Page 95 of Not Looking
But part of me hoped they wouldn’t get attached. History had a way of repeating itself.
∞∞∞
“Hey Randy,” Harrison said as I walked into the mill. “Craig got sent on a last-minute quote, so he’s not here.”
“Oh… Ok.” My heart sank a bit at not seeing him there, even though we had a dinner date planned for that evening.
“I’ve got your dowry, though.”
“My what?” I squeaked, choking on air.
He laughed and grabbed the bin from under the counter. He turned it so that I could read the side that I hadn’t been able to before. ‘Craig’s Dowry’ was scrawled on it in black permanent marker.
“Wh-what?” I managed.
Harrison chuckled. “I think it was the boss, maybe Oscar. It appeared a few days after the boss okayed Craig keeping the scraps for you. You’ve never seen it?”
“I’ve seen the bin,” I replied. “Craig always kept the writing on his side.”
Harrison leaned on the counter with a chuckle. “I can’t say I blame him. We all gave him shit. Cause you know how things are.” He paused, and his smile faded slightly. “To be honest, we all expected you’d turn him down like every alpha we’ve seen flirt with you before.”
My cheeks heated slightly. “I thought about it… sometimes.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” he replied.
“Hmm?”
He shrugged. “This is the first time I’ve seen you since you two became a thing. But you seem more relaxed.”
“Huh?”
He shook his head. “It’s the way you carried yourself—like tension had seeped into your bones. But you’re different today. It’s nice.”
I blinked.
“And Craig,” Harrison continued. “He’s fucking glowing every Monday after the weekend with you.” He laughed. “We give him even more shit now.”
“Does he… Does he talk?”
Harrison shook his head. “Naw. We all know you’re pretty private, so anything he shares is the nice stuff. Maybe a project you showed him, or how much he likes walking Spud with you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He’s got it bad, but it’s sweet. It seems like just spending time with you is enough.”
Warmth spread through my middle.
“Anyway, just know we’re rootin’ for ya. We’ve all known you long enough that we want to see you happy.”
“Thanks.”
He slapped the counter a couple times. “I’ll let you dig through the dowry and get to your shopping. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Ok.”
He stepped away as I started inspecting the pieces that Craig had set aside for me.
I kept every one.
