She narrowed her eyes. “You’re just saying that to give me an ‘out’ in case I don’t want to be around them.”
“No, I’m not,” he said honestly. “I’d rather eat here with you. I don’t like sharing you.” Neither did his wolf.
She inwardly snorted. He wasn’t exactly sharing her, since he was pretty much the only person who really wanted her there. “Then we’ll have lunch here.” She grazed his nape with her nails, and a contented growl rattled his chest. “Kathy will probably bristle about you eating here.”
“Probably. Ally cooks a lot for Derren, and Kathy doesn’t like it much.” He suspected it was because Kathy felt it was her role to feed them; she didn’t want anyone taking over that role. “She’s a little put out that Ally’s making Cassidy’s birthday cake. The only thing appeasing Kathy is that she’s making fancy dress costumes for the pups.”
They chatted about general things until Jesse was done with his light breakfast and ready to leave. She walked him to the door, and he searched her eyes. “You going to be okay while I’m gone?” Impatience flashed across her face, amusing his wolf.
“Of course. I can be alone without breaking down.”
“I’m not working late tonight, so you won’t be alone all day.” He nipped her lip. “Remember this lodge is your home; you’re free to do whatever you want here. I’ve already showed you the boundaries of our territory, so if you want to venture outside, that’s fine. Some people hang out at the main lodge during the day, so you’re welcome to go there if you want.”
Her lips twitched. “Welcome? Really?”
“I’m sorry that not all of them are making you feel welcome. Nobody other than Shaya was all that welcoming to Ally when she first got here. I was a bit of an asshole toward her, if I’m honest. But we all accepted her, and they’ll accept you just the same.” He opened the door. “Call me if you need anything.”
She saluted him. “Will do. Now go; I’ll be fine. I don’t need anyone hovering over me.”
“Fine, I’m going. You happy now?”
Not when he spoke to her with that snippy tone. “As a matter of fact—”
“Good.” He gave her a quick, hard kiss and then left.
When he was out of her sight, she closed the door. She didn’t need to ponder what to do next. Nope. She grabbed her book from the kitchen and settled in the reading nook. Poor Jesse . . . he was so dumb to have thought she would be bored. The idea of spending the day with her head in a book made her smile. For Harley, reading was the equivalent of chocolate, sleep, and morphine all rolled into one. Like all cats, she was quite the hedonist.
A few hours later there was a knock at the door. She was thinking maybe she could make a “Reading in Progress so Fuck Off” sign or something.
Opening the door, she found Ally. Awkward as always with strangers, Harley cleared her throat. “Um . . . hi.”
Ally smiled and lifted a plate that was covered with tinfoil. “I brought cookies.”
Well, if she’d brought cookies she was totally welcome. Harley moved aside, allowing the Beta to enter. Ally put the plate of cookies on the coffee table, and Harley peeled off the foil. “They smell so good. You didn’t have to do this . . . but I’m glad you did.” She bit into a chocolate chip cookie and groaned as it melted in her mouth. “I know it’s wrong, but I’d sell my soul for these.”
Ally chuckled. “You can keep your soul. But a coffee would be great.”
Harley made them both coffee, and then they settled on the sofa. Harley’s cat watched the Beta closely; she didn’t feel threatened by her, but she was wary of having strangers in what was now her home.
“I know how much it sucks to not feel welcome,” said Ally, grabbing a cookie. “When I first got here, I spent most of my time alone at my lodge. I don’t think their collective rejection would have bothered me so much if they weren’t all so close. It made me feel even more of an outsider. But not everyone is dubious about you joining the pack, Harley. I want you to know that. The others will come round. Even Kathy.”
“Let’s not ask for miracles.”
Ally snickered. “She’s not so bad. Really. I think she feels a little threatened by you.”
Harley frowned. “Why?”
“You might dress casually and have a down-to-earth attitude, but you’re well educated and well traveled according to Jesse. Kathy often bemoans that she never went to college—claims she could have been a doctor. What did you study in college?”
“Business,” replied Harley before biting into another cookie.
Ally did a double take. “I expected you to say music.”
“I studied business because my dream was to have my own club where I could perform and showcase other musicians.”
“What’s stopping you from pursuing it?”
“At first, I couldn’t find a place I wanted to settle; I couldn’t find a club that spoke to me. But then I came to California and got a job at The Velvet Lounge. I love California, and I love that club. The owner is looking to sell it. I was planning to make him an offer . . . and then extremists decided to target me.” The bastards.
“You could still buy the club.”
“Only if the owner hasn’t sold it by the time the extremists are off my back. If I bought it before then, the extremists would take their rage out on it.”