Danny whistled. “Not an easy task.”
Addison peeked up through her lashes, and her shoulders slumped. “I know.”
Nothing had been easy, but there were certain parts that had been in decent shape. The transmission was not one of them. Neither was the carburetor. She’d set that aside after the second fire in the garage. Danny had been very understanding after the first. After the last one, he’d forbidden her to try again. It was still a sore subject. For safety measures, her space was now equipped with not one, not two, but three fire extinguishers.
Danny walked around and crouched down. She mimicked him with the bike between them.
“I said it before, and I’ll say it again. You’ll save some money and a ton of your time if you let me and the guys work on it. Probably get it done in a month.”
It was true, and she had no doubt of what he was saying. It wasn’t the first time he’d offered. And to be honest, she’d contemplated it once or twice. Especially after the second fire. But…
“If you do the work, thenyourebuilt it, right?”
The corner of his mouth curled. They’d had this conversation so many times, he knew what she was saying. The sole purpose of the bike was that she did the work on it so she could honestly check off that box. Addison had zero interest in rebuilding anything, much less a motorcycle. But it wasn’t about her.
“I want to do it.”
He nodded and straightened his legs to stand. “Alright, I get it. But I haven’t changed my mind about the carburetor.” He tapped his chest. “I’m doing that.”
We’ll see.
Danny gave a short wave and left the garage closing the door behind him. Addison did a quick time check at the old clock on the workbench.
“Shit.” She muttered.
She walked over to her bag, pulled out her phone, and hit her playlist. Garage grunge with a little country, heavy metal, and a pop song to even her mood. She grasped the back of her neck, eyeing the bike. It was best to get started now considering she had limited time today. But she was too eager to read Cleo’s letter. She pulled it from her bag, ripped open the envelope, and unfolded the purple stationary.
Dear Addison,
How are you? I hope things are going great. Your bar sounds like a lot of fun to work at. We have a localone here that I go to every so often with Wraith. Best burgers ever.
I’ve finally finished all the decorating in the house and moved on to the porch and front yard landscape. There’s a bed that I planted with flowers. Then we got one last frost, and it wiped them out, so I have to start from scratch. I don’t mind, I like it. But I hope the cold is finally behind us. Killcreek is really pretty in the spring. You should see all the trees…it’s peaceful and gorgeous.
Not much happening here. Since we text so much, I guess I’ve run out of things to write. But let’s keep doing this. I love getting your letters almost as much as I love talking with you.
Love, your friend,
Cleo
PS. I included a picture of my house and the creek. It’s pretty, right? I wish you could see it.
Addison dug in the envelope and pulled out the picture. The house was adorable, and the creek was picturesque. Cleo talked a lot about Killcreek, though she always got the impression that Cleo was being careful with her words. She never gave many details. It left the small town a bit of a mystery and piqued her curiosity. It was Knox’s home too for a very long time.
I wish you could see it.
Addison tucked the letter back into the envelope and glanced down at the return address. Maybe it was time she did see Killcreek. And Cleo.
****
“This is so exciting.”
Cross eyed the petite brunette standing in front of Wraith. He towered over her by about a foot and a half. They were opposite in most things besides height, weight, and overall appearance. No two people could’ve been any more different. But then again, no couple was more suited for each other.
Knox would’ve liked seeing them together. Would’ve liked it a lot. Cross being so tight with the brother was privy to a lot of his thoughts before his death. Knox never outright said he wanted them to end up together, but he did want his sister to find a man who could appreciate and love her. And Wraith does.
It had taken some time, but Wraith had finally claimed Cleo. He’d moved into her house next to Grizz’s. He remained present at the clubhouse and within the club, but he always went home with Cleo. A lot had changed in the last nine months.
Cross scanned the open land behind the clubhouse and snorted. No bigger change than adding a secret neighborhood behind the clubhouse. There’d been talk in the past about building homes for the members. Killcreek was a huge town with very few residents. They had the land, but it had been nothing but talk for a long time. Wraith and Cleo changed that. Ace had offered a piece of property to them, but Cleo was adamant about wanting to stay in Grizz’s cabin. Cross understood it. Cleo had never really had anything of her own. It was her first, and she wasn’t ready to replace it.
