My eyes narrow on the Alpha. He knows perfectly well where I’ll be spending my evening. “PTA meeting.”
“Ah.” Jared nods, still stifling his smile. “My condolences.”
Quinn wraps her arms around his neck. “You should come home with me. Uncle Holden made cookies.”
“Tempting,” Jared says as he sets her back on her feet. Sprinkles presses against Quinn’s leg to confirm she’s stable. “But Emily’s making me stew tonight.”
My stomach growls on cue.
Quinn gasps. “Stew?”
“And fresh bread,” Jared adds with a wink.
She appears conflicted before turning back to me. “You could still come for cookies.”
I crouch so we’re eye level. Sprinkles lowers himself beside her boots, watching us both.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Bright and early.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
She studies me for a long moment. “Okay.”
Kyle calls for final boarding, and Jared nudges her toward the boat. “Go get your life vest on. And eat extra cookies for both of us. Tell Uncle Holden we said it was okay.”
She brightens and throws her arms around me, squeezing tight. Sprinkles leans in as well, his enormous head bumping my hip as if he expects a goodbye, too.
“Don’t let the parents argue too much.”
I pat her head. “I’ll try not to.”
She trots toward the boat, Sprinkles pacing beside her, and waves as she climbs aboard.
Jared waits until she steps onto the deck before turning back to me with a concerned frown. “You’ve been running yourself thin lately.”
“I’m fine,” I assure him.
His gaze lingers, unconvinced, but he lets it drop. “You still coming for dinner?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Good.” He jerks his head toward the parking lot. “Emily’s headed back on the last boat to get the bread going.”
Warmth spreads through me at the picture of her kitchen, bread and stew filling the cottage while the three of us settle into the quiet comfort we’ve been building.
“A quiet night sounds perfect,” I admit.
Jared claps me on the shoulder. “Don’t let those parents keep you too long.”
“I’ll escape as soon as they stop arguing.”
Jared snorts and heads up the gangway toward the old truck he shares with Emily, and I wish I could skip going back to school so I could just follow him home.
I stay on the dock until the water taxi pulls away, Quinn waving from the rail, Sprinkles a dark sentinel at her side, her bright orange vest vivid in the fading light.
Only when it disappears from view do I turn toward the road and the waiting PTA meeting.