Chapter Three
Ryder
It had been three weeks since the club barbeque, and though I refused to admit it, that shit with Blade still bugged me. Not that I had time to think about it, because the girls were with me this morning at the store.
I tried not to leave them with the nanny every day, but sometimes I couldn’t help it. I grew up running around this store with Micah, Beck, and Rachel. We had a lot of wonderful memories here, scouring the books and driving the previous owner crazy.
The previous owner being my dad.
I wanted my girls to have those memories as well.
Though Chrissy attended school now in the afternoons, I enjoyed those few hours when it was just me and Tabby.
“CHARLIE!” Chrissy yelled as she and Tabby came running over. Sam had just walked in with my girl’s best friend.
To say they were excited would be an understatement.
“Chrissy, no yelling in the store, honey,” I reminded my daughter.
“Sorry, Daddy.” Chrissy grabbed Charlie’s hand, and the three girls ran over to the children’s section, followed by Mimic.
Sam had two patched brothers with her: Mimic, who I believe was the youngest member of the club, and Tank, who I was pretty sure might be the largest member of the club.
Gunner, the SAA, might be an inch or two taller, but Tank was, well, a tank.
“Hey, how are you?” Sam greeted me.
“I’m good. Avery has today off, so I’m glad you could make it in.” I looked over at the girls digging through the books. “It will help keep the girls out from underfoot for a while.”
“Ryder, I wanted to apologize again. I never expected Carrie to act the way she did,” Sam said, biting her lip.
“Sam, it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t even invite her.” I walked over to stand behind the counter.
“But she was my friend,” she said, biting her fingernail. “I feel responsible. Beck wouldn’t have invited her if I hadn’t brought her around.”
Leaning my arms on the counter, I smirked. “Listen, Sam, Rachel told me about what the guys learned about Carrie. There is no way you could have known what she had done. Unless, of course, you intend to run a background check on everyone you plan to befriend”.”
“I know. Logically, that makes sense. But then there is that pesky mom guilt. That overrode the logical side of my brain.”
“Yea, I get that,” I said wistfully. “There is a lot of pesky dad guilt too when you’re doing it alone. Thank God for my parents.”
“You are lucky to have them. My parents have never met Charlie.” She sighed.
“You have the club, though. And the women. That’s a lot of people that have your back,” I reminded her.
“That’s true,” she agreed, then asked carefully, “So, have you given any thought to joining the club?”
I scoffed. “No. That ship has sailed.”
“How come? From what Jack told me, the officers seemed pretty interested in having you. Jack said Gunner was the one to ask why they hadn’t approached you.”
“Did Jack also tell you why they hadn’t approached me? Micah doesn’t want me there.”
“That’s not true, Ryder,” she argued.
“It is,” I insisted. “Besides, with the girls, I can’t do the prospecting thing. When they first set up and I was still married, I could have worked around it.”
“You have Avery and your parents,” she noted.
“Nah. It would be too much time away from my girls.”
“That can all get worked out.”
Sam and I both turned toward Tank when he spoke. He was standing by the front door, watching the street.
“Maybe. Still doesn’t change the other issue,” I challenged.
The small bell above the door jingled merrily as a beautiful young woman with bright eyes and a warm smile walked in. She had blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun, blue eyes framed by a pair of black glasses, and a slim figure that had my dick standing at attention right away.
She stood before me in a pale pink suit that even I could see was expensive. I recognized the red bottom Christian Louboutin heels she wore. Tammi always whined that running a bookstore would never allow her the option of being able to afford shoes like that.
“Hi,” she said.
Smiling at the woman, I greeted, “Hello, can I help you?”
“I hope so. I am an author. I have published a few books, but I am hoping to garner more interest. My friend suggested talking to some small bookstores about maybe doing a signing.”
“What is your name?” I asked.
“Rayne Perry.”
“OH MY GOD!” Sam screeched excitedly, damn near busting my eardrum.
“Mommy, Uncle Ryder said no yelling in the store,” Charlie scolded from the other side of the store.
I laughed. She wasn’t wrong.
Children had a way of always turning your words against you.
“I love your books! I have read all five of them.”
“Thank you.” The beautiful woman smiled shyly.
“Ryder, you have to do this,” Sam exclaimed, turning to me. “You have to let her come. People will come to the store for this. I can help you set everything up. Please. Please. Please!”
“So, Sam, I was thinking about having an author’s book signing here at the store. Think it’s a good idea?”
“Asshole.” She smirked, shaking her head.
I heard Tank laugh at his post by the door.
“Miss Perry, I have heard of you. In fact, I have a couple of your books here in the store,” I informed her.
She smiled at my acknowledgement.
“Did you have a time in mind for when you would like to do it?” I asked.
“Well, the next book is coming out at the beginning of November, so I was hoping to do it the week of the release.”
“Can I ask why you want to do it here? If I’m not mistaken, you are from New York. Why not hold a signing there?” Sam asked.
“I am from New York, yes; however, I no longer reside there. I have always loved small towns. Maybe that’s a byproduct of being raised in the busiest city in the country. I also do my marketing myself. I know my books are popular, so I want to bring something to the small towns in America. I have a pretty big following on social media, so by letting people know where I am it will bring a lot of business to whatever bookstore I tell them I will be at.”
“She’s not lying, Ryder. I have seen pictures from some signings she has done. People will flock here. It will be great for business. Don’t be stupid, tell her yes!” Sam urged me.
“The beginning of November doesn’t give us much time to get the word out,” I pointed out.
“Ryder, we can put the information on your Instagram and TikTok,” Sam suggested.
“I don’t have either of those. I don’t have time for that shit.”
“Oh my God. Let me set them up. You won’t have to do a thing. I will take care of everything,” Sam pleaded. “Miss Perry, I am so sorry. Give me just a minute to get him to agree and we can work out all the details,” Sam told her, then glared at me as Rayne just smiled. She had a beautiful smile. A smile that would light up any room she was in.
“By all means, work away. And please, call me Rayne. With your enthusiasm, maybe I should hire you to do my Instagram”.”
“Oh my God, don’t tease me!”
Turning back to me, Sam narrowed her eyes and asked, “Well?”
“Sam, I can’t pay you.”
“I am not asking you to pay me anything. Jack made me quit the diner because of all this shit going on, and I am going stir crazy. Let me do this, please,” she begged.
Both women looked at me expectantly.
“Fine, do what you need to do,” I said, waving my hand at Sam, then focused on Rayne and smiled. “Miss Perry, I would love to have you do a book signing in my store.”
It was my customer service smile. I didn’t want her thinking I was interested in her. I mean, I was interested. I was a man, after all. I just didn’t want her to know that. Because I refused to go there.
Never again.
I’d had a few casual hookups before Tammi. This woman, however, was not a casual hookup. Therefore, she was off-limits.
“Wonderful. Shall we decide on a date?” Rayne asked.
“I will let you work that out with my social media marketer here,” I said, pointing to Sam. “I’m gonna go check on the girls. Sam, here is the calendar. Anything that doesn’t have something written in is an open day at the store.”
I handed Sam my book and walked toward the children’s section to see how the girls were doing.
“Hey, Mimic, is Charlie ok?” Sam called.
“She’s good, momma, don’t worry about her. She won’t leave my sight,” he replied, never taking his eyes off her daughter.
Sam and Miss Perry sat at a table going over details while I tried not to pay attention to the way she moved. I could see her excitement build as she listened to Sam’s plans, her face visibly brightening.
And her laugh.
She had an intoxicating laugh.
Rayne looked young, but I didn’t think she was much younger than I was.
When they finished, I watched the woman as she left the store. Wondering what type of vehicle she would get into, I looked out the window and watched as she slid into a pick-up truck. Immediately, my mind filled with questions. I would have expected a woman like her to get into a Mercedes or a BMW, not a Ford F250.
Turning back toward the interior, I saw Sam still sitting at the table with a dazed look.
“Hey, Sam? You ok over there?” I asked with a smirk.
“Oh, shut up.” She laughed. “This is going to be huge for Diamond Creek. Rayne is sending me posters. We can put them up in every business. People are going to flock here for this, Ryder. They won’t just come here either. Every business will benefit. That’s why she does these small-town signings; it’s her way of giving back. She’s so pretty.”
“Who?” I asked, looking at nothing on my computer.
I wasn’t about to let Sam know what I thought.
“Rayne,” she answered, leaning on the counter, trying to get my attention.
I looked up at her and shook my head. “No.”
I could see the wheels turning in her eyes.
I knew what she was thinking, and I refused to fall for it.
“You don’t think she’s pretty? Did you think she was pretty, Tank?” she asked, turning to see Tank still in his position by the door.
“Sure did,” he said, smirking at me.
Glaring at Tank, I ignored her question, instead changing the subject back to the book signing, pointing my finger at her. “You better be available that day, ’cause I am not in charge of this, you are”.”
She grabbed my finger and pulled me over for a hug.
“Thank you for trusting me with this. I won’t disappoint you. I promise.”
I hugged her tight and said, “Just make sure when Tank and Mimic tell Jack I hugged you that you tell him you hugged me first. I get enough shit from Cash,” I said with a smile.
She shook her head at me. While she waited for Charlie to pick out her books, she used her phone to get a few shots of books and the store.
I assumed to make posts and videos, but what did I know about that shit? That was Sam’s department.