10
“Well if your dad’s cool with him being on the squad, he’s gotta be okay with you doing it, right?” Kyara shrugs.
“It’s a little more nuanced than that.” I don’t really know how to explain all of my family drama to Kyara, nor do I really want to delve into it, so instead I grab the glass of beer that I just overpoured off of the bar. “Gotta deliver this quick.”
I walk away, bringing the beer over to a guy sitting by himself at table eight. Kyara checks on her own tables, and by the time we’re both back behind the bar, she’s back to interrogating me.
“So is that the only reason you’d turn it down?” she asks, leaning an elbow on the bar top. “Your dad?”
I sigh, sliding my hands into the back pockets of my black shorts. “There’s also the fact that Clinton’s best friend is on the squad.”
Kyara narrows her eyes. “So? Wouldn’t you rather chance running into Clinton’s bestie than Clinton himself?”
Can’t argue with her on that one.
“And didn’t you tell me once thatyourbest friend is on the squad?” she asks, pointing a finger at me.
“Yeah, joined last year,” I say, and I can’t help but smile at the thought of my closest friend and the prospect of us getting to see each other every day again.
Kyara throws up her hands. “So I’m not seeing the problem here! You should go for it, girl. It sounds like you want to, you’re just making excuses. Clinton’s not holding you back anymore, so why are you holding yourself back?”
I stare at my friend, a little dumbfounded. She’s right- Ihavebeen making excuses. Ever since my friend Bianca stopped by the packhouse yesterday to ask me to join the squad’s IT unit with her, I’ve been busy coming up with reasons why I shouldn’t. I don’t like change, but maybe Kyara’s right; maybe this is the fresh start I need. Maybe I need to stop being so damn stubborn and just take it.
“I’m thinking about joining up, myself,” Kyara says nonchalantly, reaching for the bar towel and wiping up a wet spot on the bar top.
I grin, folding my arms and leaning idly against the counter. “Oh yeah?” I’m picturing little Kyara training as a fighter- as amusing as it is, she’d probably be amazing since she’s scrappy as hell. Girl is small but fierce.
“Didn’t you hear?” She tosses the towel back down, her lips turning up into a mischievous smile. “There’s gonna be an open call for the squad. No cuts or anything, just a month of training to build up a reserve squad.”
Well that’s news to me. You’d think as the daughter of an alpha and the sister of one of the squad leaders, I’d be more in the loop.
I give a little shake of my head. “I hadn’t heard. Wait, are youactuallyconsidering it? Because that would be a game changer…” I start talking faster, my excitement building. “If you did it, I’d totally go, Ky… say you’ll do it?”
The idea of leaving behind everything I know and moving up to the complex is daunting- but having Kyara with me would make it so much better. She has been my rock this summer, especially after everything went down with Clinton. She never judged, just listened.
Kyara chuckles, rolling her eyes. “I said I was thinking about it, didn’t I? Tony has been talking about joining up and there’s no way I’m letting him go away for a month without me.”
And speaking of toxic relationships…
“If you go, I’ll go,” I say, waggling my eyebrows.
To my surprise, I’m actually feeling kind of excited about this now. My dad should be fine- he’s got a brand new beta that’s considering moving into the packhouse, so he may not be alone there after all. And if I go live at the squad complex, I’ll be able to spend more time with my brother and maybe even develop the strong sibling bond with him that I’ve always wanted. And I’ve already got a few friends up there; Kyara coming would be the icing on the cake.
“I’m still deciding, butyou’redefinitely going,” Kyara says, stepping closer to me. She sets her hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes. “You need this, Quincy. You know this is the right move.”
I press my lips together in a tight line, giving a little nod of my head. “You’re right. I’m gonna do it.”
Kyara squeals, jumping up and down excitedly like a little kid. “Yay! I’m so glad!”
I can’t help but grin at her enthusiasm. It’s nice to have a supportive friend like her.
I glance out at my tables in the brewery, suddenly remembering that I probably need to go check in on them. “We’d better get back to it,” I mumble.
Kyara composes herself, taking a breath and tucking her shoulder-length blonde hair behind her ears. “You’re right. If these are our last few days working here together, we need to make them count.” She tosses me a wink, turning to walk away. “Oh, and Quincy?” she calls over her shoulder.
“Hm?”
A devilish grin flits across her face. “I’ll take the table with your sexy stranger lookalike.”
My cheeks heat.So she knew the source of my distraction all along!
“Whatever,” I laugh, rolling my eyes exaggeratedly.
Busted.