Everlyn #4
“Oh lord, you’re making me want to get a motorcycle. And the houses are incredible.” Everlyn gushed in delight.
“I think we have some decent homes. As for you getting a bike, if you do, let me teach you how to ride. You need the right instructor and plenty of practice before you get a license. And I’ll help you choose the right bike.
A lot of people buy one that’s too big for them to handle at first. You have to build up to the bigger ones,” I warned.
While the image of her riding her own bike was hot, it scared me.
Plus, I preferred her on the back of mine.
The feel of her wrapped around me, pressing into my back, had felt amazing.
I hadn’t let women ride with me, though plenty had asked.
Everlyn fit perfectly against me, as if that spot was made for her.
“If I get the guts to do it, I’d love to have a real instructor,” she replied.
“Deal. Alright, it’s time to face the horde of Vikings. Are you ready?” I teased.
“I am. Oh, wait, I have something in the car we need to take.”
She rushed over and got into her trunk. A smaller cooler sat inside. She went to pick it up, but I gently nudged her out of the way, and I lifted it out.
“I’ll carry it. You can get the trunk,” I told her.
And that was how we made our way over to where I had already heard loud voices gathering. It was time to present her to the club.
Everlyn:
Approaching the loud, slightly chaotic group, I tried to swallow away my nervousness.
Up until now, I’d been having too good a time to dwell on the fact that I was here to meet the whole club.
Fenrir had been friendly and funny. And when I met Pirate and Raider, they’d been kind.
I had no reason to believe that the others wouldn’t be the same.
The conversation, the bike ride, and checking out all the houses had been exactly what I enjoyed. Zephyr insisted on carrying the cooler I brought. Inside were the desserts I’d made. One was a blueberry cobbler, and then there were peach, apple, cherry, and blueberry pies.
When I asked Zephyr what I should bring when he invited me, he said nothing.
I wasn’t able to come empty-handed. He ran through all the food they’d have, and I noted he hadn’t mentioned dessert, so I decided I’d bring some.
And I had no idea how many people they would have in addition to the members, so I prayed I’d made enough.
As we got closer to the outdoor barbecue area, the voices dropped to a lower octave, and eyes turned toward us.
Automatically, without thinking. I grabbed onto Zephyr’s elbow.
He gave me a reassuring smile. I left my hand there.
He placed the cooler on a table. Then, with his other hand freed, he placed it on my hand on his opposite elbow.
He left it there after a gentle squeeze.
The warmth and slightly calloused feeling reassured me.
Raider and Pirate stood and came over. They were both smiling.
“Everlyn, you made it. Welcome. We’re glad you joined us. We saw Zephyr zooming you around. Checking out the houses? Did you like them?” Raider asked.
“Thank you for inviting me. And I have to admit, I thought all the houses were great. Then I got the added benefit of riding a motorcycle again,” I confessed.
“I saw your smile when you were on it,” Pirate added.
“There you are. I’ve been waiting. Hey, hide all your saft, guys. Everlyn loves it,” Fenrir called out.
This remark had the group crowding around us, chuckling. I scanned them. Besides the four I knew, I saw nine more guys and two women. I wondered which guys the women were with.
“Stop hogging her and introduce us, Zephyr,” someone hollered.
Others grumbled in agreement, and my smile grew. I saw Zephyr scowl at them before he answered.
“I would if you’d all step back and let her breathe. By the gods, you’re like a pack of wolves. She’ll run and take whatever is in that cooler.”
There was a bit of repositioning, and the voices quieted. It reminded me of schoolboys being brought into line. The women were off to the side, watching their amusing antics.
“Alright, you heard Z, settle the hell down,” Raider announced loudly. All restlessness and muttering ceased.
“Thanks, Pres. Now, everyone, this is Everlyn Forrest. She recently booked a service at Passages and had Valhalla make a custom casket. She’s the environmental engineer tasked with cleaning up the sewage mess.
Everlyn, this is my club, my family. I’ll start in the back left-hand corner and work my way across, then forward. ”
I listened tentatively as he gave me everyone’s road name, pointing them out, and if they had a title of some kind, he told me what it was.
I was surprised the women had road names, as well.
And I noticed they wore cuts, too. I’d have to ask if that meant they were full members or merely the girlfriends of a couple of the guys.
After the recitation of names, everyone came up, shook my hands, and repeated their names to help me recall. The two ladies were last. They gave me unsure looks. I knew what it was like to feel that way in a crowd. I’d often felt that way in my life.
“Everlyn, these two are my sisters, Slayer and Spoiler,” Zephyr said.
“I’m so thankful to meet more women. I thought I’d be alone with all these guys. I have a question, and I pray it won’t sound stupid or insulting. Are you actual members of the club or with someone?” I asked.
“We’re full members. We’re not with anyone here,” Slayer said.
She was the more intimidating of the two, though Spoiler was no one to get on the bad side of, if my guess was right. Slayer turned, so I saw the back of her cut matched the men’s. Spoiler did the same.
I grinned. “Fantastic. They no doubt need female superior intellects to keep them in line,” I joked.
Some of the guys heard me, and it lit off a verbal sparring match. Everyone was in on it. I noticed it made Slayer even smile a tiny bit. I found it exhilarating. In the middle of it, Fenrir came up and handed me a glass.
“I snuck some for you,” he whispered conspiratorially.
“Thank you. I owe you,” I pseudo-whispered back. Fenrir winked.
And just like that, I was absorbed into their conversations and antics.
Zephyr remained at my side, but we rotated among the others, joining different groups and conversations.
They wanted to know more about my job. I got to meet the ones who actually made Jeremiah’s casket: Invader, Berserker, and, to my surprise, Fenrir.
I told them how beautiful it was and how Allegra and I loved it.
There were questions about Allegra. I told them how we became friends, and her granddad made himself my guardian. I didn’t say anything about him leaving me half of everything and the CEO position at his company. I hadn’t fully processed it yet. No one knew other than Willis, Allegra, and me.
It wasn’t terribly long before food was brought out to put on the grill.
Chicken breasts, steaks, sausages, and hamburgers sat on the grills.
Along with those, there was a huge griddle grill, and they set a massive bowl of cut-up zucchini, onion, broccoli, bell peppers, and yellow squash next to it.
And another one with ears of corn still in their husks.
I offered to help cook, but they kindly told me to sit and socialize. I laughed when Berserker stepped up to man one of the grills, wearing an apron that read, World’s Sexiest Chef.
“Take the damn thing off,” Pirate shouted.
“Not that damn thing again,” Icelander muttered.
“I told you it would go to his head,” Spoiler said.
“You can all say whatever you want. I know it’s because you’re all jealous of the fact that it’s true. Just like I’m the world’s sexiest biker.”
Berserker posed and flexed his biceps, showing off his body. He wasn’t anything to turn your nose up at, but I thought Zephyr was sexier. Plunderer hurled a crumpled napkin in Berserker’s face, causing everyone to laugh, even Berserker.
As the time for the meat and veggies grew closer to being finished, Slayer and Spoiler brought over big silver roasting pans covered in foil.
They wore oven mitts, so the pans were clearly hot.
They contained baked beans and roasted potatoes.
Wanting everything to be out and on the table where they were setting up the food, I got into my cooler and started pulling out my pies. Bodies ended up huddling close.
“What did you bring? Damn, that looks good,” Barbarian said.
“There are peach, cherry, blueberry, and apple pies, and then a blueberry cobbler. I hoped at least one would interest everyone,” I explained.
“Man, those all sound so good. We love Spoiler and Slayer, but baking isn’t their thing,” Norse commented.
Both women chimed in, agreeing. Neither was offended.
Somehow, everything came together, so when we sat down at a long row of picnic tables, end-to-end, with the food in the center, it was like a family sitting down for dinner.
Platters and bowls were passed around. Everyone loaded up their plates with food.
Drinks were pulled from coolers and from a large fridge in the outdoor kitchen.
There was some talk during the meal, but not as much as before.
Appreciative sounds and calls for someone to pass this or that food made up the bulk of the conversation, along with praise.
I was feeling stuffed by the time I finished my food, and I hadn’t had any dessert. I sat back and watched them eat.
“Are you okay? Can I get you anything else?” Zephyr asked softly.
“No, I’m good. Just sitting here, letting it all digest, and marveling at the amount of food just consumed. Wow, I can’t imagine having to cook for everyone every day,” I admitted.
“We do it on special occasions or when we have a cookout, not every day. Most of us fend for ourselves and can cook enough to survive, though for some, they like to order out or eat in town,” he told me.