Amelia looked at the women. "Be right back." She turned around, paid for her order, and returned to their table with her own ice cream. Without asking, she pulled up a chair and sat down with them. She picked up the spoon and took her first bite.
"Yummy."
"Why is she sitting with us?" the petite woman asked with a scowl.
The dark-haired woman in scrubs laughed. "Meryn, that's rude. She's just being friendly." She turned to Amelia. "My name is Rheia Bradley, this is Elizabeth Monroe, and the anti-social one is Meryn McKenzie."
Amelia nodded. "Pleased to meet you. Do you all live here in Madison?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "No, we live... a little bit outside the city."
Amelia stopped digging through her bowl for the bubble gum flavored ice cream and took in her words. "You wouldn't be from Lycaonia would you?" she asked, going out on a limb. She had read the map; there wasn't anything for two hundred miles in any direction from Madison.
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Actually yes. Is that where you're heading?"
Amelia nodded. "I need to call a Rene Évreux to arrange for an escort into the city."
Meryn growled and stabbed at her ice cream. "Don't call him; he's a total douchebag. You can follow us. We're going to the Alpha estate. One of the guys can show you how to get to the city."
"That'd be great! Without having to wait for an escort, I'll definitely get some shopping in tonight. Whoo hoo!" She waved her spoon around.
Meryn watched her with a guarded expression. "You're too happy."
Amelia nodded. "So I've been told. It's just my nature."
"Are you on drugs?" Meryn asked bluntly.
"Meryn!" Elizabeth swatted at her arm.
Amelia laughed. "No, but I've been asked that, too." She turned to Elizabeth. "She said that you are going to the Alpha estate, do you have business there? Did you need a place to stay? I have a room at the Rise and Shine bed and breakfast in the city if you need a place to crash," she offered.
"No, we live there." Meryn frowned at her. "Seriously? You would ask complete strangers to share a room with you? What if you woke up in the bathtub with missing kidneys?"
Amelia grinned. "Wouldn't be the first time," she joked.
Meryn and Elizabeth stared as Rheia began choking on her ice cream.
"Seriously?" Meryn whispered, her eyes wide.
"No, but I had you for a second, didn't I?"
Meryn scowled. "There's something wrong with you." This time, neither Rheia nor Elizabeth chastised her.
Amelia shrugged. "I like people."
"I hate people," Meryn admitted honestly as she scrapped the side of her bowl.
"You're talking to me," Amelia pointed out.
"You're kinda making me talk to you. I don't know if I like it yet." Meryn put her bowl down.
Amelia turned to Elizabeth. "You all live there? Are you mated?"
Rheia nodded. "Our mates are members of the Alpha Unit. I'm mated to Colton Albright."
"I'm mated to Gavriel Ambrosios," Elizabeth said, putting her empty bowl down.
Amelia turned to Meryn. Meryn stuck her tongue out at her. "What?"
"You're so adorable." Amelia smiled and took another bite of ice cream. Meryn reminded her of a hissing, spitting kitten.
Elizabeth turned to her. "I thought so, too, right after I met her, so much so, I adopted her as my little sister."
Meryn grinned at Elizabeth and began to eye Amelia's ice cream bowl. Amelia took one last bite and pushed her half-eaten bowl over to Meryn.
Meryn looked at her in surprise, her eyes becoming unguarded. "Really?"
Amelia nodded and pointed at Meryn's belly. "You're eating ice cream for two unless I'm mistaken."
Meryn smiled wide and pulled the bowl close. "I'm mated to Aiden McKenzie, and yes, I am eating ice cream for two." She dug in with gusto.
Amelia put her chin on her hands and watched her eat. She really was just like a kitten. Angry one second and purring the next. She was envisioning late night shopping when a thought struck her.
"Wait, Aiden McKenzie. The Aiden McKenzie? The Unit Commander?" she asked.
Meryn nodded. "Yup."
"That's crazy. Your mate is kinda like my brothers' boss."
Elizabeth turned to her. "Who are your brothers?"
"Caiden, Kyran and Tristan Ironwood. They lead the Nu, Xi, and Pi Units in Storm Keep."
"What a small world," Elizabeth murmured under her breath.
"Truly," Amelia admitted.
"Ladies, I suggest we head out. If we sit here much longer, the men will launch an all out assault on this poor shop." Rheia said standing. She gathered the bowls, including Meryn's now empty second bowl, and threw them away.