Free Alpha Me Not by Jianne Carlo

national championship game. “I’m so sorry I missed the barbecue. Did you make your famous ribs?”
    Charlene’s family owned The Pig and Poke chain of restaurants, and their ribs were on the superlative side. Rumor had it that their secret sauce recipe was insured for seven figures.
    “You have to ask?” Grant quirked a brow. “It’d be heresy, otherwise.”
    “Wait a minute. Didn’t you say you’d found a place to live? A house near the state park?” Charlene leaned forward, eyes narrowed, looking for all the world like a cat about to snare the canary. The woman hadn’t been able to conceal the insult dealt to her when Susie’d turned down the basement apartment.
    Her mother’s often repeated saying of “make your words soft and sweet, ’cause you may someday have to eat them” echoed in Susie’s head. A fierce heat wave scalded her flesh. She crumbled a cracker package. “I did. It exploded yesterday.”
    “Whaaat?” Charlene’s big blues couldn’t possibly get any wider. “What do you mean exploded?”
    “Exploded. You know. Big bang. Blazing fire. Razed to the ground. That sort of thing.” She didn’t want to have to go through this over and over again.
    Grant pulled back, pale ash eyebrows at his hairline. “Houses don’t just explode. How did this happen?”
    Shrugging, she said, attempting a nonchalant tone, “This one did. The fire department hasn’t determined the cause as yet.”
    “How awful, Susie. You must move in with us until you can find another place. The attic bedroom’s available until my niece comes to vacation with us in two weeks. I can’t believe you didn’t call. What else can we do to help?” Charlene brushed Susie’s knuckles. “We have a pickup. We can run you there and get your things—”
    “That’s not necessary, thanks. I’ve got everything under control.” Praying the lie wasn’t obvious, Susie rushed on. “I’m staying with a neighbor until I can find another place. I rescheduled this morning’s test, and after I meet with Dr. Surgue, I’m heading over to housing to see what’s available. But thanks so much for the generous offer. It shouldn’t be too hard to find another place. Graduation’s next week, and there’ll be a ton of places up for rent.”
    “I wouldn’t count on that. This is a four-college town, and while it’s Hallie U’s graduation next week, the agricultural college begins next week. You might find it harder to find another place than you think.” Grant scrubbed his smooth jaw.
    Susie squished another cracker packet. Did Grant have to smile while delivering the wonderful news? “Oh, my phone burned in the fire.”
    She dug in her purse, pulled out her new monthly cell, and switched it on. “I have a new number.”
    Both Charlene and Grant programmed the information into their phones.
    “Heck. Is it orientation this week, hon?” Grant draped an arm around his wife and jutted his chin at the cafeteria’s entrance. “Check out all those parents and their kids, touring the school, planning for the fall. Seems like we did that years ago.”
    The wistful note in his growly baritone surprised Susie. Grant and Charlene had to be in their middle to late twenties, which meant they’d been freshmen only a few years back.
    “Does, doesn’t it?” Charlene met her husband’s gaze. “Remember our first homecoming?”
    He knuckled her cheek. “Sure do.”
    Charlene laughed, and her cheeks turned a pretty pink hue. “Grant never noticed me in high school, no matter how hard I tried to get his attention. But he certainly did that first homecoming.”
    “It would’ve been hard not to, babe.” Grant winked at Susie. “My wife here was the star acrobat on the cheerleading team. She broke her arm at that first game. I will never forget the team throwing her up in the air and realizing halfway through it wasn’t going to end well.”
    “I beg to differ, darling. I got you that day. It ended perfectly.”
    Grant kissed