Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
DELPHI
By the time we pull up at the ice cream place, I’m ready for a sugar fix.
“So, what did you think?”
“Of your offices or Nathan?”
“The offices. I don’t care what you think about Nathan.” He sniffs, making me chuckle. I’m not sure I’d ever referred to a biker as adorable before, but that’s what he’s being right now. Heck, he’s one step away from pouting.
“I think the building is cool. Everyone there was friendly, and Nathan is hilarious. He adores you, by the way. It was obvious in how he spent most of the time showing me around, talking about you, and how amazing you are. If I hadn’t caught him checking out the secretary’s ass when she bent over to pick up a stapler, I’d have thought he had a crush on you. ”
He snorts at that. “He’s as subtle as a sledgehammer. I’ll give him that.”
“I like that he isn’t part of the MC,” I admit quietly.
He stops and looks at me, his hand on the door.
“That’s not a dig at the MC, I promise. It’s just..
.last time all my friends were tied to Ravens.
When I was kicked out, they all turned their backs on me, making me realize they weren’t really my friends to begin with.
That was a bitter pill to swallow. Nobody was who they were supposed to be, and it made my whole life feel like a lie.
I just think it would be nice to make friends outside of the MC, too.
So if I have to walk away, I’m not starting from scratch with my friends again.
Not that I’m saying Nathan is my friend.
He’s clearly yours and would drop me like a hot potato if you asked him to.
I just mean, it sparked the idea of making non-MC friends. And now I’ll stop babbling.”
He slips his finger under my chin and tips my head back. “I get it. You shouldn’t get nervous about bringing this shit up. I’m not gonna get defensive about it. It’s not like you’re shit-talking the club. You’re just being cautious.”
I blow out a relieved breath, happy that he gets it. He pushes the door open, so I walk through and wait until he’s beside me. I see people turn to look at us, their eyes moving over me and pausing when they land on Kruger’s cut.
“What can I get you folks?” a man calls out from behind the counter as we approach.
“John,” Kruger greets him with a nod of the head.
“Kruger. Don’t see you in here much without Alex. We’ve missed the little guy.”
“I’ll bring him by soon, but things have been hectic now that Sunshine has had the babies.”
“She did? Tell her congratulations from us. Her next ice cream is on me.” He winks, making me chuckle.
“Mom and babies are okay, yes?” a woman calls out from the back.
I can’t see anyone, but Kruger obviously recognizes the voice. “They’re all good, Marie.”
“Perfect.” The reply comes as I take in all the options with a watering mouth.
“John, this is Delphi. She would like to sample a little of everything.”
John cocks his eyebrow at that. “Itty bitty thing like you? Not sure where you’re planning on putting it all,” he teases.
“I usually have more of a Marilyn Monroe shape than the current Marilyn Manson one, so I’ll take all the help I can get.”
He looks me over again, this time more clinically, before his eyes land on my cast. “You been in an accident?”
I bite my lip, not really wanting to explain.
Kruger takes it out of my hands. “There was an…explosion. A brain injury means that for some reason, the foods Delphi used to like aren’t so appealing anymore, and the things she used to hate, she likes.” Kruger shakes his head, still finding it bizarre. Yeah, well, right there with you, buddy.
His cell rings, so he pulls it out and frowns at the screen. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” I watch him walk away before turning back to John.
“That true?” he asks me.
I shrug. “I’m still trying to figure it out, but yeah, it seems my brain has had a factory reset.”
He cocks his head. “The only explosion I’ve heard about lately involved a grenade. You know anything about that?”
I hesitate, wondering if I’m supposed to keep my mouth shut. MCs genuinely don’t like their business shared with regular folks. But the cab driver already knew about it, and news seems to travel fast around here.
“That depends. Are you going to withhold ice cream from me for being an idiot? Because I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”
Stomping draws my attention to a woman coming out from the back and around the counter toward me.
She’s tiny, I’m talking four-foot-ten at the most, with the most striking green eyes and dark hair threaded with silver pulled back into a neat bun that has a pencil sticking out of it.
Before I can say anything, she wraps her arms around me.
I freeze with my arms out at my side, looking to John in a what-the-hell-do-I-do-now manner. He chuckles and looks at the woman, who I’m guessing is his wife, adoringly.
The woman in question pulls back before reaching up and cupping my face.
“You are stupid. I agree with this, but you are also very brave. My niece was working across the street when the incident occurred. She is my sister’s only child.
I do not have to sit at her funeral holding my sister’s hand because of you. ”
“I don’t know what the blast radius is on a grenade, but she probably would have been safe regardless,” I tell her, feeling like a bug under a microscope because now everyone’s eyes are on me.
She waves me off. “Intent is everything. Ice cream is free for you. You have to pay, though.” She points to Kruger, who steps up behind me.
“Of course.”
“You don’t have to—”
Marie cuts me off with a glare. “Free ice cream for life. No arguing.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply.
“Good. John, make yourself useful and get our girl some food already. Look at her, she is practically wasting away.”
She walks back around the counter and disappears, muttering about me needing meat on my bones or something, much to Kruger’s amusement.
“My wife likes you, and she doesn’t like many people,” John says.
“She seems…sweet?”
He roars with laughter at that, and I hear others giggling around the store, too.
“That she is. That she is. Now go find a table and get comfortable, because I’m going to rock your world.”
I smile, because how can I not? These people are clearly insane, but the good kind that makes me want to see if they have any interest in adopting a thirty-year-old woman.
Kruger ushers me over to one of the booths before calling out his order of Rocky Road.
“You could have shared mine,” I offer as I slide in on one side, expecting him to take the other. Instead, he slips in beside me.
“And face Maria’s wrath? No, thank you.”
I shake my head and look around. Most people are going back to eating their ice creams, but there are still a few looking my way. I look back at Kruger.
“People are weird.”
He laughs, drawing attention to us once more. Damn the man. “You’re just now figuring that out?”
“Well, no, I always knew that. It’s just…people act strangely when they hear about the grenade thing.”
“People are a little wowed by you, and rightly so.”
“Why, though? I didn’t do anything anyone else wouldn’t have done.”
“Yes, I’m sure everyone here would wrangle a live grenade at gunpoint from a pissed-off biker, before almost killing themselves just to make sure it was far enough away not to hurt anyone,” he answers.
“I’m detecting notes of sarcasm with a hit of annoyance.”
“Glad to see you know what bullshit tastes like.”
Before I can respond, a huge tray is slid across the table in front of me, filled with two dozen small tasting cups of flavors.
“So this is what heaven looks like,” I whisper in awe.
“Oh, I like you. You better make sure you bring her back, Kruger, you feel me?”
“I feel you. I’d feel you a lot more if I had ice cream too,” he drawls, making John sigh.
“Patience, young grasshopper.” He flicks his towel over his shoulder before heading back to the counter—I assume to make Kruger’s ice cream.
A jingle of the bell above the door signals a new customer. I don’t pay it any attention as I try to decide which one to start with. In the end, I go with the banana pecan and take a big spoonful just as someone slides into the booth opposite me.
The ice cream gives me brain freeze as I sit there staring at the stunning newcomer. I swallow, trying not to choke as I take in her curious smile and her pink T-shirt with the phrase ‘booty trap’ in black scroll across her chest.
“Is that a Goonies T-shirt?”
She beams a blinding smile at me. “Hello, new bestie, I’m Neveah. This is Amity.” She points to someone at the end of the table. I glance over at the Amazonian, watching us with an amused smile.
“Hi, I’m the old bestie, apparently.”
“Tink, Amity, what are you guys doing here?” Kruger asks, looking around.
“Legs said she was coming for ice cream. It’s illegal to come for ice cream without bringing the president’s old lady. It’s in the bylaws,” Nevaeh states.
“It really isn’t,” Amity drawls.
“Well, it should be.” Nevaeh huffs, crossing her arms as Legs waddles in.
“Sorry, I’m sorry. I had to pull over to use the restroom. There is no space in this body for anything else. This kid needs to get out of me already.” She throws herself down in the chair Amity drags over for her.
“So you don’t have any space for ice cream, then?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Why are you attacking me? You don’t want me to be happy, do you?”
I groan and bury my head against Kruger’s shoulder.
“She told me she didn’t love me anymore last night,” she tells Amity, who slips into the booth next to Neveah.
“No, I didn’t. I said you couldn’t have my bed because I was sleeping in it.”
“It’s the same damn thing.”
I take a mouthful of the strawberry and cream next and ignore the drama llama.
“Havoc know you’re here?” Kruger asks Neveah.
“He’s not the boss of me.” She eyes the ice cream John carries over and places in front of Kruger.
“Ladies, what can I get for you?”