Chapter 11
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Kayla
“You want coffee, tea, beer, or something stronger?” Emily tosses her purse in a chair and goes straight to the kitchen.
I could go for something stronger. Maybe a whole case of it. This day is bad enough as it is. What happened at the church tonight was horrifying. I stopped looking at my social media accounts hours ago. Getting plastered won’t help. I’m actually surprised she has something stronger.
“Beer or coffee is fine with me.” I set my overnight bag on the floor next to the couch. She and I have one-bedroom apartments. Her couch is comfy, mine isn’t.
“We can have both.” She grabs a couple of beers from the fridge. Sure enough, a bottle of whiskey sits on the counter. Whoa. Way to go Emily.
I take one of the beers and twist the top off. “Thanks for letting me stay here tonight.”
“Anytime, girl.” She takes a sip of hers. “We should do this more often. My lease ends in August. Might as well enjoy it while I can.”
“Wish my place was bigger. We could be roommates.” I haven’t had a roommate since college. It’s why I swore I’d never do it again. I’d make an exception for Emily, though.
“Same.” She taps her bottle against mine and takes another sip. “Oh.” She quickly pulls an envelope from one of the kitchen drawers. “Here you go.”
I flip the envelope over a few times. It’s a plain white sealed envelope with my name written on it. I open it and pull out a hundred-dollar bill. “What’s this?”
“It’s the hundred-dollar tip you slipped into my apron on New Year’s Eve.” She gets a fruit tray from the fridge and sets it on the table. “It’s nice of you, but the more I thought about it, I just couldn’t keep it.”
“Uh, Emily.” I lay the envelope on the table and push it to her. “I didn’t give you this.”
I mentally kick myself. If I had thought to slip a few bucks into her apron that night, I would have. She sure needs it. Not a hundred, though. That’s too obvious.
"Who else would do it?" She looks at the money as if it holds some secret. Well, it does, but she won’t find it written on there.
Good question. I wish I had the answer for her.
“You’re beautiful. Maybe one of those college guys fell in love with you that night.” I grin and playfully wiggle my eyebrows. “He could come back looking for you.”
“Oh, please. No, not that. It was bad enough when we thought the flower deliveries at the bakery were from a secret admirer.” She sighs and looks away. “That would have been a better option, though.”
The heavy, gloomy feeling from earlier tonight settles over us again.
At first, Jack believed Emily or one of her employees had a secret admirer. Those floors were from Lily’s abusive ex. Each carried a message. The last one warned of Lily’s death. As beautiful as flowers are, they can be creepy, too. A knock at the door startles us from our thoughts.
“Were you expecting someone?”
I shake my head. Emily opens the kitchen drawer again and pulls out the knife Jay gave her. My eyes widen when she flips it open with ease. Whoa. Just how many knife lessons did Jay give her? Maybe I should talk to him if Emily is this comfortable using a knife.
She silently moves through her small living room to the front door. She checks the peephole and glares at me over her shoulder. What? Why am I in trouble?
Emily closes the knife, slips it into her pocket, and opens the door. “Hey, Rodeo. Come on in.”
Great. I should have known. I speak kindly once, and now he’s everywhere.
“Emily.” His eyes land on me as he steps inside.
“Wonder what brought you by?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me this time. She’s insane.
“Just making sure you two are good for the night. Need anything?”
“I need a shower. Kayla can get you a beer or cup of coffee.” Emily slips off to her room. She’s not smooth about this at all.
Coty and I stand in the living room, maybe four feet apart. Neither of us seems to know what to say. He’s not going to leave quietly. My stupid hormones just had to weaken and let him in a little.
‘You want a beer or coffee?”
“Neither.”
“Why are you really here?”
“Just wanted to see you were okay.” He breaks eye contact first and looks away.
I shake my head. He really is an idiot sometimes. “You know we're okay. You and Hendrix followed us to my apartment, then here. And Bankz has ridden by twice in twenty minutes.”
His head snaps back to me. “How do you know Bankz has been by?”
I laugh. His jealousy is kind of cute. It’s annoying, too. “His Mustang has a distinctive sound.”
“Okay.” He nods, more to himself than me. “I’ve checked the backyard and the neighborhood. The Millers around the corner had a party. They’re still rowdy.”
The Millers do not like the Vikings. They’re not church goers, either. Still, if a side has to be taken, they’ll side with anyone against the club. They’re known for causing problems of their own around town.
“If we have any problems, we’ll let you know.” My apartment would have been the quieter option.
The awkward silence falls between us again. Emily loudly fumbles around in the bathroom and turns the shower on. She and I are going to have to talk about her subtle skills, or lack thereof. Stealthy is not her thing.
“We need to talk.”
Yeah. I knew that was coming. Kindness always leads to conversations.
“We shouldn’t.”
He takes a step closer. “Come on, Sparky. We can’t keep going like this.”
We can, but he’s determined. Honestly, I’m a little tired of it and highly emotional tonight. “Okay. Tomorrow afternoon.”
He looks away again and rubs the back of his neck. “Can’t. We have Church tomorrow afternoon.”
“Right.” I nod and smack my lips. He doesn’t know I overheard the guys talking about it at the clubhouse. “Club’s always first.”
His eyes lock with mine. “For most things, it is.”
Ole’ ladies, children, and family members get special privileges. The entire club will fight to protect them and show up when they need help. I’m not an ole’ lady or any club member’s family. His eyes hold a look of determination. The moment they soften, my heart does, too.
“Okay.” I look away and nod. “We’ll figure out something next weekend. The McLeods need us right now.”
His shoulders drop as he releases a long breath. “You’re right. They do. Next weekend.” His eyes move back to mine. “But I’ll call, text, and check on you in the meantime.”
“That’s fine.” It’s not like he’s not already doing those things.
We look toward the bathroom door when the shower turns off. Emily moves around loudly again.
“I’ll check the neighborhood one more time.”
“Thank you.”
He’s a liar. He won’t leave this neighborhood. His eyes will be on Emily’s apartment all night.
“I appreciate that.” And I do. Knowing he’s watching over us makes me feel safe. I haven’t felt safe in a long time.
“Night, Sparky.” He lifts his hand to touch my face, but drops it to his side.
“Night, Coty.”
I close the door and lock it. I turn to find Emily standing in the living room in the same clothes she had on earlier.
“You really should give him a chance.” She doesn’t wait for a reply and starts the coffee.
I should give Coty a chance. My problems aren’t really his fault. Sadly, I’m too scared to try.