Page 86 of Truth or Pack

“Was I that mopey after the country club?” I asked. If so, I hadn’t realized.

“Letting go of your family is hard,” he said gently. “We thought maybe your best friend and some real family time would help.”

“It already is,” I reassured them.

“Well, my parents are in town, I was thinking a big cookout at the ranch tonight. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” Bea said, answering for me. “I’ll steal her away to apartment shop while you plan it out.”

“Should I be scared to meet your parents?” I asked, chewing on my lip to calm my nerves.

“No,” Mathias reassured me. “They’re the only good ones out of the bunch, it seems.”

“Then that sounds great,” I said as I settled at the island. “Getting out of the house could do me some good today.”

“We were just here to provide food,” Holt said as he laid out a spread for lunch and they all kissed me goodbye. “Have a good day, ladies. Behave.”

“We never do,” Bea called out as she dug in, filling her plate and groaning. “Maybe pack life isn’t so bad.”

“It’s honestly better than I thought,” I admitted.

“So, tell me about this shop. Found a place yet or should we look at both?”

I considered her words. Up to this point it was an idea, a thought. Though, Dani did encourage it, too, and her opinionmattered most since she was the book seller in town. Maybe it was time to consider it.

“We can look at both,” I said, liking the idea more and more.

She grabbed her phone and sent off a text. “Good, the realtor is great. He’ll be happy to show us a few commercial spaces, too. Now, tell me all the plans for it.”

“I want something that has that cute, old-town charm, but still has space to expand for warehouse needs. Can we stop at the local bookstore? Dani has the cutest space and I want to see if she wants to go in on a new venture with us. I'd hate to affect her business. Plus, when we stop I can show you the new edit I have been thinking of posting first," I told my best friend.

"You know you’re too kind for your own good and also evil for keeping those videos from me," she teased before asking where to go to get to the shop.

I thought over how to respond as I gave her directions.

"As much as I know that the videos are just for promotion, it's still hard to share my pack with the world," I admitted.

Bea placed a hand on mine. "I can imagine. They aren't too hard on the eyes, but with everything I've heard and seen, they areallyours. Can't say that I'm not a little jealous of you, bitch."

Then she cackled like a witch, making me laugh with her. I loved that she didn't bullshit me, just told me like it was.

"Well, it's your fault, really," I countered, raising an eyebrow at my best friend, which only made her laugh more.

"Oh, is it? How do you figure?"

"You told me to come to the cabin. If I hadn't, I might never have found my pack," I told her.

"That's a really shitty thank you," she joked as she pulled into a spot right in front of the book shop. "This is a cute, little place. Are you sure that she would want to move?"

"No, but I want to help build up the town, not run anyone out of business. So, combining is the best bet," I explained. Though,it was hard not to feel insecure. Maybe I just needed Dani’s approval. The last thing I wanted to do was cause rifts before I’d even started.

"Oh, I get it. Let's see if she wants to come look at some of the properties and go from there. Too bad this place is too small for your needs," she said as she put the car into park and exited. “It’s a great location.”

"Right," I agreed, "This is the charm that I was talking about. I don't want a modern feel. Down home, ‘mom and pops,’ that vibe. Does that make sense?"

"Totally," Bea agreed.

The door chimed as we entered Dani's place and she skipped up to meet us with her usual bright smile in place.

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