13. Lucy

"Hi. I'm Flora. Angie told me all about you. She says you're great."

Lucy smiled shyly as Flora and Jade invaded the kitchen. Both women hugged Vera and started talking a mile a minute.

"Micah told me that you have his black card, so there's no limit. He said that you might be shy about spending money, but he wants you to get an amazing dress and all the accessories you will need," Flora said.

"He picked the right person for that. If anyone knows fashion, it's Flora," Jade said.

Lucy laughed and said, "We don't want to bankrupt Micah."

"I don't think that's possible, at least all in one day." Flora grinned. "That man has the Midas touch."

"Vera, why don't you come shopping with us?" Jade asked. "We're going to get our nails done, hit the beauty shop, and then all the stores."

"I'm not much of a shopper," Vera said. "I have a couple of dresses and accessories to choose from."

"Michelle said the same thing. You two are a couple of party poopers," Flora said.

"Every party has to have a pooper. That's why you invited me," Vera sang.

Lucy finished her coffee, ran upstairs to brush her teeth, and then literally got whisked away by Flora and Jade.

They asked Lucy about her life and the shifter world. Flora and Jade told her about theirs. Jade was a member of the Nightshade Wolf Shifter Pack like Flora and Micah were. She was mated to a dragon shifter, named Marvin. They had two younglings.

"His mother loves to watch over them. As you know, I still work at Howlers', so she takes care of them if Marvin is busy. He's a great father," Jade said.

"I'm still waiting on Prince Charming," Flora lamented. "I think that they are few and far between these days and all the great guys in this world are already spoken for."

"There's someone out there for you," Jade said. "He'll come along when you least expect it and swoop you off your feet."

"Eh. We'll see," Flora said, doubtfully.

Their first stop was the nail salon. Lucy had never had a manicure before, so she was fascinated by the process. She didn't want fake nails, so the woman painted a fancy design directly on Lucy's nails.

"I loved the hand massage. That was the best part of the whole process," Lucy exclaimed. "When I get rich, I think I'm going to have to hire someone just to massage my hands every day."

"That means we'll be over to visit every day. Don't worry, we'll wait patiently for our turn." Jade laughed.

Lucy didn't want her long hair cut when they went to the beauty salon, so she just got a trim. The stylist showed Lucy how to curl her bangs and a quick and easy way to do her hair that looked like it took hours.

They stopped for lunch and then hit the shops.

"I've done more shopping since I've been in the human world than I ever did in the shifter world," Lucy said. "Micah's mother and I went shopping."

Jade and Flora laughed. "We should have invited her to go with us," Flora said.

"Only if someone else did the driving," Lucy said. "I'd like to live long enough to actually go to the fundraiser."

"I hear you," Flora said. "I rode with her one time. That was enough. Wonderful, sweet woman, but her driving skills – whoof."

The first stop was the dress shop. Flora got a burnt orange strapless dress that was absolutely gorgeous. Jade, true to her name, ended up with an emerald green dress with a V-neck that was just low enough to be sexy but not reveal anything.

"This is perfect for you," Flora said, pulling a cobalt blue dress off the rack. "It matches your eyes."

The satin off-the-shoulder dress fit Lucy's figure perfectly. It had a split in the side, almost to the hip. She turned around in front of the mirror.

"It was made for you," Flora said.

Lucy almost fainted when she saw the price tag. "Do I really need this dress?"

"Yes, you do. Don't make me call Micah," Flora threatened, waving her phone around.

Jade giggled, but Lucy still looked unsure as they paid for their dresses.

"Next stop, shoes," Flora said.

Lucy was amazed that the shoe store seemed to have a million different colored shoes in different styles. Flora held up a pair of silver six-inch heels with a teasing smile.

"Not a chance," Lucy said. "How about these?"

She pointed out a pair of three-inch strappy sandals that were the same color as her dress.

"Perfect," Jade said.

Purses were next. Lucy really felt guilty about the amount of money she spent on everything. It was more than what she made in half a year at her job in the shifter world.

"Micah won't even notice it out of his bank account. He makes more in interest each month than you spent today," Flora assured her. "I know it seems like a lot to us, but Micah won't even notice that it's gone."

"I guess," Lucy said.

"Let's get some ice cream," Jade said. "My treat."

Lucy enjoyed her mint chocolate chip ice cream cone while the three women talked and laughed. By the end of the day, Lucy knew that she had two new friends in the human world. Between Micah, the baby, and the people she'd met, except Caroline, Lucy wondered if she would even want to go back to the shifter world ever.

"Model your dress for me," Micah said when he got home that night.

With a faint blush in her cheeks, Lucy put the dress on.

"Let's see the model runway walk," Micah said, grinning.

Lucy did the best that she could, although she didn't quite get the hip sway right.

Micah stood up, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her. "I wonder if we'll even make it to the event."

She grinned at him.

"Do you know how to dance?"

"Yes."

"Prove it," he said, putting on a slow song.

They danced around the parlor. Lucy laid her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. His scent was intoxicating and it wrapped around her. He pressed his lips to hers, pushing his tongue into her mouth.

"Ahem. Sorry to interrupt, but dinner will be on the table in five," Vera said, grinning.

Lucy blushed and Micah smiled. She rushed back up to her room and pulled on her jeans and KISS T-shirt.

The next morning, Micah disappeared for a while after breakfast. He returned with a couple of jewelry boxes.

"Sapphire earrings and a bracelet to match the necklace that Mom gave you," he said.

She opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her. "They are a gift to you because you are my friend."

Her heart stung when he said friend. She knew that they didn't have a formal relationship outside of the fact that she was carrying his child. The knowledge didn't stop the fact that she was falling in love with him.

Saturday came quickly. Her heart thundered in her chest and she gripped Micah's arm tightly as they walked into the room packed with people. She tried to catch her breath as she looked around at the elegantly decorated ballroom.

Angie rushed up to them, pulling a tall handsome man behind her. She hugged Micah and then Lucy. "This is my mate, Noah. This is Lucy."

Lucy shook his hand and smiled.

"We're sitting at the front table," Angie said. "Flora, Conner, Jade, Marvin, Olivia, and Zac are sitting with us. I wanted Lana and Paul, who run the animal sanctuary to sit with us, as well, but they didn't want to be in the limelight."

Dinner was announced and everyone took their places. The food was delicious.

"This is almost as good as Vera's," Lucy said.

"I would have paid to have her cater the event, but I think that this would be a bit overwhelming for her," Angie said. "I have to agree that Vera is the most amazing cook ever."

"You do a great job," Noah said. "I love it when you cook."

She smiled at him, the love in her eyes was evident. Lucy wondered if her feelings for Micah were as obvious.

Noah leaned over and kissed Angie.

"Ech. Get a room," Flora said.

The dishes were cleared and the DJ geared up for the dance. Micah led Lucy to the floor for the first dance. Their bodies moved in perfect time to the music. Lucy felt as though she was in heaven with his arms wrapped around her.

Rose grabbed her arm when the dance ended. "You look so beautiful. That dress is perfect for you."

"Thank you. You are gorgeous," Lucy said. "I know where Micah gets his good looks."

The older woman grinned at Lucy. She leaned over and whispered, "You two make the perfect couple."

Lucy wanted to protest that Micah didn't see her that way, but kept her mouth shut. Now wasn't the time to talk about Lucy's heart.

She glanced over to see a man glaring at them with his arms folded across his chest. Rose followed her line of sight.

"That is Gavin, Micah's father. He is… well. Gavin is a hard man. Don't let him worry you."

Rose hugged her again and then rushed off to talk to Angie.

"She is very busy and full of energy," Lucy said.

"Mom has always been that way. I don't remember her sitting down much when I was a kid."

Conner and Zac walked over and, after greeting Lucy, started talking about a fishing trip. Lucy wandered over to the punch bowl and got a glass. She looked at everyone dancing, mingling, talking, and joking. The whole scene was surreal. She felt like she was watching a movie.

Her thoughts were interrupted by obnoxious perfume and an annoying voice.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked, snottily.

Lucy briefly closed her eyes and sighed. Her stomach knotted. She hated confrontations. "At the moment, I'm having a glass of punch."

Caroline made a sound of disgust. "Why are you at this event? Why did you come?"

"I was invited."

"You aren't welcome here. You don't belong. You are making a complete fool of yourself," Caroline sneered.

Lucy had had enough of Caroline's meanness. She smiled sweetly and said, "You are the one who is making a fool of herself. Everyone knows that you have a thing for Micah but that he isn't interested in you. If he was, he would have asked you to the event."

Caroline gasped.

"If you think that there is something between you and Micah, then you should talk to him about that. It is between you two. Otherwise, you should toddle off and find yourself another man."

"You're nothing more than a money-hungry grub," Caroline snarled.

Lucy smiled and shook her head. Micah appeared behind her and reached for her hand.

He glared at Caroline and asked, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Lucy said. "Caroline was just sharing some of her views with me."

"I'll bet she was," Micah said. "Let's dance."

He escorted Lucy to the dance floor. The entire time, Lucy felt Caroline's eyes burning holes in her back. Lucy's gut told her that she needed to be careful. Caroline wasn't a nice person and people like that tended to be dangerous when someone stood in the way of something they wanted.

"You would think that someone would invent some kind of spray to keep annoying people away," Micah said. "Do you think that some Raid would work?"

"It would likely work, but that would be mean. I'm sure she'll figure things out eventually. I feel sorry for her."

"Why?"

"Because she isn't able to see the world beyond herself. She's missing out on so much," Lucy said.

"You are a sweet and generous woman," Micah said.

He pulled her close to him. Lucy knew that it was dangerous, but she just let herself feel the incredible emotions of falling in love with this gorgeous, sweet man.