Mean Machine

by Joanna Blake

  I was a badass biker, not a knight in shining armor.

  Cheeto jumped onto the dresser and put his paws on my chest for a hug. It was the damnedest thing, but so cute it made your insides turn to goo.

  I laughed, rumpling his fur.

  “Thought my shirt needed some orange fur for luck, eh buddy?”

  He purred and rubbed his chin into my hand. I pressed a kiss to his furry little forehead and set him on the floor. There was no disciplining them but I didn’t care. They knew who ruled the roost. I was simply the opener of cans, scratcher of ears and the primary heat generator.

  I slipped on my jacket and looked back at the three adoring faces watching me. They hated it when I left, but I was pretty sure they forgot about five minutes later. I shook my head. These little guys kept me sane. I hadn’t rescued them. They’d rescued me.

  Just like Cass.

  “Alright you guys, behave yourselves.” I pointed to the laziest cat known to man. “Morey is in charge.”

  I could have sworn his little chest puffed up. The dog looked dejected. I was smiling when I left.

  It was warm and sunny outside, despite the changing seasons. I felt inexplicably upbeat. It had nothing to do with the beautiful girl who would be waiting when I got to the Jar to open up. Nothing at all.

  Since I didn’t have a pot of chili with me for once, I decided to ride.

  Chapter Six

  Michelle

  The rumbling motor alerted me that we had company.

  “Duck your head, sweetie.”

  Paton flopped down against the backseat. She looked good. Well fed and well rested. Her clothes were clean and all the little holes and rips were mended.

  All our clothes were like that, but it didn’t matter.

  Things were finally turning around for us.

  I even had money left over from my shift last night. Today I was working a double. I hated leaving her in the car, but it was almost over. I’d find a place to live.

  This nightmare would be over at last.

  After the last town ended with a black eye, I’d panicked. I’d cut and run, leaving behind a somewhat stable job and our security deposit.

  But when your landlord got rough after you turned down sex with him, there really wasn’t another option. He’d been pestering me since we moved in, despite being married. I felt sick every time I thought about how persistent he had been.

  And how angry he’d gotten.

  It wasn’t safe. So we’d left, hit the road and looked for a new job.

  But I hadn’t found one. We tried town after town. Our funds dwindled rapidly. And then we’d ended up with nothing. Nothing except the car and just enough money for one more tank of gas.

  Gas to take us down the coast towards warmer weather. We’d been living on soup and crackers and sleeping in the car for almost two weeks.

  And then we’d found this place. I’d seen the ad in one of the free newspapers they left outside grocery stores. Mason had literally saved our lives. I’d gotten good at reading people and I could tell he was a decent human being, on top of being so damn sexy it was hard to ignore.

  A little rough around the edges but a good man. I blushed a bit. It didn’t hurt that he had beautiful, kind eyes and muscles bulging out of his leather jacket and worn in jeans.

  And Lordy, did he look good on that bike of his.

  So I was smiling when I waved to him and walked up to wait while he unlocked the door. He gave me a distracted look and a curt smile. I tried not to stare as he messed around with the keys.

  “Good morning.”

  Shut up, Shell. You sounds like an idiot.

  He grunted good morning and swung the door open.

  “It’s such a nice day.”

  Shut up shut up shut up.

  I bit my lip to keep myself from blathering like a fool. Even though I clearly was a fool, for even thinking about him as anything other than the boss and the man who was saving our lives.

  He held the door open for me. I skittered past him, feeling suddenly self-conscious. I caught a whiff of something as I went past.

  Mason smelled like the woods. No, it was better than that. He smelled like a campfire in the middle of a huge forest of pines. Rugged and warm and manly. I sighed to myself, realizing I definitely had a crush on my boss.

  Not smart, Shell. Not smart at all.

  I got busy setting up. I took down the chairs, startled when Mason started doing it with me. He shrugged at my inquisitive glance.

  “Best part of the day.”

  I smiled at his answer. I knew what he meant.

  “It’s so quiet.”

  “If only it didn’t smell like mop water.”

  “Candles.”

  “Huh?”

  “Beeswax candles. They emit negative ions. It cleans up the air.”

  He was staring at me, a chair in his big hands. No wonder he was staring. I was babbling. And I sounded like an idiot.

  Again.

  But since my kid had mild asthma, I knew a lot about cheap ways of improving air quality.

  “Candles would be dangerous in a place like this.”

  “Not if you put them away before everyone came.”

  “Huh. Interesting.” He finally put the chair down, moving to the next. “Beeswax, huh? Isn’t that pricey?”

  “Not as much as you think. It really helps. They last a lot longer than paraffin too.”

  He shook his head, taking down the last of the chairs.

  “You learn something new every day.”

  I shrugged and went to get a rag to wipe everything down.

  “Didn’t you do that last night?”

  “Oh.” I fidgeted nervously. “I guess I did. It’s no bother though.”

  He was staring at me while I squeezed the rag nervously in my hands.

  “Suit yourself.”

  Shorty and Jaken came in while I was wiping down the bar. Mason had disappeared into his office. He poked his head out of the back and called to me.

  “You can eat something now if you want. Lunch can get kind of busy. Shorty makes great eggs”

  I nodded. That would be perfect. Paton had ate well last night but getting her something now would really take the edge off.

  “Thank you. That would be great.”

  I hurried to the back. Shorty smiled at me.

  “Glad we didn’t scare you off. What’ll you have?”

  “Mason said something about eggs…”

  “You got it. I make killer hash browns too. You want?”

  I nodded eagerly and again when he mentioned toast. I opened my mouth to tell him I wanted it to go but he beat me to it.

  “Let me guess, you want to eat in your car, right?”

  “Thanks Shorty.”

  Mason was right. Lunch did get busy. And the crowd was different than it had been last night. Locals and bikers yes, but also a group of businessmen and a couple of families with small kids.

  I was motoring, not starving for once, even though I’d given Paton most of the food again. I had so much to make up for. But I would do it, dammit.

  All I needed was a few bites anyway.

  Paton was happy as a clam with her belly full of food and her favorite book on her lap. It was even warm enough to keep the windows open. And she said she liked looking at the field that opened up just past the line of trees out back.

  I still worried, of course. I’d been worrying about her since the moment that little line turned blue. But things were looking up.

  For the first time in a long time, I was happy.

  Until she walked in.

  A gorgeous brunette with glowing skin, luxurious hair and a huge belly. A huge, pregnant belly. How she looked so good so late in the game was beyond me. I’d been swollen and miserable in the last trimester.

  But this girl looked like she was a model. Not the gawky odd looking fashion model type. The kind that sold shampoo or expensive jewelry. She was stunning.

  And she walked righ
t into Mason’s arms. He held her tight and pressed a kiss to her forehead. I couldn’t help it. I might have only known him for two days, but I felt something fierce and unwelcome in my belly.

  Jealousy.

  He showed her to a table and started waiting on her hand and foot. I knew it was none of my damn business that Mason had a woman and was about to become a daddy. That was nice. That was how it should be.

  But I didn’t like it, all the same.

  And then he waved me over.

  I grit my teeth and walked towards the smiling young woman. Wouldn’t you know it? She hugged me too.

  “You are a lifesaver!”

  “I am?”

  She sat down, smiling conspiratorially at me.

  “Mason was going to lose his mind. His waitresses kept up and quitting on him!”

  I shot a worried glance to Mason.

  “No, it’s not his fault. Look, I’ve scared her! I’m Cassie. I used to be you!”

  I was having trouble following her, but she was so effervescent I couldn’t help but like her. The woman talked fast. I tried to keep up.

  “Okay…”

  “Cass.”

  Mason’s tone was amused but something else. He sounded… almost parental.

  “Actually a lot of people around here still call me Casey. That was the name I used when I ran away from foster care. Mason took me in and raised me.”

  I glanced at Mason. He was her guardian? I felt relief wash through me.

  “Great job, I did. Until he swooped in and defiled you.”

  Cassandra giggled. I almost did too. I wasn’t sure I should be laughing at my boss though, even though he looked adorably disgruntled.

  “Connor did not defile me. Well, I mean, he did. He handcuffed me to a bed! But he married me too.”

  I nodded, realizing that I was getting the gist of what was happening, even though her style of storytelling was… unique.

  “It’s slowing down if you want to get some grub.”

  I glanced around.

  “You can eat with us if you want!”

  Mason looked at me. He must have caught my panicked expression, even though I tried to hide it. It was hard to hide anything with my face. I was so fair that if I blushed, I looked like I was holding apples in front of my cheeks.

  “She prefers eating in her car.”

  “But why?”

  “I’m reading a book.”

  She nodded sagely.

  “That’s a wild animal thing. You don’t like people staring while you eat, right?” She gave Mason a pointed look. “And I’m sure lots of people do.”

  He stood up abruptly.

  “I’ll put your order in, Michelle. What do you want?”

  “Grilled cheese with tomato?”

  “Anything else?”

  “I really like the chili.”

  He gave me the thumbs up. I realized chili might be a bad idea. If Paton had to do more than pee, we were going to have a problem.

  He walked brusquely away.

  “You fit right in. And you’re the prettiest waitress he’s ever had.”

  I shook my head.

  “I doubt that.”

  “No, you are. Everyone is looking over here.”

  “I’m pretty sure they are looking at you.”

  She shook her head, beaming at me. She rubbed her belly.

  “Ugh, why did I eat so much?”

  Mason came back and handed me the to-go bag. Cassie stood up and hugged me again.

  “Just in case I don’t see you again. Today, I mean. I hope to see a lot more of you.”

  “That’s… so nice of you.” I was a little choked up at all the affection she was giving me. I hadn’t felt so welcomed since I was a kid. “Thank you.”

  I smiled and snuck a glance at Mason. He was frowning about something, just like he usually did around me. I hurried to the back door and out into the sunshine.

  Chapter Seven

  Cassandra

  “So?”

  Mason raised his eyebrow at me.

  “So what?”

  I wagged a French fry at him.

  “You like her.”

  “Cassandra. What are you talking about?”

  “Michelle. I haven’t seen you like this, well, ever.”

  “Like what?”

  “You watch her.”

  “I watch all my employees. And the customers.”

  “No. You have been watching her since I got here.”

  “She’s new. I have to keep an eye on her.”

  “Yeah, right. You watch her because she’s so beautiful!” Cassie laughed, holding her belly. “After all these years, all these waitresses, you fall for a girl who works in your own bar!”

  “I don’t date. You know that.”

  “Oh please. You look like a caveman. You want to drag her back to your den and make cavebabies.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Ridiculous.” I popped a French fry in my mouth. “But true!”

  “She’s a nice girl. Shy. She wouldn’t want someone like me bothering her.”

  “I don’t know… she was checking you out.”

  He sat up a little. Just like I thought, he was hooked.

  “She was?”

  “Uh huh. Now, admit that you like her.”

  “I don’t know her.”

  “Please, no one reads people better than you. Not even Connor. What are you reading?”

  He nodded and glanced away. The serious look on his face spoke volumes. I wanted to give him a big old bear hug but I waited for his answer.

  “She’s a hard worker. She seems… sad. And yes, I admit she is extremely easy on the eyes.”

  “Sad?”

  He nodded his head.

  “She’s smart too.”

  “But-”

  “You asked what I was reading, that’s it. I’m not messing with a nice girl like that.”

  I grumbled and stood up.

  “I need the little girls room. And some air.” I wagged my finger at him. “And you need to stop lying to yourself.”

  “Uh huh. Fine. Come up when you are done and we can talk.”

  I saluted him.

  “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  I waddled to the back like an extremely overfed penguin. I peed for the tenth time since waking up and stared in the mirror.

  It was finally happening. Mason liked someone. And I was thrilled about it.

  I decided to take a look in the parking lot. Maybe I could see what Michelle was reading. Feed Mason some information.

  And for once I was not thinking about my husband and the odd hours he’d been keeping.

  I looked around until I saw it. A beat up hatchback parked as far away from the bar as humanly possible. I walked towards it with a smile on my face. I wanted to know more about the new girl.

  I wanted to make sure she was good enough for Mason. My instincts said she was. But I was protective of him, and I wasn’t going to let a little thing like being eight months pregnant stop me.

  I was less than five feet away when I heard it. A little girl laughing. Michelle was in the backseat with a pretty little girl. Strawberry blond. Cute little nose and wide lips.

  Other than the light hair she looked just like…

  Her mother.

  Michelle turned to look at me in that moment. She froze, looking horrified.

  I turned around and started waddling back towards the bar. I didn’t get far. I heard the car door open and footsteps running after me.

  “Don’t tell him. Please.”

  Michelle’s hand on my arm brought me to a stop. So did the raw pain in her voice.

  “Why not?”

  “I need this job.”

  “Mase wouldn’t fire you for having a kid. That’s nuts. I don’t think he’d approve of leaving her in your car, though.”

  “As soon as we get a place, it won’t be an issue.”

  “Get a place? Where are you living?”

  Her
mouth was closed tight. She wasn’t talking. Well, I was going to find out one way or the other.

  I glanced back to the car. The little girl was reading in the backseat, bundled up in blankets. She even had a pillow…

  “You’re living in that car.”

  Michelle looked miserable. Her eyes were filling up with tears.

  “It’s only been a few weeks. We had to leave our last place and then I couldn’t find a job.”

  I stared at her, my mind racing. Mason would flip if he knew she was living like this. And he wouldn’t want her kid out here all by herself.

  Her eyes welled up with tears and sympathy washed over me.

  “Fine. I won’t tell him you are living in the car, but you have to tell him about your kid. He will understand.”

  “But-”

  I grabbed her hand.

  “Trust me. He’s a good guy. I can’t lie to him.”

  She chewed her lip and nodded.

  “Okay. I guess I’ll just… finish my lunch.”

  I smiled sadly. I knew she hadn’t eaten a damn thing. I knew because I was a mother myself and that’s what I would have done if I was in the same shoes.

  “Everything will be alright. I promise.”

  I walked away, praying that I was right.

  Chapter Eight

  Mason

  “A kid?”

  Cassie nodded. I knew she wanted to talk about Connor but I was too shocked to do more than repeat myself over and over.

  “She’s proud, Mase. She’s really been through something. Please don’t be mad at her.”

  Cassie wasn’t telling me everything, I could tell.

  “I’m not mad. I just… so there was a kid out there all night last night? Damn.”

  “Yes. And I don’t think…”

  “What?”

  “Well, I don’t think Michelle actually ate any of that lunch.”

  I stared at her. Of course. She was feeding her kid. I felt something inside me break a little bit at the thought.

  “Dammit.”

  Cass exhaled.

  “I know.” She hesitated. “Did she leave an address on her paperwork?”

  I frowned.

  “No, why?”

  She shook her head, looking worried.