Chapter 13 Got Busy
Got Busy
Ivy
Downstairs, there weren’t any eggs in the fridge. Instead, Ryan had found a package of frozen cinnamon-raisin bagels and a container of cream cheese. We were sitting at a small two-person Formica table when a tall woman with dark brown hair and hazel eyes walked into the kitchen.
She wore khaki pants and a green polo shirt with a logo for Jacksonville University School of Dentistry. Her head tipped a bit to the side when she locked eyes with me.
Her gaze moved to Ryan and she grinned. “Hey, Nickel. What’s shakin’?”
He looked over his shoulder at her. “Not much. Are you working today?”
“Sort of. I have one class and half a day in the Orthodontics clinic.”
“Cool,” he said, then tipped his head toward me. “This is Ivy. Ives, this is Alexandra, Bluff’s woman.”
I smiled at her. “Nice to meet you.”
She returned my smile. “Likewise.” She cocked a brow at Nickel. “It is so weird hearing you use Rafferty’s road name.”
“You know that’s who he is around here.”
“Yeah,” she said on a sigh and turned to the fridge. “But it doesn’t make it any less strange.”
The back door opened and three older men wandered into the kitchen, all of them wearing leather vests. One had eyes strikingly similar to Alexandra’s, and his name patch read ‘Cal.’
The second man had dark hair worn long and loose with a well-trimmed goatee. His name patch indicated he was ‘Volt’.
The last man’s name patch read ‘Blood.’ He too had long hair and a goatee, but his hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He locked eyes with me and smiled. “Do you still have a headache?”
My eyes widened, but I managed to shake my head.
“Good. Nickel called my wife after you two got back. That’s why I asked.”
Nickel shifted to look at the men. “Are we—”
“Church. Half an hour,” Volt said.
I glanced at the time on the stove. I needed to leave by ten-fifteen to get my car and make it to the law firm.
“Um, Ry— I mean, Nickel, I need to leave in twenty minutes to get my car and—”
He sighed. “Can you try to push it by an hour?”
My eyes closed and I took a deep breath.
It was difficult enough being a realtor.
Add into the mix me being under thirty, and both customers and colleagues had preconceived notions about me being flaky or unprofessional.
So I always did my best to keep my appointments — especially closings.
It was the best part of the whole process after all.
I opened my eyes. “I’ll check, but it’s just up Blanding from here.”
Alexandra crossed the kitchen to the toaster. “Not to interrupt, but I can take her. I have to go that way for class. I’m leaving in fifteen minutes.”
Ryan dragged a hand down his face. “If she takes you, leave your magnets off the car. Where are you going when you’re done?”
“I was supposed to meet Chad for lunch. He knows I have a closing today. Then, I’ll go home.”
Ryan didn’t say anything.
“I’m grateful you went out of your way to keep me safe last night,” I said in a lower voice.
That got me a heated stare – or at least it felt that way – I could have been imagining it.
“I’m gonna be at your place when you’re done with all that.”
“You don’t have a key.”
“I’m gonna be at your place.”
“That really isn’t necessary,” I whispered.
“You really don’t know that.”
I tried not to roll my eyes when I glanced away from him. “I guess you’ll just be hanging on my doorstep or something.”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s hit my room so you can grab your bag.”
“I know that area. Your place isn’t far from Rafferty’s house,” Alexandra said, starting her car after I told her my address.
“Really? Being that close, why did you two stay at the clubhouse last night? If you don’t mind my asking.”
She stopped to pull out of the compound and looked at me. “He had drinks and decided we’d stay there.”
“How long before you become a dentist?” I asked.
She turned onto the side street leading to Blanding Boulevard. “Another two years at least. Did Nickel ever let you talk to Lark?”
I shot her a sidelong glance. “How did you know about that?”
She chuckled. “I saw you approach him at the bar months ago. Even from a distance, anyone could see you two had sparks.”
Well.
I ignored the ‘sparks’ comment. “I haven’t spoken to Lark yet. But let’s say, Ryan won’t stop me when I’m ready.”
“It’s not my business, but don’t be frightened of Lark. Even if they’re one-percenters, they’re all good men at heart.”
That confused me. “I’m sorry, what?”
She glanced at me and back to the road. “The club used to be outlaws, but they’ve gone legit.”
Okay, maybe some of those shows were right.
Alexandra read into my silence. “You didn’t know. Geez, Nickel is gonna kill me.”
“No, no. Don’t worry about it. I mean, I helped him with our kidnappers. Crap. I shouldn’t have told you that.”
She laughed. “Don’t sweat it. Club business stays in the club.”
My brows drew together. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. You probably didn’t notice but Cal’s my dad. I hugged him while you were talking to Nickel. The club is a big family, and tight like one, too. People assume it’s a gang, but it isn’t.”
I nodded, since her relationship to Cal explained his eyes being so similar to hers, or vice versa. “I see. That must be why Lark wouldn’t call the cops like Chad wanted him to before we came back.”
She let out a wry chuckle. “Yeah.”
I didn’t have anything to say to that.
“You’re too quiet. I don’t know you, but you seem freaked out.”
“Not really,” I said.
She laughed. “Lie to me all you want, but don’t lie to yourself. That’s just wrong.”
“I’m not,” I fibbed. I was the off-spring of an outlaw!
“You are, so to keep you from really losing your mind today – Nickel said he’d be at your place, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, waiting on me.”
She pulled into my neighborhood and parked, then she turned to me. “He’ll be waiting, but he’ll also be inside, Ivy.”
“He doesn’t have a key.”
Her head tilted. “He won’t need one because he’ll pick the lock.”
“He’s gonna break inside,” I muttered.
“Only to keep you safe.”
It struck me that there was more than one kind of safety involved here. Nickel breaking into my home wasn’t dangerous for me. But spending more time with him might lead to him breaking inside my heart – and that didn’t feel very safe at all.
I shook off my thoughts and unbuckled my seatbelt. “Thank you so much for doing this. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Not a problem. Have a good closing. Hopefully, I’ll see you around the clubhouse soon.”
I grinned. “That would be awesome, but I don’t think things are like that with me and Nickel. We got away. They aren’t going to find me.”
At a quarter to one, I met Chad at the Metro Diner. He sat at a table sipping a cup of coffee, and I noticed he’d ordered a glass of strawberry lemonade for me.
As I approached, his lips pulled together and he gave me a stern look. “Ivy. You naughty girl.”
I sat down and returned his stern stare with my own. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“This is me you’re talking to, girlie. You and that man got busy with a capital B.”
I closed my eyes and sighed. “If we did, it doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t make me naughty.”
“You know I don’t mean it like that.”
My head tilted. “Half the restaurant heard you call me naughty.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe a quarter, and I should have kept my voice down. Sorry.” He leaned forward. “But tell me, was it good?”
“We were interrupted and now I’m thinking that was for the best.”
His eyes narrowed. “You didn’t get busy?”
I sipped my lemonade. “We— this is so not your business.”
“We’re best friends. Tell me.”
“Third base,” I muttered, putting my glass down.
“For you or him?”
“Me. And he is talented.”
His eyes widened. “Stop right there. You’re making me blush.”
I giggled. “You asked. And it takes more than that to make you blush.”
“You’re right. Getting interrupted always sucks – no pun intended – why do you say that’s for the best?”
“He and I shouldn’t get physical.”
He dipped his chin to give me a wry look. “Girlfriend – I’m not saying this to stroke your ego, but the way he looks at you… I’d give up a lot for a man to look at me that way.”
I took a deep breath. “You almost sound like Alexandra.”
He twisted a hand up. “Then you should believe us. What’s holding you back? After you answer that, we need to discuss Lark because between both these men, I’ve never known you to chicken out so much.”
I sighed. “I didn’t chicken out. I was overwhelmed.”
“With Lark, sure. Ryan, I don’t believe you. It’s been a long time since Austin did you dirty. Give that hot biker a chance.”
I leaned toward him and lowered my voice and asked, “Even if he commits crimes?”
Chad sat back. “That’s too vague. What are we talking about here?”
Our server came to take our orders. Chad never deviated from the fried chicken and waffles because he so loved their strawberry spread. I always tried to order something new and went with the Shepherd’s Pie.
“How’s your day going?” I asked.
Chad laughed. “You aren’t changing the subject. Spill.”
I told him about the crimes Nickel and I committed in order to escape.
“I don’t see a problem,” he said.
I widened my eyes. “Chad, we moved one of them, and took the truck,” I said, being careful of my words in case someone was eavesdropping.
“It’s a moot point now.”
I sipped my lemonade. “Stashing the truck bugs me most.”
“Yeah, but finding that at the bar would be worse – so I understand Ryan’s thinking.”
“Lark’s. It was his idea,” I corrected.
“Okay… so when are you going to call Lark?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. Even if you can justify what Ryan and I did – Alexandra mentioned the club hasn’t always been legit. My guess is that Lark has done far worse. Do I really want to know more?”
“Yes, you do.”
“That was rhetorical.”
“He isn’t just an outlaw. He isn’t just a bar owner.” He paused and gave me a nod. “You’re right that he didn’t really make you who you are – Jeff and Debra had far more to do with that – but he’s… I can’t explain it. He reminded me of you before he found out you were missing.”
“How so?” I asked, feeling intrigued.
“The way he greeted me for one thing. I’ve been at your open houses and it was the same bright smile and easy manner.”
I wobbled my head. “The smile is probably genetics, but good business people know how to be personable to make a sale.”
Chad shook his head. “It’s more than that. You’d have to see it to know.…Which is why I’m giving you a hard time about it.”
If there was anything Chad loved to do it was give me a hard time about stuff. Especially when I was procrastinating.
“Tomorrow evening.”
He grinned. “Love it. We can take Kristen with us. She needs to see your man up close.”
“He’s not my man, Chad.”
“That’s what you think. When are you seeing him again?”
I arched a brow. “Supposedly when I’m done here. He’s going to be waiting for me at my place. Alexandra thinks he’s going to pick my lock. What do you have to say about that?”
Very slowly, Chad smiled. “I think he sounds better than Austin by a long shot already.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head.