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Ashlyn rolls her eyes. “Oh come on, don’t play all innocent with me,” she chides, hip-bumping me again. “What’s going on between you two?”
Shay and I make eye contact over the top of the rack again, a knowing smirk on her lips. I’ve already told her a little bit about what’s going on with Cole because I’d probably explode if I had to keep it all to myself. Shay and I have a kinship with one another since we hail from the same pack, and I suppose that’s also the reason why I feel like I can trust her. The two of us have grown close over the past couple of weeks.
Ashlyn, on the other hand, I’m still not sure about. It’s no fault of her own- the girl is super sweet and has been welcoming toward me from day one- but the fact that she’s close with Tayla makes me question her trustworthiness. Which is why it’s probably safest to play my cards close to the chest for now.
“Jules needed a ride to campus to pick up a textbook,” Shay supplies, always coming through with the save. “And Alpha had business in the city or something, right Jules?”
I clear my throat, nodding. “Right. It was in the same neighborhood, so two birds, one stone.”
Ashlyn squints at me dubiously, clearly thinking there’s more to the story but electing not to press further. “Okay, if you say so.”
Shay and I exchange subtle glances once more and I spin around, holding up the mess of colorful fabric in my hands. “Okay, I’d better go try some of these on,” I breathe.
“Right with you girl.” Shay rounds the clothing rack, cradling the swimsuits she’s selected in one arm and linking the other with mine.
“I’ll see you girls in there,” Ashlyn murmurs as she continues to thumb through the swimsuits.
Shay and I head toward the fitting rooms at the back of the clothing boutique, and just as I’m about to step through the doorway, I hear Tayla’s shrill voice from inside and grind to a halt.
“I’m just saying, she’s not even from here. How do you think the rest of the pack would feel if they knew he was letting an outsider get so close?”
I snap my head sideways to gape at Shay, my eyes going wide. Tayla’s clearly talking about me- and honestly, that doesn’t surprise me- but the way she’s talking about her alpha is seriously problematic. My wolf pushes forward, defensive of Cole all of the sudden.
“Her pack’s aligned with ours, so I don’t see what the big deal is,” Kylie’s voice answers, and I mentally high-five her for sticking up for me rather than buying into Tayla’s bullshit. I knew I liked that girl. “And you don’t know that there’s anything going on between them…”
“She was driving his car!” Tayla whines.
“Because that car is badass,” I say coolly, squaring my shoulders and stepping into the fitting room. “I asked to drive it and he let me, why is that any of your concern?”
Tayla yanks open the curtain on her changing stall, her eyes meeting mine in the large mirror across from her. “Wow, eavesdrop much?” she snaps, folding her arms over her ample chest with a scowl.
“Talk shit much?” I throw back with a chuckle, claiming an empty stall and stepping in. I start hanging up my swimsuits on the hooks inside, feeling Tayla’s glare practically burning a hole in the back of my skull as I do.
“I wasn’t shit-talking, I was just saying I was surprised to see you driving his car, that’s all,” she explains, and I glance back to see her standing on the pedestal in front of the three-panel mirror at the heart of the fitting room, fluffing her hair. I may not like the girl, but I have to give credit where it’s due- her body is amazing. Snatched waist, curves in all the right places, and the floral swimsuit she’s in looks flawless on her. Our gazes meet in the reflection as she continues. “I don’t have a problem with you, Juliet. I’m just a little protective of my friends and my pack, so it’s hard for me to trust outsiders.”
I hear Shay snort a laugh from her stall beside mine and it takes everything in me not to crack a smile.
Tayla throws an annoyed look in her direction, then returns her gaze to me. “It’s nothing personal. I want us all to be friends.”
My bullshit meter is pinging off the charts right now. Tayla must think I’m a fool to be swayed by her fake smile and half-ass apology, but at the same time, I feel like I need to give her the benefit of the doubt here. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?
“I appreciate that,” I say with a fake smile of my own. “And I don’t see why we can’t all be friends. I’ll be around for a while, after all. Four years of undergrad, then med school… you girls had better get used to me.” I toss Tayla a wink before sliding the curtain of my fitting room stall shut, chuckling silently to myself while I picture her with steam coming out of her ears. Bet she didn’t consider the fact that I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.
It takes a while for the five of us to try on all of the swimsuits we pulled from the racks, but to my surprise, Tayla actually continues to be pleasant while we all model our various bikinis for one another. I begin to wonder if maybe I judged her too harshly; if the five of us really can become close after all. I miss my group of girls from back home terribly, and I’d kill to have a tight group here. Maybe this is it. Crazier things have happened, right?
I wind up settling on six of the swimsuits I try on to purchase. I know that seems excessive, but with all of them on sale, it’s a deal that I can’t pass up. I’m sure I’ll get good use out of all of them, too, since there’s a pool right outside that I plan to swim in every day while the weather holds out. And with how hot it has been lately, there’s no sign of autumn arriving early this year.
Each of the other girls pick one or two suits to purchase and we each take turns paying for our bargain finds with the store clerk. Kylie’s the last to settle up, and I swing my bags around as we wait for her, glancing out the front windows of the boutique into the street.
“Is there somewhere to get food around here?” I ask, eyes scanning the various storefronts nearby. “I missed lunch again.”
“I think there’s a coffee shop a few doors down, they’ve got snacks and stuff,” Ashlyn suggests. She slings her bag over her shoulder, glancing back toward Kylie as she finishes up her transaction.
“That’ll work,” I shrug.
“Remind me to show you where the pantry is,” Shay says, nudging my arm. “If you’re gonna make a habit of missing meals, at least you can grab a snack from there.”
I can’t fight the flush that crawls up my neck as I recallexactlywhere the pantry is.
