The room erupted in applause, and I knew that I had said the right thing. I started to talk, and the more I spoke, the more I could hear my father inside of me. It was like it was him standing in front of the club and not me. I wondered if that was how he had felt when he had first taken over from his own father. I’d never asked him that.
I was surprised at how well the meeting went, and how easy it was to stand up and talk in front of so many people. And most of all, I was surprised that they had all listened to me. I had expected them to ignore me, or worse, to laugh at me. But they’d all listened. I even saw one guy taking notes. Perhaps they were humoring me for the sake of my father, or maybe they had really enjoyed listening to me. Either way, I was glad that I hadn’t made a fool of myself when I walked off.
“Well, that’s it for today. I think we covered a lot of ground. Thanks for listening to me. I know I’m not as well-spoken as my father, so I appreciate you hearing me out today. Now, let’s go ride! I’ll meet you all out front in fifteen minutes.”
I gathered my things and started walking out when Patriot stopped me.
“You did well,” he said.
“Really? Was I not too nervous up there? Public speaking is not exactly something I thrive on.”
Patriot laughed. “Same here. Although to be honest, I think it’s the one thing that most people hate. But you did very well. I knew you would. But, Gunner, you did better than I thought you would. Everyone loved you up there. It was weird; it was like it was Pop up there and not you.”
“Oh yeah? Well, thanks, man.”
“Pop would be proud.”
I didn’t say anything, but as I walked toward my bike, I could feel my lips turn into a smile. For the first time in my whole life, I thought he might be right.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Eliza
I slept over again at Ian’s place. Neither one of us had actually made the decision for it, but I just ended up getting changed into my pajamas and spending the night. I had packed a few clothes as well as my toothbrush in case it happened, and Ian didn’t mention it. It was perhaps a little disconcerting that we spent so much time together and that we still hadn’t spoken about what sort of relationship we had. I had a feeling that the conversation was going to come up in the near future. But the problem was that I had no idea what I would say to it. Did I want to be his girlfriend? Did he want me to be his girlfriend? I had a feeling I wasn’t the usual type he went out with. And I had already told myself time and time again that I wasn’t ready for a boyfriend. It wasn’t healthy to go from an abusive relationship straight into another relationship. He was the opposite of abusive, but I still wasn’t sure if it was what I wanted. But seeing him sitting in front of me at the breakfast table while we drank coffee and chatted about the week ahead felt good. For now, I would forget about what we should or shouldn’t be doing and just enjoy his company.
“So, do you have another busy week ahead?”
Ian nodded. “Yeah. Usually we only find out on the day whether or not it’s going to be busy, but we already have five bikes booked for today. We’ve also started up a bit of a shop to sell equipment, and that has taken off more than we thought it would. We’re going to have to get new stock in to keep up with the demand. It’s going to be one hell of a crazy week.”
“But you love it, don’t you?” I said and grinned at him. His entire face lit up when he spoke about the shop.
“I do. Hey, I just realized that we both get to work with our best friends. That’s awesome.”
“How long have you and Chris been friends for?” I asked. It was clear to me that Chris was someone that Ian thought the world of.
“Oh, forever. Since we were little. He’s more a brother to me than my own brothers.”
“That’s cool. What is it like having four brothers?”
“It’s okay. I mean, we were never that close. We’re all just so different. And maybe they just took after my mom, and I took after my dad, or vice versa, but I’ve never really felt close to any of them. Except for Patriot. He’s probably the most similar to me. Which is why our relationship is a little rocky, I guess. I don’t know; I don’t really think about it all that much. And like I said, I consider Chris like a brother more than the rest of them. How about you? What’s it like to be an only child?”
“People have asked me that before, but I never know how to answer it because being an only child is all I’ve ever really known.”
“But now you have Mae.”
“That’s true. I still can’t believe that I’ve known her for less than two months. It seems completely crazy. Like I can actually call her my best friend already.”
“Yeah, the two of you seem close. So, are you preparing for the party today?”
I grinned. “Yes! I’m so excited. We’re actually going shopping all day instead of staying inside the office. How cool is that? I know it’s going to be busy, but I still can’t believe that I’m going shopping and not sitting at my desk. This is definitely my dream job. I’m meeting her at the office, and then we’re going together. We have a long list of things to get.”
“I bet you’re going to find time to sneak in a cup of coffee somewhere,” Ian teased.
“What? On company time? How dare you—yeah, of course we are,” I said and chuckled. “Ooh, I better get going.”
“Already?”
“Yeah, we’re getting an early start. Thanks for breakfast.”
“Anytime.”
I quickly ran to the room to get ready. I had to be at the office in five minutes, but I hadn’t realized how late it was already. As usual, when I got caught up in a conversation with Ian, it was hard to stop. I grabbed my bag and walked out. Ian was still drinking his coffee at the table. I walked up and kissed him squarely on the lips.
“Bye, Gunner,” I said.
His eyes widened. “Gunner? Not Ian?”
“Let’s be honest; I’m always turned on by you. Well, have a great day. See you later.”
Ian groaned. “Seriously? You’re going to say something like that and just walk away. That’s cruel.”
I chuckled. “I’m sorry. But I really have to go.”
I rushed out and made my way to work. By the time I got there, I was only ten minutes later than we had planned. Mae was standing at the doorway tapping her watch when I ran up the stairs.
“Where’ve you been?” she demanded.
“Wow, not even a good morning?”
“No. Only those that are on time get a good morning.”
“Do I at least get a coffee?”
“No. You get nothing. Come on; we have a full day ahead of us.”
“Don’t I even get to go inside?” I complained.
“Nope. If you were on time, you would’ve been able to. But we have a very serious appointment to get to first.”
I didn’t know that we actually had actual appointments. Mae was walking down the street with a determined look on her face. I ran up to her and matched her stride.
“Wait, where are we going? What appointment?”
“We’re going out for some coffee.”
“What? With who?”
“Just you and me,” she said while still keeping a serious face.
I burst out laughing. “And that’s the serious appointment?”
“Hey, you know I take my coffee seriously,” she said and grinned at me. “Anyway, I felt like we couldn’t truly start our day without a bit of catching up, don’t you think?”
“I absolutely agree. This coffee meeting is of the utmost importance. The more coffee we drink, the better we will shop.”
We made our way to a little café a few blocks down and settled into a booth. We ordered cappuccinos and then sat back against the leather sofas and grinned at one another.
“I could seriously get used to workdays like this,” I said and smiled at the waitress as she placed two steaming cappuccinos in front of us.
“Tell me about it. Now, why were you late?”
“It is for you. You’re always on time, or early. Ten minutes is late for you. You must’ve had a valid reason, and I’m willing to bet ten dollars that I know what it was.”
“Oh yeah? Go on, tell me.”
“Ten bucks?”
“Sure, ten bucks.”
“You slept over at Gunner’s place, or he slept over at yours. And you were so distracted by his tattooed body that you completely forgot what time it was.”
“Close!” I said and burst out laughing. “In fact, so close that I’ll give five bucks. But you don’t the full ten. You left out some vital statistics. Like the fact that he made me breakfast. Sure, it was just peanut butter on toast. But still.”
“He made you breakfast? The man with all the tattoos? I have to admit. It’s a pretty nice image. Wow, so things are going well with the two of you?”
“They are. We’re just having a good time together. And he’s making me feel very safe in case Raymond comes back. I’m very lucky.”
“I’m glad he’s there. I mean, you could’ve stayed with me, but there’s not much that I’m going to do against Raymond.”
“Hopefully he doesn’t ever come back. Now, enough about Raymond. What’s on the agenda for today?”
Mae pulled out the list and the two of us went through everything that we needed to do. Mae knew the area better than I did, so she mapped out exactly what we needed to do in what order so that we weren’t backtracking. We figured that it was going to take us all day to get through all the shopping, so we included a lunch break too.
“You sure John won’t mind that we’re doing this?” I said.
“Are you kidding? As long as we make this party amazing, he won’t care what we do. Anyway, he knows that we both need food in order to function correctly.”
“That’s true. So, is he your date for the party?” I asked.
She grinned. “He is. He just doesn’t know it yet. How about you?”
“I’ve asked Ian. He’ll be there.”
“Really? It doesn’t exactly seem like his sort of thing. Wow, the guy must really like you.”
We finished our coffee and headed back to get Mae’s car. Then we slowly but surely made our way through the list, ticking each one as we went along. We’d both called all the stores beforehand to make sure that they actually had what we wanted. This meant that everything went smoothly. It also meant that we managed to find the time to stop for a long and leisurely lunch in the middle of the day. The lunch gave us the boost to continue, and by four that afternoon, we had everything that we needed to make the party perfect.
We were on our way back to the office when I turned to look at Mae.
“Thank you for such an awesome day,” I said.
“Don’t thank me. Thank John for giving us this assignment,” she said. “I wish all days could be this fun.”
“No, it’s not just John. If I had to do this with anyone else, I wouldn’t have had a good time. And it’s not just today that I want to say thank you for. I want to thank you for everything that you’ve done for me since I arrived in Arizona. I love being here, but I know that it’s mostly to do with the fact that I met you.” I stopped short because I could feel the tears rolling down my face.
Mae had just parked the car, and she turned to look at me in surprise. Then she started crying.
“Oh, Eliza. You’re making me cry. I’m so happy that I met you. And you’re right; it’s not just about today. Ever since we met, I’ve felt happier. Like a part of me was missing all along.”
That just made me cry even more, so I reached over and hugged her. She leaned in too, but we both got caught in our seatbelts and didn’t make it. That made us laugh, which in turn made us cry. At that moment, Paul and John walked by and rapped on the window.
“Hi,” Mae said as she wound down her window.
“What’s going on? Is everything okay? We were just on our way out and suddenly we saw the two of you crying in the car. Did something happen?”
Mae turned to look at me, and I started laughing. We must have looked ridiculous. She shook her head and assured John that everything was okay.
“We’re actually very happy,” I said.
“That’s your happy face?” he asked.
Paul peered in and sighed. “Yep. Trust me, John. I live in a household with only women. My wife, my little girl, and my wife’s sister who comes in almost every day. Sometimes they cry when they’re happy.”
And, of course, that only made us laugh and cry even more.
“You sure nothing’s wrong?” John asked again. He was looking at Mae with so much concern, it broke my heart.
She grinned at him. “Nothing is wrong. In fact, it’s been the best day.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ian
It was the night of the party, and I was getting ready in the bedroom while Eliza waited for me in the living room. She’d gone home to get ready, and when she’d walked through my door, I’d been blown away at her outfit. She had on a beautiful, long, sky-blue dress that was tight around the ass and flowed gently all the way down to her feet.
“Damn, you’re beautiful,” I said. Then I looked down and grinned. “And you’re wearing heels.”
It was the first time that I’d seen her heels. It was strange to see her look tall for a change, and while she looked breathtaking, it felt almost like it wasn’t her. She’d grinned and opened up her handbag to reveal two white sneakers inside.
“For when my feet get tired of the heels. They suit the dress way more, but these sneakers will be so much better.”
“You’re the only woman that I’ve ever met who brings sneakers to a fancy event.”
She’d giggled. “I hate heels.”
“You’re gorgeous, either way,” I said and kissed her. And she really did look beautiful, but I sort of couldn’t wait to see her with the sneakers on. I liked leaning down to kiss her.
“Thank you. Are you going like that?”
I laughed. “Yes. Do you like it?”
I was wearing black jeans and a white tank top.
“Actually, I do,” she said.
“Well, that’s a pity because I’m about to change into something else. Take a seat in the living room. I won’t be long. There’s wine if you want.”
“No, I better not drink until after I’m sure that the event has gone well.”
Now I was in the bedroom putting on the suit that I’d gone out to buy. I’d bought a suit before, but this was the first time that I actually cared what it looked like on me. So I’d ended up at a tailor who had fashioned a suit specifically for me. The suit was black, and the tie was a sky blue. It felt strange wearing a suit and tie, and I was nervous to walk out and show Eliza.
“Everything okay?” she called out, and I realized that I’d been taking far too long.
“All good. I’m coming!”
I took a deep breath and then walked out. Eliza turned around and gasped.
“You’re wearing a suit!” she said.
I grinned nervously. “Yeah. Uh, is it okay?”
“Holy crap, Gunner. It’s hot. You clean up nicely, you know.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Your tie! It’s almost the same color as my dress. How did you know?”
I looked at her dress in surprise and laughed. “Oh yeah. Well, I asked the tailor for a blue tie to match the color of your eyes. I had no idea your dress was going to be that color.”
“You asked the tailor to get a tie that matched my eyes? Are you serious?”
I had no idea if she was happy or not. So I just stood there looking confused. “Yes. Why? Is that bad?”
She got up and kissed me. “Are you kidding me? That’s the most amazing thing anyone has ever done.”
“It is?”
She laughed. “You’re incredible. And, I know you’re uncomfortable in that suit, but I want you to know that I’m gratefu
l that you made the effort. And if it makes you feel any better, I’m uncomfortable in these shoes! Bring your leather jacket with.”
“Why?”
“We can do an outfit change later in the night. You can take off your smart jacket and tie and put your leather jacket on, and I’ll take off my shoes and put my sneakers on.”
“You know, this night is sounding better and better,” I said.
Eliza stood up and took my hand. “Come, let’s go. I want to show you off.”
The party looked like it was straight out of a Hollywood movie. Red carpets, shining outfits, a disco ball, and champagne served in tall flutes. Even though it wasn’t the sort of party that I usually went to, or even liked, it was certainly impressive. How two young women had pulled off something this big was beyond me. I wouldn’t have even known where to start. Every element had been thought of, and the more you looked, the more detail there was to be found. I turned to look at Eliza.
“You guys did all this?” I asked.
She beamed. “Yeah. I’m quite happy with how it’s turned out. It looked nice without all the people, but it was hard to imagine what it would be like once everyone was here. It’s better with all the people. Do you like it?”
“It’s amazing. It really is.”
And it was. But I still wished I was back at home, with Eliza next to me, watching old movies and eating popcorn with our feet up. I remembered why I hated wearing a suit and tie. The longer I walked around in it, the more uncomfortable it made me feel. I kept fiddling with the tie to loosen it.
Eliza and I walked around, and she introduced me to a few people. But for the most part, we didn’t know anyone, as she was only the party planner. So we mingled and eavesdropped on conversations. Eliza was still feeling nervous about if she’d done a good job or not. She wanted to know if people were having a good time, which they clearly were. We stood next to a couple who were talking to one another about the party.
Dirty Roomie Page 38