Jake pulled into the parking lot of the hardware store and shut Layla's Escalade off. Man, that thing drove like a dream. Embry was texting on his phone when Jake moved his hand to whack him on the leg.
"Dude, are you even here today?" Jake asked.
"Yeah, Hey, is it cool if I stay out here?" Embry asked.
"Sure, I guess. Don't cum on my seats." Layla said, getting out of her vehicle. "Jesus H Christ!" she yelled, wrapping her arms around herself. "It is freaking freezing!"
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, it gets really cold and really rainy here most of the time." Jake said. He offered her his jacket. "Oh sweet Jesus, yes." Layla said, pulling his oversized jacket on and basking in the warmth, "You're like a space heater too, huh? Embry, too?" she asked.
"Yup." Seth said. "Only the hottest guys are hot."
"Whoa, are you calling Jake hot?" Layla stopped, looking up at him with a grin. "That's hot. Dear God let me watch that."
"No, no, no, no! Girls only for me!" Seth said, holding his hands up.
Layla and Jake started cracking up with laughter as they walked into the hardware store.
"Poor Jake. Guess you'll just have to call me when the urge strikes you. Seth has closed up shop." Layla said, laughing even harder.
Seth, if possible, started blushing at what Layla had insinuated. She just gave him a hand job, and God, it was amazing. What a freaking release!
"Okay, what I need is some, like, really long thin metal bars and some brackets. I need more room to hang clothes and I figured a couple poles wall to wall should do for now." Layla said,
Jake and Seth went from aisle to aisle, getting what was needed while Layla followed them. "I'm sorry I can't be of any help." she said.
"No, really, it's fine. I love making things." Jake said.
Layla was looking at paint samples and muttered 'like making me hot.'. She didn't know how good of hearing Jake and Seth had.
Embry sat in the Escalade, willing himself to push the send button in asking Audrey, the girl from Taco Bell, out on a date. Did he really want to do this? Get involved with someone he knew wasn't his Imprint? He was getting depressed. He needed out of this funk. Embry opened the car door and got out, locking and shutting the door behind him. He walked into the hardware store and easily found Layla, Seth, and Jake. Layla was dancing and singing along to a song on the radio, No Diggity by Blackstreet. She spotted Embry and danced over to him.
"Baby you're a perfect 10, I wanna get in, can I get down..." Layla sang, turning to dance on him and mouth the words.
Embry stood stock still. Layla took his non movement as a sign he didn't much care for her dancing, so she moved away. Her phone rang suddenly and she squealed, pulling it out of her purse.
"Kai!" she all but screamed into the phone.
"Black leggings and a borrowed shirt." Layla said a few seconds later. "Oh, that really cute black and red set," she added.
Jake looked at Seth who shrugged.
"I'm in a hardware store, dancing with 3 hot guys." she said a few moments later to this Kai person.
"Just one. Oh, my Lort it was only a hand job. We've done more than that and you're gay." she said. "God, yeah, hung like a freaking horse!" she said, looking at Seth. "They're all tall, tanned skin, and if the other two are like Seth, then hell yes." she said. "I think they're all straight, though."
Jake, Seth, and Embry nodded in agreement.
"Of course I'll give your number out to any hot guy I find out is bi or gay, duh." Layla said.
She sighed heavily. "Yes, but just my boobs. I was wearing a bra you bitch."
Seth smiled brightly and Jake looked envious. Embry just kept staring.
"No we are not playing Truth or Dare!" Layla whispered hotly. "I am in a hardware store in God's country, Kai. No. No absolutely not. Don't even with the 'pics or it didn't happen,." Layla nearly yelled.
She took a deep breath. "Malakai Angelo!" Layla exclaimed. "Yeah, no, I'm not going to ask them to take a picture of their junk." Layla said. "Sex pictures are a maybe."
Jake looked at Seth once again. They both looked at Embry who looked too shocked to say anything.
"Listen, I love you, but I've got to go. Okay. Love you, bye." Layla said, hanging up the phone.
"Who was that?" Seth asked.
"Oh, my best friend, Kai. He says hi." Layla said, blushing slightly.
Seth leaned in to whisper, "hung like a horse, huh?" with a grin.
"Uh, yeah, did you not just see yourself?" Layla asked.
Seth grinned proudly, happy with himself that he got her to say it out loud.
Embry shook his head and walked off, back to the Escalade and pushed send on the text message to Audrey.
Six hours later, Layla, Jake, Embry, and Seth finally made it home, the back of her Escalade full of furniture and other things she needed. She had convinced them to stop by Olive Garden where she placed the biggest to-go order the store had ever received. It took nearly 2 hours to cook everything and bag it up. All in all, Layla paid over one thousand dollars for all the food.
"Where do you all usually eat? Here or where?" Layla asked.
"Usually at Sam and Emily's." Seth said.
"Will you call them and tell them that I'm going to bring food out there for everyone?" Layla asked.
Jake called Sam and let him know that food was already provided for tonight and that Emily didn't have to cook. Jake also told Sam to invite everyone in the family as Layla had bought a shit ton of food. Jake hung up a couple minutes later. Sam and Emily came up to the Escalade five minutes later along with Colin, Jared, Paul, and a few others.
Jake and Seth and Embry were carrying furniture into the house, to Layla's room. She told them that was the only thing they could do and they were not to put it together without having first eating and then letting Layla pay them for their help.
Layla started giving trays and bags of food to Emily, Sam, Jared, and Colin. "I'm sorry not to introduce myself to you all first. I promise when we get all the food set out, proper introductions will be made." Layla said.
"Don't even worry about that. I'm just glad I get a night off and don't have to cook for these guys." Emily said, smiling softly.
"Oh, girl. Do you at least get a little something something for it?" Layla asked, smiling brightly.
"Yeah. From me. Only." Sam growled out.
Layla leaned her head back and stared at the one that spoke up. "Listen here, nose hair. No need to get your panties in a twist. Getting all growly with me, you need to back up."
"Nose hair?" Sam said, narrowing his eyes.
Jared and Quil and Colin moved to stand between Sam and Layla.
"Hey, dudes. Move. I'm talking to the dude who thinks he is in charge of home girl over there." Layla said, squeezing between them.
"She's my wife!" Sam said.
"And you freaked out because? What? I mentioned getting laid for all her hard work?" Layla asked.
"Don't you-" Sam started, but Layla cut him off.
"Don't you even 'don't you' to me, okay? You need to get your Eddie Munster looking widow peak trying to look like you're the biggest baddest motherfucker your funky breath breathing getting all up in my face when I didn't even say one word to you your old tired clothes looking like a tan Pee Wee Herman like he was on crack skinny little jackass trying to tell me what's what." Layla said, interrupting whatever Sam was going to say.
"Oh." Jared said.
"Shit." Colin finished.
Sam stared long and hard at Layla, watching how she never moved away or looked down in submission. She crossed her arms, waiting for him to smart off.
"We so needed her, for the longest time." a female voice said from the back.
"Leah!" Seth said, trying to hush her.
"No, Seth. Someone needed to stand up to him and put him back in his place for the longest time and this girl just did it." Leah said.
Layla smirked and looked away from Sam to the girl who spoke up. "I'm Layla. Eric Lahote's uh...well, daughter."
"Leah Clearwater. Seth's my younger brother. Glad to have another female here." Leah said.
"No way! I literally just gave him a-" Layla started, but Seth covered her mouth.
"She helped me put Clifford in his place." Seth said, making sure he kept his hand over Layla's mouth.
"What a jackass." Leah said.
"You guys better come and eat before it gets cold!" Emily said, trying to usher everyone to her house.
"I'm going to go tell Eric and Billy to come and eat. I bought a ton of food!" Layla said, shutting the back gate of her Escalade and walking towards Billy's house.
By the time Layla and Billy got out to Sam and Emily's house, 90% of the food was already gone. Layla grabbed a plate and filled it full and handed it to Billy before scooping up the last of what was left and putting it into her plate. She looked around for a place to sit, but didn't see one, so she leaned against the wall.
"Get over here and sit down." Leah said.
"Oh, right, totally didn't see that invisible chair." Layla said, smirking and walking over to Leah, and sitting on her lap.
"I did mean that I'd scoot over and we could share, but whatever works." Leah said.
"This is much hotter, though." Layla said before taking a bite of food.
"Have you met everybody yet?" Billy asked, setting his plate aside.
"Well, I know Leah, Seth, Jake, Embry, you, Eric, and Paul." Layla said.
"Okay well this is Jared, over there is Colin, that is Emily, and I heard you met Sam, her husband, earlier." Billy said, trying to hide a smile.
Layla smiled proudly. "What up, playa?" she said.
"We so, so needed her." Leah said.
"No, not really." Paul muttered, arms crossed, leaning against the door frame.
Layla set her plate aside, losing her appetite. She thought maybe Paul was just upset about the sudden adjustment and needed time to accept it. But after hearing him mutter, Layla realized that, really and truly, he did not want her here.
"I'm...I'm just getting really tired, with the time difference and all." Layla said, standing up. She shrugged the jacket off and handed it back to Jake. "Thanks."