Chapter Thirteen
Katrina
“What did you talk to Derek about?” I asked Frankie, looking at her over my shoulder. Zero had been quiet since pulling away from the house, but his eyes swept up and looked in the rearview mirror.
“It was private.”
“Frankie,” I warned. We didn’t keep secrets. Ever. Not after what happened.
“Babe, leave her.”
“What do you mean, leave her?” I asked him, ignoring the way he called me babe. I kept telling myself it was a biker thing. It didn’t mean anything, but I knew it did when he said it. “You told me he shouldn’t be around her.”
“WHAT?” Frankie shouted. “Why would you say that?”
Zero rubbed his hand over his face and turned to me. “We should talk about this later.”
“No, I wanna talk about it now. Why would you say that about him?” Frankie demanded, leaning forward between the seats.
Zero looked at her reflection in the mirror. He knew he was skating on thin ice where Derek was concerned. He’d been careful not to say anything about him in front of Frankie.
“He’s done things. Bad things.”
“And you haven’t?” she asked, folding her arms and flopping back against the seat. “I know all about the stuff bikers do.”
I closed my eyes. What the hell was I doing? Frankie was right. I couldn’t have a relationship with Zero even if I did feel something—which I clearly didn’t. Every time he touched me, it felt wrong.
He was a nice guy, and he would make a great husband and father someday. Just not for me and Frankie.
“Zero’s right. We can talk about it later,” I said as we pulled up to the theater in town. Frankie opened her door immediately and climbed down. I waited for Zero to open mine, knowing he preferred it that way. But when he brought us home, I would have to talk with him and try to let him down easy.
He held the door for us, and Frankie walked in without a thank you. I gave him an apologetic smile, and he shrugged, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.
My daughter wasn’t making it easy for him.
He bought the tickets and offered to purchase popcorn and drinks, but Frankie declined. He asked about candy, and she shook her head.
She walked ahead of us toward the theater door, and I whispered, “I’m so sorry about Frankie.”
“It’s okay. I knew she’d be tough to win over.”
He smiled and winked. And I knew he thought he’d already won me over. I was leading him on because I hated confrontation. He placed his hand on my back, and I tried not to tense up.
We found our seats, and Frankie sat in the middle. She looked up at Zero, silently daring him to complain. And to his credit, he only smiled and said how lucky he was to sit next to her.
She rolled her eyes, and I wanted to smack the back of her head. I’d never hit my daughter, not even a tap on the hand when she reached for something dangerous. But if she didn’t change her attitude soon, I’d no longer be able to claim that accomplishment.
The lights dimmed, and as the previews played, I offered Frankie some popcorn, but she was holding on to her grudge and refused. It was going to be a long ninety-five minutes.
None of us enjoyed the movie. There were parts where everyone in the theater laughed at the same time, but neither Frankie nor Zero even cracked a smile.
As the credits rolled across the screen, we sat in our seats and waited for the other moviegoers to make their way out. Then Frankie stood and turned around. A smile spread over her face, and she scooted past Zero and up the ramp.
“Derek!”
I heard Zero groan and I closed my eyes briefly. What was he doing here? This was a kid’s movie. I turned my head and saw him with Charlie on his hip.
“Hey, Curly Sue,” he greeted Frankie, and though I couldn’t see her face, her shoulders were tense.
“Why do you have Charlie?” Frankie asked.
Zero had moved into the aisle, and I stepped in front of him to make my way to Frankie. I could feel him at my back, but he didn’t touch me. Not until we were standing in front of Derek.
“Charlie is my niece,” Derek said.
“Your niece?” I asked, not sure I understood. “Your actual niece or club niece?”
“Derek isn’t in the club,” Zero added with a note of disdain in his voice.
“Jack is my brother,” Derek informed while glaring at Zero.
I looked him over and wondered how I hadn’t noticed it before. Their looks were very similar. The same dark hair and chiseled jaw. But where Jack’s eyes were bright blue, Derek’s were a darker blue, the color of a stormy ocean.
I love storms, I thought, then shook my head to clear my thoughts. “I didn’t realize that.”
“Neither did they,” Zero mumbled behind me.
“What?” I asked, turning to him.
“Jack and I didn’t grow up together. We only met last year.” Derek looked at Frankie and said, “I have to get Charlie home. I’ll see you later, Curly Sue.”
“Bye, Derek.”
“Bye, Frankie!” Charlie said excitedly.
“Bye, Charlie.” Frankie’s goodbye to Charlie wasn’t as cheerful.
She almost sounded jealous. Again, I questioned her fascination with Derek.
Yes, he’d been nice to her when he came to fix the sink, attentive to her questions.
But none of the men we’d met since living here had been mean.
They were all friendly, especially those in the club, since they knew what she’d been through. Where we had come from.
But for her, Derek was different.
Even Jack, who made Frankie laugh every time she saw him, didn’t have the same effect. My hackles were up, and red flags waved in front of my face, especially after what Richard had done. But I hadn’t gotten that vibe from Derek.
You didn’t get that vibe from Richard either.
That was true. My instincts weren’t trustworthy when it came to men. It seemed the more interested I was, the worse they turned out to be. Which was why I was trying with Zero.
Unfortunately, there was zero interest.
“Mom, we’re going to be late!”
“Frankie, you say that every time, and we haven’t been late once,” I reminded her as I pulled my boots on.
Tonight was her weekly dinner with Cami.
Frankie wouldn’t be put off much longer, then we would have to go out to the orchard.
She and Cami had been begging for a sleepover, but I was so unsure.
Maggie said she understood and added they had an extra room if I wanted to stay too. Frankie hemmed and hawed, but I knew she would relent if it meant she got to spend the night. And being there with her, at least the first time, would certainly make me feel better.
Zero’s words when he dropped us off last night hadn’t helped my fears. He’d waited until Frankie went inside, and I tried to let him down easy, but he wouldn’t hear of it. In the end, I gave in.
The door closed behind Frankie as she rushed inside as soon as Zero turned the truck off. He came around and opened my door like a perfect gentleman before walking me to the porch.
When he leaned in to kiss me, I placed a hand on his chest.
“We need to talk.”
Zero sighed and straightened up. “I know what you’re gonna say, Katrina, but I want you to give it more time.”
“Zero,” I said, shaking my head.
He pressed a finger under my chin and lifted my eyes to his. “Is this about Derek?”
I wanted to say no, but the truth was, I couldn’t stop thinking about him, obsessing about why Frankie was so drawn to him. But it wasn’t the full truth, so I kept it to myself.
“No, it’s about me and Frankie. My past relationships haven’t been good for her, and I have to put her first. It’s only been a few months since Slyce pulled us out of the clubhouse.”
“I get it,” he said, but his tone wasn’t convincing. “Are you opposed to a friend? We can hang out; do things with Frankie. Let her get to know me, let you both get to know me.”
I bit my lip and looked over my shoulder at the house. When I turned back, his eyes were pleading with me to give him a shot. I pressed a hand to his chest, desperate to feel something close to what I felt when Derek touched me, but it wasn’t there.
I leaned on my toes and kissed his cheek. “Friends,” I agreed.
He nodded and kissed the top of my head. “I’ll give you a call, and we’ll make some plans to hang out.”
“I’d like that.”
He climbed into his truck and pulled away. I sat on the porch until his taillights disappeared, then dropped my head onto my knees. Why couldn’t it be him I found attractive?
“Mom, come on,” Frankie called from outside. I stood up with a heavy sigh. My daughter is my life, I reminded myself. Her safety and well-being were more important than my sex life.
I locked the door behind me and climbed into the car. Frankie bounced in her seat, and I chuckled. I still hadn’t enrolled her in school. Until she told me otherwise, the plan was to continue homeschooling.
The second the engine shut down, Frankie was out the door and rushing for the diner. Cami sat in the same booth they sat in every week, and I walked over to say hello.
“Is Maggie here?” I asked, looking around the room.
“No, Nox wasn’t feeling well, so she dropped me off. Rhoda isn’t closing tonight, so I’ll stay until her shift ends. Then I’ll go home with her.”
I tried not to let my disappointment show. I enjoyed having dinner with Maggie. We were getting to know each other, and despite the difference in our ages, I considered her a safe friend.
“I guess I’ll sit at the counter.”
“You could sit with Derek,” Frankie offered.
“What?”
“I’d love to have dinner with you, Kat.” His voice behind me was unexpected, and my body trembled with desire. It should have jumped in surprise, but the soft rumble of his words rolled over me like a lover’s whisper.
He smiled when I looked over my shoulder. “I’m sure you’re busy.”
“Nope. Mimic and Indie have the kids tonight, so Jack and Sam went on a date. I’m on my own, same as you.”
“Mom,” Frankie whispered beside me. “He can be your friend too, just like Zero.” She said the last part loud enough for Derek to hear.
“Everyone needs friends, Kat,” Cami said cheerfully from the booth. I closed my eyes in defeat. When I opened them, I caught Derek winking at my daughter, who winked back, and suddenly I knew exactly what she was doing.
“Frankie,” I warned.
“Go, Mom. Cami and I have stuff to talk about. No moms allowed.” She shoved me in Derek’s direction, who grasped my elbow lightly and led me toward a booth on the other side of the room.
Hearing the girls giggling behind me, I wondered if Nox was really sick or if they’d talked Maggie into staying home on purpose. When I caught Rhoda’s wink, I knew they were all in on it.
Derek sat down across from me, facing the door, which meant I couldn’t see the girls. When I looked over my shoulder at where they were, he said, “I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“This,” I snapped, waving my hand between us.
“Having dinner with a friend,” he answered with a smirk as he leaned back against the booth.
“We aren’t friends, Derek.”
“We could be.”
My jaw dropped, and I gaped at him. We could be? That was his answer? I leaned forward. “You don’t kiss friends the way you kissed me in that restaurant bathroom,” I hissed out, keeping my voice low enough that no one heard me.
“Then we could be more than friends.”