Chapter 7
Chapter seven
Camryn
“I’m so glad I listened to Trick and didn’t sell this place,” Tanya says as she leads me back into the living room of her old house.
It’s been three days since talking with Barrett about finding a house.
We looked through listings together, and nothing was really standing out.
Everything was either a two-bedroom with a garage big enough for Barrett’s bike or a three-bedroom with a one-car garage.
Then Charlie overheard us on the second day of looking and saw that this was about to explode into a fight we’ve both been trying to avoid.
“I don’t understand why you need that much space in a garage,” I say, and Barrett looks at me from across the small table in the clubhouse like I have two heads.
“How many times do I have to explain to you? I ride motorcycles. I build motorcycles. I paint motorcycles. I need room for all my tools and shit. A one-car garage won’t be enough, and I want to be home as much as possible.
Not traipsing all over the place for a paint job or an engine rebuild.
I’d like it all in one spot. A two-car garage is my one and only requirement. ”
I wave a hand in front of my computer, on which I’m currently looking through rental websites. “Well, having a room of my own is my one and only requirement, and I’m not finding anything that fits my very minuscule ask.”
Barrett narrows his eyes. “Are you trying to get out of our deal?”
“Are you?” I ask, tilting my head and meeting his irritated gaze head-on.
“If you’re being this stubborn about something as dumb as having enough space to work on some stupid motorcycles, then I think you really don’t want me there.
I think you wanted to offer it to me, but when we can’t find anything that fits both of our needs, you get to blame it on me and tell everyone I was being irrational.
Because heaven forbid I wanted a room of my own. ”
“How on earth does your brain work?” Barrett scrubs a hand over his face.
“Do you really think I’m trying to sabotage my relationship with my daughter so I can make you look bad?
I think you want to make me the bad guy.
” He points an accusatory finger at me. “That way Syd will see me as being controlling and irrational and wanting nothing more than to toss you aside.”
“I can’t believe you would actually think that,” I reply, seething in my seat as Barrett’s face gets redder by the second.
“I want what’s best for Syd. You said it yourself when you came up with this crazy idea that the three of us could live together, that you and I wouldn’t be at each other’s throats.
That me being close to Syd is what’s best for her and for you. ”
“Um, Linc?” Charlie calls, and Barrett and I whip our heads in her direction. Her eyes dart between us—her lips turned down in a slight frown. Neither of us even clocked that she was standing just outside the kitchen door.
“Yeah, Charlie Pie?” Linc calls from one of the couches.
“Didn’t your mom say her tenants moved out of her old house?”
“Oh shit, that’s right.” Linc looks at Barrett.
“Want me to call her? It’s three bedrooms with a two-car garage and a workshop.
Now that I think about it, that would be a perfect spot to set up your paint booth.
” He finishes with a smile, and I want to strangle the man.
Did he not hear me and Barrett ready to face off in World War III over this house thing?
“Yes,” Barrett and I say at the same time.
I turn to Charlie and offer her an appreciative smile.
“I love my man with every fiber of my being, but sometimes he can be oblivious.” Charlie laughs and rolls her eyes toward the ceiling. I feel the tension still lining my face, and she must see it too. “Wine?”
“God, yes please.”
“So many good years in this place,” Tanya says, looking around the living room with a softness in her eyes as she remembers living here with her boys, who are now men and have homes of their own.
“We really appreciate this, Tanya. Good thing Linc suggested it,” Barrett says, coming in through the slider that leads to the backyard. “He was right. The workshop will be perfect for my paint booth.”
My right eye twitches. If I hear him talk about that damn paint booth one more time…
Tanya laughs. “Boys and their toys,” she says to me, and I force a smile. Not because I think it’s cute, but because I don’t want to offend the sweet woman whose rental house has saved Barrett from having his eyes clawed out.
It’s a thin wire that Barrett and I walk.
We both want what’s best for Syd, which is our one common thread.
And I’m holding on to that thread with all my might because I want this to work.
I don’t want to feel the urge to strangle the biker standing next to me.
I’ve just never really had any other feelings toward him that didn’t involve causing him pain.
At least until the last few days. It’s not an easy feat to turn a decade of hate for someone into something else.
For the last fourteen years, I thought he’d abandoned my sister and niece.
Now I know that isn’t the case, but it’s been hard to get past. But I’m committed to trying, even if there are hiccups along the way.
“Everything is ready for you guys to move in. Sorry I don’t have more furniture in the place,” she says, looking around the empty living room.
“It’s not a problem at all. There’s a kitchen table, and we can make do until we have time to buy some stuff,” Barrett says. “I’m just glad it was available.” The relief in his voice isn’t lost on me.
“It’s nice to know there will be a family living here again,” Tanya says. I glance at Barrett, and he has an uncomfortable look on his face as he shuffles his feet. “Unconventional as it is,” Tanya adds.
That’s definitely what this arrangement is. I’m living with my niece and my sister’s ex, who can barely stand me, so that he can form a relationship with the daughter he didn’t know about for her entire life. This situation is anything but conventional.
Tanya pulls two sets of keys and a small black device from her bag. “Okay, here are the keys and the garage door opener, but you can program it into your car.”
“I should probably get one of those,” I joke.
Barrett furrows his brow. “What are you talking about? You have a car.”
“That’s a rental. I was just going to use it for the weekend…” My voice trails off as I think about the weekend it was intended for. To drive to my sister’s funeral in Connecticut.
“Can you not afford one?” Barrett asks.
“Of course I can,” I reply, offense lacing my words. I mean, I could have if I wanted to. Or if I wasn’t saving every penny for anything Sydney needed that her mother couldn’t buy her. “I live in New York. There’s no need for a car in the city.”
“We’ll find something for you. In the meantime, you’ll use my truck.” Barrett nods as though the situation is decided.
“I can buy my own car when I want to.” Which will be sooner rather than later.
“Right, and you can drive my truck until then.” He narrows his gaze. “You scared of driving a truck?”
“No,” I reply, wrinkling my nose. Okay, in reality, it does intimidate me a little. Any time I’ve rented a car, which has been all of once, it was small, and I was heading out of the city where traffic wasn’t anywhere near the level of New York traffic. “It’s just so big.”
Barrett gets a wide grin, and I just know—
“You know what else is big?” he asks.
Yup. I was right.
“Don’t even think about saying it,” I growl.
“The tires.” He laughs like he just said the funniest thing in the world.
“Already with the dad jokes,” Sydney says as she walks out of one of the rooms through the hallway. “I’m claiming the room at the end.”
Barrett and I stare at her for a few beats. This is the first time I’ve heard her refer to anything regarding Barrett using the word dad. It makes me happy to hear it, and I think Barrett feels the same, if the way his lips turn up at the corners is any indication.
“There’s a lot more where that came from, kid,” Barrett says, and Syd playfully rolls her eyes.
I can’t help but get a little choked up.
This is what I was hoping would happen. That they would find some sort of comfortable interaction where neither was awkward, or in my niece’s case, completely closed off.
One thing I’ve noticed about Barrett is he’s the king of stupid banter.
Most of it irritates me, at least that’s what I tell myself.
But some of it makes Syd laugh, and that lights me up.
“Alright, I’ll leave you guys to it. Trash days are Wednesday,” Tanya says with a grin tugging on her lips. “Dinner at our place next week.”
Barrett nods, and she looks at me. “I expect the three of you to show up hungry. Ozzy and Gramps are going to barbecue, and Cece is bringing dessert.”
“What can I bring?” I ask. Tanya shakes her head, but I cut her off before she can speak. “Don’t say nothing.”
She chuckles and lifts her purse strap farther up her shoulder. “How are you with potato salad?”
“I’m great at buying it.”
Tanya smiles. “Perfect.” She looks at my niece. “See you later, Syd. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
Syd nods and offers Tanya a small smile.
“Thanks again, Tanya.” Barrett wraps her in a big hug, then the woman is gone, driving off in her little red sports car.
“We should grab your stuff from the clubhouse,” Barrett says.
“What about beds and toiletries and everything else?” I ask with the assumption that we aren’t moving beds, pots, and pans from the clubhouse.
“How about a trip to Ayre? They have those giant stores that sell all that shi—stuff.”
Syd laughs and rolls her eyes. “I’ve heard the word shit before.”
“Language, young lady,” Barrett says, then breaks out in laughter. “Thought I’d try out the stern father thing. It sounds fucking stupid coming from my mouth, huh?”
“Definitely doesn’t work for you at all,” Syd says, and I smile.