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“Give her a call. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind,” I said. “You sound frantic. Something wrong?”
“Had to fire the new girl. Especially after she didn’t show up for work this morning. You and Lindy are all I got until I can hire someone else.”
“I’ll be there,” I said. “See you soon.”
CHAPTER 9
My run-in with Tanner stayed on my mind well into the weekend. I hadn’t seen them Saturday night at the bar, and it made me worried for their safety. What did Tanner mean by “club stuff”? The concerned look on his face as he read his phone was stuck in my memory. He peeled away from the curb pretty quickly on his bike as well. Was that why the brothers hadn’t been showing up at the bar recently? Growing up around the clubs like I had, I knew that club business could be both monotonous, and extremely dangerous, depending on what sort of activities the club was into.
The Grove brothers’ club being newer in town, I wasn’t quite sure what it was they were about. Drugs? Guns? Gambling? Protection? I tried to figure out what it could be by what I knew about the brothers so far.
My mind was stuck on a skipping turntable as I tried to fill in the missing blanks.
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I hoped everyone was all right. As I lay there in bed at two in the afternoon, I tried to occupy my mind. So, I thought about the store and how long it was taking Lindy and me to hear back about our offer. I thought about all the facets of my business I could eventually add. I tossed around names for our shop. Things like “Open Road” and “Leather Hell.” I thought about all the colors I could pepper into my clothing line. Spritzes of pinks and deep reds and blues. Dots of yellow and chrome spikes and hand-stitched patches with customizable string.
Fucking hunter green on some deep black leather would look badass.
I thought about the loft above the store and how I would outfit it. The deep-set couches I could buy and the television I would mount. The sprawling bed I would purchase to fuel my habit of spreading my limbs out, and all the kitchenware I’d buy to make lots of tasty fucking foods. I could see it when I closed my eyes. I could smell the freedom and taste the independence. The smile that crossed my face burned my cheeks, and soon my worry about the brothers faded into the background.
But a knock on my door pulled me from my trance.
“Emma? You awake?”
I groaned as I rolled out of bed.
“I’m coming in,” my mother said.
“Shocker.”
The door flew open as my eyes tried to adjust. She flipped on my light, blinding me for a second before she strode in. I placed the heels of my hands against my eyes, trying to will her presence away as her Very Berry body spray filled my nostrils and made me sick.
“Got enough shit on?” I asked.
“Open your eyes and see,” my mother said.
I heard a bunch of plastic bags crumple to the floor and I sighed as I opened my eyes. I studied my mother’s outfit. A cut-off leather jacket, some tight-ass skinny jeans, and a fucking crop top that said, “I’m Your Bitch.” She was wearing raven black heels that showed off her gem-encrusted pedicure, and the makeup she was wearing was enough to shame even the sluttiest of prostitutes off the street.
“What the hell are you wearing?” I asked.
“It’s new. You like it?” she asked.
She gave me a twirl as I rolled my eyes.
“How much did you spend this time?” I asked.
“None of your damn business. Now, close your eyes. I’m gonna go put on another one.”
“Another one?” I asked.
“Yes. I’ve got four new outfits. And you’re gonna tell me how all of them look.”
“Can I just say ‘wonderful,’ and we can skip this process?”
“So funny. You get your sense of humor from me,” she said.
“Too bad you don’t get your decorum from me,” I said, murmuring.
I watched as my mother began to take off her clothes. I yelped, then threw my arm over my face. What the hell was she doing? Just stripping in my fucking room? I had just woken up. I didn’t have near enough coffee in my system for her bullshit today.
