Page 22 of A Pack of Cozy

Cali:

Hey, I need to get some actual non-work clothes. Is Stella's any good for clothes? It's the only thing coming up when I google clothing stores near me.

Clara:

Stella's is excellent! Let's go shopping! I love shopping!

Cali:

I'd love some help. Thanks.

Sunny:

I'm down. I need a new coat.

Winnie:

Can't, sorry. Need to find a new place to live. My roommate will not stop being nuts. I'm never rooming with anyone ever again.

Rose:

Also busy with work. Send Pics.

Clara, Sunny, and I decided to meet at Stella's at six once I'd closed the Library. Stella's is a boutique on the edge of Main Street, just before it turns residential. It's in a one-story building that looks like it might have been a house at one time, but everything has been ripped out, so it's an open floor plan filled with clothes of all sizes and styles.

A small, hunched, wrinkled woman with curly white hair sits behind the counter. The deep in-and-out sound of an oxygen tank fills the room, and she scowls when we enter, saying nothing to us.

"Don't mind her," Clara whispers. "She's just mad because she's usually a snowbird, but she couldn't go this year due to some medical issues. That's the only reason this place is open right now. Otherwise, we'd have to go over to Suttons Bay." Snowbirds are people who "live" in northern Michigan for the nice warm months, but the moment the air turns crisp they flee faster than the Canada geese to someplace like Florida or Texas.

"What kind of clothes are you looking for?" Sunny asks as she looks through the winter coat section. I blush, but I'll have to tell them at some point. It's best to do it now.

"Date clothes," I say. Sunny and Clara, who've been peering at the hats, both turn to look at me with wide eyes.

"Date clothes for who?" Clara asks.

"With the Evergreen Pack," I say as casually as I can while turning to look at some sweaters.

"Wait! My cousin's pack?" Clara asks. I bite my lip to keep in a wide grin and nod. She, of course, squeals.

"Hey!" Stella snaps from her counter. "Keep it down." Clara doesn't pay any attention to her.

"Are you scent-matched then? Is it one or two?" Clara asks.

"Clara!" Sunny scolds.

"It's fine," I laugh. "I actually scent-sensitive matched to all of them."

Clara gasps and covers her mouth with both hands like a cartoon. Sunny's blonde eyebrows hit her hairline, blending into her bangs.

"Wow, to find your scent-sensitive match is the dream," Clara says.

"How do you feel about it?" Sunny asks. She apparently isn't as big of a blind romantic as Clara.

"I…" But I can't finish the sentence. HowdoI feel about it at this point? "In the beginning, I was shocked. It's not something I thought would ever happen to me. As I'm getting to know the guys, I'm getting more used to the idea. They make it easy to like them."

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming, and not a cute one like Chris Pratt's," Clara says.

"But… my last relationship was a mess. We broke up because I found out he was cheating. Through therapy, I've realized that he was toxic." They both wince. "I know the guys aren't like my ex, and scent sensitivity means they're made for me, but my past makes me do a lot of second-guessing. I'm trying to get over that habit, but it's hard. I don't want to get my hopes up if it doesn't work out."

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