories like bookmarks, totes, and candles.

It’s overwhelming in a good way, like a table filled with delicious cookies and cakes where you don’t know what to start on first. Kind of like visiting Flourist, before I got all distracted by Sterling .

Sterling on the table WITH the desserts…

“It looks like this is your first time. Do you need help finding something?” a chipper voice asks.

“It’s not my first time! I mean, uh, yes, I’m looking for any rare books you have about flowers,” I say.

I quickly wipe my mouth, making sure there’s no drool on it. I should’ve eaten a bigger lunch. Or included cock on the menu.

I approach the white and pink-haired woman at the front counter, and she sets down the book she was reading, Big Tex, Hot Asphalt .

“Flowers, that’s a fun request. Are you looking for gardening, biology, or a history of? Modern or antique?” She hops off her chair, almost disappearing behind the giant checkout desk before coming around it to join me.

“Mostly history and symbolism, but I wouldn’t mind seeing where the gardening books are too.

I work at Queen of Hearts, so I’m looking for some inspiration on the arranging side.

I own most of the modern books already, so I’m thinking rare or antique.

I’m sure there will be plenty of those to browse through,” I say, still in awe of the giant bookstore.

She nods eagerly, bobbed hair swaying back and forth across her cheeks.

“We have a huge selection! And if we don’t have what you’re looking for, we can order it for you or watch for it when we source our books.”

The woman leads me deeper into the store, weaving through the mishmash of shelves set up at odd angles and around tables and piles of books.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around. Did you move here recently? I’m Alice, by the way. Did you know we have a greenhouse? It’s the perfect place for cozy reading among the plants,” she says, looking back at me as she takes us around a blind corner.

“I’m Daphne. I moved here earlier this year, but I haven’t had the time to explore much,” I say, trying not to let on that I’ve been kind of a hermit workaholic.

“I’ve never heard of a bookstore-greenhouse combo. I’d love to see that,” I add as we careen around another corner.

“Good! Because we’re here. I thought it would be fun to start in the greenhouse before moving on to the books you’re looking for. They’re all spread out since we have things organized by category as well as new or antique, plus foreign language.”

“Oh. Yes, good idea,” I say, but I’m not sure I’ll survive exploring the store with Alice.

She hasn’t run into anything yet, but her blasé tour guiding is making me nervous. So far the other customers have gone around us or jumped out of our way, but odds are that we’ll run into something eventually.

Alice opens a large, curved door, and I forget all about my fear of collision.

I float into the greenhouse, admiring the greenery.

There are ferns and ivies and philodendrons, and all sorts of leafy plants growing in pots scattered among the long wooden tables and classical stone statues.

Bright flowers draw the eye as I make my way around the room, along with fruiting plants, strawberries on the vine, blueberries on little bushes, sweet peppers poking out of leaves.

Delicious-smelling herbs are everywhere you turn, like apple mint, lavender thyme, and Piccolino basil.

Alice appears at my elbow, and I jump, not realizing she had been silently following as I wandered around.

“So, what do you think? The restoration team did a great job, right? We hired a plant specialist to decorate it and take care of everything. The edible plants are all free pick, so you can grab a snack while you read or take the herbs home to make soup or a fancy cocktail or something. Isn’t that fun?

There are a few plants for sale too, of course.

Not sure if you enjoy gardening in your free time or if you get enough of that at work,” Alice chatters happily.

“I like growing plants, though I don’t have many of them at the moment. You said I can eat the fruit?” I ask, already aiming for the strawberries.

After chatting about plants (and snacking) for a while, I let Alice lead me back into the bookstore proper to show me what I came for.

She pinballs us around the store, pointing out the relevant sections, before leaving me to browse on my own, making me promise to find her if I need help or get lost. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to find her if I’m lost, but I thank her anyway, and then she’s off.

This place could probably stand to hand out maps, but I’m not great at reading those anyway, so I just memorize my route.

I start browsing where Alice left me, at the flower arranging throughout history section.

I carefully look at the books that seem promising, select a few to purchase, and work my way back through the other sections she showed me.

By the time I’m done, I have several stacks of books waiting for me at the register, where Alice offered to hold them.

I lug my last load of books to the front and set them on the counter. I think I have a chance to catch my breath as Alice finishes talking with other customers, except she notices I’m here and waves me over .

“Oh! This is who I was talking about,” she says to the alphas and omega with her.

“This is Seph, the greenhouse manager, and Basel is the architect who worked on the restoration,” Alice says, gesturing to the brown-haired alpha.

She introduces the red-haired one next. “And Fynn, along with the rest of their pack, helped get the greenhouse ready for its grand opening at the Autumnfalls Festival last year. It looked amazing with the fall decorations.”

“Daphne’s the new florist in town. I thought you would have a lot to talk about since you both love plants and books,” she tells the omega, Seph.

“Those are all yours?” Seph asks, admiring my book towers.

“I’m the same way. I usually end up with at least one big stack of books to carry out of here.

I finally realized I should always bring my car when I visit, even if it’s a short walk over.

I do not want to cart all those books home. Or make my alphas do it.”

“We’re always happy to carry your things,” Basel says.

“That’s right, and you know I have lots of experience carrying a heavy thing around,” Fynn says, smirking.

Seph scoffs and elbows him, blushing. The alphas watch her dotingly.

They’re such a cute pack. I might be jealous if I didn’t have my own guys who would be happy to carry my books if I’d invited them.

“Oh, right. My car…” I realize.

I was so distracted by all the amazing books, I didn’t even think about the fact that I have to get them home somehow. I’m so used to living in cities and driving everywhere, it never mattered if I bought a bunch of things at once .

Maybe if I hype myself up enough, I can carry it all in one trip.

I look at the counter where the stacks loom precariously.

Then again, maybe not. I’ll see if they can hold my books until I bring my car over.

Seph laughs. “It sounds like you might have a similar problem? We can help you.”

Her alphas are quick to agree.

“I left my car at work, but it’s fine. I can just pick up the books later if you’ll hold them for me?” I ask Alice.

“Sure, we can hold them, no problem,” she says.

Despite that, Seph’s pack end up convincing me to let them help, and I chat with Seph while Alice rings me up.

I pay, ignoring the total on the register, and the alphas load up my books and drive me back to Queen of Hearts.

While they swap the books from their car to mine, I quickly run in and put together a bouquet to thank them. Seph and I exchange numbers before they leave so we can keep talking about plants and books.

My friend circle is finally growing. I smile as I drive back to my townhouse.

I spend the evening pouring over my new books and sketching designs, interspersed with texting my guys (except for Ciro).

Which makes me wonder, is it too soon to track him down at Flower Gully and demand he go back to normal?

Back to being grumpy while looking out for me and calling me princess.

I could visit the farm and “slip” in a puddle (and maybe my dress rides up a little), requiring Ciro’s help to get up, but I accidentally fall on him, and one thing leads to another…

No, I shouldn’t do that .

Unless…

No, that would be crazy. It’s only been a few days since I heard from him. It’s too soon to let on how needy I apparently am. I was never like this before.

That’s my last thought before I pass out on top of my research.