The Alpha’s Prophesied Mate

Chapter 5: Dinner and Truths

Flour… enough. Strawberries… they’re bringing them tomorrow… Butter… shipped today… Chocolate… Pedro is picking it up. Good. That only leaves the boxes. It’ll be too late to tell…

“Linda, I’m home!”

Yes, it is…

Sighing, Evelyn saved the changes on her computer before going to find her friend. As expected, she found him in the kitchen, taking their dinner out of the bags. Today was one of those rare occasions when they had to leave town, so they decided to try something different instead of cooking at home.

Evelyn decided to wait until he noticed her, watching him with a smile as he tried to set the table without taking his eyes off his phone. A firm believer in the nonexistent benefits of multitasking, Pedro simply couldn’t focus on one thing at a time. And although, when they met almost ten years ago, that trait had driven her crazy, she now considered it one of his best qualities, along with his loyalty. No one else could have comforted her and handled all the details of canceling her wedding the way he had. Nor could anyone else have dragged her on her honeymoon, pretending to be her proud, hot, newlywed Latino husband, six feet tall, ready to spend a week drinking his weight in margaritas and letting her cry on his shoulder every night.

“You know your love life has hit rock bottom…” Pedro suddenly said, finally putting his phone down on the table and facing her. “…when the only person who admires you is your best friend, who happens to be a woman, and you’re grateful for it.”

Laughing, Evelyn walked into the kitchen and sat in her usual spot at the table.

Mmm… Chinese food.

“You’re welcome. Although you’re exaggerating. At the café and everywhere we go, people look at you. Whether they’re the ones you want to attract is another matter.”

"Which is exactly the same thing, just phrased differently," Pedro reasoned as he took the tea out of the refrigerator and poured their drinks. "The factors don't alter the product, so the result is the same. The number of prospects is still zero… You know what Laura said today while I was picking up the packages, after I mentioned I was still single? That my problem is that I look straight. Apparently, people only realize I'm not after they get to know me, and that isn't helping my chances…" He paused to take a sip of his tea. "What do you think? I couldn't decide whether to laugh, get offended, or take her advice and ask for a marker so I could write it on my shirt and stop confusing everyone. I'm not in a position to keep screwing up the algorithm and missing opportunities to find my sapo azul… you know, your frog, the right one, turned into Prince Charming."

Algorithm? What does th… never mind…

“I don’t know what to tell you. My Prince Charming turned into a frog. But I’ll cheer you on from the trenches while you search.”

“I don’t think so, linda. You know what else Laura told me? That your new admirer is free as the wind.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, even though she already knew where Pedro was going with this.

“Not ‘what,’ mi linda. ‘Who.’ I’m talking about the handsome, muscular blond who was very interested in your lovely bones and who we met today.”

“Oh, God. Are you going to keep this up…”

“Evelyn… Why can’t you at least consider it?”

Evelyn crossed her arms. “Because none of this with that guy makes any sense.”

“On that, we agree. And since, at least for us, it’s not exactly common for a man who doesn’t know you to chase after you and cling to you like a leech the moment he sees you… the only logical explanation is that you dazzled him. So, naturally, the next obligatory step was for me to find out whether he had some lioness roaring in his den… or waiting for him somewhere, preferably with an important title.”

“All you had to do was leave it at that. I’m not interested in looking for anything with anyone, at least not on a personal level. In business, I want that family to consider us for any events they have. Besides, it’s most likely just something you imagined. He just showed up. What do we know about them?”

“Sure, keep telling yourself that.” Pedro shook his head and took his seat. “Make a thousand excuses if that makes you feel better and helps you stay in limbo, or better yet, resign yourself to living like this and make it your reality, just like you’ve done with everything else in your life: your mother, your sister. I still don’t understand why you keep either of them around. And yes, I found out if Alexander Wood had a b***h barking at him, but not so you can start some torrid love story. It’s that you can’t enjoy being courted, flirt, or, for God’s sake, hook up. You’ve spent a year existing only for the café…”

“Excuse me, I need to keep it going. There’s everyth—”

“I know what we invested. I was there… remember?” Pedro looked at her, his expression becoming more serious. “Just tell me why you’re not at least curious, excited, or flattered. I think we’ve gone through the damn five stages of grief a long time ago. It felt like twelve, let me tell you.”

“Have you ever thought that maybe I’m not ready… that I never will be?”

"Please…" Pedro sighed. "Don't come at me with that nonsense. You didn't leave behind some tragic, unfinished love. What happened to you was betrayal and disappointment. That damn cheater ran off with your sister, who, by the way, in the time you've been 'healing,' has eaten your ex-fiancé, chewed him up, spit him out, and added five new victims to her collection, as far as I know. And your Thor just made her list for number six… Guess what? He turned her down to go after you and get to know you. Do I need to remind you in detail what Michael did? No, right? You already know. And don't even get me started on what I'd do to that man just for that."

Evelyn looked down at her plate.

“So now, according to you, he’s the perfect man for me.”

"Of course not." Pedro paused for a moment. "I'm only asking you to leave the door open. If he doesn't return to the café, nothing happens. If he comes back and treats you with indifference, you don't have to do anything beyond being professional and ignoring him. But if, instead, he focuses his attention on you, don't scare him away. Just enjoy it as much as you want, as long as you feel comfortable. Maybe we're making a mountain out of a molehill, but if we're not, I want you to be prepared."

“For what?”

Pedro held her gaze for a moment. “To be happy… Who knows? We might end up surprised, and today is the beginning of your future.”