Page 13 of Players and Pages
They looked cute and I was dressed like I was headed out to dumpster dive.
"I need to change, but this hair, ugh," I complained, waving a hand at my general appearance.
"You look beautiful, stop it," Taryn started with an envious look that took me by surprise. "I wish I had those curves."
"Get changed and I'll tame that lion's mane," Bea ordered. “You deserve to feel your best.”
"As if it can be tamed," I complained as I headed towards my room. Ugh, I even sounded bratty right now, this entire situation had me so thrown off.
I was touched that my friends cared enough to help and drag me out of the dumps.
Without another complaint, I dug out the one sundress that made me feel confident and beautiful, something I could use today. When I stepped out of my closet, both Bea and Taryn were waiting. I didn't let their presence stop me from undressing and changing. I had on a cute bra set with matching boyshorts.
"Damn, girl. Where you been hiding that ass?" Bea questioned with a low whistle.
That pulled a laugh from me. "It's thanks to the doughnuts and burgers. Oh, and climbing up and down ladders to fill the shelves. That’s how I got these legs, too." I flexed just for them before we were all cracking up.
"I need on that diet," Bea said as she slapped my butt and went into the bathroom to grab hair taming supplies.
"Hey now. That belongs to Cy," Taryn told her with a snort as she settled in my chair, tossing aside the unfolded laundry to make herself at home.
"That's why I had to touch it before he claimed her," she laughed. “It deserves to be appreciated and I don’t want to lose a hand to a possessive alpha.”
"Well, Taryn, do you want a turn?" I asked, smirking at her as I turned around and gave my ass a shimmy.
"Maybe?" she said shyly.
"What happens here, stays here," I told her.
"No, no. I shouldn't, let's get to the picnic," she stated, biting her lip to hide her amusement and curiosity.
"One time offer," I teased, giving it one last shake before I pulled on the sundress.
"I have three at home I can slap anytime, but I bet yours is just as nice," Taryn teased, blowing me a kiss. “Now put that dress on so Bea can fix the hair.”
"Why, thank you," I smiled at her as I pulled on the dress. Bea had already snuck into my bathroom for my water spray andcurl products. She pointed to the second chair, dragging it away from my desk and gesturing for me to sit.
My eyes drifted closed as she got to work, spraying it down and using the products with ease to coerce my curls into behaving.
I felt her snagging pieces from each side of my face and curling them back, pinning them in place with a clip before fluffing out the rest of my hair.
“Done,” she said triumphantly. “You look great. Go look.”
I did as I was told, nearly gasping when I saw how she’d managed to twist my hair into a cute half up hairstyle that had a whimsical feel. It was cute, looked like I put in some effort, and was honestly flawless.
“You’re the best,” I said, giving her a genuine smile now. Just like that my friends helped me shake off the melancholy that was trying to settle in.
Another reminder that it was better to not isolate myself like I’d done before.
“I am,” she said with a smug grin. “Now let’s go!”
All the sunshine and fresh air was just what I needed, but there was no way I would admit it to them. I wasn’t about to encourage them to repeat this every early morning. I’d never survive.
Ten minutes later, we were nibbling on a picnic that Holt had prepared for us. Each new thing I tasted was better than the last and I put a silent plea out to the universe that I found a mate that could be the cook to my baker.
"You sure got lucky with Holt and his cooking. All of this was delicious," I told my friend as I brushed crumbs from my hands and glanced out at the lake. It was pretty this time of day, the air just a hint of cool and the sun sparkling over the water. Even the town still seemed to be asleep. No noise to disturb our peace.
"I know, right? If it wasn’t for him, we'd all starve," she admitted. “Last week Ash tried to help out and make dinner. Let’s just say Holt banned him from ever trying again.”
