Knotting with a Stranger (Whispering Grove, #1)

by Harley Knight

“That wasn’t a casserole. That was a weapon of mass destruction.” I remember the gray, gelatinous mass. “Pretty sure it violated the Geneva Convention.”

“Ten minutes,” Dad announces, checking his watch. “That’s my limit. Then I’m faking a stroke.” “Twenty minutes,” Hannah counters. “At least stay through appetizers.”

“Remember,” I whisper. “If cousin Rebecca starts on about her Alpha husband’s latest promotion⁠—” “Sudden migraine,” Dad nods. “If Patricia mentions her Omega support group⁠—” “Spontaneous combustion.” “If Martha asks about grandchildren⁠—” “We run like hell.”

I poke at the meatloaf. “Is this thing moving?” “Don’t change the subject. And don’t look too closely at the meatloaf. Looking only makes it stronger.”

As the gorgeous customer slips out the door, I become acutely aware that every female gaze in the shop is locked onto me with laser focus. “Ladies, our chocolate croissants are just as dreamy and far more attainable,” I quip, earning a few grudging laughs.