Muted voices bring me out of my organization’s hellscape, and then the door chime rings out, alerting me to Nyx, Molly, and Aly walking into the store.
“Holy moly!” Molly’s adorable drawl calls out. “This place barely had dry paint when I was in here the other day.”
“The boys have been busy,” I respond, setting down the stack of books in my hands.
Crossing the room, I sweep my best friends into a giant hug. Alyra has been busy working a contract where she was a live-in guard for another teenage girl. With the holidays, Molly has been busy at Grant’s helping him manage the pub. I’m pretty sure he is making her the assistant manager soon. Nyx is back to working full-time again, so it’s been ages since we got any real Girl Gang time.
“I missed y’all.” Molly sighs.
“Fuck, am I happy to just be with people my own damn age.” Aly laughs.
This group has helped me more than they will ever know. Their friendship has saved my life, literally and figuratively.
“So do you want the grand tour?” I laugh, holding my arms out wide.
They all nod their heads, and I lead them around the shop. We are still waiting on the equipment for the cafe/bar, and we need to get our wine and beer license. All of the paperwork has been filed for it, just have to wait for the approval. The cozy little back room area is starting to come together nicely. Callum delivered a huge cloud couch that can be adjusted for whatever someone wants. Grabbing a small black remote off the wall, I turn on the gas fireplace. The space warms slightly as Molly flops down onto the black couch.
“Goodness gracious, this is the most comfy thing ever.” Molly is lying back on the couch.
“Isn’t it?” I say.
“Ky, this place is coming together so beautifully. I am so proud of you!” Nyx pulls me into a hug.
“Alright, let’s go!” Allyra says.
We are planning on having a fun little girls’ day. Nyx wants to go shopping and grab some lunch.
“Do we want lunch first or shopping first?” I ask them.
We all look around at each other before we exclaim lunch at the same time. I quickly set the alarm system for the shop, then turned off the lights and locking the door. Callum dropped me off this morning, so I will have to ride with them today.
After a little bit of a drive, we end up at our favorite pizza place. It is a small local joint that has the best pizza, Nyx, or I have ever had. We introduced Molly and Aly to it a few months ago after one of our self-defense classes. Climbing out of Nyx’s SUV, we head into the restaurant. Since it is a holiday, it is busier than it would normally be at this time, but it’s not that bad.
The hostess takes us to our seat, leaving a stack of menus on the table in front of us. Not that we need menus, because we order the same things every time we come here. A large cheese bread, pizza, and lots and lots of ranch.
“So we have a mission today,” Nyx smirks at me.
“What are you up to?” I question her.
“Oh, nothing, Sunshine. Love you.” She giggles before continuing on with her nonsense. “We need to find you a gorgeous dress and maybe some bathing suits.”
“A dress for what?” I am so completely lost, but she is always up to something.
“We are just going to get you a nice dress, and don’t ask any more questions.” Nyx gives me her no-nonsense look and I drop the questions.
Lunch is soothing for the soul. Time with these girls gives me all I could ever want. They recharge my batteries when I am feeling run-down. Hold me when I cry and love me when I am hard to love. Devil Dog not only brought me Callum and other men I consider like brothers, but it also brought me these girls, well, minus Nyx. She’s been around forever.
The day has been long, but amazing. We have not found “the” dress yet, but I have a feeling this is it. Nyx leads me by the hand into a small dress boutique. There is a gorgeous, black lace dress hanging on in the front of the store. She snags one off the shelf in my size and drags me back to the dressing room.
Molly and Aly are curled up on a small love seat in the fitting room, while Nyx paces back and forth. The nervous energy radiates off of her, and I am at a loss for words. None of them has noticed that I am standing with the door to the fitting room slightly ajar, just watching them. I take a deep breath and walk out of the fitting room.
“Kyra, that dress is made for you,” Alyra says.
“Ky, my sweet Lord. It’s perfect.” Molly exclaims.
Nyx just stands there, jaw hung open, staring at me.
“Nyx, you are going to catch flies in there, darlin’.” Molly taps the bottom of her mouth, and she snaps it shut.
