Page 38 of Bear Haven
Luke sneered and Gus grinned. The two of them were like oil and water, but they worked together to keep her and the rest of the shifters safe.
Whatever misgivings she’d had toward Luke at the beginning, he’d more than earned her trust and faith in his intentions. He didn’t want any harm coming to her or Gus anymore than he wanted it for his own pack mates.
“Did you find anything in the house?” she asked Gus.
“No. And since I can’t get up to the attic, I have no way of knowing what’s left of my tattoo stuff. Reluctant as I am to say it, Luke is right. We don’t need to be in the house again after this.”
Bex nodded. “I know.”
“There you are!”
All three of them turned their attention to the owner of the female voice who’d spoken. Mari, Leah’s cousin. Maxine stood with her. Both had arms and hands full of bags and cartons. Luke and Gus both reached out to help and the unmistakable scent of beef, fish, and chicken wafted toward them. Bex’s stomach growled.
“Where have the two of you been?”
“Gathering essentials,” Maxine said. “Food, obviously.” She nodded toward the boxes and bags Gus held close to his chest. “And a change of clothes for you.”
“Sorry guys, we weren’t sure what size to get for y’all. But the manager of the thrift store we were in said any of us were welcome to get at least one change of clothes free of charge.”
“No worries,” Gus said.
Bex stared at the bags Mari held. “You picked up a change of clothes for me?” She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.
“Oh shoot, girl. It’s not much; just a few things that might make you feel human again. It’s a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. A few other things, too. I had to guess at your size, but between Maxine, Leah, and me, I think we came pretty close.
Bex flung her arms around the necks of both women. “Thank you. I can’t… I just… Thank you so much.”
“You’d do the same for us,” Maxine said, hugging her back.
She pulled away and nodded. She would do anything for them. They’d come to her aid, all of them had without a second thought and she owed them for their generosity.
She’d never had friends like she had now and she was both grateful and humbled. “Well, thank you. I… Thank you.”
Mari waved off the gratitude. “Let’s find you a corner of the yard where we can help you get changed, then we can grab whatever food the guys leave for us.”
“Where’s Leah?”
“She had more bags of food and drinks and she and Blake are setting up an area in the front yard for a makeshift picnic. The restaurant that donated all the food said if we needed more, we could come down for dinner and they’d seat us in the back.”
Bex was more touched than she could say. She would need to take a little time to stop by and thank her old managers for their kindness.
“Y’all go on,” Maxine told Gus and Luke. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.” They didn’t need to be told twice and were off, disappearing around the side of the house.
Behind a large bush in the far corner of the back yard, Mari and Maxine stood as privacy shields so Bex could change from one set of clothes into another.
In one bag, she found the jeans and T-shirt they’d told her about, as well as a pair of underwear and a bra. In the other bag she found travel sizes of mouthwash, deodorant, and face wipes. There were a couple of hair ties, too.
By the time she was done, she indeed felt human again.
The jeans were a little loose. The shirt was soft and fit just right. The underwear did too, and the bra was a little tight. None of it mattered more than the fact she felt better, more presentable, and not quite so grungy.
It was all about the little things in that moment and she was completely grateful for them. The clothes on her back, on all their backs, were all any of them had. They escaped the house fire with their lives and not much else, but that was more than enough given what could’ve been the case.
“My, my, my… You look downright spiffy,” Mari teased when Bex emerged.
“Oh yes. I do declare. You are the height of post-fire fashion,” Maxine agreed.
Bex laughed, but quickly schooled her features and struck a pose. “That’s me. A trendsetter.”
