Chapter Three
Shiloh had a helluva time trying not to think of anything. Especially the asshole who had embodied her past, and the biker who sparked something deep inside. If she’d been a fanciful person, she might’ve believed in destiny. What was meant to be shall be, and all of that.
She didn’t believe in fairy tales, or happy-ever-afters.
When she finally managed to fall asleep early in the morning hours.
It took a lot of effort to pull herself out of bed on Saturday.
A mixture of the draining bus ride, going to the bar, and the emotional rollercoaster afterward had pushed her past exhaustion.
She frequently suffered from insomnia, so being tired was nothing new.
She was closer to being a zombie than a human being, and the damn bathroom mirror cemented that.
Thankfully, Vette understood and didn’t push too hard.
“I’m gonna start exploring tomorrow, look for work,” Shiloh assured her.
“Hey, it’s all good. Rest. Take your time. If that takes a month or a few months, it’s okay. I’m not kicking you out.”
“I definitely can’t mope around for months. I’m not built that way.”
“Do you know what you want to do?”
Shiloh sighed. “No. Back home, I worked at a gas station convenience store. Not sure if I want to do that here.”
“Like I said, take your time. Figure things out. Don’t rush into something you’re not exactly happy with. Okay?”
“Okay,” she replied.
By early evening, it was a battle to keep her eyes open.
Everything from the past week, hell, the past year, was crashing down around her.
She said good night and headed back to her room.
As she drifted back into sleep, that damn sexy biker was there once more to greet her, and for the first time in a long time, she slept through the night.
****
“I’m on call this week,” Vette told her when she walked into the kitchen early the next morning, wearing jeans, a flannel shirt, and boots.
“Caffeine is made.” Shiloh pointed to the coffee pot.
“Oh, thank you!” She grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured herself a cup, then added cream and sugar. “Like, I said, I’m on call from Sunday to Sunday. If I have to go in the middle of the night, I’ll end up sleeping at the office.”
“Want me to make you some breakfast?”
Vette shook her head. “Thank you, though. What do you have going on today?”
“Get some papers and check out the help wanted ads. Figured that might be the best place to start.”
“You sure?”
Shiloh nodded. “I’ve never been good at doing nothing.”
“Okay.” Vette smiled. She finished off her coffee and placed the mug in the sink. “Whatever works for you.”
“Thanks, Vette.”
“And thank you for the coffee. See you later.”
Shiloh nodded and watched her leave. A minute or so later, she heard the car start up and drive off. Letting out a sigh, she rose and brought the few dishes over to the sink, methodically cleaning them by hand, drying them off, and then putting them away.
For a moment, she stared out the kitchen window, and her mind tried to wander back to the mess she’d left behind.
No matter how many times she tried to pull herself out of the nightmare flashbacks, the images stayed ingrained in her psyche.
She raised her fist and hit the counter, and the pain snapped her back to the present.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed everything out of her mind and ignored it in her heart.
She took a shower and dressed, then stepped out of the house.
When she glanced down at her phone, she realized her prepaid cell phone bill had come due, and since she hadn’t added funds, it was shut off. Absolutely fantastic.
With a sigh, she started walking. It was a beautiful summer day as the sunlight danced through the tree branches.
Luckily, Vette’s house was off a side street and close to downtown.
For a while, she wandered. There were several help-wanted signs around in various businesses, some she even had experience with, but each one didn’t feel right.
So, she kept walking, and before she realized it, she’d walked to Kira’s diner.
Entering, she walked to the counter and sat down. Kira came out a moment later from the kitchen, carrying two plates of food. As soon as she spotted Shiloh, she gave a huge smile.
“Welcome back,” she greeted. “I’ll be right with you.”
“Okay.”
She grabbed a menu and started to look it over, mentally calculating how much money she had in her pocket. The stool next to her swiveled.
“Hello, Shiloh.”
The deep baritone startled her so much she let out a little yelp and placed her hand over her heart.
Her jaw dropped when she realized it was her sexy biker dude.
What the hell was he doing there? It threw her off kilter.
Definitely disturbing since he’d kind of popped up in her dreams, and her traitorous body zinged alive at his nearness.
“Jade?” she questioned, staring at him in disbelief. “Oh. You have green eyes.”
“That I do.” He smiled. “It’s how I got my club name.”
“Aren’t they, like, rare?” They were shockingly the color of emeralds. She shook her head. “Uh, forget that question. How did you find me?”
“I thought you found me,” he said.
“So, it’s a coincidence?”
“Maybe on your end,” he said. “Kira’s our queen.”
That confused her. “What?”
“Hi, Jade,” Kira greeted as she came behind the counter and placed one hand on her hip. “What ‘cha doing with my friend?”
He shot Shiloh a quick glance. “Friend?”
“Queen?” she countered.
Kira jutted her chin. “Go join the others and I’ll be over shortly.”
He winked at Shiloh and obeyed. She looked over her shoulder, watching as he sat down at a table with three other men wearing leather cuts that had the Sons of Sin MC patch. Two were identical twins.
“There should be a law against men being that handsome,” she muttered under her breath.
“You are absolutely right,” Kira said, staring at them. Then she winked. When Shiloh glanced back at them, one of the twins blew her a kiss, while his clone rolled his eyes.
“Is that one your fiancé?”
“They both are,” Kira said with a smirk.
“Oh.” Shiloh blinked. “How does that work?”
She gave a sly smile. “Very well for me.”
“Are they why Jade called you queen?”
“A little pretentious, but yes. Saint is the prez, and Sinn is the V.P.”
“Saint and Sinn?”
“Sinner.”
“Interesting.”
“What can I get you today?”
“Um, coffee, please.”
Kira raised an eyebrow, and there was a look in her eyes that put Shiloh on guard.
“You like pancakes?”
Shiloh nodded.
“Coming right up.”
Before she could say anything, Kira had walked away to get her coffee. Shiloh took a deep breath, suddenly feeling awkward with Jade sitting behind her. She could feel his gaze on her skin. What was the coincidence, with over sixty thousand people in Cheyenne, that she found his club turf?
A few minutes later, Kira came back with a stack of pancakes, freshly brewed coffee, sugar, creamer, and syrup. Her stomach rumbled, but she leaned forward.
“I can’t really afford this,” she whispered.
Kira responded by leaning forward herself. “It’s on the house. A welcome-to-Wyoming meal.”
Unexpectedly, emotion clogged her throat, and she blinked to get rid of the unwanted feelings. First, she had Vette, and now Kira. How pathetic was it that two acts of kindness, unexpected and wonderful, reduced her to tears?
Kira headed off to take care of her other customers, leaving her to eat. They were the best damn pancakes she’d ever had. Now that she had some food, she felt relaxed enough to plan her future. From her purse, she pulled out a pen and grabbed a napkin to start her list.
Phone. Definitely. Job. Obviously. Transportation. Unknown.
“You need a job?”
Shiloh jumped once again, and her pen went flying. She scowled at Jade. “Really? Stop it. My life just flashed before my eyes for the second time today.”
He chuckled and bent to pick up her pen to place it in front of her. “Sorry. Couldn’t help seeing your list.”
“Stop eavesdropping.”
“That’s when you listen. What I did was peeping.”
“What you did was annoying.”
He pursed his gorgeous lips in amusement. “Are you always so grumpy? Or is it just me?”
Could lips be gorgeous? Why am I looking at his lips? Wait, did he say something? Focus, Shi!
“What?” she asked.
“Are you grumpy because you need a job?”
Giving herself a mental slap, she pulled her gaze off his mouth.
“Yes, I need a job,” she said cautiously.
“Any experience with tattoos?”
“Giving them or getting them?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of booking appointments. Taking money. Organization skills. You have tatts?”
“No. But I can do front-end work. I was a clerk at a dental office until the dentist was shut down because he wasn’t using gloves on patients.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“Yeah,” she said with a snort. “But because of that disgusting ex-dentist, I do have all those skills.”
He stuck his hand out. “You’re hired.”
“Um, what’s the job?”
“Running the front at the club’s tattoo studio.”
She looked at it. “Shouldn’t I interview with the manager or something?”
“I am the manager.”
“Oh. Well, that’s convenient.”
He made a pointed glance from her hand to his still outstretched one. She debated only a moment because she needed a job, and shook it. A little spark of excitement raced along her nerve endings. It unsettled her, and she quickly pulled her hand away.
“Great. Um, there are some questions I have.”
“Go ahead, shoot.”
“Hours? Pay? Where is it?”
“Long hours. Decent money. Off West Lincoln Way.”
“Do buses go that way?”
“Don’t have a car?”
She shook her head. “I just moved here.”
“All right. I’ll pick you up.”
“Excuse me?”
“Call it a perk. Like I said, the hours are long but include dinner.”
“Oh. That’s nice.” She pulled her hand back. “Um. I—I don’t know. I mean, sounds like fun, but not sure I want you picking me up.”
“Okay, well, how about I pick you up until you’re able to get a car?”
Everything was moving super-fast, but she needed a job, and maybe this would be exactly what she needed to forget about everything she left behind.
“I guess—”
“Great. You’ll be helping us out a lot. Give me your phone, and I’ll put my number in it so you can text me your address.”
“My phone is dead.”
His brow furrowed on that, but it smoothed out a moment later, and he pulled his phone out, unlocked it, and then handed it to her.
“Here. Put your address in so I can GPS you.”
She hesitated a moment before taking it and entering Vette’s address. Then, she handed it back.
“Excellent.” He held out his hand again. “I’ll see you about 11:30 tomorrow morning. Hours are noon to whenever you want to leave.”
“Okay.”
“Good to have you on board.”
He held out his hand once more. She shook it, and that annoying spark from earlier happened once more. “Yeah. Thanks.”
What had she gotten herself into?