“You’re the one that offered it to me.”
“Well, I regret that now.”
“Oh come on, man. Don’t be like that,” he said.
But it was already too late. The damage had been done, and the two of us knew it. “I think it’s better if you just go.”
“What? But I only just got here. And I’m your brother. I’m family. You can’t kick me out.”
I stood up. Family? Chris was more my family than he would ever be. Family was more than just blood. If there was one thing that I hated, it was someone telling me what I could or couldn’t do. I nodded. “Oh, yes I can.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously!”
He stood up and shook his head as walked toward the door. He opened the door and then turned around one more time to look at me. He looked like he was about to say something else, but then he shook his head again and changed his mind. I waited until I heard his bike start and ride away. Only then did I take a deep breath. I looked over to where he was sitting and saw that he’d left his beer behind. I walked over and downed the rest of it in a few gulps. Why had he come over, anyway?
Chapter Sixteen
Eliza
I was starting to get used to waking up every day and feeling good about my day ahead of me. Even when I was given jobs to do that were small or menial, they were still a million times better than anything I’d done in the past. And actually getting along with my boss and my co-workers was a huge change for me. It certainly added to my overall happiness. I practically skipped all the way up the stairs to work that morning. I felt almost as if music was going to start playing and everyone in the office, including me, was going to break out into song. Sadly, I couldn’t sing to save my life, but it was a nice thought, anyway. It was the first time that I’d ever compared my life to a musical.
I walked over to the coffee machine and poured myself and Mae a cup of coffee. While there, I decided to make one for Paul as well, and decided that John needed one too. If there was one thing that everyone in the office had in common, it was our love of strong coffee. I put them all on a tray, and then got out my box of cookies that I’d taken from home. I walked first to John, then to Paul, and then to Mae. Everyone seemed delighted with the service.
“This is nice,” Mae said. “You do know that you don’t actually have to prove your worth to us. We’ve accepted you as one of our own. But, admittedly, the cookies help. Man, these are good,” she said as she took a bite.
“I’m glad you like them,” I said. I pulled up a chair. “So, should we pretend to be doing work together? We’ll change the conversation to work as soon as John walks in.”
Mae chuckled. “You’re already thinking like me. Yes, I like this plan a lot. Anyway, John looks so busy. I doubt he’ll even figure it out.”
I took a sip of my coffee and scooted a bit closer so that it looked as if the two of us were working on something together. My phone rang just as I was about to eat a cookie, so I put it down and reached inside my bag for my cell phone.
“Hello, Eliza speaking,” I said when I didn’t recognize the number.
“Ah, so now you answer your phone.”
I groaned when I heard Raymond’s voice. He was the last person that I wanted to speak to. I reminded myself to now not answer any number that I didn’t recognize. I honestly hadn’t expected him to go to all this effort just to talk to me. I saw Mae giving me a funny look and I pulled a face. “Why are you phoning me from a different number?”
“Because it was the only way I knew you’d reply. You never reply when you see that it’s me. Why do you have to be so damn rude all the time? We used to be a couple, remember? You were my girlfriend.”
“Don’t remind me,” I said. Although I was glad to hear that he was finally referring to me in the past tense.
“Since when are you so mean to me? You used to be so nice to me.”
I sighed. He was right. I had always been so nice to him, even when he didn’t deserve it. Especially when he didn’t deserve it. I knew my new attitude was taking him by surprise. “Look, I don’t want to be mean to you. But I also don’t want to talk to you. Anyway, I’m busy now. I’m at work. So I can’t talk.”
“You’re at work? Since when do you have a job? I thought you were still searching for one.”
“Well, I found one.”
“Hmm. Where is it?”
“Raymond, I’m putting the phone down.”
“Tell me,” he started saying. But I put the phone down before he could say anything else. It rang once more but I ignored it.
“Oh no! The ex?” Mae asked.
I nodded. “Yep. He’s been trying to get in touch with me, but I keep ignoring his calls. I told him that it was over, but he just can’t seem to accept it.”
“You know, I could hear him through the phone. He’s got a horrible way of speaking. I don’t like him one bit, Eliza. There’s something off about that guy.”
“I’m glad you heard that. Because if you met him, he’d probably try charm you.”
“Don’t worry. He’s never going to charm me. I know too much. What are you going to do? Aren’t you worried he’s going to find you? It’s not that difficult these days.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think he’ll come all the way to Arizona. I’m not sure what else I can do right now except ignore him.”
“Have you thought about changing your number?”
“Yeah, I’ve thought about it. I’m not sure, though. I don’t really want to do anything too drastic. It might make him even angrier.”
Mae sighed. “Yeah, that’s true.”
“Anyway, enough about Raymond,” I said. “I’m sick of talking about him.”
Just then, my phone rang again. I almost ignored it but checked and saw that it was my mother. I told Mae that I was going to take the call and took my coffee over to my desk before picking up.
“Wow, you took a while to answer,” my mother said. “Everything okay?”
“Hi, Mom. Yes, everything is fine. I’m just at work. I was walking over to my desk so that we could talk in private. Actually, hang on. I’m going to go to the boardroom. We can talk there.”
I made my way to the boardroom and closed the door. I didn’t really enjoy airing my personal calls out to everyone to hear, and I knew that the boardroom was going to be empty all day.
“Okay, that’s perfect. Now we can talk.”
“Won’t you get into trouble?” she asked.
I thought about John and smiled. “No. I definitely won’t. As long as I’m doing my work, I’m all good. And right now I’m actually ahead of schedule. John, that’s my boss, won’t mind if I take some time off to talk to you.”
“Well, your boss sounds wonderful. And you know, you sound happy, dear. Are you enjoying yourself?”
I thought about Mae, and then immediately thought about Ian. Was I enjoying myself? I’d say so. In more ways than one.
“I am. I really like this job. I feel like I’ve finally found the right place for me. Like this is what I’ve been searching for all along. I was starting to think that being a party planner was not at all what I thought it was going to be. But this job is exactly the environment I was looking for.”
“And have you found many people that are looking for parties?”
“Oh yes. It’s all sorts so far. We’ve done a lot of little projects, but we’re currently working on something much bigger. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m finally starting to figure things out. It wasn’t easy at first because I didn’t know this area at all. But I’m learning.”
“And you like the people you work with?”
“Oh, Mom, they’re lovely. Especially Mae. She and I work closely together, and she’s fast becoming my best friend. I’m very lucky to have met her. She’s roughly my same age, only a few years older, and the two of us have a lot in common.”
“Well, I’m happy to hear that,” my mother said. “It wasn’t nice seeing you go from job to job or inte
rview to interview without finding what you wanted. I can definitely hear that you are happy. It’s a pity it’s not in California, but I do understand. I’ll have to come and visit sometime. And you’ll have to come and visit me.”
I thought of going to California and bumping into Raymond, and the thought was too horrible to even consider. I’d obviously go back to visit one day, and maybe even back to live if things didn’t work out here. But going back to California wasn’t a part of my immediate future plan.
“Yes,” I said. “You should totally come and visit me. I have the loveliest apartment.”
I thought of my mother sitting in my tiny apartment and tried not to laugh. My entire apartment could fit into her living room alone. She’d probably be horrified, but I didn’t mind. Why would I need a big place? It was only for me. And it made me happier than any place has ever made me before.
“I will. I will. That’s a great idea. Now, have you spoken to Raymond at all? I’m very sorry that things didn’t work out between the two of you. I must say that I was very surprised. I thought that you were going to tell me that the two of you were going to get married. Is there really no chance of reconciliation? I really liked that boy.”
I thought that perhaps now was the time that I should tell her all about how he had abused me, the things he’d said and done to me. Maybe I should tell her about how he was harassing me and calling me to find out where I was. But it didn’t seem worth it. That was my past now, and I didn’t want to relive it. And the last thing that I wanted was for my mother to be concerned about me.
“Yeah, it just didn’t work out. Maybe we were too young or something. But these things happen. It’s okay, Mom. I’m not upset or anything. I’ve moved on, and I’m sure he has too. There’s definitely no chance that the two of us are going to get back together.”
“I don’t know, darling. That boy was besotted over you.”
Besotted? He sure had an interesting way of showing it. “I don’t think so, Mom.”
“I don’t know. I have a feeling that the two of you will find a way back to one another.” My mother had a lot of feelings that didn’t ever pan out. I was twenty-six and it was obvious that she just wanted me to find a man to marry and to settle down and have kids. She wanted it so badly that she would probably never see the bad in Raymond. That was why it was better not to tell her anything at all.
“No. It’s not like that. Things between us just didn’t work out. Anyway, I better go. John doesn’t mind me sitting here, but I don’t want to take advantage. And I have tons of work to get through today. Come and visit soon, okay?”
“I will. I’m glad to hear you’re happy.”
I looked down at my almost empty coffee and my half-eaten cookie and smiled. “I am.”
I walked back to my desk and spent the rest of the day working on a few projects that John had sent through. Every now and again Mae would slide her chair over to mine, or we’d walk to the coffee machine together. It was a good day, and everyone in the office seemed to be in a good mood. Even Paul didn’t complain about his home life and instead told us funny stories about the things that his baby was doing. We laughed and told him that he didn’t need to pretend to be unhappy. It was clear to us all that he was in love with both his wife and his child.
“But that’s not a very manly thing to do,” he said.
Mae and I had laughed. Paul was one of the least manly men you’ll ever meet. But we told him that it made him manlier to admit his love for his family. Which, really, wasn’t a lie at all. By the time I walked out of the office that day, I had all but forgotten about that conversation with Raymond.
I was smiling to myself and obviously not looking where I was going. Because the moment I walked out of the office, I almost bumped straight into a man on a motorcycle. I grinned when I saw that it was Ian.
“Gunner? Well, this is a surprise.”
“Lashes, you look like you’re in a world of your own today,” he said. He seemed amused.
I chuckled. “I guess I was.”
“Good day? Hey, do you work in that building?” he asked as he looked up at the old building that looked like it might fall down if someone just sneezed.
“I do indeed. And, trust me, don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s beautiful inside. It’s one of my favorite places to go to every day. I cannot believe I’m actually saying that about my own office. I’m a lucky girl. So, what are you doing here?”
“I was just driving around. But I’m glad I bumped into you. Any chance you’re free tomorrow night?”
“That depends,” I said and smiled. “Is there sushi involved?”
“Only the best sushi restaurant in town.”
“Then I’m in.”
“Great, I’ll pick you up at seven.”
I grinned as I watched him ride off on his motorcycle with ease. I probably should’ve been staying away from guys at the moment, but Gunner was a welcome distraction that I was finding too hard to ignore.
Chapter Seventeen
Ian
I was just about to head out to work when there was a knock on my door. Who the hell was coming to see me at this time of the day? It better not be some salesman trying to sell me something, because I will give him a piece of my mind. I scowled as I opened the door and then frowned when I saw Chris standing there.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Well, a very good morning to you,” he said. “Aren’t you a grumpy one in the morning? Can I come in?”
“You can. But why? I was just about to go to work. Where you should be going.”
Chris walked passed me and went straight to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee.
“I hope you don’t mind. I haven’t had one yet. I’ll make you one too.”
“What’s going on?”
“I got to work early today, but when the shop was closed, I called your father. You know what he’s like, he’s always there super early. So I didn’t think that it would be a problem. Anyway, he said he was going to call you this morning to let you know that he wasn’t feeling well. He decided to shut the shop down for the day.”
“What? Why? We could’ve run it.”
“Yeah, but then who would man the front office?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. We could’ve still worked. So why didn’t he phone me then?”
“I told him that I would come by to see you and let you know. Don’t get so mad at him. He was going to phone you. Dude, you’re too hard on your father. Here, have some coffee; this will calm you down.”
I took the coffee and the two of us went to sit in the living room. I’d been looking forward to a day at work, busying myself with the motorcycles. Now what was I supposed to do with my day?
“Thanks. I did need this,” I said to Chris and shot him a grateful look.
“Why are you so mad? You get the day off. Most people would rejoice in that. Personally, I’m pretty happy myself. I haven’t had a day off in forever,” Chris said. Then he leaned back against the sofa and popped his feet onto the table. He was the picture of relaxation.
I sighed. “Well, I’m not most people.”
Chris laughed. “Statement of the year. Never a truer word spoken. I know you love working at the shop, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a day off every now and again.”
I shrugged. “I guess. I just don’t want to take the day off. I want to work in the shop. I don’t understand why my dad would close the entire shop when we could’ve just worked there today. I mean, I could’ve kept the office going too.”
“You see, you are good at that side of the job too. You just don’t want to admit it.”
“No, I’m not. I just want to work on bikes. That’s all.”
“No. What you want is to be all-encompassed in everything that has to do with motorcycles. Whether it be working on them or keeping the shop running. Or, you know, running the motorcycle club.”
I groaned. “Are you really going to talk about
that again?”
“Come on; I think you’d be great at it. You shouldn’t be so hard on your father. He did you a great honor by electing you to run the club. Tell me one thing: would you have been mad if he had chosen Patriot?”
“Yeah, of course I would’ve been mad. He doesn’t deserve that job.”
“Exactly. And if that had happened, you’d be here telling me that you should’ve been the one that got the job.”
I laughed. “I hate it when you’re right about something.”
“So, you’re going to do it?”
“I’ll see. I’ll see. But you do realize that if I run the club, I’m going to be harassing you even more to join up with us.”
“I expect nothing less, Gunner.”
The two of us sat for the next hour, talking shop and girls and everything else. I didn’t tell him too much about Eliza, other than the fact that I was taking her out again that night. We joked a bit about it, and I made comments suggesting that I was only in it for the sex. But I wasn’t sure if that was really true or not. Either way, I wasn’t about to tell Chris that Eliza was also a good conversationalist. And that she was by far the most interesting and sweetest girl I’d ever met. He’d already given me grief for hugging her. The last thing I needed was for him to mock me even more.
Later that evening, I made my way over to Eliza’s place. I was sort of hoping she’d let me in immediately, but when I arrived, she was waiting for me outside. She had on jeans so tight that they looked like they were a part of her skin, and a black top, with black shoes. In fact, her entire outfit was black. The only thing that betrayed her grungy look was her bright blue earrings, which matched beautifully with her bright blue eyes. How could someone so sweet be so hot?
I grinned at her. “Looking good, Lashes. Hop on.”
She climbed behind me and wrapped her arms around me, and I drove us to my all-time favorite sushi restaurant. I figured the other guys at the club would tease me relentlessly if they knew I was a sushi eater. But I’d been introduced to it a few years ago and had been obsessed with it ever since. And anyway, why should a group of men dictate what I could or couldn’t eat?
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