The Alpha’s Prophesied Mate

Chapter 7: Not Ready

Rainshadow Café

“Okay… your final order is: a 4-inch triple chocolate cake, with the silver 5th anniversary cake topper you chose from our catalog and a white chocolate badge on the side with the inscription: I love you, Honey… Raspberries? Yes, that’s possible. Yes, for the same price… Okay. It was a pleasure serving you… See you Saturday! Goodbye!”

“Lillian?”

“Yes. She wanted to see if it was possible to make a modification to the decoration of the order, and in the end, she changed the filling as well. She’s picking it up on Saturday at 8 a.m., before leaving for her anniversary camping trip.”

“Camping? For an anniversary? Poor woman. There’s no way they’d get me to a filthy forest to cook and kill bugs. At the very least, a spa or a weekend somewhere tropical… Although, if it’s Lillian from the supermarket, I can understand her husband. Nothing to show off about.”

Why is she here… again?

Mentally counting to ten, Evelyn turned her gaze toward the table where Naomi was sitting with one of her friends. For the millionth time, she wondered why she had allowed herself to end up in this situation. She was sure anyone else would have cut off all contact with someone who had done what her sister had planned to do to her. “Planned,” mind you, the defining word for her actions. But her damn pride and the café had won out, and now, for at least another six months, she would have to put up with Naomi trying to meddle in her life... Not exactly the best decision, agreeing to have her stepfather act as her guarantor when, despite his good attitude and personality, he had the misfortune of having a daughter like that.

Pedro, however, wasn't dealing with the same conflict.

“Try lasting at least a month with someone, and then come tell me how things went in the Bahamas,” Pedro said sarcastically, closing the order book and sliding it under the counter. “Although, if I were you, I’d take even a trip to a nearby lake. Anything is better than the weekiversary celebrations at the motels you’re used to. Don’t you think?”

“You tell me. People like…”

“Like me? What exactly do you mean?” Pedro cut her off, staring at her. When he realized Naomi wasn't going to clarify, he shook his head and began cleaning the counter. “I swear, every time I think you can’t possibly be any more stupid, you come along and prove me wrong.”

“I won’t let you—”

“I guess I’m the only one you ever say no to,” he replied calmly, resting his elbows on the counter and staring at her. “And to answer your original question, before you went off on an entire community just to insult me… the difference between you and me is that I’m not limited to those places. I choose to go to them. You know, perks of not being anyone’s mistress.”

“Misst—”

“Now, I doubt that, no matter how dazzled by you your conquests are, any of them have ever actually imagined you doing anything different from what you offer… Like cooking, for example. One point in your favor, though: it’s unlikely you’ll get swarmed by mosquitoes at a motel. I doubt they’re among the main pests that live and spread infections in those places.”

The café fell silent for a few seconds before Naomi frantically gathered her things and stormed out without waiting for her friend, who, after making an awkward face, hurried after her.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Pedro,” Evelyn said without conviction. She knew she could have stopped him and had chosen not to.

“Probably, but I don’t regret it,” he said, shrugging. “It’s her fault for forcing her presence on us and exposing us to her toxicity. She was driving me crazy,” he added with a sigh. “Ever since she planted herself at that table, all she’s done is mock the people who have come in today, the ones who call, even us… The worst part is that she won’t stop coming until she gets what she wants.”

“And what she wants is information about the birthday boy.” Evelyn closed her eyes and walked over to the nearest table, taking a seat. “I told her earlier that I hadn’t received a message from Eleonor and that she would probably decide to look for other options… But she didn’t listen to me.”

“If there’s one thing your sister has, it’s persistence,” Pedro said, moving over to the table and taking a seat. “The best thing for everyone is for you to put a stop to this whole situation. It’s ridiculous that you have to put up with her. It’s not as if her father doesn’t know what she did.”

“Richard sees Naomi as a victim. As far as I understand, he thinks Michael played with her and then left her too. Although my mother tells people that she was the one who left him because, in the end, her love for her sister was stronger. Who knows what those two have made him believe at this point.”

“No one who actually knows her can believe either of those versions. Please! I hate Michael for what he did to you, but he wasn’t the one who dragged your sister into any of it. He was an i***t for falling into her trap, but that poor bastard is paying for it.”

“Yeah…” Evelyn sighed and turned her gaze toward the storefront window. “I’m sorry about what happened with his father. Before all this, their relationship was special. I know you think I’m stupid for forgiving him, but doing so isn’t the same as forgetting… and Michael lost the place he had in his home and in the family business. We’ve both had to start from scratch.”

“But he was the one who messed up.”

“And like you said, he’s paying for it…” she said, fixing her gaze on him. “He broke my heart and my dreams. But I was only one of the people he disappointed, and possibly the one who mattered least to his future. Realizing that he lost everything for nothing is probably the worst part.”

“You were going to be his wife, the mother of his children…” Pedro said, looking out the window. The street was beginning to fill with people, and it wouldn’t be long before the customers started arriving. He sighed before adding, “But I understand what you’re saying. Do you really not feel anything for him anymore?”

“No… I mean, I feel sad about what could have been: this café was a plan we came up with together, the good memories, the dream of starting a family with him. And before you start questioning why I don’t want to date anyone… just because I don’t love him anymore doesn’t mean I’m ready to let myself become interested in someone else.”

“You can’t plan that, sweetheart. It just happens,” Pedro replied, suddenly getting up from his chair, probably having noticed a customer approaching, and ruffling her hair with his hand. “Remember what I asked you… Just don’t close yourself off, okay?”

“Okay,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

Time to get back to work.

“Perfect. Now go fix yourself up because Eleonor is on her way here…” he ordered before heading toward the counter.

“What?”

“…And if my eyes aren’t deceiving me, that mountain of a man with her is your Alexander?”

“He’s not—” Evelyn said, shaking her head as she turned her gaze toward the window, her eyes landing on the two figures standing out from the rest as they quickly approached the café.

Shit.

“This isn’t the time to argue, Evelyn… Fix your hair while I keep them entertained. The sooner you’re ready, the sooner we’ll find out why your admirer has come.”