Chapter 8
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Kayla
I’ve managed to avoid Coty for over a week. The first half was easy. Coty was out of town with Jack and his father for five days. True to his word, Coty texted me several times from the road that night and every day. My replies were a sentence or less if I could manage it. Not replying wasn’t an option. Jack needed him. The club needed his help with Harley. He’ll never walk away from his duties for the Vikings.
No one has said where they took Harley. It’s further than I expected with the guys being gone as long as they were. If Jack has told Lily where they went, she’s not sharing the details. As I promised Jack, I stayed with Lily while they were gone.
Once we knew they were almost home, I left Lily with Jack’s mother and disappeared. I knew Coty would show up at my apartment if I went home. He managed to crack the wall I put between us before he had to leave. He’ll want more now. He said as much in his text messages. If I don’t mend the crack, he’ll create a doorway in no time. He’s harder to resist than I let on. Eventually, I’ll cave. Hopefully, it’ll be on my terms and not his.
I have all kinds of nervous energy today. You can only avoid someone for so long, especially when you live in the same small town. My time of running is almost up. I can feel it.
The committee for Ariel’s candlelight vigil this Saturday night is meeting today. Mondays are slow in Willow Creek. Well, it probably is everywhere. This committee isn’t official, but I’ve been a part of it almost every year. This time of year is sad for us. The rain today just adds to the gloominess.
“Hey, Kayla. Good to see you.” Angie greets me the moment I step inside the restaurant.
“It’s good to see you, too.” I happily hug her.
Angie will stop what she’s doing to hug her favorite people. She hugs every Viking Warrior who walks through her doors. She’s one of the few business owners who is a true friend to the club.
“You’re the first to arrive. Follow me.” Angie has two long tables pushed together in the back dining area for us. Silverware and menus are already on the table. “You want a glass of sweet tea while you wait?”
“Absolutely.” She knows me well. I’d never turn down her sweet tea. That’s unheard of.
I look over the lunch specials while I wait. Usually, I’m the last to arrive for just about everything. The last thing I want today is to be stuck with my back toward the door with Coty Michaels lurking around. It’s best to see him coming.
Lily’s the first to arrive. Surprisingly, she’s alone. That’s not possible. There’s no way Jack let her off club property without an escort. I stand and hurry to her.
“Don’t worry, Hendrix is with me, and Jack’s on the way.” She pushes me back to our table after a quick hug.
“What’s going on?” I don’t like the way she keeps looking over her shoulder.
“Nothing,” she whispers, taking the seat next to mine. “Well, maybe. I don’t know.”
“I love you, girl, but you’re going to have to explain better.”
“Yeah. Yeah.” She waves her hand up and down.
Is she telling me to be quiet? I’m not sure. She’s acting really weird. Her behavior has me even more on edge. No message went out to club friends about a possible problem. Coty hasn’t texted an update. Yes, he gives me one every day, even if it’s to say things are fine at the Viking Den. The bell over the door jingles. Hendrix walks in. He walks to the front counter and settles on the stool closest to the back dining room.
“Whew. At least he listened.” She sighs with relief and turns to face me.
“What’s going on? You’re freaking me out.”
“Sorry. I got here early because I was hoping to see you before everyone else arrived.” She pauses while Angie brings her a glass of sweet tea.
“Can I get you ladies anything else while you wait?” Naturally, Angie hugs Lily, too.
“No, ma’am. We’ll wait for the others.” Lily smiles sweetly at her.
I grab Lily’s arm and pull her back to her chair when Angie walks away. “Now. Spill, girl. What happened?”
She leans close, keeping her voice low, even though no one is sitting close enough to hear us. “I don’t know what’s wrong. Everything’s weird at the clubhouse. Things changed after New Year’s Eve. The entire clubhouse is quiet. It’s creepy.”
“Yeah.” I sigh and press my lips together. It happens every year.
She continues to talk fast. “I mean, I expected things to be different after they sent Harley away.” She glances over her shoulder at Hendrix. He watches the entire restaurant, but hasn’t moved. “They’re scaring me. I’ve never seen anyone in Jack’s family act like this. Even Everly is quiet. She shuts herself up in her room most of the time. I haven’t seen Logan in days. Nanny moves around like a zombie. Jack’s way too quiet.”
“Lily.” I grab her hand.
“What’s happening, Kayla? I know they’re upset about Harley, but nobody talks about her. Jack hasn’t told me where they took her. The whole family is hurting, and I don’t know how to help them.”
“You can’t fix this.”
“What? I don’t understand. Do you know what’s going on?”
Of course, she doesn’t understand, and I’m a horrible friend. She’s only been with Jack for a few months. She knows why we’re here today. She just doesn’t realize the impact of it all. I should have pulled her aside and prepared her for this.
“Look. This isn’t about Harley. Well, yeah. She’s probably part of it, but this happens every year. The McLeods are fine through Christmas. They celebrate it as big as they can every year. New Year’s is okay, but that’s where they all change. Losing Ariel destroyed them. Just knowing January eighteenth is close shuts the entire family down.”
It's been like this for fourteen years. I highly doubt it’ll ever change. How could it? This is something a family can’t get over. There’s no healing, not completely.
“Oh,” Lily says softly. “I knew it was going to be a hard day for them.”
“You just weren’t expecting it to be this hard.” It breaks my heart to witness their change every year.
“Yeah.” She nods.
And I officially hate myself now. Lily’s Jack’s ole’ lady. Just like the rest of the family, right before my eyes, my friend experiences the same emotional and mental shutdown as the McLeods do. You can’t be friends with them and not feel their pain. They love hard, and it’s forever. Death doesn’t stop their love. It wraps it in grief and cripples them this time of year.
Lily leans her head over until it touches mine. I wrap an arm around her. The only thing I can do in moments like this is to comfort them silently. Talking never helps. What can you say anyway?
The bell jingles again, bringing us back to this moment. The rest of the planning committee is here. Angie wastes no time escorting them to our table. Jack and several Viking Warriors walk in. Mack is even with them today. Hendrix joins them at a large round table in the front dining area. They have a perfect view of our table. I swear, Angie set it up this way on purpose. My eyes lock with Coty’s. Yep. My avoiding him has come to an end.
Lil Mama, Bankz’ mother, guides Nanny into a chair near the head of the table. She takes a seat next to Jack’s mother while his grandmother sits across from them.
“I thought the Pastor’s wife was planning this.” Nana looks around the table.
“She’s supposed to,” Nanny says softly, never lifting her head.
Lil Mama pulls out her phone. “Well, I’ll just call her.”
Nanny lays her hand over the phone. “No. Give her a little time.”
“The weather is bad. She’s probably just running late.” I smile at Lil Mama. She’s a bit irritated today. It’s best not to rile the little woman up.
“We could order while we wait for her,” Emily suggests.
Everyone nods in agreement. Angie was waiting at the edge of the counter for a cue from us. She hurries over to take our orders. Ten minutes after we order and have our drinks, Sherry Rhodes rushes through the front door, shaking the rain from her coat. Her youngest daughter, Finley, hurries in behind her. She’s drenched and looks upset.
Ms. Rhodes begins speaking before she reaches our table. “I’m so sorry I’m late.” She motions to her daughter without looking at her. “Finley had an accident. I had to go get her.”
Ms. Rhodes isn’t exactly a quiet-spoken woman. The entire dining room heard her. Several chairs scrape across the floor. Jack, Jay, and a few more Vikings hurry to our table.
“You okay, Finley?” Jack asks.
“Oh, she’s fine.” Ms. Rhodes huffs and flips her hand toward Finley.
Jay growls and steps between Finley and her mother. “What happened, Fin. Are you hurt?”
Ms. Rhodes steps around Jay. “Fin? Please don’t address my daughter so kindly. I’m sure her boyfriend wouldn’t appreciate it.”
Jake takes a breath so deep that it lifts his shoulders. We all hear it. Mack crosses his arms in front of Ms. Rhodes, drawing her attention.
“Mother,” Finley scolds. “Remember why we’re here.” She turns to Jay. “I’m okay. Something ran across the road in front of me. I swerved and ended up in the ditch.”
Jay holds his hand out. “Where’s your car? I’ll tow it to the shop.”
Finley drops her keys into his palm. “About halfway between here and Dades Creek.” She lets her hand rest on top of Jay’s and the keys. “I’m sure I blew a tire or two.”
Jay nods and glances at her mother. “Okay. I got it. Glad you’re not hurt. Thanks for helping my family today. Enjoy your lunch.”
Jay walks across the restaurant. He lifts his hand, signaling for Cloudy to help. Cloudy Daze jumps up and follows him out the door.
“Yeah. Thanks for helping our family.” Mack tilts his head.
“Of course.” Ms. Rhodes sheepishly slides into the chair at the head of the table. She places her hand over Nanny’s. “We’re sorry for your loss. The church is honored to host Ariel’s Candlelight Vigil this year.”
Nanny leans back in her chair, slowly pulling her hand away from the table. “That’s kind of you.”
Mack stands behind his wife’s chair. He leans down and kisses Nanny’s cheek. “I love you. I’m across the room if you need me.”
Nanny kisses the corner of his mouth. “I love you, too.”
These two don’t care if their affection for one another makes people uncomfortable.
Ms. Rhodes opens her mouth. Mack walks away before she speaks. The McLeods are kind to everyone until a member of their family is disrespected. The pastor’s wife’s little jab at Jay put her on their bad list.
“Angie,” Jack calls out. “Will you get Finley a towel?” He blows Lily a kiss before joining the others in the front dining room.
“Already got it.” Angie hands Finley a towel. “You poor dear. Soaking wet. I’ll get you a cup of hot chocolate to warm you up.”
“Thank you.” Finley dries off the best she can. She sits next to Emily, across from Lily and me.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I hit a deer and totaled my car a few years ago.
“It was scary, but I’m okay.” She glances at her mother. She’s talking with Nana. Finley leans forward and looks between Lily, Emily, and me. “I’m really the one planning Ariel’s vigil. I was hoping you three would help me.”
“Absolutely,” Emily assures her.
“Good. We can get together on another day without all the others,” Finley suggests.
“Best idea I’ve heard all day.” I’d rather do this without her mother present and other eyes on me. A glance across the room confirms what I feel. Coty watches me. He’s going to want to talk soon. No matter how much I will that day away, it’s coming.