Page 98 of The Boss Omega
He adjusts the mask across his nose and glances at me. “You’re perfect, you know that?” Before I can answer, he opens his door and steps outside.
A few minutes later, Silas guides a small, delicate omega to the passenger seat. Even though she’s completely bald and her eyes are rimmed in dark circles, there’s no missing that she and Silas are siblings. They share the same olive skin and dark brown eyes.
“This is Lark,” Silas says gently as he helps her settle into the seat, tucking a familiar blanket around her legs.
Lucy’s gaze snaps to me immediately. “Oh!” Her face lights up with a brightness that has nothing to do with health. “I’ve been so excited to meet you!”
Her delight is so genuine that I feel a little bashful under it. “Hi, Lucy. It’s really niceto meet you, too.”
She studies me for a moment, then her expression shifts to mild embarrassment. “I’m really sorry about this,” she says quickly. “Pulling you and Silas away from the house, I mean. I know you probably had better things to do.”
I wave a hand dismissively. “Nothing more important than this. Plus, you can’t help that your mom’s heat came.”
Lucy’s eyes go wide, then she recoils with a half-laugh, half-groan muffled by her mask “Oh god, stop. Please don’t remind me my parents have a sex life.”
I burst out laughing. It’s identical. The same response. The same full-body rejection of the concept.
Silas huffs out a quiet laugh as he pulls the car out onto the street. “Too late,” he says. “We’ve both been reminded.”
Lucy groans louder. “I’m going to need therapy.”
She turns so she can see my face. “And I want to thank you for the blanket.” She lifts up the edge so I can see it. “I take it with me to every therapy session. It’s… comforting.”
My heart aches. To know that something I chose for a mailing, something we tested and Cammie argued for in a Wednesday meeting, is sitting in a cancer treatment center making someone feel less alone. I make a mental note to chat with Cammie about donating more blankets to the cancer center.
“I’m glad you like it. Your brother said he got you a membership to OmegaBox when you were diagnosed. Have there been any other items you found useful while you go through treatments?”
“Actually, yes. One box had an extra soft pillow that I love. And one box had a really soft hoodie. My skin gets really irritated sometimes, from the chemo.”
“Is that normal?” I’ve never known anyone actively going through chemo, so I’m not sure.
“Oh, yeah,” she assures me. “I’ve recommended OmegaBox to everyone in the treatment center. I think a lot of them have joined,even the alphas and betas. You should sponsor a cancer patient for your social media stuff. I follow a few omegas that get monthly boxes, but I haven’t seen anyone in treatment.”
Interesting. It would bring a different perspective and maybe open some new opportunities for the vendors whose products fill our boxes.
“Maybe you should do it.” I mean it. She’s uncommonly pretty, which viewers like. But she’s also so obviously kind and sweet. The audience would love her.
A blush creeps up her neck and across her cheeks. “Oh, no, not me. I don’t like all that stuff. But I have a friend. I think she would be perfect. She already has a decent size following on TikTok and Instagram.”
I nod. “If she’s okay with it, I’ll have my friend, Cammie, reach out and set something up.”
Lucy’s face lights up. “She’s going to be so excited!”
The chemo center is only a short drive away. When Silas parks, Lucy glances up at the building. “This should be the last one,” she says quietly. “Hopefully forever.”
Silas nods once. “Forever,” he says. He squeezes her hand before looking back at me.
“You don’t have to come in,” he says. “I’ll come sit with you as soon as they take Lucy to the back.”
“Take your time. I’ll wait in the car,” I tell him.
Lucy’s eyes warm above the mask. “Thank you for coming.”
“It was my pleasure,” I say honestly.
Silas hesitates for a second before reaching out and brushing his knuckles lightly against my cheek. “I won’t be long.”
He helps Lucy out of the car and toward the building. I settle into the leather seat, watching the entrance for a moment before my gaze drifts toward the wide windows of the waiting room.
