“After I left, did you ever cave in and date that that Seymour guy? He had such a crush on you.”

Claire groaned and rolled her eyes. “Gods no. I had my dad chase him off when he started sniffing around the house.”

Playful eyes glanced up, Maryanne motioning for the other foot. “What about boys in higher academy?”

Claire shook her head. “I was focused on my studies.”

“After academy?”

“Geez, you make me sound so boring!”

“So only Shepherd, huh?” Maryanne pretended to focus on her work, spreading the crimson paint carefully. “That’s kinda too bad. I mean, think about it. If you have only slept with Shepherd you have nothing to compare it to. He could be awful and you would never know. I bet you wish you’d experimented now…”

Laughing so hard it hurt, Claire struggled to say, “Stop antagonizing him!”

“That’s what he gets for eavesdropping on girl talk. There are reasons why women congregate without men… so we can make fun of them.”

Claire was still laughing, green eyes dancing while innocent Maryanne blew on her toes. “What other interesting things do you have in your pockets?”

“Look who wants presents?” the blonde sang, reaching into her coat for a tube of lipstick.

Unscrewing the lid, Maryanne made a face like an artist creating a masterpiece. Claire leaned forward, puckered, and let her stain her lips a rich berry red.

“Well, I’m not going to lie,” Maryanne shrugged, unimpressed. “It’s a little trampy on you, but Shepherd might like it.”

“It’s the same color you’re wearing!” Claire snorted, snatching the tube from Maryanne’s hands. “I had a lipstick like this once, never had a place to wear it.”

“What do you mean place to wear it? You just wear it,” her friend replied, settling back in her chair.

Claire’s soft smile was gently reprimanding. “That’s easy for you to say, Alpha. If you draw attention, being as pretty as you are, you don’t have to worry about potential complications.”

Yawning, Maryanne shrugged. “That is just silly, Claire—and paranoid. It’s just lipstick. And I guess you don’t have to worry about that anymore. Ain’t no one gonna to be messing with Shepherd’s old lady.”

Green eyes grew sad. “That’s not what I hear is going on outside…”

“What do you mean?”

A guilt-ridden voice confessed, “Women who look like me… because of my flyer.”

“You told her about that?” Maryanne snarled at the hostile male watching from the corner. “What is wrong with you?”

Claire could not see his reaction to her friend’s outburst, but knew it couldn’t be good. She interjected, “I am not a child, Maryanne. I asked, and he told me the truth.”