Joyride

by DD Prince

  Dad’s eyes filled up.

  When I was about four, I slid down the banister and Dad caught me at the bottom. And I thought I’d be in trouble, but Dad’s eyes were sparkly, and he was laughing at me and my inability to hide how much I’d loved doing it. And Mom caught him and screamed at him for it. And screamed at me for it.

  I knew he remembered it as vividly as I did by the look on his face.

  “I’ll buy a new salon when I turn thirty.”

  “I’ll try to find a way…” he said.

  “No, Dad. Thank you for being willing to try. Thank you for all the faith you showed me when you decided to do this. I’m not happy about the lies and I wish you’d gone about ending your marriage a different way. Adultery is not okay. But, I appreciate---”

  “Jenna, your mother and I haven’t had a real marriage in more than ten years. I was celibate for years before I met Deborah.”

  I winced. Still. Adultery was adultery.

  “You should’ve ended it with Mom before you went there with Deb.”

  He nodded. “I know.”

  “And Deb should not have pretended to be my friend all this time.”

  “She is your friend. She loves you, honey. I’m gonna marry her.”

  I blew out a breath. I loved Deb, too. But, this was really, really ugly.

  “I’m gonna need time,” I said.

  “I know.”

  “But I do love you, Dad.”

  “I love you, too, Jenna. And I’m so very sorry for not shielding you from her better. She made me so angry and you were always just so resilient. I hated how she treated you we would have terrible arguments when you weren’t there. But you always just bounced back from her nonsense. I’ve always been in awe of that.”

  “I didn’t bounce back, Dad. I just hid it really well. You should’ve shielded me better. I didn’t think you cared.”

  My father looked like he’d been hit in the gut. He swallowed.

  “I’ve gotta open,” I whispered.

  He took a sip of his coffee and put the cup down.

  “I’m meeting with my lawyer this afternoon. I’ll let you know what he says about all of this.”

  “Don’t bother, Dad. I think a fresh start might be better.”

  Then I wouldn’t have to deal with Mom. I wouldn’t have to work side-by-side with Deb, his mistress. I could make a clean break.

  Even though it hurt like hell.

  He kissed my cheek and left.

  I stood there a minute, looking around. And then I heard Pippa’s voice. She was saying hi to my dad.

  I closed my eyes, stress filling my belly. I hated that I was going to have to break this to Pippa.

  And Lulu. I’d have to tell her she didn’t have a new job to start next week after all.

  Fuck my life.

  At least I had Rider.

  As if he’d read my mind, he was phoning me.

  “Hi.”

  “Scoot said your dad just left?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You okay, gorgeous?”

  “No.”

  “What can I do?”

  “You got a cool mill lying around I can borrow so I can buy this place?”

  I didn’t even know how much it would be listed for.

  “Not exactly, baby.”

  “Yeah, that’s all right. Lana’s Hair Salon might have a chair for rent. Or maybe Fran from another salon will hire me. She’s three blocks from here.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m gonna need to find an apartment,” I mumbled. I loved my apartment.

  “We’ll get one together,” he said.

  “Already?” I asked.

  “Some reason we should wait?” he asked.

  “Nnnnno.”

  “Then check the want-ads. I got money put away, so we’ll be fine.”

  “Huh?”

  “I don’t know your cashflow situation, gorgeous, but I got money in the bank. Don’t stress about cash. I can cover us.”

  I blinked.

  How amazing was he?

  “I’m not destitute yet, don’t worry,” I said softly.

  He didn’t answer.

  “But thank you, Rider.”

  “Love you, beautiful. Gotta go. Customer here. You okay?”

  “I will be,” I said. “Bye, handsome. Love you, too.”

  “See you tonight. But, what non-cute grocery item do you want for dinner?”

  “How about I make you dinner?” I suggested.

  “You said you can’t cook.”

  “I can’t. But I’ll try.”

  “Naw. I’ll cook, you do the dishes. We got that down pat.”

  “Yeah, but you’re really messy.”

  “But you like my food.”

  “Yeah, you’re a damn good cook,” I said.

  “Gotta go, babe. I’ll thinka somethin’ to wow you with.”

  “Okay. You could make any of the food I didn’t eat last week when I had my head up my ass. Okay?”

  “Okay,” he chuckled.

  “Love you so, so much, Rider.”

  “Love you more. Bye, gorgeous.” He hung up.

  Ella was in the front, with Pippa and Scooter and Pudge, when I got out. Pudge was Ella’s bodyguard today. He went out for an egg McMuffin and hash brown run while I filled in Ella and Pippa on all the news.

  Ella and Pippa felt awful for me, and Ella immediately declared it a girls’ night out. We needed to go get drunk, she said. So, she and Pippa rounded up Andie, Lulu, Dr. Lola, and Deanna, and we all went to a bar after work, two biker bodyguards with us.

  I had good friends. I had a great boyfriend.

  I’d be okay.

  ***

  Rider knew I was having a girls’ night out. He left me to it.

  When I got home at about 1:30 in the morning, more than a little bit sloshed, he was sitting on my couch, a beer bottle balanced on his knee, held by the neck with his hand.

  “Hey-yah,” I leaned on the doorframe. Pippa staggered toward her bedroom. She was smashed drunk, too.

  Scott was behind me. “You good?” He was addressing my man. My beautiful biker man.

  God, my biker was beautiful.

  Rider waved. “Yeah man. Hit the road. See ya here at 9:30.”

  “Night Jenna,” Scooter said.

  “Thanks for beaming me home, Scotty.” I giggled and then informed Rider, “Scooter and Deanna made goo-goo eyes at one another all night long. It was adorable!”

  Scooter rolled his eyes. “Lock up.”

  “Roger, dodger.” I saluted him, following and turning the lock on the kitchen door and putting the chain on.

  “He must be so bored hanging out with me most days,” I said, coming back to the doorway of the living room. “How does he survive doing that all day?”

  “You’re fun to watch, I’m guessin’.” Rider flicked the TV off and put his beer bottle on the table.

  “You think so, but you like me. No. I mean financially.”

  “He gets paid. I pay him.”

  “You pay him?”

  “Yeah. Prospects are at our beck and call, get a small cut of the club’s earnings, but a situation like this, full time bodyguard, I’m paying him, so he can pay his bills. It’s a job.”

  “Oh. All this time?”

  “Yeah. Him, Jess, Bronto, whoever’s watching you.”

  “Must be quite an expense.”

  “It is. You’re high-maintenance, baby. I have to pay him a premium. High maintenance is even higher than the usual danger pay.”

  I laughed.

  He was stalking toward me.

  “You drunk?” he asked.

  “Little bit,” I held my hand aloft, my index finger and thumb a few inches apart. And then I threw my arms wide to make it look like a lot.

  He stepped up to me and put his arms around me.

  “You have a good night?”

  “It felt really good to let my hair down and dance. Me, Ella, Pippa, all of us. We danced our
asses off.”

  “Shit,” He grumbled.

  “What?” I asked.

  He walked me toward the bedroom.

  “I missed watchin’ you dance.”

  I laughed. “I wanna dance some more. But I wanna do the no-pants dance. Like Men-Without-Hats, but Jenna and Rider-with-no-pants. Haha.”

  “Sounds good to me,” he said and undid my jeans button.

  I put my head on his shoulder.

  “I’m sad,” I mumbled.

  “Baby?” he took my face in his hands.

  “I don’t wanna move.” I pouted.

  “I’m sorry, babe.”

  “I wanna live here for the next few years, enjoy the roof parties, the closeness to the bakery and my salon and that coffee place down the street with the really good BLT wraps, then I wanna move into my parents’ house and raise our babies there.”

  “Sounds like a good plan.”

  “But I have to move and someone else is gonna have the salon and probably rent the apartment out and it’ll ruin the roof people group, too, because what if whoever moves here doesn’t like roof parties?”

  “That’d suck for the neighbors.”

  “I love my neighbors. They’re gonna be so sad, too.”

  We were now lying on the bed together.

  “Pippa’s moving in with Joe. She and I are gonna talk to Lana about working there. We don’t wanna work at Fran’s. Her husband hangs out and he’s creepy. And we wanna work at the same place.” I sighed.

  He was playing with my hair.

  “I’m sad.” I repeated, my eyes drooping.

  “I’m sorry, Jenna,” he whispered.

  “If I turn into my mother, just divorce me, okay? Don’t cheat on me behind my back.”

  “You won’t turn into your mother.”

  “I hope not.”

  “And I won’t cheat. Not ever. Promise.”

  “I love you.”

  “Love you, too, Jenna.”

  “I won’t be sad for long as long as you don’t leave me.”

  “I won’t leave you, baby. Promise.”

  “Okay.”

  And then I fell asleep.

  23

  The Following Saturday

  My salon had just closed for the day. I’d gotten changed into workout clothes and went down to see Rider, who was in my parking lot with Jesse.

  Business was still ticking on, though I knew the listing had gone up quietly. I hadn’t been broadcasting it, but a few people had seen the listing and started asking questions, which wasn’t fun.

  I’d been non-committal with my answers, saying, “It’s not easy to run a business. Just lookin’ at my options.” But inside, I was so effing sad.

  I hadn’t seen my mother. At all. Not a word, not a text.

  I hadn’t seen Deb, either. She sent me a long text telling me that she was sorry about how things had come to light, that she cared about me and was going to give me space, that she wasn’t coming in to work until I invited her to come.

  If I didn’t want her back before the salon changed hands, that was okay, too. She told me she knew two upscale salon owners in Aberdeen who she would be happy to introduce me to if I wanted to work at either of their salons. My response was a ‘thumbs up’ emoticon to Deb. I didn’t have any words for her yet.

  The business was in my parents’ names, but all the bank accounts were in my name; Dad hadn’t allowed Mom to put her name on them when our arrangement was made, so I just kept on like normal, with the exception of the day the real estate agent, not from my Dad’s firm, came in and had pictures taken and asked questions about the building specs so that he could set up the listing.

  I wasn’t surprised my mother went to another realtor. I also wasn’t surprised it was sprung on me, rather than an appointment being made. It was Karen Murdoch’s style to inconvenience me while also shredding me.

  I wasn’t a bitch, though suspected this surprised him. He likely got a warning from my mother. But, I was cooperative. He told me that if I was helpful with the transition to the new owners and they did plan to keep it as a salon, I could wind up with a job, if I wanted one. I might even be able to rent the apartment, if they were willing to keep it as a rental unit. It was all a ‘wait and see’.

  Working here without it being mine? I didn’t want that. I didn’t say it to him, though. I was polite and professional. Living here while someone else ran the salon? No way.

  Things with Rider and I were good. No, great. There was the cloud of all this salon stuff over us, but I tried not to let it consume all of my thoughts. At night, he made dinner and I cleaned up his ridiculously big messes.

  We made love, we cuddled, he told me about his day. We went for a few long motorcycle rides.

  One night, we made dinner and his Dad and brothers came over and hung out and watched a hockey game while me, Pippa, and Ella hung out in my room, watching a girlie movie.

  I finally had a guy that I could lean on and I was worried my cloudy mood was going to make him get sick of me. But, he rolled with the punches. He was patient and loving and so sweet and nurturing. It was the only thing saving me from being in a full-fledged depression.

  Things were quiet, for the moment, with the Wyld Jackals. Until that day. That day, the Jackals answered my earlier question about whether or not Rider and I would get out of this unscathed.

  ***

  Rider was working in the parking lot behind my salon on a new bike. He’d decided to tinker with one of his builds and was doing it here instead of at the garage since the garage was jam-packed due to a surge in business. Spencer had come by, bringing all the bike piece in his pickup truck, parking here, and taking the Charger with him, planning to do a swap later.

  I’d peeked out a few times, thinking that if I were keeping the salon, I’d have wanted to find out how much it’d cost to build a garage back there, just for his personal stuff. That way he could do his tinkering while I worked on Saturdays, which was when he usually worked on his custom bikes. The terrace overhang would be the perfect place to snug a garage into.

  Since the salon was being sold, it was a non-issue.

  “I have to go out,” I informed him.

  Right then, we heard the roar of pipes. He stepped away from the bike he was working on and glanced down the alley and saw that on the main strip, a parade of motorcycles was going by. At least four or five of them. Wyld Jackals. Again.

  Shit.

  “Yikes,” I said.

  Rider made a face. “That’s the third time they’ve done that today. Don’t like this.” He glanced at Jesse. “They’re driving by the Valentine block and the Forker’s house, too.”

  “Rider? I have to go out.”

  “Now?” he asked.

  I glanced at my watch. “Yeah.”

  “You can’t wait twenty minutes?”

  “If I do, I’ll be late.”

  “I can’t take you. Gotta finish this and get all this shit put away.”

  “I’m gonna be late if I don’t leave in two minutes,” I said.

  “Jesse? Shadow Jenna?”

  Jesse was watching him, smoking a cigarette. He gave a nod.

  “I don’t think you want that, Rider,” I advised.

  Rider looked at me like he was losing patience with me.

  I stared at him a beat. He stared back. And then he looked sorely pissed. “Are you fuckin’ serious right now? All this shit goin’ on and you’re gonna gimme a hard time about keepin’ you safe? Jackals driving up and down this strip like they’re ready to prove something and you’re being like this?”

  “Nnnno….”

  He gave his head a shake like he couldn’t make sense of me.

  He was in a shitty mood today, for some reason.

  “You want me to cancel my plans? If it’s not safe…”

  “No. We need to live.” He looked to Jesse. “Keep alert.”

  “Of course,” Jesse muttered and looked at me.

  “You probably don’t
want Jesse to come with me.”

  I folded my arms across my chest and stared at him. A little smirk on my face.

  Jesse shifted from one foot to another, also beginning to look like he was losing patience with me.

  Rider leaned forward, just a little. “Jenna. Jesse comes with you. He doesn’t take his eyes off you unless you’re in the can and only after he’s looked first to make sure there’s no fuckin Jackals in there, looking to get their hands on you.”

  “Really? You want him watching me the whole time?”

  He looked to the sky, likely for deliverance, and Jesse looked at Rider like he wanted to knock some sense into him for having anything to do with me.

  “Fine,” I shrugged and adjusted the strap of my Duffle bag that was over my shoulder. “Want me to drive or you, Jesse?”

  “Gimme your keys.” Jesse held his hand out to me.

  “Want a kiss goodbye, Rider?” I asked, placing my car keys in Jesse’s palm.

  Rider looked at me like he wanted to strangle me, rather than kiss me. I had a feeling I might finally get myself some of that actual angry sex today. He hadn’t asked where I was going, but I was in workout clothes, so he must’ve figured I was heading to the gym or to Pippa’s yoga studio.

  “Whatever.” I went to move away, seeing he was too pissed to kiss me. “See you after my pole dancing class.” I kept moving.

  I was halted, Rider catching me by the back hem of my coat.

  “Keys!” He snapped and held his hand out.

  Jesse smacked the keys into Rider’s hand.

  Looked like Rider had time to shadow me after all.

  “Fuck,” Jesse grunted. Jesse looked like a dog who'd had his bone taken away. "Fuck. Couldn't've kept that last line to yourself, could ya, Jen?"

  I laughed.

  Rider glared at Jesse. “Can you put all that into Spence’s truck and wait till he gets here to pick it up?”

  Jesse gave him the finger.

  I laughed louder.

  Jesse started lifting bike parts as Rider grabbed my hand and marched me to my Jetta.

  “You’re gonna pay for that,” Rider growled into my ear as he opened the passenger door for me.

  “Naw. You are. ‘Cuz you’re gonna have to watch fifteen girls swing around poles for ninety minutes and prove to me that I’m the only one of those girls making you hard.”

  He bit into his bottom lip as he shut my door.

  As he rounded the vehicle, he adjusted his jeans at the crotch on the way.