2.
J ANIS
“Hey, sweet cheeks,” Max, my part-time employee, greeted my friend Gracy, who all of us called Tad, as she walked into the kitchen to find me. She gave him a bored look, and he asked, “What? I was trying something new!”
“Try something else next time,” Tad told him before she smacked him on the back of the head. “Don’t objectify women and you might live long enough to register to vote.”
“Does your mom know that you talk to women like that?” I asked from across the room.
Max looked horrified at the thought of his mother finding out and tried to cover his ass by sputtering, “I only say shit like that to your friends because they're old and . . .” When Tad tilted her head and gave him the look , he stammered, “Not really old, just older than me. And much wiser. All of you are so smart. That’s why I test my boundaries when I’m around you. I know you’ll teach me how to become a good person.”
“You are so full of shit,” Tad said in disgust as she glared at him. “I have a good mind to call your mom right now and give her a list of your most recent boundary-testing comments just so I can be here when she comes in to annihilate your little ass.”
I laughed wickedly at the look of terror on Max’s face. I knew his mother wouldn’t physically harm him, but I’d been on the wrong side of her temper several times in my life and understood how traumatizing it could be. Tad had, too, I’m sure, and she would probably enjoy the show if Jewel appeared and started in on anyone other than the two of us.
“I’m taller than you,” Max boasted.
Tad seemed to understand that Max was still just a kid trying to find his footing, even though he was walking on thin ice, and tried to boost him up a bit by putting her hand on his bicep and asking, “Have you been working out, Max?”
“I have,” Max said, hopeful that Tad really had noticed a change. “Lazlo gave me a new weight lifting schedule. I hope that I’ll be big enough to try out for varsity by the end of summer.”
“Keep working at it, kiddo. You can do whatever you set your mind to with enough dedication,” Tad encouraged before she slapped the back of his head once more for good measure. “And quit saying cheesy shit to women.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Max said, humbled now.
The second he called her “ma’am,” Tad’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t let Max see it. Just like me, Tad was teetering on the brink of being thirty, and unlike me, she didn’t seem to be handling it very well. I didn’t really care about my age other than to be proud of myself for how hard I’d worked to get where I was in life and to plan to get even further in the next few years. I fantasized about maybe expanding my bakery so I could widen my selection or adding more diversity to my menu in the form of deli sandwiches or even dinner options.
The sky was the limit as long as I kept working hard. That was a lesson my mom had drilled into me from a young age that was backed up by my father, who had always been there to bolster me up when I needed it. That was how I was able to keep my grades up while working part time to save up for my dream of owning a bakery, yet still managing to have an active social life and enjoy my teenage years.
I was still doing all of those things now, including keeping up my grades, although I had to admit that it was a lot easier since I was taking one online class at a time while I worked more than fifty hours a week and still had an active social life.
Every time I thought about how lonely I was, I tried to redirect my mind to how much I still needed to accomplish before I could consider settling down and having children - something that most people would never imagine I yearned for. But those were two of my biggest goals, two that I hadn’t fulfilled on my proposed schedule. I was beginning to worry that I might never get to experience them, no matter how hard I worked.
“Earth to Janis,” Tad said before she snapped her fingers in front of my face. “I know it’s late in the afternoon and you’ve probably been up for twenty hours, but you’re the one that called me here on an urgent mission, so either get the gloves on and pick out your shovel or let me go because I have a nail appointment to get to in a few hours.”
I looked down at my hands and asked, “Do you think I should get my nails done?”
Tad stared at me like I’d just sprouted horns and asked, “Who are you, and what did you do with Janis?”
“Shut up, hag.”
“ That’s more like it.”
“I need a favor, but I need you to resist the urge to have another mini-freakout like you just had when I tell you what I want.”
“Okay,” Tad said as she sat down on the same stool Marley had used. Unnecessarily, she said, “I have a feeling I’m going to need to sit down for this conversation.”
“I don’t know why I even called you,” I snapped before I turned around and selected the piping bag I’d need for the next phase of the cookies in front of me.
Our entire lives, my dad’s close friendship with Grady, Tad’s father, threw Tad and me together; despite lacking a blood relation, we were raised as family, even closer than the club. Over the years, we’d had our arguments, probably because we were more alike than we were willing to admit, but I knew that if I ever needed anything, I could count on Tad to help me and take that secret to the grave.
This situation wouldn’t seem quite so dire to most people, but it was to me if only because I had some friends who would make fun of me endlessly at just the thought of me trying to change not just my look, but my personality. Tad, on the other hand, wouldn’t make fun of me.
She might tell me it was the most ignorant thing she’d ever heard of, but then she’d help me anyway.
There was something reassuring about having someone like that on your side.
“What do you need, Jan?” Tad asked quietly, and the understanding in her voice let me know I’d made the right choice in who to call.
“I need a fashion overhaul and lessons on how to be nice.”
Tad sat in silence and stared at me for some time before she asked, “Are you sick?”
“Why do people keep fucking asking me that?” I yelled. I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. In a calmer voice and nicer tone, I said, “Can you help me?”
“Of course, I can help you,” Tad said as if there was never any question. “I need to know what I’m working with here, though. I have some idea, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen you in anything but a men’s flannel or giant hoodie and baggy jeans or overalls. Is the denim permanently fused to your skin, or are you able to rotate them out?”
I glared at her, but she just smiled. I finally said, “I’m willing to make some changes, but I’m not giving up my jeans or overalls. Or my shoes! That’s a hard stop.”
“Got it. I can work with that. Would you be opposed to leggings?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a grimace. “They’re awfully revealing.”
Tad looked down at the athletic leggings she was wearing. They were probably from the line of clothes she and her sister had created that were successfully taking the market by storm. She looked up at me and asked, “What’s revealing about these? They don’t show any skin at all.”
“Maybe not, but sometimes, if they’re too tight or don’t fit well, cameltoe can be a problem.”
Tad’s eyebrows went up, and she whispered, “You’ve seen me with cameltoe and haven’t said anything?”
“Not you, specifically,” I assured her. “I just don’t want to be one of those people.”
“Got it,” Tad said with a sigh of relief. “Are we talking just a clothing makeover, or would you be open to doing something with your hair and possibly even wearing some makeup?”
“I’m at work every morning by four. Every minute of sleep I get is important to me. I don’t want to have to worry about doing something special to my hair every day.”
“I’m thinking of a very slight trim to take care of the ends, a deep conditioning mask, then some long layers just to shape it up and give more volume to your natural curls. Maybe even a few highlights and lowlights to bring it all together.”
“I might be more open to that if I understood anything you just said.”
“I’ll make an appointment with Opal.”
“Now I have another problem I need help with.”
“What’s that?”
“Can you teach me how to be nicer? And maybe even . . . “ I swallowed hard before I managed to choke out, “Bubbly?”
Tad tilted her head and stared at me as if she was trying to understand what I just said. She finally asked, “Could you say that again?”
“I’m going to have to get lessons on both of those things from someone else.”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
“Any clue who I could talk to?”
Tad took a minute or two to think about it and then shrugged and said, “We might have to look outside the family for that task.”
“I think you’re right.”
“You know, if we find someone, I wouldn’t mind getting some pointers myself.”
“Really?”
“It can’t hurt, right?”
“I have a feeling it’s going to be one of the most painful processes I’ve ever been through.”
“All the more reason to do it together, I guess. If you’re in, I’m in.”
“Now we just have to find someone who can help us.”
◆◆◆
COREY
“What’s up, Carl?” I asked as I walked around the hood of my truck toward the man sitting up against the wall near the mouth of the alley. “Are you doing okay today?”
“I’ve had better days.”
“Need anything?”
“Nah.I’m good.”
“Have you eaten lately?” He shrugged, and I sighed as I reached for my wallet. As I sorted through the stack of gift cards I kept there, I asked, “What did I tell you about that, man?”
“It’s not your job to feed me.”
“Maybe not, but it’s something I don’t mind doing when I can,” I told him as I held out a card for a nearby fast-food joint. “This should get you a couple of meals if you don’t order anything too fancy.”
“Thanks, Officer Forrester.”
“Anytime, my friend,” I said as I walked past Carl into the gym. Over my shoulder, I called out, “Stay warm! It’s supposed to drop below freezing tonight.”
“I’d stay warmer if you floated me some money for a bottle.”
“And I’d stay skinnier if I didn’t eat so much pizza,” I retorted. Carl laughed behind me, and I couldn’t help but smile. We had that same argument almost every time I saw him, but I had to give the man credit for trying. “Be safe, Carl!”
“You too!”
I pushed through the door and entered the gym, glad that I’d finally seen Carl again. It had been a few days, and that always worried me. I planned to check with some of the other people who lived on the street tomorrow. Luckily, since I’d seen him this afternoon, I wouldn’t have to spend my day off driving around to find him.
“Corey! You’re late!” Lazlo Hamilton, one of the men who ran Evans Gym now, called out from the corner of the room. He turned and said something to the young men standing there and then started walking toward me. I met him in the middle of the gym, and he asked, “Wanna change up our routine tonight? I’ve got some of the kids here, and they’re trying a new workout to get them ready for summer football practice and could use some help.”
“Sure,” I agreed as Lazlo turned around and started walking back. Before we got to the guys, I asked, “Are we still going to run together, or do you want to put that off?”
“We’re still gonna run, but Brawley’s not here yet. Noble called and said he’s going to join us, too, since he’s off tonight. He’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Sounds good,” I said as I stopped beside Lazlo and looked at the young men who were standing around, already sweating after whatever Lazlo had put them through, but eager for more since they had a goal in mind. “What’s next?”
“I thought we could do some rope exercises to check out their footwork and then hit the mats for some stretches.”
“Let’s get started then,” I said as I pulled a jump rope off of one of the pegs on the wall. I tossed it to Max, one of Jewel Parker’s kids, and then tossed another toward a kid I hadn’t ever seen before. “You guys are excited about football?”
“I want to make varsity,” Max said eagerly.
“I played varsity myself,” I told him, realizing that I started varsity before he was even born.
That was a sobering thought and made me feel old. However, when I realized that the kid needed help, I put it aside and gave him some constructive pointers on how to get the most out of his rope work without killing himself.
By the time Brawley Dumont and Noble Hamilton showed up, I was a sweaty mess but felt loose after stretching with Lazlo and the younger guys. After a quick trip to the bathroom and almost an entire bottle of water, I joined the guys at the front of the gym, ready to get in my run for the day.
We decided on our route, which almost always ended at Martha’s Diner . . . which led to us walking the rest of the way back to the gym, since we were usually too full to do much of anything else. It wasn’t the healthiest end to our runs, but I wouldn’t change our routine for anything.
As always, I recognized many of the faces inside the diner and stopped to say hello on my way to the family room at the back. Since the family was so large with blood relations, the club family from the Texas Kings MC and the Texas Knights MC, as well as spouses, significant others, and more kids than I could count, it just made sense to have our own room.
When I walked through the door, I realized that, as usual, there were others already there having their dinner. As my eyes passed over the room, acknowledging friends and family, they stopped at the table where my brother Garvey was sitting with his girlfriend, Zoey, a woman who had been a proud member of the RPD until recently. Unfortunately, her time on the force ended after a brutal attack during a traffic stop. That led to her reevaluating her future until she found something else that she could focus on - providing a second chance for formerly incarcerated women.
As I walked toward their table, I steeled myself for what I knew was about to come - another fun-filled encounter with one of Zoey’s good friends, Janis Grissom.
I’d known Janis forever, but almost from the start, we didn’t get along. When we were kids, my great-uncle, Smokey, said that we went together “like toothpaste and orange juice.” That didn’t stop us from being around each other, though. It was impossible to avoid it. Janis’ good friend Zoey was my brother’s first love and teenage sweetheart, and my sister Marley was close friends with Janis. The sight of me enraged her, and every time we interacted, a side of me came out that was almost shameful.
I could never control myself around the woman. She was like a hangnail that just wouldn’t heal - and got caught on everything . Janis Grissom was everything that was wrong in this world, rolled up into a moderately attractive - if you were into psychos - woman who had absolutely no redeeming qualities.
At least, if she did, I’d never seen one.
And she apparently thought the same thing about me.
She was laughing when I approached the table, but as soon as her eyes landed on me, her face morphed into a mask of disgust. Her eyes narrowed, and her face scrunched up like she’d just smelled something bad. She couldn’t just keep her mouth shut and let me interact with my brother and his girlfriend without causing a scene. Ever.
“Oh, look! Donut’s here.”
Without even thinking, I said, “Always a pleasure to see you, Medusa.”
Garvey ignored us and said, “Have a seat. We were just talking about you.”
Janis didn’t chime in with an insult, which wasn’t like her. It wasn’t quite as odd as our interaction in her bakery earlier today, but very disconcerting. I wondered if she was using a new tactic, acting less abrasive until I let my guard down, giving her the perfect opportunity to jump in and ruin my life with her mere presence on this earth.
I couldn’t resist saying, “I can only imagine what was said if Medusa was part of the conversation.”
Janis didn’t reply, which was so strange that even Zoey looked at her in question, but my brother pretended everything was fine and said, “I was wondering if you’d mind if I brought Zoey over to your place to show her your chicken coop.”
“Not at all. Come over anytime.”
“You built it, right?”
“I did. All that time working at Conner Construction came in handy.”
“He’s done work all over his house,” Garvey explained proudly. I was happy to hear that he liked my work and even happier to have been able to show it to him.
After years of no contact while Garvey was in prison, I’d been able to reconnect with my brother, the oldest of our triplet set. We’d slowly been getting reacquainted. That wasn’t difficult since we were very much alike even after so much time apart.
But he and I had mended fences after I lost my temper and tried to beat the shit out of him. We shook hands and made a pact to get on with our lives, while we never let another day go without talking again.
Garvey had done the same thing with Marley, which made my usually grumpy sister so happy that she could barely control herself. It felt like we were back to the way things were supposed to be. For years, it felt like part of our soul was missing, but now that Garvey was home for good, our set was whole and complete again.
And with him home, my parents felt like they could breathe again. Since I didn’t have children of my own, I couldn’t fathom the pain they’d felt being so disconnected from one of their children and hoped I never had to.
I felt eyes on me and looked over at Janis with a blank expression. She seemed to be studying me like a lab specimen, and I had that foreboding feeling again, like I should be very afraid of whatever it was she was planning. The woman was an unhinged lunatic, and I wouldn’t put anything past her.
“Earth to Corey,” Zoey said with a laugh as she waved her hand in front of my face.
“Sorry. I got distracted.”
“Can I come look at your setup tomorrow?” Zoey asked.
“Sure.”
“And if I like it, you’ll help your brother build one at my place?”
I smiled as I nodded and said, “Of course I will. You know me. I live to serve.”