Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Margot
What does a woman wear to a party at her boyfriend’s motorcycle club? I had joked with Jigsaw about wearing something that would allow us to be frisky in the woods, but it’s supposed to be chilly tonight. It’s a bonfire in the woods—doesn’t seem like a dressy affair. I stroll through my closet, running one hand along the long row of clothes to my right. I want to look nice. What if I run into one of those muffler bunnies Jigsaw warned me about? I need to look like I belong with a man like him when I’m on his turf.
Although having him chase me through the woods and pin me to a tree while he lifts my dress has been a fantasy playing on a loop in my head all day, I’d rather be comfortable and not risk flashing my underwear to the whole party if we end up sitting on a blanket near the bonfire.
My phone chirps and I hurry into the bedroom to grab it off my dresser.
Shelby.
We’d traded numbers but I didn’t really expect her to call me.
I click accept and answer with a tentative, “Hi.”
“Hey, Margot!” Shelby drawls, her rich, warm twang drawing out my name to Mahhr-guh. “Jiggy’s on his way but he’s gonna be a while. I thought I’d check up on ya in case ya got any questions? I know it’s your first clubhouse party.”
“Well, uh.” This is embarrassing. Am I really asking her for wardrobe advice like a teenager? “Jigsaw said it’s a bonfire in the woods, so my instincts say a dress isn’t the way to go?”
She laughs softly. “I mean, if you want to, go for it. I’m a Texas girl. When it gets below sixty, I’m wearing long johns under my jeans and a winter coat, ya know?”
“You’ve got a point. I don’t like to be cold, either. Jeans and a flannel sound better than a dress, then.”
“Yup. Anyway, I feel duty-bound to warn ya. Since I’m not sure Jigsaw will think of it,” she says.
“Warn me?”
“Since it’s your first clubhouse party, some of the guys will want to razz ya a lil’ bit. Test your mettle, ya know?”
“The guys? Jigsaw warned me some of the…uh…muffler bunnies might…” But I have to worry about his brothers picking on me too?
She lets out a disgusted sound somewhere between a snort and a whistle. “Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem upstate. Most of the girls are nice but a few are snotty lil’ hags. But I got your back, don’t worry ’bout them.”
Tears prick my eyelids. Shelby sounds protective of me already even though we barely know each other. And, she’s younger than me. “Thanks. I don’t want to do anything to…you know, embarrass him.” My cheeks flame hot. I can’t believe I just admitted that.
“Please. Jiggy’s so dang smitten with you. If one of them bunnies looks at you funny, he’ll probably send them cryin’ to their momma.”
He’s smitten with me?
Obviously, I know we’re…something. And I’m important to him or he wouldn’t be bringing me to this party. But to hear his best friend’s fiancée so casually say it sends a shiver of pleasure through me. Like it’s just a known, common fact. Jiggy’s smitten with Margot . I bite my lip to stop myself from squeeing into the phone like a teenager.
“Well, the feeling’s mutual,” I assure her. “So, if any of those girls get too close to him, I might push them off a ledge.”
“Ooowee!” she shrieks into the phone. “That’s the energy you need. I knew we were going to get along, Margot. I just knew it.” When she stops laughing, she says, “Anyway. Rav’s a lil’ rascal. He loves tryin’ to embarrass any newcomers. He’s just playin’ though. But don’t be surprised if he tries to get you to admit how or where you lost your virginity.”
I burst into laughter. “Wow. Okay. Am I allowed to make up something?”
“Huh. Dang it. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“He got you, huh?”
“Sure did. But Charlotte put an end to that game, I doubt he’ll try it again.” She pauses and I hold my breath, waiting for whatever advice she has next. “Lord knows what he’ll come up with instead.”
An idea so brilliant pops into my head, I blurt it into the phone without thinking. “I thought people tell scary campfire stories when they’re in the woods around a campfire. ”
“Like, Legend of Bloody Mary urban legend type stories?” she asks carefully.
Not exactly. “Sure.”
She lets out an almost nervous-sounding laugh. “That might be more fun. Anyway, the guys like to joke around and bust on each other. It’s not personal. And like I said, Jigsaw won’t let anyone get carried away.”
I interact with different personalities every day. I’ve got this. It’s still nice to have a heads-up, though. “Thanks, Shelby.”
“You got it. I’ll see ya a lil’ later.”
We say goodbye and I set my phone down. I wander into my closet and find a bag big enough to hold a weekend’s worth of clothing. I have a hard time narrowing it down, but I end up with a few outfits that should work—including one dress. Just in case.
I can’t stop thinking about what Shelby said. The guys might want to test me tonight—have me share an embarrassing story or detail about myself in front of everyone.
Not happening.
After dropping the clothes off on my bed, I return to my closet. This time, I go all the way into the back, past all my work clothes, shoe collection, jewelry, and special “ornaments,” to the small hidden door in the corner.
The latch sticks for a second before popping open. Inside, newspaper clippings and other…oddities I’ve collected over the years wait in the dark. I reach for one particular item and carefully wrap it inside a velvet sack.
I don’t know if I’ll have the guts to actually use it.
But if I do…
It’ll be the last time anyone tries to embarrass me at a party.