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As Zachary got ready to leave, Atlas pulled him back, lightly grabbing his collar. “Fancy a chat?”
Chapter 13
Harlow
Harlow relaxed, lying across the bed while perusing the selections of rentals in the paper. It wasn’t a luxury she had been allowed often since she’d been in Forest Crest. This little room at the inn was starting to feel more and more like home.
Work at Wisteria Hill had kept her and Gwen busy every day since she started. She might have worried at first whether she’d find somewhere to continue honing her skills, but she didn’t now. If anything, working with Gwen was going to give her much more useful practice in honing her skills than she’d dared hope for.
On top of work in general, Harlow was becoming more and more familiar with some of the townspeople. It felt good. It felt hopeful.
Finally, she had a day off for the first time in a week, and she had every intent of using it to the fullest. The realtor Gwen recommended really pulled through. He gave her more than enough rental options to keep her busy with research for the whole day, honestly.
She had spent all morning going through the different properties. When she peered over at the digital clock on the table next to the bed, she realized it was already lunchtime. Not wanting to waste any more of her day off, she remembered the town next door Gwen had mentioned.
Her first paycheck was burning a hole in her pocket, and she was dying to visit the shopping mall. After a quick shower, she threw her hair in a high ponytail and slipped on some comfortable jeans and a T-shirt.
The drive was a little longer than she’d expected, but not too bad. Compared to Forest Crest, the town was a bustling city with three times as many restaurants just on the main street that led to the mall. There was also even a grocery store with a name she recognized.
She turned at the light, heading into the main entrance parking lot. It must have been a good day to shop, because a ton of the spaces were taken. Opting not to circle the parking lot too many times, she gave in to one in the back, knowing a little extra walk never hurt anybody.
The main entrance opened up to the food court, which had a handful of decent selections. A slight rumble in her stomach directed her toward the pretzel stand. She hadn’t eaten anything all morning and knew she wouldn’t be up for shopping if she was hungry.
“That’ll be seven dollars,” the young girl with tanned skin and doe eyes chirped.
Harlow grabbed some of the cash from her wallet and paid with a smile. She hadn’t had the cinnamon bite pretzels in so long she couldn’t even remember the last time. The first bite was warm and cozy and washed a happy calm over her.
She felt a smile creep up as she plopped more little pretzel bites in her mouth while gazing at the different stores. She already knew she wanted to go to Belk at the far end, but she took her time savoring the views.
She even squeezed in a little people-watching as she slowed her gait. Her senses tingled from the wide array of scents that surrounded her, but just as she got to the entrance of the large department store, a familiar smell grazed her nostrils.
She paused for just a moment wondering about it, but that was quickly interrupted when another customer bumped right into her.
“Whoa!” The woman sneered at Harlow.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I dropped something. Excuse me.” Harlow murmured the small fib to the woman because she was embarrassed by the real reason. She didn’t think telling a random non-shifter person that a weird smell made her come to an abrupt halt would be understandable.
She went straight to the women’s section and then she made a beeline straight for the clearance racks. She was good at finding deals.
Since she didn’t have a lot of clothing, she knew she needed a few staple items. She’d need a pair of jeans or two, depending on the price. She also needed a couple of shirts that were casual as well as a couple that were a little more formal.
Harlow threw a few selections over her arm and asked the closest store clerk for the fitting rooms. The jeans were a perfect fit and just so happened to be half-price, so she was ecstatic. The shirts were just okay but not much to write home about.
She placed the shirts on the rack as she left the fitting room and purchased the jeans. On her way to the other large department store at the other end of the mall, she happened to see a boutique that appeared to be privately owned. It wasn’t a name she recognized, and the décor had a personal touch. The thing that caught her eye, though, was the big yellow “Going Out of Business Sale” sign on the window.
The store was tiny but had a nice selection of undergarments as well as pants and shirts. They were a little more on the formal side, so she made use of the sale to find a couple of the higher-end choices she was hoping for. The underwear was also on sale, so she made sure to grab a few pairs of them as well.
As soon as she walked out of the store, Harlow realized she was almost to the entrance she first came in. The department store was just on the other side of the entrance, but her bags were getting heavy.
She had already spent a little more than she expected on the pretzel bites and had become parched from all the shopping. She knew a Gatorade was waiting in the car for her and figured it would be the perfect trade-off to drop off the bags and grab her drink.
The sun was still bright and warm, high in the afternoon sky as Harlow made her way to her car. She wished now that she had circled a couple extra times for a closer spot since her feet were already hurting. She thought about going home right then but remembered she needed a couple more items and wasn’t sure when she’d be back.
A light gust of wind blew through Harlow’s hair as she reached her car, and that same familiar smell stopped her in her tracks again—the same scent that struck her inside the mall earlier. She stopped again and looked over her shoulder this time.
No one was there, so she continued to her car. Another gust of wind came and this time goosebumps rose on her skin. She knew that smell like the back of her hand.
That was the smell of the Hollow Grove pack. Tingles raced down her spine. They’d found her.
