Chapter 14 Shay
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
shay
We’re heading down the stairs to the dreary basement of City Hall.
Of course, I called it. There’s a sign that says Double D’s this way…
With an arrow and an image of what looks suspiciously like one of those mini peens with a halo.
That’s gotta be sacrilegious or something, right?
Not to mention, not as discreet as they probably think it is.
These women couldn’t pass as spies, that’s for damn sure.
I never should’ve agreed to this.
The scent of stale cigar smoke and alcohol lingers throughout the space.
It’s almost seven, and after working an eight-hour shift at the bar, plus all the late-night activity with August, I’m exhausted.
I had hoped that the storms would’ve pushed this meeting out a week, but no such luck.
Apparently, the Dirty Darlings take their book club very seriously.
After a little pregaming, here we are, and it’s all too soon when Jules, Iris, and I hit the bottom floor.
We walk into the well-lit room and are immediately greeted by a circle of chairs in the center with a surprising number of seats already taken.
Most of the women are at least familiar.
Connie from the diner. Betsy from the dry cleaner.
Even Ruth, who’s the pastor’s wife. That one is probably the most shocking.
Not gonna lie. Most of the others are familiar to me, even if I don’t know their names, until my eyes snag on a petite woman, at least seventy, with a mop of pure white curls that are coiffed and styled to perfection.
Her black-framed glasses are thick and a tad bit too large for her face, but they somehow jive with her overall aesthetic—a white-collared blue dress and a darker blue cardigan that stand out from her white tights and and simple black flats.
This woman really sticks with a style and nails it, even if it’s a few decades out of fashion.
She’s sitting in her seat, reading a book whose cover features a pair of hands holding an apple with nails through it.
She smiles when she catches me staring, and I smile back.
Sure, she doesn’t immediately strike me as a romance junkie, but apparently, smut really is for everyone.
Jules nudges me, and my attention is pulled from the adorable old woman who reminds me of Sophia from Golden Girls.
The three of us walk further into the room, sharing a skeptical look, but we look every bit the confident young women we are…
mostly thanks to our large cups filled with the liquor of our choice.
It’s gonna take a buzz to get through this, I’m sure.
A pretty woman with short, dark hair and bright blue eyes smiles and stands, heading directly for us. There’s familiarity, but I can’t quite place her.
“Veronica, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Jules says, giving the older woman a hug.
“How are you doing, honey?” Veronica asks. “How’s Charlotte?”
“I’m great, and Charlotte’s growing like a weed. Same ol’, same ol’, ya know?”
She chuckles. “I do. I remember those days, except Memphis grew more like Jack’s beanstalk than a weed.”
My breath stalls in my lungs. This is Memphis’ mother. Which means she’s August’s aunt. And she’s part of this dirty book club where we’re likely to be reading kinky smut and discussing the details.
Kill. Me. Now.
She turns to my other friend, smile lines framing her eyes as she gives her a brief hug. “How are you, Iris? I hear Bake Me Happy is thriving and little Harper is a big helper.”
Iris smiles, both her and Jules completely unaware of my panic.
“Business has been booming, though I’m not sure where you’re getting your intel.
Harper tries to help, but she usually just makes more work for me in the end.
She’s lucky she’s so dang cute. Now, if I could just get the darn oven to work consistently, that would be amazing.
I’ve almost got enough saved up to replace the stupid thing, but I’m making do for now. ”
“Well, if there’s anything you need, I’m sure the boys will do what they can. Give them a shout. Until then, I’ll continue to support your savings with my love of your apple fritters.”
Iris chuckles. “Thank you, Mrs. Young.”
She waves her hand. “Psh, now. Don’t call me that. Makes me feel old. Just call me Ronnie.” Finally, the Omega’s knowing eyes land on mine. “And you must be Shay Bennett. I’ve heard lots of good things. I’m honestly surprised we haven’t officially met before this.”
Immediately, my mind circles to what I was up to with her nephew last night, then the fact that I now find myself living with her son’s pack—four doors down and across the hall from him, in fact.
Does she know? Does she approve? Will she think that a bartender with faux lakefront property isn’t good enough for her baby boy?
I don’t have connections. I had a cabin, but even that’s a little iffy at the moment. I have nothing to offer. I—
I’m spiraling. It’s been so long since I’ve had to deal with parents—and let’s be honest, Miles’ didn’t exactly give me the warm and fuzzies—that I’ve suddenly forgotten how words work altogether.
“You okay, honey? You just went as pale as a ghost.” She steps forward, her hand gripping my shoulder as she checks me over.
A rush of honeysuckle and orange blossom hits me, soothing the rougher edges of my nerves.
“I-I’m fine. Sorry. It's just been a long day.” I clear my throat. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs. You—”
She coughs, a smile curving her red lips.
“Sorry. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ronnie.”
“The pleasure is all mine, dear. I assure you. Why don’t you girls come have a seat with me?” She leads us over to the circle just as Sally walks over to a group of women with a notepad in her hand. “She rules this book club with an iron fist, just so y’all know.”
Jules snorts. “So I’ve heard. I blame Shay. She’s the reason we got roped into this.”
I roll my eyes. “Such a hardship—reading about dicks and the women who take them.”
The second the words are out of my mouth, I feel my cheeks go five shades of red.
Ronnie’s laugh eases the tension in my shoulders just a smidge. “Oh, you girls will get along here just fine.”
“So, Shay…” Jules begins, sending me one of her looks that tells me I’m not gonna love what’s about to come out of her mouth. “It’s absolutely awful what happened with your house. But it sure was nice of the guys to give you a place to stay.”
My eyes go wide as they fly to Iris, praying she’ll save me.
Her lips are being held captive by her teeth in an attempt not to laugh. I’m adding her to my new murder list—the first murderee being Jules and her big mouth.
“Oh, Memphis was telling me all about your roof. Sounds like it’s a mess for sure,” Ronnie says, patting my arm.
“I’m glad you accepted their help. They have the space, and honestly that house could use a woman's touch. Bunch of bachelors livin’ like they’re still in college and having keggers.
Do you know, I walked in there unannounced one day to surprise them with a home-cooked meal, and they had their unmentionables hanging off the stair railing to dry like a frat house?
Needless to say, I don’t drop by anymore without calling first.”
Jules and Iris are damn near chortling, while I’m hopefully laughing less like a hyena.
“Well, it’s only been a day, but I can confirm there aren’t any chonies hanging out to dry. For the most part, the house is very well kept and clean. Aside from the herd of feral barn animals that want to steal peeks at me in the shower.”
She giggles. “Poppy and her band of misfits. It’s so cute how the guys treat them like their kids. Speaking of… I know Juliette and Iris have kids. Do you see yourself wanting to be a mom one day?”
I’ve just taken a drink from my travel cup, which means I choke as I inhale it down the wrong pipe. She gently pats my back until I can mostly breathe again.
“Sorry. That was awfully bold of me. Memphis will throw a fit, but I speak for Ashley and myself when I say that we really want some grandbabies before we’re too old to help care for them.”
Sally bangs an honest-to-God gavel on the top of the podium set into a space in the circle. I’ve never been a fan of hers, but right now, I’d kiss her for saving me from that conversation.
“Howdy, y’all. As you can see, we have a few new members, but since we’re starting a little late, I’ll just do brief introductions. Let’s all give a warm Dirty Darlings welcome to Iris, Jules, and Shay. It’s their first time joining us, and we’re glad to have some fresh faces.”
The other women clap and smile.
“Now, a couple of quick reminders since we have some new faces. I’ll go over our top three rules.
Number one—what happens at book club stays at book club.
Number two—we don’t tell our men anything about book club.
They simply think we’re having Bible study.
Why they don’t question the location being here and not at the church, I’ll never know, but men are simple creatures, and…
I digress. Lord, please forgive us for our sins.
Which leads to number three—we all promise to take our duty to our book club and our Dirty Darling sisters seriously. Women supporting women.”
Jules snorts, and I quickly elbow her when Sally narrows her eyes at my friend. She dramatically fakes a cough.
“So sorry. I think I swallowed my spit.”
Iris is shaking beside her but smartly doesn’t say anything.
Sally goes on to quickly outline the night’s agenda, then gets right into the most anticipated moment of the evening. At least, I’m assuming so based on the eager faces around the room.
“Now, with all of that out of the way, we’ll vote on the book we’ll be reading this month. I have a list of five titles that I’ll read off, then we’ll get to voting. Who’s ready?”
A raucous cheer goes up, making my head pound as the sound bounces off the concrete walls. I should’ve brought some ibuprofen with me.
“Okay, here we go. First up, Red Ruin, by Lola Rock—suggested by Rola Stevens. Bad Alpha, by Kathryn Moon—suggested by Lorna Williams. The Marriage Hex by Sarah Blue—suggested by Danica Murphy. Faking It Next Door by Eden Foxx—suggested by Veronica Young. And finally, Storm the Gates by Elizabeth Dear—suggested by me.”
Risking a glance at the girls, I realize none of us have ever heard of any of these. How are we supposed to vote? Will we even get a vote, considering we’re newbies?
“Now, I’ll read them off again. Raise your hand for any that interest you. The one with the most votes at the end, wins.”
She starts reciting the books again, and since I don’t have a frame of reference, I go along with Ronnie’s pick, Faking It Next Door, because that sounds an awful lot like my life right now.
In the end, Ronnie’s book wins, and we’re each told to download or buy a copy and get reading. The goal is to read a quarter of the book before each weekly meeting.
Sure. Let me just work that in between bar shifts, fixing my broken house, and whatever the hell it is I’m doing with the Young Pack.
Actually, I know exactly what I’m doing with the guys. I’m doing them.
You know what, maybe the Dirty Darlings will be good for something after all. A girl is gonna need all the pointers she can get.