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Junie perks up. “With glitter?”
Scarlet shakes her head. “Absolutely not.”
I pause. “Maybe controlled glitter.”
Honey points at me. “That is how glitter wins.”
Through the front windows, I see Theo beside his truck, boards hanging out of the back. He waits with one shoulder against the door, big and steady and trying so hard not to gather me up before I choose to walk to him. My omega goes soft in a way that makes my eyes sting.
I wave to my friends, who release a chorus of coos as I walk out the door.
Theo straightens. “You okay?”
I nod, but my scent must tell on me because his purr starts low. He opens his arms and I walk straight into them. His mouth presses to my hair, and his hand cups the back of my neck with enough pressure to remind every frantic part of me that I have a place to land.
“Found the receipt,” I whisper against his chest.
His body goes still. “For the missing ledger?”
“I think so. The one stolen from your cabinet.”
His arms tighten around me. “Then they’ve got the info we need.”
“Maybe.” I look up at him. “But Jessamine may have had a copy, or enough notes to follow without it.”
Fear moves through his scent. So does pride.
“That’s my brilliant girl,” he says, voice rough.
The praise rolls through me, warm and ridiculous and exactly what I need.
Behind the café glass, Honey, Scarlet, and Junie pretend not to watch.
Theo kisses me once, soft enough for the sidewalk and deep enough that my toes curl in my shoes. When he pulls back, his thumb brushes my cheek. “Ready to go home?”
I look past him to Sweet Tooth, where my friends are already pulling chairs together. Then I look back at my alpha.
“Yes,” I say. “But tomorrow, we’re coming back with a bigger notebook, and possibly controlled glitter.”
Theo’s mouth curves. “I’m not asking what controlled glitter means.”
“That’s probably wise.”
Chapter 31
Pepper Vines
Mrs. Delaney brings backup to Sweet Tooth the next morning. Strategic, cardigan-wearing, purse-carrying backup with reading glasses, old address books, and the terrifying confidence of women who know exactly which cousins stopped speaking in 1997 and why.
By the time I reach the girls’ table, Honey has already pushed two plates of scones into the center, Junie has written Vines Notebook Hunt across the top of a napkin in purple marker, and Scarlet is pretending not to be amused.
“Sit, dear.” Mrs. Delaney pats the empty chair beside her. “Archives keep what people are willing to give them. Women keep what people were too foolish to ask about. So first, we’re calling your mother.”
Honey points a butter knife at her. “That was inspirational.”
“It was truth.” Mrs. Delaney slides her phone toward me. “Call.”
My mom answers on the third ring. “Pepper? Everything okay?”
