Chapter 6 #2
Kelly stared at the road in front of her and then back at Grumpy, rather annoyed. “Really? You have nothing to say?”
“Not here.” He pointed forward. “The answers you’re looking for are in there.”
Kelly’s eyes landed on the clubhouse in the distance. Frustrated and annoyed, she righted herself in her seat. She understood that maybe talking in her car in front of the closed gate was not the best time or place, but he could at least say something.
Feeling slightly vindictive, Kelly removed his hand from her thigh as she started forward. The road dipped downward, leaves and morning dew blanketing the green lawn on either side of them.
Grumpy immediately moved his hand back to her thigh.
Frowning downward, Kelly quickly returned her eyes to the road, grabbed his wrist, and moved his hand back to his own thigh.
Like it was magnetized, his left hand once again landed on her right thigh.
Kelly scowled at him as she rounded the slight curve into the large parking lot before the clubhouse. Seeing no other cars at the front, Kelly claimed the spot closest to the double doors so he didn’t have to walk too far.
“Stay.” While the order came quick, almost clipped, Grumpy’s movements were…not.
Kelly turned her head in time to see him take his seat belt off and open the passenger door.
Then watched as he moved at a snail’s pace to swing his legs out of the Yugo, scoot forward on his ass to grab the door handle, attempt to stand, realize he wasn’t close enough to the edge of the seat, scoot his ass forward more, push up on the door handle, and shakily get to his feet.
He paused for a moment to gather his balance before shifting to his right and closing the door.
His steps were slow but steady as he made his way around the front of her car and over to her door.
It would have been comical if she didn’t know the extent of his injuries and what he was still overcoming.
As soon as her door was open, Grumpy held his hand out to her. “Coffee and purse.”
Kelly shook her head, having no idea what was happening. But still, she handed the travel mug he’d prepared for her up to him and then her purple with pink seams oversized carryall purse. He took both, leaving her hands free to get out of the car.
It was…sweet, in a completely unnecessary sort of way.
Still, she was annoyed enough at him for ignoring her word vomited concerns that she informed him, “I could have done that all on my own. Been doing it for years, you know.”
“And now you don’t have to.” Grumpy’s expression didn’t change, though that might have more to do with not wanting to irritate his skin grafts than a lack of emotion.
Though he handed her back her coffee and purse, he watched her like he wanted to verify she actually had them.
Kelly frowned at herself. Her mom often accused her of being too independent.
But she was also thirty-eight and extremely single.
If she didn’t do things, no one would. Yet, she knew she wanted the sort of man who would help her, let her lean on him, do things like open doors for her and carry things for her.
Crap. Was this the start of it? Her terrible track record of failed relationships hinted that it might be. What if her independence cursed her, making her so annoyed by Grumpy doing things for her that she grew to resent him?
Kelly suppressed a groan. It was far too early in the morning for this sort of mental breakdown. She was still working on her second cup of coffee, which, she reminded herself, Grumpy had thoughtfully prepared for her.
They moved together towards the glass double doors at the front of the clubhouse.
Rumor had it that the double doors used to be a heavy wood, but they’d been destroyed when Sheriff Hannigan, the town’s interim sheriff after Sheriff Longhill retired before Carlos took up the mantle, broke them down in the middle of Lucky’s fortieth birthday party.
That was four-ish years ago to Kelly’s recollection.
She paused without reaching for the handle, knowing Grumpy would want to hold the door open for her. He did, easily guiding her inside.
Though the large front area was empty, it didn’t feel stale.
The clubhouse pulsed with life and laughter, the remnants of the family built here, not of blood but of circumstance.
From the floor littered with kids’ toys to the messy couch cushions to the winter coats hung up on the wall rack to the smell of vanilla and cinnamon heavy in the air.
This place didn’t need to be filled with people to feel like home.
Grumpy continued to guide her forward. She thought they were coming here to speak with Keys, but now she was realizing that Keys might be across the street at his new building. And suddenly Kelly found herself questioning why they were here at the clubhouse, especially if it was empty.
On their right, a woman stepped out of the swinging door Kelly knew led to the clubhouse’s commercial-sized kitchen.
More than once Kelly had helped Jenna over the years when they were cooking and packing meals for the community members who had no family on Thanksgiving or Christmas and were unable to leave their homes.
She hadn’t been back here since Ghost had taken over as president almost two years ago.
The woman paused, a steaming cup partway to her mouth. She was young, maybe twenty, twenty-one. She had a fashionable beanie on her head that prevented Kelly from seeing her hair color and a lean stature Kelly’s hips envied.
“Oh, hello.” Her blue eyes danced to Grumpy. “Are you here to see Demo?”
Grumpy seemed like he wanted to just keep walking forward, but instead he paused, took a deep breath, and said, “Yeah.”
The woman waved them forward. “Come on back, but excuse the mess. We’re sorting through paperwork now that the bar is back open.”
Kelly had not gone to Demon on the Rocks’ Grand Re-Opening. It had happened about two weeks ago, but she’d taken a shift at the diner so other waitresses could go. She knew without asking that Grumpy wasn’t going to be there, and she had no reason to go if he wasn’t.
“I’m Kelly,” she introduced herself when Grumpy didn’t. “I don’t think we’ve met before.”
“Rhea,” the younger woman said, transferring her mug to her other hand so she could shake Kelly’s. “I’m Demo’s assistant.”
Kelly was surprised by this, but not put off by it.
While Rhea was a beautiful, young woman, Kelly knew these men.
Loyalty was in their blood. Beyond that, she’d been there when Demo and Paige had declared their love for each other in the diner three years ago.
If anything, they were more in love today than they were back then.
“Good to meet you. I work at the diner with Sophia and Tally.”
“Ah,” Rhea smiled brightly, “I thought the name sounded familiar. I helped Demo with the paperwork for your promotion when Sophia took control. I used to work at the Red Lobster in Cottonville. Scotty and Lucky were on a Daddy-Son date when they met me and brought me here. The club’s sponsoring my college tuition while I work on my MBA. ”
Though the clubhouse was two stories, the second floor only covered part of the first floor, giving the front room an extra tall ceiling.
The stairs were directly across the main room from the front doors, and under them, were two offices.
Ghost, the club’s president, had one, and Demo, the club’s treasurer, had the other.
The times Kelly had been in the clubhouse, both offices were closed up and locked.
Now, both were open, though it didn’t look like Ghost was in the building.
The mess Rhea had mentioned was mighty. Kelly’s eyebrows raised at the piles of paperwork around.
Some were a single piece while others were stacked four or five high.
As light as a ballerina, Rhea tip-toed around the paperwork until she reached a blank spot in the floor that was clearly where she’d been working from.
Demo sat behind his desk, typing faster than Kelly thought a seven-fingered man could type. Honestly, it was impressive. Before Rhea could announce that he had visitors, Demo lifted his head and smiled. “’bout damn time.”
He rolled his large office chair back until he reached what looked to be an old waist-high dresser lining the wall.
On top were countless pictures of Demo, Paige, and their two boys, Nelly Bean and Mikey, including one where the two boys excitedly held up a picture of a sonogram.
It was hard to believe both boys were now in school, with Nelly Bean only just entering kindergarten.
Kelly remembered the first time she’d served Paige and her boys at the diner, the happy daughter-in-law and grandsons of the town’s new sheriff.
She also remembered the day Paige’s husband, Richard, had abandoned them, leaving Paige and their boys practically penniless.
Though an acupuncturist, Paige had started selling pictures of her feet online to help make ends meet—but some days, it still wasn’t enough.
Then Steel had sent Demo to Paige’s acupuncture clinic to have his shoulder worked on after he’d been shot trying to prevent Jasmine from being kidnapped, and the rest, as they say, was history.
Demo pulled open the drawer and grabbed out a rectangular, white gift box, like something stores used to offer at Christmas time. It took him a second to maneuver the mess on the floor, which turned out to be much harder to do in biker boots than it had been for Rhea in her high-top sneakers.
Kelly bumped into Grumpy as she tried to move backward out of Demo’s way. The three of them ended up in the hallway under the staircase.
Though Demo’s smile was for Kelly, he handed the box to Grumpy. “Congrats, man. I’m really happy for you.”
Grumpy took the box. “Wait,” he said when Demo stepped away as if to go back into his office. “Tell her what this means.”
Demo’s eyebrows lifted. “Don’t you…?” His eyes flicked back and forth between Kelly and Grumpy.
“Just do it.”