Chapter Ten.
Constance scooped up the keys to her minivan then changed her mind. Hanging them up she grabbed the ones for the GTO. Picking up her purse she headed for the door and was surprised when Frost held out his hand for the keys.
“You gonna let me drive your car?”
“If you want to drive my car, I’ll let you.” She dropped the keys into his hand, “what about your bike?”
Frost looked at her. “You wanna ride my bike into town?”
“Does that mean drive?” She asked, looking at him quizzically.
Frost chuckled then gave her the run down on motorcycle verbiage. “You drive a car and ride a bike. You’re a rider on a bike and a driver in a car.”
“So, no, I don’t want to ride your bike into town while you drive my car. Not that I could.”
“Now that we have that decided, let’s see what this old junky car can do.”
Frost chuckled when Constance slapped him. “Go!” she told him.
He made sure to open the passenger door for her and make sure she was settled before he closed the door. His mama hadn’t raised no fool. A man always made sure his woman…shit, was put in the car before they got into the safety of the car.
Frost swore at himself as he moved around the hood of the car.
Opening the driver’s door he slid in behind the wheel.
Sliding the key into the ignition and turning the key.
When the engine turned over, the deep, chest-thumping rumble sounded with a low, uneven lope that sounded like the car was breathing slowly and heavy through its nose.
Pressing gently on the gas the v8 engine idled with the feeling of the ground shaking beneath it.
The muscular thrum-thrum-thrum could be felt in his rubs more than hearing it in his ears.
With the mufflers Constance had on it, the car sounded straight old school, not choked to death. It sounded fat and throaty, not tiny.
He sat there enjoying the hollow bass that sounded like a drum being beat inside a steel barrel. Tapping the throttle again Frost smiled at the sharp confident bark then the rolling rumble. like it knew exactly how much power it was holding back.
Shifting into reverse he backed up then shifted into drive and pressed the gas as he drove the car down the driveway then turned onto the road. He looked at Constance and saw her smiling then she gave him the signal he could open her up.
The acceleration had the mufflers opening up, a roaring growl, smooth aggressive bass. Loud. Controlled. Dominant. Since he had her permission Frost put the GTO through its paces down the country roads all the way into town.
As they drove Constance thought about how little she asked him last night. “How old are you?” She asked, curious about it. Not that it mattered. At. All.
“How old are you?” Frost asked, turning the question back on her.
Constance cleared her throat, “I’m fifty-four.”
“Damn woman, you’re robbing the cradle.”
Constance stared at Frost freaking out a little. He looked close to her age, not fifty but close. “How old are you?” she asked, trying to hide the panic in her voice.
Frost reached over, taking her hand in his, “I’m old enough Constance.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Forty-seven.” He glanced over at her, “I think my mommie will let me sleep over at your house again.” Frost said in a little boy’s voice clearly having a good time giving her a hard time.
“Maybe I won’t let you sleep over again.”
“Oh sugar, I’ll be sleeping over a lot.”
Frost pulled into the quiet parking lot, the sound of the car broke the silence with its deep rumbling. He nodded for Constance to look towards her place. Bikes and riders were lined up out front waiting on them.
“What are they all doing here?”
“They’re here for you, me,” he shrugged. “Us.”
“What?”
“Sugar, that’s what family does for each other. And you, my dear, are now family.”
She hadn’t expected that. But god if it didn’t feel great to think she wasn’t alone anymore.
Frost parked the car and shut it down. Before he opened the door he faced Constance. “Look at me.”
Turning her head she looked at Frost. There was something in his eyes that she couldn’t read. Somehow it made her more nervous than she’d been the night before.
“Are you gonna have a problem with our age difference?”
Constance rolled her eyes, “Get out the car you fool.”
Frost reached across the gear shift grabbing her by the back of the neck pulling her to him, smashing his mouth against hers. When he finally let Constance go, her lips were swollen and her eyes were glazed. He liked the look on her.
“Don’t get out until I come around to open that door.”
She’d agree with whatever he wanted as she sat there dazed from his kiss. When Frost stepped out and closed the GTO’s heavy door with a thud, she pressed her fingers to her lips. Damn if the man could kiss.
When her door came open, she climbed out and waited while he shut it. Walking across the parking lot Constance couldn’t help but let her eyes scan the lot.
“Hey, you, okay?”
“Yes.” NO.
“Come on, time to get to work.”
They worked all day cleaning the place up, Constance felt more and more deflated with every person she had to turn away without help. She had no idea when the food bank would be open again. It broke her heart to see the sheer hopelessness in those in need walk away empty handed.
On some level she felt guilty she would have something to eat later. That’s when she saw Frost’s club brothers handing each person that left the food bank money for a meal. Tears filled her eyes seeing how giving they were. Selfless.
By the end of the day, they’d found a glass company that had sent someone out to measure the door and thin window that ran alongside it. It would take a week for the door to be replaced. That didn’t make things any better.
“What can we do to help Constance?” Undertaker asked, seeing she was clearly upset.
“I need to make some calls and see if any of our donation locations have anything we can pick up early. In the meantime, I need to go shopping where I can make meals for tomorrow.”
“Let us do the shopping. Frost can bring you out to the clubhouse. We have an industrial sized kitchen at your disposal. And a lot of hands to help.” He told her.
Constance could’ve hugged the man. Instead she thanked him and all the other men that had come to help her. She told the volunteers she’d call them when she could reopen the store. Hugs were given as they all headed out.
The last thing she did before Frost could drag her out where the brothers could put the plywood back up was take inventory of what had been salvageable.
By the time they arrived home, Constance felt hulled out. ‘I’d love a hot bath.”
Frost shut off the car, “didn’t see a tub in your bathroom.”
“Yep. Who knew the one thing I said no too would be the one thing I missed the most living small.”
Frost knew where he could get her a tub. Pulling out his phone he called Maddog, the chapters VP. “Maddog, is your cabin available?”
He listened as the brother told him it was unoccupied for the week, “I just need it for the night. Constance could use a soak, and her place doesn’t have a tub.” He explained.
When Maddog told him to come on over, Frost hung up. “Sugar, what do you need out of the house for the night.” He saw the way she was staring at him. “What?”
She was taken back, shocked, “did you just find me a tub to soak in?”
“It’s what you need.”
“I could kiss you.”
“Hold on to that idea while I go get your things.”
“What about you? Don’t you need a change of clothes …”
“Everything I need is on my bike.” He pointed at his ride. “You feel like a ride to clear your head?”
“That would be nice.” Grabbing the handle she saw him shake his head no and held her hands up waiting for him to come around the car before opening the door.