Chapter 6
“Hi, Jay.”
He was sitting in Ryder’s cafe, The Swing Through Cafe, to be precise, another weird name in a town that thrived on them. Square dancing had a lot to say in Lyntacky.
Looking up from his laptop screen, Jay focused on the woman now standing at his table. “Oh, hey, Laurie. How are you?”
Laurie Day was the new teacher at the elementary school. They’d run into each other a few times, and she seemed nice. Her ready smile made it easy to imagine she’d be good with kids.
“That looks good.” Laurie pointed at his muffin. “I might have to get one.”
Exploding with flavor and topped with icing, it was good, and he told her so.
“Well, I’ll definitely get one, then,” she said, smiling again.
“Sweet. You enjoy that, Laurie.”
He watched her walk away, but Jay felt nothing. No little zing of interest, and he blamed that squarely on Blue Jay McAllister. Damn her.
“Ask the woman out, for gosh darn sake.”
These hissed words came from over his shoulder, so he turned and found the entire walking group.
“Pardon?”
He wanted to be like them when he was old enough to not give a shit what anyone thought about him. That, and with age came the certain knowledge that you could venture an opinion in this town once you were over the age of sixty-five, and no one called you out on it.
“Ms. Day, Jay. She’d be perfect for you,” Linda, owner of the Do Si Do Diner, said. Today her hair was a cross between brown and blond, literally. The lower half was brown and the top part blond.
“Ah, no thank you, and you all are not focusing on me as your next matchmaking project.”
Linda clutched her chest theatrically. “I have no idea what you’re insinuating, young man, but let me tell you, I don’t like it.”
“Amen,” the rest of them chorused.
Jay rolled his eyes. “I know you all and what you’re capable of.”
“What are they capable of?”
Zoe, the youngest Duke dropped into the seat across from him.
“Nothing,” he said quickly. “You want a coffee? My treat.”
“Cool,” she said, eyes narrowing as they went from him to the walking group. “I’ll take a muffin too.”
He’d realized the error in his plan of walking away when he looked back and noticed the walkers were now talking to Zoe and she was listening intently. No doubt they were talking about Laurie Day and him being a perfect match.
“I went for the scone,” Laurie said when he reached the counter.
“Nice. They’re good heated up with butter,” Jay said lamely.
Ryder, who was making coffee, rolled his eyes at Jay but stayed silent until he placed her coffee down in front of her. “Here you go, Laurie.”
“Thanks, and bye, Jay. See you later.”
“Bye.” He raised a hand as she walked away.
“The way I see it is, you either don’t like the woman, or you’re too dense to see the signals of interest she’s firing your way,” Ryder said, going back to the machine.
“Fuck off,” Jay said. “Your sister wants a coffee, and I’ll take another.”
“She’s nice.”
“Zoe? I know, I’ve known her as long as you have. Nice may not be the term I’d used. Fiery, nosey, opinionated—”
“Very funny, but you know I meant Laurie Day.”
“I don’t want to date her, end of story,” Jay said. He needed to nip this in the bud before it bloomed, which, looking at the conversation going on behind him, it likely already had.
“Why not?” Ryder started frothing the milk.
“Because I don’t. Do we need to gnaw this to death, Rye?”
He shot him a look before returning to the milk. “Something off with you, Jay Jay?”
“No.”
“You look a little tight around the eyes.”
“No, I don’t,” Jay protested. “So don’t start that crap with me.”
In fact, he was feeling tight around the eyes, and that was lack of sleep, which he also blamed on Blue Jay McAllister. The woman was messing with his routine.
It had only been two days since she returned, but she’d taken up residence inside his head, and he didn’t seem able to dislodge her.
Ryder smiled at someone entering his cafe, and Jay refused to turn and see if it was her. He was like a lovesick—love?—like a sick pup.
“Help me with this, Pheebs, Blue. Don’t you think Jay looks a little tight around the eyes?”
And that was all he needed. The reason for his eye tightness arriving.
Phoebe came into his line of sight first and studied him.
She was an author and had told him once that it made her more observant than many people.
“Hey, Pheebs,” Jay said, moving in to kiss her cheek.
Blue appeared next, dressed in a long, straight, silky black skirt and a pink-and-white striped collared shirt. On her feet were white sneakers. All her lovely hair was in a high ponytail on top of her head.
She leaned in beside Phoebe to study Jay, and he inhaled that soft, sweet scent of hers. He saw the dark smudges under her eyes were still there.
“He does look a little peaky,” she said, pulling back, much to his relief.
“Whatever. Make my coffee order, and your sister wants one of your chocolate muffins,” Jay said. “And because you’re annoying me, you can bring it to our table.”
“Definitely tight around the eyes,” Phoebe said with a smirk.
“You remember how I said I’d babysit for you and Brody? I’m rescinding that offer,” Jay said before walking away.
“I’ll tell Ally you said that!” she called after him.
He didn’t want to walk away from Blue, but neither did he want to stay there. He’d never been indecisive, but around her, he felt that way.
That night had imprinted itself on his memory. Just thinking about it made him hard. The problem was, and this was Jay’s take on it, that one night hadn’t been enough. Maybe if they’d had more, he wouldn’t now be thinking about her constantly.
Looking back at his tormentor, he noted she was standing on her toes, looking at something Ryder was pointing out. The curve of her—nope, not going there. He retook his seat. Thankfully Zoe was now alone, and the walking club were back out on the streets of Lyntacky, terrorizing its citizens again.
“So, me and the walking club have all decided that Laurie Day would make a fine partner for you, Jay,” Zoe said. “You need to take that girl out on a date.”
“No, I don’t.”
She was grinning like the cat that got the cream. The smile fell as someone else entered the cafe.
“I thought we’d got rid of them with Grill behind bars,” Jay said, getting to his feet, for no other reason than that four of the Bandits motorcycle gang had walked in. They’d been causing trouble in this town for years.
“They have a new leader,” Zoe said. “The one in front.”
Jay studied the man walking in. He looked nothing like Grill.
There was something far more sinister about this guy.
Grill had been a thug, but this guy…. Jay wasn’t sure what it was about him, but he looked more like a businessman than a biker.
Yes, he was in the leathers, but his hair was short and cut well, and he was clean-shaven.
A large gold signet ring sat on his middle finger.
“He’s more dangerous than Grill, and that’s saying something,” Jay said.
“How do you know that?” Zoe asked.
“I’ve seen men like him before,” Jay said softly, his eyes on the man. “They’re usually power-hungry and dangerous.” And evil, he thought.
“Uncle Asher and Dan did some digging after the man came into the station to smooth things over between Lyntacky residents and the Bandits,” Zoe added. “His name is Danny Luke, and he rolled Clover, who stepped up when Grill left, or so Dan told me.”
Jay moved to where Ryder had come to stand on the other side of the counter. Blue and Phoebe were to Jay’s right.
Looking around, Jay saw there were only a handful of people in the cafe, and all were keeping their distance.
“I’m Danny Luke.” The man held his hand out to Ryder.
“I thought we were done with you Bandits. I don’t allow trouble in here and definitely no colors,” Ryder said.
Jay turned, which put the girls behind him. The small hiss of angry breath he heard came from Blue. He was sure of it.
“I don’t want trouble,” Danny said, lowering his hand, but Jay had seen the quick flash of rage in his eyes.
“Then what do you want?”
Danny Luke looked over Jay’s shoulder at Blue and Phoebe and smiled. The look was interested.
Not fucking happening. The anger came fast and was white hot.
“Some food,” the man said, dragging his eyes from Blue.
Ryder exhaled. “If there’s no trouble, I’ll serve you, but you start anything, and you’re gone.”
Luke raised his hands, palms outward. Jay wasn’t fooled. This guy was trouble. He just hadn’t shown his hand yet, but he would.
Jay stood where he was while Ryder went around the counter and served the bikers. Blue and Phoebe never moved.
“Hi, I don’t know many people in this town because, let’s face it, the Bandits have a terrible reputation, but we’re planning to fix that. I’m Danny.”
Jay shook the man’s offered hand because he’d always been a believer in the adage keep your friends close and your enemies closer. “I’m Jay.”
“And you ladies?” Danny said, moving around Jay before he could stop him, and the truth was, the only reason he didn’t want this man near those women was because of Blue.
She’s not your woman. You just slept with her once.
Jay didn’t move his feet but turned and watched the introductions. Neither of the women were exactly friendly, but they weren’t outright rude either.
“I’ll take three chocolate muffins and three wedges of that cake too,” Danny Luke said, pointing into the display case.
No one moved, not even the other bikers, who stood like statues a few feet away, watching while Ryder served their leader. Only after they had left did everyone else take their first real, deep breaths.
“What the actual fuck just happened?” Zoe said. “And how come you let him take all the muffins when I wanted one?”
Jay snorted, and soon everyone was laughing nervously as the roar of bikes outside signaled the departure of the Bandits.
“You need to watch out for him,” Jay said, leaning in to whisper the words in Blue’s ear.
She turned her head so their eyes met. “I can take care of myself, and I don’t need another man watching over me. I have two big brothers who do that enough.”
“I think we’ve already established that I’m not your brother,” Jay said. He then moved to the counter and willed himself not to look at Blue Jay McAllister again.
He told himself that the reaction he’d just had was normal. He’d just been protecting someone from the Bandits. But Jay knew better. He’d never felt the rush of irrational heat or need to protect like he just did seeing that shithead Bandit look at Blue.
It was because of what they’d shared. A memory would slide into his head at random times and unsettle him. The feel of her skin, warm and silky. The sound she made when he slid inside her.
“You all good there, Jay Jay? You’re looking a little flushed.”
He shut down his thoughts. “All good here, Rye. Just get your sister’s coffee and cake ready. You know how she is when she’s hangry.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Ryder muttered.
It wasn’t until he had Zoe’s cake, seeing as the muffins were gone, and a wedge for himself, that he went to return to his seat and found Phoebe and Blue now seated at his table.
Well, fuck.