Chapter 10 Penelope #2
Eventually it worked well enough to drive.
There wasn’t even a road from the cabin up to the main house for the Stone Riders, but I drove through the dead weeds and flat ground, just the same.
Cresting the only minor hill between the cabin and the clubhouse, I flicked my gaze to the rearview mirror and saw the man, Harris, following me ever so slowly on his bike.
If my window wasn’t so temperamental and didn’t choose when to work and when not to, I’d roll it down to wave at him.
Instead, I just continued until I found a decent place to park near the edge of the manicured lawn.
Would Killian care that I was creating my own parking space? The Chaos Kings did it with their bikes, wasn’t sure why anyone would care if I did the same with my car. Harris parked next to me and gave me a small dip of his chin as I walked toward the clubhouse.
“Miss Penelope?” he called out to me, which made me turn around.
He was tall, nearly six three or four. Broad muscle and faded ink covered the places on his arms that weren’t covered by leather. I liked his beard and kind eyes.
“Would it be a bother if I helped you out of the car from now on?”
I nearly gawked at him. No one cared if I had trouble getting in and out of my car. No one but Jamie.
Feeling a strange burning in my throat, I nodded. “Fine by me.”
His chin dipped again, and he smiled.
I wasn’t sure what to do with that, so I just persisted walking up the steps to the clubhouse. Right as my hand touched the handle, I turned back toward Harris.
“This club still makes me nervous. I—I don’t really feel welcome unless I’m with Jamie or Natty. Would you mind walking with me until I find her?”
Harris was behind me within a blink. “Of course, Miss Penelope.”
Warmth spread through my chest, and I pushed open the door.
There were people milling about, but they only glanced my way once then returned to their conversations.
In here, I didn’t seem to be a zoo animal like I was with the Chaos Kings.
Here, no one thought I was carrying a traitor’s baby, or that I was a whore. No one seemed to hate me.
Skirting the kitchen, I caught sight of Natty and veered directly for her.
“Pen, hey! I was on my way to come find you.”
I narrowed my eyes, searching hers for a lie. “You were?”
She lifted a concealed box of something and then set it on the counter with a huff. “Laura is going to sing at the Hollow tonight. Callie is going to go, and both of them asked me if I would ask you to come with us.”
“The Hollow?”
She smiled warmly while cutting through the box with a rather large hunting knife she seemed to pull from somewhere under the counter.
It wasn’t a normal kitchen knife, and since I’d been around different clubs growing up, I learned how to spot things that didn’t seem to fit.
Natty carrying that massive knife didn’t fit.
The hilt was thick, black and had a scythe etched in silver.
For some reason, I didn’t feel like drawing attention to it. I just watched her work as she began explaining this refurbished bookstore turned lounge bar. Singers and live bands would go and do sets while drinks were served, and apparently Laura was one of the regulars.
Natty sheathed the knife, then slid it under a gap in the counter and drawer. It made me curious how many weapons she had stashed around the place.
“Sounds fun. I just have to let Jameson know.”
Natty smiled sweetly. “Great, and do you think I can ride with you?”
“Of course.”
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Harris lingering near the bar. I promised Natty I would come get ready with her after going back to the cabin. It would give me time to talk to Harris.
Once I approached and explained I was heading back, he merely smiled and followed me out.
“I’m going to the Hollow tonight with Natty, Laura and Callie,” I said once we were outside and walking toward my car.
Harris nodded. “I’ll follow.”
“Can I—” I wasn’t sure how to ask without seeming too clingy, so I blinked and stopped, forcing him to stop next to me.
“Can I have your number, so I can text you if I ever feel…” My face flushed.
This was so stupid. He wasn’t my babysitter or my friend.
Just because he’d shown me kindness and basic human decency didn’t mean he was on call.
“Just shot you a message, Miss Penelope. Jamie made sure I had yours earlier.”
My face warmed again. “Do you think you can call me something other than that? It’s making me feel like I have a chauffeur or something.”
He smirked. Or I thought he did. His beard covered it.
“How about I call you Penny?”
I smiled. “That’s perfect…”
Turning back toward my car, I paused when he spoke again—
“Penny, it’s an honor to watch over you.
” I spun around, giving him my attention.
“I—well, I was watching Callie for a bit, until Wes took over. I had sort of gotten used to protection detail. I never had kids, but I see you and Callie, even Laura and Natty and I think of you all like daughters in a way. Just in the sense that I can watch out for you. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is, thank you for letting me. ”
It was the hormones that made me tear up.
And definitely the reason I walked over and wrapped my arms around him.
“Thank you, Harris. I haven’t ever had anyone look out for me. I’m honored that it’s you.”
His eyes seemed to glisten but I didn’t stick around to watch. For the first time in forever, I finally felt like maybe, just maybe, this place would be a way of healing after all.
I pressed the stamp into the corner of the envelope and then licked the seam and closed it. Natty, Callie and Laura were all getting ready to leave for the Hollow, but I had asked if I could drop this letter in the mail first.
Of course, they didn’t mind, but the walk would take a good minute or two because of how long the driveway was to the main gate.
The cold air helped clear my head as I walked, and by the time I pulled the metal handle on the mailbox down, I felt like I was breathing easier as I slid the envelope in.
Jamie would probably frown on me doing this, mainly because Miles had technically stayed behind, but I knew he stayed not out of loyalty to Luke, but merely the location.
Miles had a good house in Richland, and was getting older, his disability was all that kept him afloat these days, and while a good portion came in from the military, there was no way he could up and leave.
Some men merely wanted a place to connect; it was why these clubs had begun in the first place.
Most men didn’t give two shits about the politics of the club; they just wanted a few drinking buddies, or a friend to ride with.
So, I felt justified sending him an update on my life.
Maybe it was the interaction with Harris that had me feeling sentimental.
I hadn’t lied when I had said no one else had watched out for me.
Miles was a decent man, but he’d never stepped into the line of fire for me, or gone out of his way to help me, outside of letting me live under his roof.
The second my mom passed, any lingering affection for me seemed to as well.
But, part of me wouldn’t accept it. Mom had finally found a club that worked.
She had no idea she was living out the last few years of her life when we arrived on Miles’ stoop.
He let us stay, and we had made a home. It was odd, awkward at times and unconventional, but I’d been with him for five years, and more than that once I had moved back.
He had to want some sort of connection with me.
Which is what prompted this letter. Miles hated talking on the phone and had no clue how to text. A written letter would do the trick, and maybe he needed some reassurances that I was okay, that my son was okay.
Hopefully Jamie would understand.
Hopefully Miles would respond and be thankful I had reached out.
It would be a wildflower pressed into my journal as soon as I found a fresh field.