Eric caught himself humming not once, but twice on the drive home. He glanced in the rearview mirror and a stranger looked back at him, eyes crinkled in a smile. Humming? Smiling? Who the hell was this happy man?

He knew he was in trouble, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to be upset just now. It was a beautiful, clear morning, as if the weather was made just for him. He was still reveling in the feeling of a great lay. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had sex that great.

By design, most of Eric’s encounters in the last few years were through an app: swipe, pick up a stranger, get off, leave. And being overly cautious, the Alpha usually didn’t trust a stranger with full-on fucking, so his previous sex life added up to a lot of lackluster mutual hand jobs or awkward blow jobs. Half the time he just saved himself the trouble and jerked off in whatever hotel room he was stuck in.

But with Julian, it had been different. He felt like the Omega really saw him, and they had fit together so perfectly. The fact that Julian was incredibly gorgeous didn’t hurt either; Eric could look at him all day. The Omega’s delicate body had been a series of surprises: from the taut muscles of his perfect abs to the light sprinkling of freckles on his bare shoulders, souvenirs from the beach sun. He was getting hard just remembering.

Back at his hotel room, he showered and then made a few business calls, checking on the status of various contractors and crews. He was distracted, and he knew it: people kept asking him to repeat himself or go over numbers again.

Still in a ridiculously good mood, Eric drove to Bright Beach Hardware to get the lumber and supplies he’d need for building the stage. The owner, Mr. Fullerton, was an elderly Alpha. The white-haired man stooped slightly with age, but he still had the muscles of someone who had done a lifetime of physical labor. He must have figured out that Eric was a professional too, because he roped him into a conversation on tools and lumber grades. But when Eric explained his project, his bushy eyebrows knit in confusion.

“You’re visiting town just to build a stage for a charity event?” he asked.

“No, I’m a real estate developer. I’m going to be demoing a property and building a new one to sell. The stage is just a side project for a friend.”

The man rubbed his bristly chin, looking thoughtfully at Eric. “Is that so? I have a sister who lives here who needs some renovations done. Do you do anything like that, or only knocking things over?”

Eric remembered that Julian had mentioned a similar idea, and he was a little surprised to hear it repeated by someone else. “I’ve done some renovations in the past, but I won’t be in town for very long,” Eric said. “Isn’t there someone local who does that kind of work?”

Mr. Fullerton shrugged. “Any idiot can call himself a professional these days, slap together a website, and do shoddy work. I’ve been looking for someone who would put the same care and attention into the work that I would if I could do it myself.”

“And you think I’m the guy to do that?” Eric asked. He was pretty sure the old guy was a little crazy, to decide that after one conversation, but he couldn’t help but feel a little flattered nonetheless.

The old man grinned. “You remind me of me as a kid. Cheerful, friendly, community-oriented. You’d have my business.” He reached into his pocket and handed Eric a business card. “Here. If you change your mind about the renovation work, I’d be happy to compensate you well for your time.”

“If I do, I’ll let you know,” Eric said, too surprised to say much more.

* * *

The old man’s compliment bothered him as he drove back to the hotel. He had a little time to kill before the meeting, so he thought he would squeeze in a call with Charlotte and Leah. But he frowned as he thought about the conversation at the store.

Cheerful? Friendly? Community-oriented? He’d never been called any of those things in his life. Even as a kid, Eric was always “the quiet one” or “the loner.” As an adult, he was usually “the asshole who built that fancy new development and made a bunch of money.”

But to a stranger, meeting Eric after his encounter with Julian, he had seemed to be someone totally different. Had the Omega changed him in one night, like some mystical alchemist turning lead into gold?

He pressed between his brows with two fingertips, but it did nothing to calm his whirling thoughts. He hoped as he clicked “answer video call” that it didn’t show on his face.

It must have, because Leah’s brilliant smile immediately fell when she saw him, replaced by a look of concern. “Uncle Eric! What’s the matter? You look so…” she trailed off, cocking her head slightly to one side. “…Different.”

“Hi, baby girl. I’m ok,” he said, not wanting her to worry. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“Oh, with the house you’re trying to buy?” she asked.

“No. With this silly volunteer event I got roped into.” And the damn distracting Omega who had roped him into it, but he didn’t say that out loud.

“Well, I think it’s really nice of you to do that for them,” Leah said. “I bet they don’t have anyone in town who can build things like you can.”

Eric chuckled. “No, it doesn’t seem like they do. Anyway. How’s school going?” he asked, hoping to change the subject.

After an elaborate 10-minute explanation of the craziness of senior year, she glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, looks like Mom wants to say hi. It was good talking to you though!”

“You too, sweetheart. Good luck on your math test.” He grinned as she leaned forward and pantomimed smooching the camera before sliding out of the desk chair.

Charlotte took her daughter’s place. His sister looked tired: she had dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was mussed. “Hey, Eric,” she said, managing a slight smile.

“What’s wrong, Char?”

She shrugged and leaned her chin on a hand. “I’ve been working a few extra hours lately. The lawyers are working on some big case, so they offered me the overtime and I accepted. Every little dollar helps, you know?”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m getting closer to being able to close on this house. And if you need extra money, I can find some way -”

His sister cut him off with a half smile. “No, Eric. I wasn’t trying to fish for more help. You’ve done enough for me and Leah for twenty lifetimes.” She looked at him a little more closely. “What’s up with you? You look different.”

“Different how?” he asked, stalling. He cursed Charlotte’s observational skills: she always seemed to know how he was feeling, no matter how he tried to hide it.

She squinted at the screen. “You look happier than usual, but also worried.” Charlotte’s eyebrows flew up, and her mouth popped open. “Oh, I bet it’s Julian!”

Eric stared back at her. How in the hell did she do that?

“Spill it, Eric. I know for a fact that I’m the only one you ever open up to, and it’s not good for you to hold everything inside.”

He had to admit, she had a point. “I… well,” he mumbled, not knowing where to begin.

“You did it with that Omega, didn’t you?”

“How could you possibly know that?” he demanded, glaring at her.

She grinned at him, the triumphant grin of a woman who knew him too well. “Because you talked about him constantly. The Alpha doth protest too much.” Her smile faded slightly. “I’m happy you like him. I think he sounds like a nice guy, but… this doesn’t change your plans, does it?”

“No, no, of course not,” Eric said quickly. “I promised that I would help Leah with college, and I know that requires going through with my plan. I’m going to buy the house, just like I said. Nothing’s changed. And Julian and I, we’re not… serious, or anything. It’s just physical.”

She glanced down, hesitating before she finally spoke. “…you’re being careful, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Eric, I don’t want to see you get hurt. I just keep thinking about what happened with Marcus. You were so devastated.”

The Alpha forced a laugh to hide the dull throb of pain he felt, even all these years later. “Trust me, I use my own condoms now. There’s no chance of a repeat of that scenario.”

She nodded, but still looked wary. “Good. That’s good. But I also meant be careful giving away your heart. You’re going to have to leave him sooner or later, right?”

“I know that,” he said, trying and failing to fight the flash of irritation he felt. “I’m not stupid, Char.”

His sister sighed. “I know. And I know you’re a good man and don’t want to hurt anyone. I just had to say something and now I did, so I won’t mention it again.” The Alpha’s phone chimed, signaling that it was time to leave for the meeting. “It was good talking to you, Eric,” she said. Her smile was warm, but her eyes still looked worried.

He felt a little bad for snapping at her, so he took a deep breath and tried to soften. “You too, Char. Try not to work too hard, ok?”

After their call ended, he went around the hotel room, distracted as he gathered up his wallet and keys. Of course he knew he couldn’t get attached to Julian. Yeah, the sex was great, but they had nothing else in common. Hell, if everything went well Eric would be leaving Bright Beach as soon as possible. There was no future there, and he knew it.

His good mood from the morning was completely gone, replaced by a growing sense of discomfort. Ok, he and Julian had had their fun, but he had to stop it before it went any further. He couldn’t afford to get attached. And the Omega seemed like a reasonable guy, surely he would understand.

He had no idea what he would say, but surely he could think of something.

* * *

Eric had been a little worried when he saw Logan was among the group of volunteers that evening, given his protective behavior toward Julian the other day. So he was pleasantly surprised when the Alpha gave him a friendly nod in greeting.

“Hey again, Logan. Is Gabe here too?” Eric asked, trying to be social.

“He’s at home with the kiddo. We take turns coming to the meetings to support Julian.”

“Well, I’m glad to have the extra muscle,” Eric said. Logan grinned. As he turned away to direct the volunteers on where to arrange the supplies, the Alpha wondered what it would be like, to have friends like that. Friends who would give up their evening together or take time away from their young child just to help you on a project. He couldn’t even imagine.

Eric was taking a break from sawing some planks when Logan approached him. “Hey, man,” he said. “I just wanted to apologize for how I acted the other day. I didn’t mean to go all Alpha-protective on you.”

The Alpha shook his head. “No apology necessary,” Eric replied. “I told Julian I’m glad he has friends like you and Gabe, and I meant it. I know life can be hard for Omegas, so he’s lucky you two are looking out for him.”

Logan actually looked a little embarrassed, which amused Eric. “We try. Well, Gabe said Julian seemed happy today, so that’s good enough for me,” Logan said. “I better get back to it.” He gave Eric a brotherly pat on the shoulder before heading back inside.

The other Alpha’s words warmed and surprised Eric. Julian was happy? The Omega had acted a little weird this morning, but the morning after spending the night together for the first time was always a little strange. Especially when neither of you knew what to expect from the other. He would see how the Omega acted tonight.

But Eric realized Julian would probably treat him the same he always had: polite and aloof, maybe a little irritated. And it wouldn’t work if Eric acted all lovey-dovey with Julian. People gossiped in these small towns, and he doubted that the Omega would want the entire town to know they’d done it. So he told himself he would play it cool and treat Julian just like any other volunteer. When they were alone, maybe then they could talk.

Speaking of Julian, where was that Omega, anyway? He found himself glancing up whenever a car went past, wondering when he would arrive.