Page 3 of Purrfectly Naughty
The truth was, she thought she loved Blake. After all, he’d given her Paulie. The sounds of her now six-year-old cub running through the Pride House giggling away reached her sensitive ears and she said a small prayer to whoever was listening that her young stayed happy and safe.
He was a different boy now that she had earned back her rightful place there. Her work with the Maverick Pride Support Group, led by Gretchen and Reg Cray, had done wonders for her self-confidence and helped erase those mistakes from her past.
Still, she bit her lip and wondered.Was she worthy to represent them at Gerri Wilder’s holiday bash? She wasn’t so sure.
“Liss, I don’t think I can go to that party,” she started to explain.
“Pamela, you were born into this Pride,” Elissa interrupted her, “Who could better represent us? After all Gerri has done for us, it would be insulting not to attend,” she finished and Pamela had to agree with her words.
“I don’t have anything to wear,” she used her last and best excuse to try and sway her friend, but the maddening woman simply laughed.
“Like that is a problem! Um, hello, Nari here whose sis-in-law has a boutique in town. Duh!” she snorted and Pamela laughed.
Truth was, she used to be quite the fashion queen, but once she’d stopped allowing herself to be Blake’s victim, she also got rid of the notion she had to look a certain way. That had been all him. The starving herself, the bleached and teased hair, the slinky little designer outfits.
Pamela was quite unrecognizable now. She’d gained quite a bit of weight during the past year, grew the bleach out of her hair and had it cut, and was most often seen wearing comfortable jeans and yoga pants. After all, her job as one of the only two manicurists and now a junior hairstylist at Gretchen’s salon did not require heels and couture.
However, a Christmas ball certainly would. Sigh.
“Seriously, Liss, I can’t afford to spend money on a gown. It’s Christmas and I am getting Paulie that bike if it kills me.”
“Girl, do you think I’d let you go somewhere looking like a pauper? Look, Jessica is bringing over some selections from her shop this afternoon and you are gonna love them, and best of all it will be free publicity for her. Just think how many of Gerri’s guests will like it and might ask where you got it!” Elissa said excitedly.
“Really? That is so nice especially with her being in her third trimester,” Pamela inhaled deeply.
It still moved her to think how kind all the women had been to her ever since the truth about her situation had come out. She’d been really awful to Jessica, Gretchen, Kylie, and Elissa too, back when she’d first met them.
Mostly, she’d been horrible to Gretchen. No number of apologies could make up for what she’d done, but the wonderful woman had not only hired her, but she’d welcomed her into her closest circle of friends.
Pamela worked hard to make it up to them. She would do anything to repair the damage she’d done because of her own warped image of herself and females in general as a result of Blake’s abuse and lies.
In fact, she’d thrown herself into the support group Gretchen was kind enough to host with her and was now in a good place both mentally and physically. The only thing left was to try to make the best life she could for Paulie.
It was difficult for her to trust anyone around him, after all, he was the offspring of the man who’d done nothing but hurt the Pride, but Hunter Maverick was not the average Neta.
He had really surprised her. He was a forgiving and nonjudgmental man who’d welcomed Paulie with open arms and assured Pamela it was what any good leader would do.
Yes, this Christmas was going to be good for them both.