Chapter 6
Frankie
I’d thought I’d seen the last of my mysterious biker, so needless to say, I was rather surprised to find him standing in the coffee shop’s parking lot.
Even though I’d invited him, I didn’t expect him to actually come.
I probably should’ve never invited him in the first place—he was a member of the Ruthless Sinners MC after all.
Of course, I didn’t even know who the Ruthless Sinners were until Corry told me.
It seemed the kid knew everything there was to know about them—including the fact that they were known to be dangerous.
After years of seeing absolutely no spark of interest in my son’s eyes, my child was practically busting at the seams as he told me all about Widow’s club and their way of life.
It was a lot to take in, but it gave me a little better understanding of Widow and his oddly protective behavior.
After he left the parking lot, I got my inventory log out of my backseat and headed back into the coffee shop. As soon as I walked back into the store, my sister Sydney asked, “So, who’s the hot guy?”
“What hot guy?”
“The one you were just talking to in the parking lot.”
“Oh, that was just Widow,” I answered innocently.
Sydney was several years younger than me.
She was still single with no kids, and even though she was taking a few classes at our local community college, she wasn’t in a big rush to graduate.
I didn’t mind. I liked having her there at the coffee shop with me.
Her brows furrowed as she asked, “Widow?”
“I told you about him...He’s the guy who helped Sean and I fix the flat the other night.”
“You never told me his name was Widow.” Sydney perched her hand on her hip as she fussed, “And you certainly didn’t tell me that the guy was smokin’ hot!”
“I guess I just forgot.”
“You forgot to tell me that the man looks like he came right out of Play Girl magazine! Are you kidding me?” She tossed her long, red hair back and batted her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling. “Oh my God. The things I could do to that man. I can’t believe you’d even think of passing that up!”
Sydney and I had always been polar opposites.
Where I was older and more reserved, she was young and carefree.
I overthought everything, and she always acted on a whim.
I was single with two kids, and she had none.
The only thing we had in common was the fact that we were both single, but that didn’t stop us from being the best of friends.
We told each other everything, so I understood why she was surprised I hadn’t told her more about my encounter with Widow.
I gave her a light shrug as I said, “He’s very handsome, but... ”
“No buts, sis. He’s hot, and I could tell from all the way in here that he was looking at you like you were a snack! I’m telling ya, you should get you some of that.”
“You and I both know I’m not the kind to ‘get me some of that’, Sydney.”
“Well, you should be.” Her expression softened as she said, “And I’m being serious when I say that. You’re always so busy doing for everyone else. You never think about doing anything for yourself.”
“You think hooking up with someone like Widow would be doing something for myself?” I scoffed.
“Absolutely!”
“I’d just end up with an even more screwed-up ego. A guy like him could have any woman he wants. There’s no way he’d waste his time on someone like me.”
“Oh really?” She crossed her arms with a condescending look. “Then why was he out in our parking lot today?”
“He was just making sure I’d gotten the tire fixed.”
“Um-hmm. And you think that’s the only reason he was here? Really?”
“Don’t make something out of nothing, Syd. He was just being nice.”
She shook her head, “A man like him doesn’t do nice, Sis.”
“Well, he’s being nice to me. He’s even coming over tonight to fix the tire.”
“He’s what?” Sydney gasped.
“It’s not like that.”
“Oh, it most certainly is!”
“No, Sydney.”
“Yes!” She stepped over to me and smiled. “Look, I’m not telling you to get involved with the guy. I’m saying a little hookup might do you good. You know, dust the cobwebs off and all that.”
“It’s not been that long,” I lied.
“You haven’t had sex with anyone since Marc, and that was years ago. So, yeah.” She motioned her hand below my waist. “You’ve definitely got a cobweb situation happening there.”
“You are such an ass.”
“Yeah, but you love me.” Sydney winked, then turned back to the counter. “I’ll leave you alone about it, but only after I say one last thing.”
“What?”
“The man is all kinds of fine.”
“You are a mess.” I shooed my hand at her as I said, “Get back to work. The lunch rush will start soon.”
“You got it, Boss.”
With the intention of getting some work done, I took my inventory log to my office and sat down.
Unfortunately, the second I opened my logbook, my mind drifted to my sister and what she’d said about Widow.
She was right about the fact I hadn’t had sex with anyone since Marc.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t wanted to. I just hadn’t had the opportunity.
I’ve been too busy—first with piecing my life back together and then getting the shop off the ground, and now, dealing with the boys.
That didn’t mean I was ready to jump in the sack with Widow—but I was definitely intrigued by the thought.
So much so, I got on my computer and started looking for a new bra and panty set, but it didn’t take me long to chicken out and close my laptop.
In my mind, that was a sign that I needed to put Widow and my sister’s suggestion out of my head.
I turned my attention back to work and tried my best to not think about the fact that Widow was going to be at my house at five to fix my tire.
I also tried not to think about the fact that after he fixed the tire, I’d never see him again—like for real this time.
Once that tire was fixed, there would be no reason for us to cross paths again, which I finally managed to convince myself was for the best. With my mind set on keeping things completely platonic with Widow, I finished up my day at work, dropped Sean off at basketball practice, and headed home.
As usual, when I got to the house, Corry was in his bedroom and the door was closed.
There was a mess in the kitchen, and even more dirty clothes in the laundry room.
I had a few minutes before Widow was supposed to arrive, so I started a load of clothes and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
I was just finishing wiping down the counters when I heard someone knocking.
As I started towards the door, I wished I’d taken a little time to spruce up a bit.
I quickly adjusted my blouse, and when I opened the door, I found Widow standing on the bottom step.
He was wearing his leather jacket with a white t-shirt underneath and tattered jeans.
His hair was a little disheveled, making me wish I could run my fingers through it.
I inhaled a deep breath, doing my best to shake the feeling, then smiled and said, “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Let me grab my keys.” I stepped over to the dining room table and slipped my hand into my purse. Once I had my keys, I carried them back over to the front door and down the steps. As I offered them to Widow, I asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No. I’ve got it.” He reached over and his hand brushed against mine as he took the keys. It was just a simple touch, but it felt like something more—much more. Widow’s eyes were locked on mine as he told me, “I’ll let you know when I’m done.”
“Okay.”
Before I had a chance to turn and go back inside, Corry came rushing up behind me. He tried to play it cool as he said, “Oh, hey, Widow. I didn’t know you were coming today.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.” Widow looked up at me with a sexy smirk. “Just came by to give your mom a hand with that flat tire.”
“Oh, so you’re gonna fix it?”
“Gonna try.”
“Cool.” There was no missing the hopeful sound in his voice as he asked, “Can I help?”
“Absolutely.”
I watched my normally sullen teenage son rush over to Widow with a smile on his face.
I couldn’t believe it. The child had not only offered to help with something, but he was also actually smiling about it.
I stood on the front steps and watched as Corry followed Widow over to my car.
As he opened the trunk, Widow looked down at Corry and then over to me.
It was only for a moment, and he didn’t smile or whisper a word, but I could tell by the look in his eyes that he understood it was a big deal that Corry had come out there with him.
Without any further delay, he and Corry took the tire out of the trunk and carried it over to the tailgate of Widow’s truck and set to work.
When Widow pulled out his air compressor, I figured it was time for me to go in and start on the laundry.
As I started putting the dirty clothes in the washing machine, I couldn’t stop thinking about the happy expression I’d seen on Corry’s face.
There was a time when he smiled all the time, but lately, he just hadn’t seemed like himself.
I hoped the medication the counselor had prescribed would help, but I wasn’t sure it would be enough.
The thought had me going over to the window to see if everything was still going well with Corry and Widow.
To my relief, Corry was still smiling and talking a mile a minute.
Seeing my son look so happy warmed my heart.
And I have to say, it had me feeling a little drawn to Widow.
He’d given my son something to smile about, and it meant the world to me.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I found myself in the garage, listening in on Corry and Widow’s conversation.
I felt a little guilty about eavesdropping on them and was about to go back inside when I heard Corry say, “He’s always on my ass about something. It’s like I can’t do anything right.”