Chapter Twelve
Lark
Wrecker was the first one out of church. Even I could tell he wasn’t happy.
His jaw was clenched, his shoulders were tight, and he didn’t look at anyone as he stalked through the common room toward the front door.
“Uh-oh,” Nikki whispered.
Alice sighed and tipped her coffee mug back, swallowing the last of it in one long drink. “I think I need to give Beardilocks some attention.”
She pushed away from the table and followed Wrecker out the front door without another word.
The rest of the guys slowly filed out behind them.
Some looked annoyed. Others looked thoughtful. A few were talking quietly among themselves, but no one said anything loud enough for the rest of us to hear.
I tried not to make it obvious that I was waiting for Oliver.
I kept my eyes on my cereal. Took another bite. Stirred the milk around the bowl like I had suddenly become fascinated by soggy flakes.
Still, I watched the hallway from the corner of my eye.
Oliver was one of the last ones out.
The second I saw him, something inside me settled, which was ridiculous.
I had seen him less than twenty minutes ago. Apparently, that was long enough for my brain to decide I needed confirmation that he was still here.
I glanced down at my bowl before he could catch me staring. When I looked up again, Nikki was watching me. Not the hallway.
Me.
Her expression wasn’t suspicious exactly, but there was something there. A quiet interest that made me wonder whether my attempt at looking casual had failed completely.
Oliver walked over to the table. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, honey.”
Then his gaze moved to me. “Ready to go to the Dairy Bar?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
Nikki looked between us before focusing on Oliver again. “Everything okay?”
Oliver nodded once. That was it. No explanation. No extra words. Just one short nod that told her absolutely nothing.
Pipe came down the hallway behind him and chuckled. “Trying to get club business out of him?” Nikki tilted her head back as Pipe leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Just because he’s your son doesn’t mean he’s going to tell you everything,” Pipe added.
“I know.” Nikki patted his chest. “I need to hit up Arlo for that.”
“Hey,” Arlo called from across the room. “That is wildly accurate.”
A few people laughed.
Pipe straightened and looked at Oliver. “Headin’ to the Dairy Bar?”
Oliver nodded.
“Remember what Wrecker said.”
Oliver’s expression didn’t change. He nodded again.
There was clearly something all the guys knew that the rest of us didn’t, but I had a feeling asking Oliver wasn’t going to get me anywhere.
I stood and grabbed my bowl.
Alice had told me a couple of days ago to leave my dishes in the sink and someone would take care of them, but I couldn’t do that. I was already living in their clubhouse, eating their food, and letting one of their men follow me around all day. The least I could do was wash my own cereal bowl.
I carried it into the kitchen, rinsed it, and scrubbed it quickly before placing it in the drying rack.
“You coming?” Ever hollered from the front door.
I grabbed the towel and dried my hands. “Why are we so eager to get to work?” I called back. I hung the towel over the handle, grabbed my purse from the bar, and headed toward the door where Ever, Jude, and Oliver were waiting.
“We’re coming by for ice cream later,” Karmen called. “I want a boozy shake.”
Ever smiled. “Great. You can say hi to my parents. Today’s the last day they’ll be in town.”
“Thank God,” Jude muttered.
Ever patted him on the cheek. “It hasn’t been that bad having my parents here. At least they aren’t asking questions we can’t answer.”
“Because you told them a damn cow got loose in the ice cream shop,” I laughed.
Of all the fibs Ever could’ve told her parents, that was the one she had landed on.
A cow.
I supposed it was still better than telling them her boyfriend had shot the guy pretending to date her, but not by much.
Ever shrugged. “It worked, okay?”
“Did it?” I asked. “Because I’m pretty sure your dad spent ten minutes yesterday trying to figure out how a cow got through the front door.”
“He worries about logistics.”
“He asked if it came in sideways.”
Ever pointed at me. “And you told him yes.”
“I was trying to help.”
Jude opened the door. “You two done?”
“Never,” Ever and I said at the same time.
We said goodbye to everyone and headed outside.
The moment we stepped into the parking lot, I noticed the difference.
Jude looked toward the road before glancing across the lot. Oliver’s eyes moved over everything around us, checking the parked vehicles, the fence line, and the tree line beyond the clubhouse.
Neither man said anything. They didn’t need to. They were more alert than they had been before church. More careful.
Whatever had been discussed in that room hadn’t been good.
I looked at Ever. She was watching Jude with a small frown. When she caught me looking, her eyebrows lifted slightly.
She noticed it too.
Oliver handed me the helmet, and I put it on before climbing onto the back of his bike. The second I settled behind him, my body relaxed.
My hands went around his waist, and my chest pressed lightly against his back. The engine roared to life beneath us, the vibration traveling through the bike and straight into me.
It felt good.
Better than good.
It felt right.
That thought should’ve scared me, but it didn’t.
There was something about sitting behind Oliver that made everything else disappear. I didn’t have to think about where we were going or what might be waiting for us when we got there.
All I had to do was hold on. Oliver would handle the rest.
He pulled out of the lot behind Jude and Ever, and I leaned with him as we turned onto the road.
The wind tugged at my clothes and whipped around the helmet, but I barely noticed.
My arms tightened slightly around Oliver, and he reached down and rested one hand over mine for the briefest second.
Then it was back on the handlebars.
The touch was so quick I could’ve convinced myself it hadn’t happened.
I didn’t.
By the time we reached the Dairy Bar, I was almost disappointed the ride was over.
Oliver parked beside Jude, and I climbed off. The moment his boots hit the pavement, his attention moved around the parking lot again.
Jude did the same.
They checked the road, the cars parked near the neighboring businesses, and the alley beside the Dairy Bar.
It wasn’t casual.
They were looking for something. Or someone.
Ever met my gaze over Jude’s shoulder. This time, she didn’t bother hiding the concern on her face.
She unlocked the front door, and we all stepped inside.
Ever flipped on the lights while I headed behind the counter.
Oliver and Jude stayed near the front door, talking quietly enough that I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Every few seconds, one of them glanced through the windows.
I walked over to Ever while she put the pieces of the milkshake machine together. “Tell me you feel this too,” I whispered.
She looked up. “Yeah. Totally. Things feel weird.”
I nodded and leaned one hip against the counter. “I wonder what they talked about in their meeting.”
“Church,” Ever corrected.
I rolled my eyes. “Sorry. Their very secret biker church.”
She snapped one of the metal pieces into place. “I can try to find out. They all pull the club business thing, but the girls always find out eventually.”
“Ol’ lady privileges?” I laughed.
Ever winked at me. “Never thought either of us would be saying those words, but yeah.”
I glanced toward the front door.
Oliver stood with his arms folded over his chest, listening to Jude. His expression was serious, his eyes still moving over the windows every few seconds.
“Girl, I never thought we’d have two hot bikers guarding the front door either.”
Ever followed my gaze. “How are things going with you and Oliver? His rejection still stinging?”
I looked at him and sighed. “Girl, that man is…” I closed my eyes and laughed under my breath. “That man is a puzzle I am dying to put the pieces together.”
“Oh,” Ever whispered.
I opened my eyes.
She was staring at me.
“What?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk about a guy that way before.”
“Because a man like Oliver has never been in my orbit before.” My gaze drifted back to him. “Even though he’s being forced into my orbit because your hot biker pew-pewed someone.”
Ever rolled her eyes. “I would prefer to never think about that again.”
“Is that why you told your parents it was a cow?”
Ever laughed. “Yes, and I don’t think my parents would be cool with what really went down.” She grabbed a rag and wiped the counter. “I love my parents to death, but can I say I love them more when they’re at the cabin?”
I nodded.
“Same. Yesterday your mom told me I was filling the napkin holders too full and that I shouldn’t be on my phone when we don’t have customers. I’m supposed to be finding things to do during the lulls.”
Ever laughed. “Yeah, she told me that too.”
“She owns the place. She can’t boss me around.”
Ever gave me a look. “She definitely can.”
“Okay, fair.”
She sighed. “One more day, and they’ll be back on the road to the cabin.”
Jude called from the front door. “Ready for me to unlock the doors?”
Ever straightened and looked around the shop. Everything was clean. The machines were running. The chairs were down. “Open ‘em up.”
She held out her fist and I bumped mine against it. “Let’s do this.”