I shook my head. “Nope, not at all. She was laying it on thick, too.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. I guess there is a guy out there who doesn’t fall for her bullshit.”
“Hey, Rick doesn’t fall for it either,” I pointed out.
“Humph, that’s because I told him if he ever thought of even laying a finger on her, I’d break his dick off and shove it down his throat.”
“Such a vivid picture,” I murmured.
Vanessa popped the gum in her mouth and smiled sweetly. “Vivid pictures are what get across to a man. Otherwise, they start thinking with the wrong head.”
“You ladies ready to head out?” Rick called from the back.
“I need five more minutes,” Vanessa hollered.
“Four, and I’ll be waiting in the car,” he countered.
“Just for that, I’m going to make him wait for ten,” Vanessa whispered.
I reached down, slipped off one of my heels, and rubbed my left foot. “You convince Rick to let us wear flats yet?”
“I try, Sug, but that’s something that I don’t think is going to happen. Even I have to agree the heels help me earn more tips.” Vanessa came to sit next to me and slid an envelope to me. “That’s your tips from the bar. You did damn good tonight.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, grabbing the thick envelope. Too bad it was going to be mostly singles.
“Back to tall, dark, and handsome. So what happened between Kay throwing herself at him and you making out with him in the parking lot? But first, start with his name,” Vanessa ordered.
I cleared my throat and stared down at the bar. “His name is Tate, and not a lot happened. He looked at my car, trying to figure out what was wrong with it, then I almost broke my damn neck on these heels, and then we kissed.” I slipped my shoe back on and instantly regretted it. Of course I had forgotten to grab my flip flops tonight so I was going to have to wear my heels home. Fuckcicles.
Vanessa laughed. “There had to be more to it than that, but I’m going to let it slide for now. So what happens now?”
I sighed and shook my head. “I seriously have no idea. He’s giving me a ride to work tomorrow night, he knows where I live, and he has my phone number. What if I just invited a serial killer into my house tonight, and I’m going to wind up chopped up into fifty million pieces.”
Vanessa chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. “I don’t think that’s going to happen, Sug, but if it does, I promise I’ll try to put you back together again.”
Visions of me looking like Humpty Dumpty flashed through my head. “Make sure you get all of the king's men to help,” I giggled.
“Will do,” Vanessa promised.
I looked in the mirror on the back wall of the bar and scrunched up my nose. “I hate how life fucks with you sometimes, you know? One minute, I’m content being on my own, taking care of Ryker any way I can, and the next minute, some guy waltzes in and threatens to shake my life up like a damn snow globe.”
“The question is, do you want him to shake it up?”
I bit my lip and studied myself in the mirror. I looked the same, but I sure as hell didn’t feel the same. I had tossed my hair up in a messy bun after Tate kissed the hell out of me, the makeup I had put on was now half smudged, and it looked like I needed a good ten-hour nap. It was a wonder what Tate saw in me, to want to stay the whole night at the bar. “I really don’t know what I want, V. I say I want a knight in shining armor to come rescue me, but in the next breath, I’m telling Tate I don’t want a handout.”
“Sounds like you need to figure out what you really want, Sug. I don’t think you want everything given to you, but I also think you don’t want to be busting your ass for the next forty years here when you could be with a man to help lessen the load.”
I laugh and hang my head. “You have helped to make me even more confused, V.”
She squeezed my shoulder. “It’s confusing now, but before you know it, you’re going to know what you want and everything is going to make sense.” She stood up and smoothed out her skirt. “Now, we need to get out to the car, before Rick leaves us here.”
I grabbed my purse from under the bar and hitched it over my shoulder. “That’s another thing I have to worry about. My damn car. I promised Ryker to take him out driving tomorrow, but now I don’t even have a car.”
“You got anything saved up to get it fixed?” she asked while we walked to the back.
I scoffed and shook my head. “I am the poster child for living paycheck to paycheck. Everything I earn is gone by the time the next payday comes. I’m stuck in a vicious cycle with no way out.” I hated to complain, but life sucked when I thought about what I was going to do about my car.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something.” She opened the back door and held it for me. She turned around, locked the door behind us, then threw her arm over my shoulder as we strolled to Rick’s truck. “And until you do figure it out, you can always bum a ride from Rick and me, but I think a ride from tall, dark, and handsome might be more up your alley.”
“He has a name, V.”
She shrugged and opened the door to Rick’s jacked-up truck. “I know, but tall, dark, and handsome sounds so much more mysterious.”
“Is she talking about me again?” Rick asked as Vanessa crawled up into the truck.
I put one heeled foot on the step and hoisted myself in.
Vanessa swatted him on the shoulder and quickly buckled up. “Not talking about you.”
“Then who the hell are you calling tall, dark, and handsome if it isn’t me?” he demanded.
“The guy you saw with Hadley.”
I rolled my eyes and buckled up. I leaned forward and looked at Rick. “His name is Tate, and thank you so much for telling V about what you saw. I thought you would have some honor towards me.”
He hitched his thumb at V. “I only have honor and loyalty to that one, Hadley. Everyone else is fair game.”
Vanessa glowed and patted his leg. “Love you, baby.”
Rick grumbled under his breath and headed to Falls City.
Rick and Vanessa lived on the opposite side of town from me, and they had to go out of their way to drop me off. “If you just want to drop me off at Johnson, I can walk the rest of the way home.” It would be a mile walk, but I hated putting Rick and Vanessa out.
Rick scoffed and shook his head. “Yeah right. I’m going to drop you off on the side of the road and go home and actually sleep. Not happening, toots. I’m taking you to the damn door.”
With a huff, I crossed my arms over my chest and knew there wasn’t any use in arguing with Rick. This would be the last time they give me a ride, though. I would figure out what to do with my car. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too bad, and I could move around some bills to get it fixed. I would be playing catch up for a couple of months, but if it meant I would get my car back on the road, I would do it. I already knew which bills I could either skimp or skip and not get cut off. “Well, thank you,” I mumbled.
“We’ll pick you up at five tomorrow. I know that’s pretty early, but I need to do some paperwork before the club opens.”
I pulled out my phone and quickly sent Tate a message.
Are you still able to give me a ride to work tomorrow?
Ten seconds didn’t go by before he replied. Planned on it. Everything OK?
I smiled at his message. How did he come across as sweet and caring in text? No one ever asked me if I was okay. Everything is good. Almost home. Just making sure you have time to take me to work.
I hit send and looked over at Vanessa who had been reading my texts over my shoulder. “Stop it,” I hissed.
Vanessa shrugged. “Girl, you better keep that one,” she advised.
I rolled my eyes and turned my body into the door, away from Vanessa.
You’re my only plans for the night. I’ll see you at 7. Sweet dreams.
OK. You too. I cringed as I hit send, but I had no idea what else to put.
“I don’t need a ride tomorrow, Rick. I’ve got one.” I shoved my phone in my pocket and glanced over at Vanessa who had a smug look on her face.
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be getting more than a ride tomorrow night,” she chided.
“The guy who couldn’t keep his hands off you?” Rick asked, his interest peaked.
I gulped and nodded. “Yeah, Tate.”
“Tall, dark, and handsome,” Vanessa whispered.
I rested my head on the window and listened to Rick and Vanessa talk about work the rest of the way home. I was exhausted but also jazzed. My car was bumming me out, but I was also excited to see Tate again tomorrow. I still didn’t know what I expected or wanted from him, but I figured tomorrow when he picked me up, I would hopefully figure it out.
**********
Tate
“That was brutal.”
I collapsed in the chair behind the front desk and kicked my feet up. “No shit, man.”
“I swear, the next time I see Roman and Dante, I’m going to kick their asses. Calling in hungover. Couple of fucking pricks.” Kellan leaned against the desk and sighed.
We were both exhausted, and so was Ryker. The kid had definitely pulled his weight today to pick up Roman and Dante’s slack. “Hey, you said your aunt was stopping by,” I called to Ryker who was sweeping the mats. “Did we miss her?” It had been a complete madhouse today, and everyone coming and going had been a complete blur.
“She overslept. I called her on the last break and woke her up. She said she would be here to pick me up.” Ryker pushed the pile of dirt to the edge of the mat and grabbed the dustpan. “I’m not even sure what time she came home last night.”
Kellan and I glanced at each other. Didn't he know what time his elderly aunt came home? Did she have a rip roaring time at bingo or something? “I can give you a ride home if you want,” I offered.
“No, that’s okay. I know she’ll be here. Saturdays are normally pretty tough to wake up early, so I didn’t really expect her to be here on time.” He swept the dirt into the dustpan and dumped it in the garbage can. “I’m gonna change quickly before she gets here.” He disappeared into the bathroom, and Kellan quirked his eyebrow at me.
“Dude, how old is his aunt?” he asked me.
I shrugged. “I figured at least sixty. I mean, he calls her Haddie. Not exactly the name of some young chick.”
“What kind of sixty-year-olds do you know that stay out later than a sixteen-year-old?”
“I bet she’s probably friends with Bess. I bet she can stay out all night and still keep up with us.”
Kellan shrugged. “Well, I guess we’ll find out whenever she gets here.” He glanced at the clock on the wall and shook his head. “It’s fucking twelve-thirty? I don’t think I could sleep that long.”
There had been a few days where I hadn’t been able to sleep, and by the time I had finally fallen asleep, I hadn’t woken up till well past noon. “I’m gonna change quickly. Yell when she gets here, because I wanna see what this chick is like.”
Kellan gave me a mock salute and collapsed in the chair as soon as I got up. “I’m gonna call Molly to bring over lunch. What do you want?” he asked as he picked up the phone.
“As long as she’s making it, I’ll eat whatever.” The woman had a way with food. Everything she made was fucking good. I grabbed my bag from next to the desk and slipped into the office. I closed the door, quickly untied my belt, tugged down my pants, and tossed my shirt on the couch.
I wasn’t changing into anything spectacular or more comfortable, but at least now I wouldn’t walk down the street and get odd looks because I was in my gee.
Khaki shorts and a Powerhouse shirt completed my look, and I shoved my clothes in my bag.
I heard the bell jingle above the door and knew it had to either be Molly or Ryker’s aunt. I hoped it was his aunt, because I didn’t feel like hanging around waiting.
I planned on texting Hadley and asking her if she had plans before work. I wanted to talk to her more when she had texted last night, but I didn’t want to sound desperate, even though I was.
A glance at my phone showed she hadn’t texted me during class. I was relieved she hadn’t texted to cancel me picking her up, but I was also disappointed she didn’t text me.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and opened the office door.
I stopped in my tracks, and my jaw dropped. “Hadley?” I croaked.
“Aunt Haddie,” Ryker called at the same time.
Her eyes darted from Ryker to me, and her face paled.
Holy fuck. Hadley was Aunt Haddie?
**********
Hadley
I blinked rapidly, trying to wrap my head around what was happening. I had ambled into Powerhouse expecting to meet the guys Ryker always talked about, see where he worked, and then head home for some lunch. I had, of course, overslept and had manically dressed and hauled ass out the door, not caring what I looked like.
Now I saw what a mistake that was. Faded and ripped jean shorts paired with an old t-shirt with a cutout neck that hung off one shoulder coupled with flip flops was not how I wanted Tate to see me again. Granted, my uniform at the bar wasn’t much better. Although, I didn’t look like I had just rolled out of bed then.
Tate was standing in front of me, and I was frantically trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
“You finally made it,” Ryker said, interrupting my thoughts.
I quickly glanced at Tate who looked about as shocked as I felt. “Um, yeah. I slept right through my alarm. I’m sorry.” I did feel like a complete ass for promising to watch him teach today, and instead, I was a lazy ass who didn’t get out of bed.
The guy who was sitting behind the desk stood up and held out his hand to me. “I’m Kellan.”
I nodded and limply shook his hand. I recognized him from last night, and I prayed to God he wouldn’t figure out who I was. “Nice to meet you,” I mumbled. I was Ryker’s aunt right now, not a waitress at the strip club. “Ry talks about you all the time. You have no idea how thankful I am for you giving him a job.” As long as I didn’t look at Tate, I could do this. Kellan wasn’t my type, plus I remembered the brunette whose side he was attached to all night. This man was not a threat at all to my panties.
“Yeah, he’s definitely been earning his keep,” he replied. “Especially today. We went out with my girlfriend and her friends last night, and they managed to get Dante and Roman so drunk last night, they couldn’t make it in today.”
He didn’t know. Thank you sweet baby Jesus, he had no idea who I was. “That’s too bad to hear. Some people just can’t hold their liquor.”
Kellan laughed. “You have no idea how true that is.”
“Roman is the one who kicks ass with his bo,” Ryker added.
“Don’t say ass,” I corrected him.
“But you just did, and you say a hell of a lot more than that,” he countered.
“Don’t say hell either,” I chided. “I’m old and can say whatever I want. When you get to be my age, you can say whatever you want, and I won’t yell at you.”
Ryker sighed and motioned to Tate who was still frozen in the doorway to a small office. “That’s Tate.”
I looked anywhere but at him directly and nodded. “It’s nice to meet you,” I mumbled, holding out my hand. I just needed to get through the next five minutes, and then I could get the hell out of here.
He nodded at me and took three steps forward with his hand held out. The warmth of his skin enveloped mine as he gently shook my hand. “Ryker talks about you all the time. He calls you Haddie.”
I blushed and ducked my head. “Ryker is the only one who calls me that. He insists on it, and it drives me absolutely insane. Makes me sound like I’m seventy.”
Kellan laughed. “That is exactly what we thought before you walked in the door. We were convinced you were going to walk through the door with a walker and a hunchback.”
Oh Jesus. These guys had qui
te the imagination. I looked down my body and shook my head. “No walker yet, and I managed to straighten up enough to not look like the hunchback of Notre Dame today,” I teased. I realized I was still holding Tate’s hand and dropped it like a hot potato fresh out of the oven.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and slowly looked me over.
I cleared my throat. “So, are you ready to go, or do you have more to do?” I asked Ryker.
“I’m done,” he replied as he picked up his bag off the floor. “Do I get to drive home?” he asked eagerly.
“Um, about that.”
“No chickening out. You promised that I could drive today.”
“I’m not chickening out, the car did,” I replied, trying to avoid telling him. “I’ll tell you all about it when we get home.” I didn’t want to explain in front of Tate and Kellan that the car was DOA, and as of right now, walking was our only mode of transportation. Tate knew, but I didn’t want to talk about my problems in front of someone I didn’t know.
Ryker stepped around me and looked out the door. “How did you get here?”
“I walked. It was nice enough day; I figured that we could use the fresh air.” I was going to try to avoid having this conversation the best I could.
Ryker pushed the door open and looked over his shoulder at me. “I have a feeling I’m not going to like how this story ends,” he muttered.
“We’ll figure it out, Ry.” And I was back to being a shitty aunt.
He nodded, knowing he wasn’t going to like how we figured it out. “Later Master Wright and Master Holten,” Ryker called.
He disappeared out the door, but my feet didn’t budge.
“Hadley,” Tate called.
I held up my hand and shook my head. I couldn’t handle this right now. I was already unsure of what Tate and I were, and now this made it even more confusing.
“It was nice meeting you both,” I said quietly. Kellan nodded at me, and I didn’t give Tate the chance to reply.
Right now, I needed to go explain to my nephew how his life was going to suck even more than it already did. I would have to deal with Tate later.
Love on the Mat (Powerhouse M.A.) Page 7