Chapter 19 Rafe
RAFE
It took us three days to decorate.
I’d never seen so many Christmas lights in all my life.
Colt was beside himself when he arrived that first day and he dove into the decorations with enough gusto to keep all of us going.
I’d expected Noelle to show up and help, but for whatever reason, I barely glimpsed her that night as she rushed in, hugged us all and complimented the decorations, and bolted again.
I’d approved her first article, so she must have been busy working.
I missed her with the kind of ache that made my bones feel fragile.
I stood on the porch beside Ash, the leather of my coat tight across my shoulders when I crossed my arms.
Ash popped his elbow against mine. “Colt’s covering the hot chocolate stand and making sure the kids stay safe with the inflatables.”
I shot a look that way. In a moment of insanity that included two trips to town, I’d bought an inflatable snowman, a sleigh, and eight reindeer.
They lined the side of the yard closest to the road, the seven-foot tall snowman waving people in with his North Pole sign.
A line of cars snaked around the curve, and I straightened. “Ready for this?”
I inclined my head toward the tables set up in front of the house.
Ash smiled wide and rubbed his hands together.
“Oh, yeah. I’m ready.” He hurried over to the tables and spoke to the woman who emerged from her car.
The donation process was pretty straightforward.
People pulled up, unloaded their boxes, and signed a piece of paper for us.
No one ever wanted recognition for their donations, but we tried to keep a running list of people.
’Course, most of the names ended up being Santa, Mrs. Claus, or one of the eight reindeer.
I headed down to the tables to help Ash when the woman unloaded three boxes and went back for another.
“Wow.” A boy about seven years old hopped out of the second car and pointed. “Can I go see the snowman while you talk to them?” He bounced from foot to foot. “Please?”
“If it’s okay with you, my brother has a hot chocolate station over there. He can keep an eye on your son.”
I offered the opportunity with my best smile and hoped for some kind of peace between us and the townspeople.
We’d had our scuffles through the years, but they’d always come through for the Christmas drive.
I needed a successful run this year to make up for all the bullshit we’d been through with our rivals.
The woman looked me over, a dimple of concern high in her forehead.
Finally, she nodded. “Sure. That would be great. I have quite a few things to unload.”
“I’ll help… if you don’t mind.” At her second nod, I followed her around to the back of her SUV.
She pulled a giant box of brand-new clothes toward her and hugged it to her chest. “It’s really wonderful that you’re doing this.”
I grabbed the next box and used it as an excuse to move away from her and the storm of emotion her words caused. “I’m glad we’re able to help.”
“You don’t see that very often from…” Her cheeks flushed as she trailed off. “Well, you know.”
“Yeah.” I bit back a sigh. “I know.”
We walked a fine line with our masquerade.
More people emerged from their vehicles.
Some I recognized as people on our list, people we kept track of and planned to help with the donations we collected.
Others came to sightsee.
A few lookie-loos wanted a peek at the big, bad motorcycle club. And that was okay too.
Getting people here was half the battle.
A group of five kids ran in front of me, and I lifted the box over their heads and laughed as they tore through the snow and into the giant bounce house Colt had insisted we needed.
I set the box on the table and headed back for a second while the woman stopped to sign her donation slip.
The remainder of the boxes were more of the same.
New clothes, with tags still attached.
All warm winter wear in a variety of sizes. “You really thought this through.” I tapped the closest box when she rejoined me.
“I wanted to help.” Grinning, she tugged her knitted cap down over her ears.
“Timothy, my son, came home a week ago telling me about a friend in his class who came to school in short sleeves and pants halfway up his calves. No coat or gloves. I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone going cold this year. ”
She gulped a quick breath. “I worried so much about his family the night the power went out. I tried to get Timothy to tell me where they lived, but he didn’t know. I’m so glad the power came back on so quickly.”
I gripped the box tight to keep from glancing toward Ash.
He’d been the one to fix the power.
Without asking.
I hated to think that I’d have told him to leave it off if he’d asked.
Thankfully, he’d not forced me to make that decision.
Sometimes, my asshole personality won over my common sense.
If I’d told him no, I would have changed my mind before anyone froze to death.
But that didn’t excuse my letting innocent people suffer.
“I think I know who you’re talking about.” I leaned in close enough to whisper and jutted my chin toward the bounce house where her son chatted with a boy his age. “Don’t worry, he’s on our list, and we’ll make sure he and the rest of his family have everything they need.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes when she looked up at me. “Thank you.”
“It’s what we do.” I stalked over to the table and deposited the box before making my way over to Colt.
He ladled up cups of hot chocolate and tossed handfuls of marshmallows on top.
“There you go. Enjoy.” Grinning ear to ear, he handed the cup to a little girl in pigtails and a pink knit cap with reindeer antlers poking out the top.
Noelle crossed the yard on her way to help Ash and waved at us.
Colt cleared his throat, and I realized I was staring after Noelle with a dopey expression on my face.
He held out a cup, then shoved it into my hand when I tried to say no. “Drink the damned hot chocolate and smile. This is the best turnout we’ve had in years.”
“Must be the lights.” I sipped the rich chocolate mixture that he’d managed to make the perfect temperature so it wouldn’t burn anyone and smirked at my baby brother. “Guess I had a pretty good idea.”
“You?” He backhanded my shoulder with his hand. “You’re impossible.”
“Mr. Rafe?” A willowy woman with a pile of dark curls around her face approached the table.
I stiffened a tiny bit and walked around to meet her. “Just Rafe. Is everything okay?”
She sniffled and rubbed the back of her bare hand across her nose. “Man. I swore I wasn’t going to do this.”
I waited for her to continue, taking another cup of hot chocolate from Colt and handing it to her.
She wrapped both hands around the warm mug and brought it to her nose, closing her eyes as she breathed it in. “Thank you.” After a sip, she met my gaze and seemed to make a decision. “You don’t know me.”
Oh, but I did.
The list of names and faces scrolled through my head in a mental cascade, but I kept quiet and let her work through whatever this was in her own way.
“I wanted to thank you for doing this. I’ve been a single mom for a few years now, and every year, I worry about what I’ll do come Christmastime.”
She took another sip. “I always try to plan ahead. You know? I’ll set aside a few dollars every payday and try to buy a little something along the way.”
Except over the years, she’d been forced to use that tiny nest egg to repair her car or fix a leak in the house she rented because the landlord had made any household issues her problem.
I was working on that, not that I’d ever admit it to her or anyone else.
A few more months and the guy would be ready to see things my way and turn over ownership.
Once we owned the apartments, we could fix them up and lower the rent.
I drank my hot chocolate. “Life sucks sometimes. That’s why we do this.”
She blew out a long breath. “I need to give you a hug. Is that okay?”
Before I could say anything, she flung one arm around my waist and pressed her cheek to my chest.
I patted her shoulder, too stunned for words.
“Thank you. I’m sure you don’t hear that enough. I wanted you to know that I see you. I see all the good you do, and people like me, we’re grateful.”
She squeezed my ribs tighter than I thought possible for a woman her size and stepped back.
“Some people in this town see what you are and nothing else. They see the leather jackets and the bikes and they make assumptions. Not me. Been on both sides of it, and I know a good group when I see them.” She wagged a finger at me. “You’re good people.”
It warmed my heart even as I wanted to deny it. “We don’t do it for thanks.”
“I know.” She sniffed and finished her hot chocolate. “I brought my kids out to enjoy the festivities. Once they saw the lights going up a few days ago, they begged me to come back today. I’m glad we did so I could finally thank you in person. What you do here, it means so much to so many people.”
She didn’t know the half of it. “This is one of our favorite events of the year. Making sure kids have presents on Christmas morning is an incredible joy. We’ll do just about anything to make a kid happy.” I stopped there. She could figure the rest out for herself.
I tossed my empty cup in the nearby trashcan and turned away from her happy smile.
I’d accepted her gratitude.
That was enough.
Shouts and laughter billowed out from the bounce house.
A pack of kids chased each other around the snowman as they pelted each other with snowballs.
Everywhere I looked, the Christmas spirit shone bright and happy.
Noelle stood between Ash and Bishop at the donation tables.
She talked animatedly with a man unloading a box of toys while Bishop watched the interaction with a suspicious glare.
A slow breeze teased the air and sent the fake icicle lights swaying.
They tinkled merrily in time with the Christmas music Colt played from the Bluetooth speaker connected to his phone.
The lyrics of Here Comes Santa Claus gave me a brilliant idea.
Without a word to anyone, I retreated to the clubhouse.
No one bothered to stop me.
If they saw me at all, they probably thought I was fed up with the whole process and needed some time away from people.
It wasn’t true.
I stopped at the closet and shoved aside the rack of coats and scarves.
A nondescript brown box sat in the back corner.
My chest pinched at the sight, but I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing it and popping open the flaps.
The people in this town often acted like they hated us.
They watched us with suspicion and distrust.
But today, they’d shown up in a big way, more so than any other year.
Was it the decorations or Noelle’s article about us?
Both, maybe.
Either way, they’d opened up their minds a tiny bit and shown their appreciation for us.
Appreciation deserved a reward, and I had just the thing in mind.