Knot a Good Idea (Bittersweet Omegas #4)

Chapter 6

6

APRIL

Well, at least my hunch was correct.

I knew this was too good to be true.

“Yeah,” I mutter. “I’m not interested in any proposition.”

Why he still wants me here, I don’t know. I lashed out at him earlier just because he had the nerve to be more successful than me.

It’s not his fault I have to fire Devyn.

But a proposition ?

So much for trying to go out and have a normal experience for once.

“You haven’t heard what it is.” Donovan looks at me curiously, his head slightly cocked. “Or what I’m offering in exchange.”

“If this is some weird sex contract, I’m not interested.” My face burns, the idea of me being paid to sleep with him making my stomach sour.

I don’t even know if I’m capable of being intimate anymore.

But Donovan shakes his head quickly. “No. It’s not like that. It’s more…business.”

Trepidation makes my heart stutter. “…okay?”

“I’m looking for company for the next few months. Well, we are.”

I blink. “We?”

“My pack,” he explains.

I’m silent a moment before I respond. “I didn’t realize you were part of a pack.”

“You didn’t ask.” He raises an eyebrow. “We’re looking for an Omega to accompany us to social events.”

I frown as the next course is brought to us, locally caught fish with seasonal vegetables. The accompanying glass of wine is poured, and I mutter a thanks to the waiter as I gape at Donovan.

“They have professionals that do that, don’t they?” I sip my wine, my heart racing. “Why on earth would you ask me?”

“They do,” he agrees. “But my search has been unsuccessful. Then I saw you and…I had a hunch.”

“I’m not for sale.” I quip. This conversation is ridiculous . I imagine Skylar and Devyn’s faces when I scream I told you so at them.

“I don’t intend on buying you ,” he insists. “Just your time.”

“And I don’t have time to offer. I have work .”

“Which is exactly why this could work for you.” His grey eyes soften, and he smiles, as if he knows I’m going to say yes. “Allow me to tell you exactly what I can offer you.”

I should leave. I should have left after I cursed at him. But I stay glued in my seat waiting for his next words.

“I’ll cover all the bakery’s expenses for a year—supplies, rent, utilities, employee compensation, and whatever else you need. As a bonus, I’ll pay off all your outstanding business loans. You can keep your employees, and your café would thrive.”

I swallow. There’s no way he just offered that.

“You’re joking,” I mutter.

He shakes his head. “You deserve it anyway,” he says. “I finally tried that cookie you gave me. Not only was the coffee great, but you’re a talented baker. Your café deserves more recognition. It deserves multiple locations, honestly.”

I can’t help it. I beam at his praise. “Thank you,” I murmur.

“So, you’ll accept?”

My eyes widen. “A verbal acceptance to be your date with no binding contract? I thought you were a businessman?”

There’s the old April coming back for a moment. My self-confidence is still inside me somewhere.

Donovan smirks. “Of course not. Everything will be finalized in writing. Taking you out to dinner was only the first step.”

I should say no.

But I could save everyone’s jobs this way.

What happens if Donovan finds out who I am, though? Would he still make this offer is he saw an article about me on the internet?

Part of me is also disappointed that this isn’t a real date.

“I’ll offer you a show of good faith,” Donovan continues, reading the uncertainty on my face. “Just so you know how serious I am about this.”

“As in?”

“A gift. Just for entertaining this conversation with me.”

This is crazy. I should turn him down.

But this isn’t just about me anymore.

I could save the café.

I lift my chin and keep my eyes locked on his. “Sure.”

He smirks. “Check your bank account.”

My brow furrows. “What?”

“Do it. April Waters through Bank of Isleton Credit Union, correct? You’ll see a deposit there.”

My mouth drops as I open the banking app on my phone.

I gasp when I see the amount.

“What the hell—how did you?—”

That number can’t be accurate.

“Like I said. A show of good faith. You don’t have to give me your answer now,” he continues. “But I hope this can incentivize you.”

My hands tremble as I hold the phone. He deposited more than enough to cover a month of wages and café expenses.

I’m sure it’s nothing to him but to me, it’s a lifeline.

It’s freedom for my friends and family.

It pays for extra sessions with Sandy.

But—

“There’s no way you just want someone to pretend to be your Omega,” I say slowly. “This amount is more than enough for escort work, and I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”

I’m not mentally capable of it, no matter how much money he offers.

Donovan shakes his head. “We’re not looking for that. We’re looking for someone that would fit in well with our pack for public appearances. And you’re exactly what I want, which means the others will approve of you, too.”

“Why not pick someone that’s from your social circle? That’s what I still don’t understand.”

The next course is brought to the table, but I barely taste it as my mind races.

“It wouldn’t be as believable,” he says simply.

I frown. “I doubt that.”

“You’re authentic and it’s refreshing.”

“Even after the ‘fuck you’?”

He grins. “Even after the ‘fuck me.’ Just don’t do it at a charity auction, and we’re fine.”

I chew slowly, still in shock at the amount now in my bank account. “I can’t take this money. I haven’t even decided if I’m able to do this with you.”

“It’s yours regardless,” Donovan says, watching as I take a sip of wine.

“And if I say yes? What happens next?”

“You would meet the others, and we would go over boundaries and expectations, then the contract.”

“When?”

“By the end of the week at the latest.”

“And how soon is the first event you would need me at?”

“Two weeks from now.”

I let out a slow breath. “And where would we be going?”

“You would meet everyone at our house in Stone County.”

Of course he’s in Stone County. It’s the richest area in California, tucked away near breathtaking views of snowy mountains and woods.

I can hear Skylar screaming in my head to do it. She’s talked about Stone County more than once, daydreaming about opening a café there and charging fifty dollars a cookie.

“Just meet with my packmates once,” Donovan says softly. “Please.”

The please is so quiet I’m not sure if I imagined it. But his sky blue eyes are vulnerable and earnest, and his ocean scent makes my mouth water.

I know I need to meet new people, especially ones that don’t know my past.

And so, as foolish as it may be, I nod.

“Okay,” I whisper.

Donovan, without the added pressure of his offer, is good company. He’s smart, well spoken, and as Skylar put it, has his shit together.

Which is why this agreement is bittersweet.

He’s looking for someone to pretend to date—he’s not interested in a real relationship.

To be fair, I’m not in any place to be in a relationship, anyway.

Still, the idea that he didn’t want me and only wants someone on his arm stings.

The money in my bank account helps ease the pain, though.

“The end of the week?” he asks me as we pull into my driveway. “Are we in agreement?”

Before I can open my door, it opens automatically for me. He’s at my side in an instant and I take his hand, his warm palm engulfing mine, and do my best to ignore the electricity that shoots up my spine.

“We are,” I say, keeping my voice as even as I can. I don’t want to let him know how much he affects me.

He walks me to my front door, and we both linger for a moment. The porch light illuminates the contours of his sharp jawline, and I wish this had been a real date.

“I’ll be in touch,” he says softly. “Have a good night, April.”

“You too,” I murmur. I shut the door behind me quickly, trepidation building in my stomach.

What the hell did I just agree to?

Locking the front door, I listen for his car to pull out of the driveway before I kick off my shoes and head upstairs to my room. The downstairs lights are off, which means my mom is probably asleep. The only light in the house is the faint brightness from underneath my closed bedroom door.

I open it to see Skylar sprawled out on the bed. She sits up immediately when she sees me, her deep blue eyes expectant and excited.

I shut the door, lean against it, and let out a slow, deep breath.

“That bad?” she asks, but I shake my head.

“I have to tell you something,” I say.