Chapter 4 Royce #3
“It’s fine. I essentially asked her the same thing,” Ford interjected.
He did, but I was surprised he was admitting to it.
He kept his shrewd gaze on me while he replied, “Construction, mostly.”
I caught how Wes watched our interaction, and when Ford said construction, his brows reached his hairline.
“So, you work for that jerk who’s ruining our small town with all those homes that are going up on the west end?” I asked, leaning on my palm. His stare was a challenge, and I absolutely accepted.
“Royce,” my mother warned, but I kept smiling.
Ford sipped his water before clearing his throat. “Do you know how many families in Rose Ridge would kill to have a newer home?”
No, I did not.
Ford continued, “People who have shown up at town meetings and zoning committees. People who are desperate to stay but need more family-friendly neighborhoods.”
With a sigh, I grabbed my drink. He was acting like he was single handedly solving homelessness in Rose Ridge, which he wasn’t, so I cut him off.
“And how many of those families will be able to afford those homes? I’m not naive enough to believe that those houses are going to go to residents first. Some out-of-state billionaire will buy them and rent them to Rose Ridge residents for triple the market rental rate. They’re not going to get those houses.”
His glare was glacial as he tightly gripped his fork. “That’s not my call.”
“Of course it’s not. You’ll build and build like a good little worker and make sure our town is ruined.”
“That’s enough, Royce.” My dad interjected with a tone that had me snapping my mouth shut.
The table was quiet for a long, awkward minute where the redness in my face seemed to grow. I didn’t regret what I had said, but I felt ashamed that I had said it all at the table full of his family and the people who were protective of him.
“Sorry, I was out of line. I apologize.” I softly spoke to the table, glancing briefly at Ford for a second before returning my gaze to my plate.
If Taryn were here, she would have backed me up.
His question about the Hollow dripped with underhanded mirth, and yet not one person called him on it.
Which was fine, I meant what I had said about his job.
I hated all the homes being built because I knew for a fact the residents in Rose Ridge couldn’t afford to buy them.
It would ruin our town if we continued to allow out-of-town wealth to swoop in and seize up all the property.
Callie spoke up about dessert, breaking the silence, and then Mom joined her, and the subject was changed.
Once we finally finished eating, Dad went off with Wes while Mom and Laura continued talking.
I had no clue where Ellie or Ford went, so I was left to wander around the house alone.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t wandered the Ryan’s house a billion times before, but it felt drastically different to do as an adult.
I meandered down the hallway that led to the mudroom.
There was an entire section of framed photos dedicated to the Ryans’ old Great Dane, Maxwell, which had me smiling.
I loved that dog. His regal pose in each picture made me smile as I remembered how often I would go to him when our family came over.
Maxwell was always present in my time playing at the Ryan house.
I heard they’d had to put him down when we were in high school.
I hadn’t wanted to come by because of what happened at Christmas with Ford.
Things between us after that only worsened to the point where we could barely sit in the same room at the same time.
I had allowed my anger towards Ford to prevent me from supporting the rest of the Ryan family through such a difficult time. Regret pricked my chest, making my nose burn.
Suddenly, something warm and soft rubbed against my leg.
A stout, gray cat wound in and out of my legs while purring.
I bent down to pet him and found his name tag.
“Hi, Gus. How are you?” I scratched under his neck, loving how he kept purring. Taryn and I didn’t have pets growing up, but perhaps now that I was an adult, I should consider it.
“You’re so handsome.” I scratched behind his ears while picking him up. He was heavy, making my arms sag a bit, but I slowly made my way back into the living room where Ellie was on the couch, scrolling through her phone.
She glanced up at me as soon as I entered, “Oh, you found Ford’s cat.”
Disappointment settled in my gut as soon as she confirmed who he belonged to.
“How could such a magnificent creature belong to someone so horrible?” I said in a sweet tone, as if I were baby-talking to the cat. Ellie laughed along with me before holding her arms out for the feline.
“Ford had to leave him behind when he moved out. I think he probably misses him, even if he takes him home from time to time. And Gus misses the affection. I’m never home and my parents aren’t either, so the poor guy gets lonely.”
What a crying shame. Gus was awesome. How could Ford leave him behind, he had a house in town, why couldn’t his cat go with him?
“Royce?” my mom called from the kitchen. I smiled at Ellie and waved before padding over to where Mom stood with Callie.
“Honey, tell Callie what you told me.”
It felt a little forced and awkward, but it was a chance, and I had to take it.
So, I slid onto a stool and explained my predicament with Rodney.
I waved my hands too many times, and I think I even shed a tear at one point, but through it all, Callie looked earnest. The truth was, regardless of the ultimatum, my frustration stemmed from losing my independence.
If Rodney didn’t want to hand things over to me, a new manager would be hired, and they might not want to keep me on.
They may change everything around, and the idea of losing the only thing I’d ever dreamed of owning made me angry and emotional, which all came out in my explanation.
“Oh, Royce.” Callie moved to hold my hand, while Mom held the other.
Suddenly, I felt thirteen again, coming over to the Ford house to clean, hang out, and spend time with Ellie when she wasn’t even my friend, she was Taryn’s.
Callie had always taken me under her wing, guiding me with a gentle hand when she knew I had a crush that couldn’t be managed. A crush that wasn’t reciprocated.
“Well, I know Wes is planning to step down, but I really don’t think it’ll be as tumultuous as you think. Ford is going to step in, and he’s—”
I knew it. Why did it anger me so much to know that Ford would take over?
I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he was going to be the one to inherit the club after my father.
Maybe it was because I knew if he did, then the club would officially be lost to me.
I bristled, snapping a little too harshly, “Since when are you okay with Ford being a part of the club?”
Callie’s eyes shuttered the smallest bit as she searched my face. “Sweetheart, it’s difficult to explain how we got here. Perhaps someday I’ll be able to tell you, but I had to accept things in pieces, small pieces. With time—” She shook her head, but I had already stopped listening.
It was pointless to argue with her. She wouldn’t be talking to Wes.
I slid my hand out from under Callie’s and gave her a quick smile.
“Well, thanks.”
Her gaze slid over to my mother, and the two silently shared a moment before I stood up.
“Mom, I’m going to wait outside. No rush. Callie, thank you so much for dinner.”
I left the women behind and stopped near the foyer to get my coat. The cool night air felt like heaven against my flushed skin. Deep down, it was more than just the too-warm temperature of seventy-two degrees the Ryans had their thermostat set to.
I was mortified that I had asked Callie to talk to Wes about his choice in stepping down. Of course she rejected me, her son would take things over. She doubted there’d be any turbulence, but I knew better.
“You gonna quit the Hollow now that Rodney is acting like a little prick?” Ford suddenly appeared near my parents’ truck.
He wore his leather jacket that had his club patches in place.
My eyes wandered to the way his name looked, sewn in red against the black leather.
The majority of leather cuts had the member’s name sewn in white, but legacy members had theirs sewn in red.
I considered whether I should be relieved he knew about my situation. Maybe he’d take pity on me, and he’d hold off on taking the reins for a few months. I discovered a while back, as an intern for the Hollow that accepting pity didn’t bother me. In fact, I often relied on it.
“I plan on proving him wrong, actually.” I lifted my chin.
Ford’s arms were crossed, but I couldn’t make out his expression in the dark, even with all the solar lights around.
“How do you think you’re going to do that?”
I stepped closer. “By making sure there are no hiccups with the club or any big changes.”
Ford’s jaw tensed before he dipped his head. “So, your response to this is to try and control a club with over two hundred members, instead of just moving on?”
“Why would I move on?” That was completely crazy to even consider.
“What else did he say?” Ford ignored my question, now toe-to-toe with me. When had he moved so close?
I shrugged, choosing to embellish a little. “He said Dad stepped down and that him stepping down was not desired and the new president was hated by everyone.”
“Well, he’s misinformed. My leadership will be met with excitement.” Ford grinned.
“I doubt that very much.” I smiled sweetly in return. “How about you take a road trip for three months, Ford. Get out of Rose Ridge for a bit and stretch your legs. You never did leave for college or go find a pretty wife. You’re almost thirty, better get going.”
His scoff seemed to rake down my spine. “I’m one year older than you.”
“Really? Weird, you look much older.”
“You know, Rose…the world doesn’t revolve around you. If you’re worried about not getting a promotion, then perhaps you should be the one who leaves.”
Moving with him away from the house, I snapped harshly, “First, don’t call me Rose, my name is Royce and you know that. Second, I never suggested that it did. If you’re so positive that there’s not going to be any problems, then I guess you won’t mind if I stick around the club to ensure that.”
“Knock yourself out, sweetheart. Although, I wouldn’t want to offend your delicate sensibilities. Things have changed since you were around it last, not even your pops or mine like to stay late because those pretty Sweetbutts like to earn their titles.”
My face flushed a horrible crimson at the picture he’d painted me. I wasn’t a prude, nor a virgin, but picturing Ford with women who entertained him the way Sweetbutts did, or bunk bunnies…it was making an odd feeling stir in my chest.
Ford walked past me, but his shoulder nudged mine on the way. I couldn’t help but glare as he moved toward his bike and mounted it. Before he left, I wanted to say something else. I needed to know that I had gotten under his skin as much as he’d gotten under mine.
Out of nowhere, I yelled, “You don’t deserve Gus!”
His smirk was like a firecracker going off in my chest. Why did he infuriate me so much?
“And you don’t deserve your dream job, and yet you’re going to make sure you get it, won’t you?” His bike started, making it impossible to reply so I flipped him the bird while he gave me another one of those smiles.
He rode off seconds later, and I realized way too late that I had just stood there watching until he was completely out of sight.