Page 45 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

The morning flew by, and finally, when my shift was over, I was left reeling.

“Wait a second,” Lydia said before I could walk out the door. “Let me get your tips for the day.”

She handed them over before looking me up and down.

“Maybe it’s time to go shopping and buy yourself a cute new outfit.”

I looked down at my plain clothes. Outside of these and my workout gear, I didn’t have much. I was much more comfortable in leggings and oversized hoodies... or at least I was when I used to run.

It’d been a while since I’d had time to do that. Working two jobs didn’t exactly leave me with loads of extra time.

Between all the tips I’d earned today and Lachlan’s generous one, I had plenty that I’d be able to buy a new outfit and maybe one for Gavin, too.

For once, I wanted new clothes. Not something used that was clearly thrifted.

Maybe it was the guys’ influence or my good mood, but as I browsed the clothes in the department store, I found myself actually enjoying it.

I even indulged in a coffee from the tiny shop they had at the entrance.

My usual style was baggy jeans, but I wanted something different. It was time to show off my curves a little. Thanks to my lifestyle I wasn’t quite as soft or curvy as most omegas. But for once I wasn’t ashamed of my body.

August seemed more than satisfied with what he saw.

After browsing the shirt section for longer than I should have, I found a cute tank top with a bit of a V-neck. It was simple, but cute.

Then I moved onto Gavin’s outfit. I made sure not to let them match but he was a whole lot easier to shop for than my clothes.

I paid for everything before ducking into the bathroom near the entrance to change. Everything fit just like I needed it to. Between that and actually getting ready properly that morning, I didn’t have to run home to do my hair and makeup first.

Which was good. I still wasn’t sure if my mother was back from her latest escapade or not.

I still had time to kill but the bus ride would eat up most of it.

As the bus drove down Main Street, my eyes caught on the bookstore. My mind was made up before the bus even stopped, and I was climbing out.

My cheeks burned at the thought of what I was about to buy, but I was in too deep now to leave.

I wasn’t about to ask for help.

Instead, I followed the signs until I found the section clearly labeled Pack Romance.

Thank God for small mercies.

The bookstore had cute little handwritten notes, giving snippets of what the staff’s favorite reads were, along with little spice ratings.

I figured at this point I might as well go all in.

The one with five peppers was the section I chose, grabbing a few books before heading to the checkout counter.

The omega behind the register picked up the stack.

“Did you find everything you needed?”

“Hopefully,” I said. “My boss suggested I check out some pack romance, so...”

I trailed off, not wanting to fill in the blanks for a stranger.

“Oh, these are great picks,” she said as she looked through the three books I’d chosen. “If this is your first dive into the genre, I’d suggest you start with this one.”