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Leia giggled. “Good analogy.”
“How do you know about the Godfather thing?”
“Brim allows me to listen in on his phone meetings.”
“Well, there’s no way I’m gonna allow Lincoln to walk through any mafia drama without backup. I may be small, but I’m mighty.”
Leia held out her fist and Vivi bumped it with her own.
“Do you want to hit Walmart?” Leia asked, changing the subject. “Or do you want to go to the mall in the next town over?”
“Walmart is fine,” she replied. “I’m not picky.”
“Come on.”
Vivi followed Leia through the club, to a large mudroom. Many coats hung on many hooks. Shoes in all shapes and sizes were stacked neatly in cubbyholes. A pegboard was nailed to the wall by the door, and Leia grabbed a set of keys from it. Outside, she used the fob to unlock the doors to a new-looking truck before sliding behind the wheel. Vivi grabbed hold of the handle to swing herself into the passenger seat.
“Thank you for this,” Vivi said as they drove out of the compound.
“I know what it feels like not to have clothes or toiletries,” Leia replied with an easy grin. “Believe me.”
“Sounds like a story there.”
“I met Brim under difficult circumstances, I guess you could say. You see, he kidnapped me.”
Vivi’s eyes widened. “Kidnapped? Like me?”
“Ah, a little different than your situation. Not quite so … maniacal. Brim was hurting and searching for something to keep him from killing himself. Grief can do many things.”
“I know about grief,” Vivi said softly. “How destructive it can be.”
Leia nodded. “So, what about you and Lincoln?”
It was an obvious change of topic, and Vivi latched onto it.
“I don’t know if he believes me, but he’s stuck with me for life.” She bounced a little in her seat. “He’s the sugar to my coffee. The jelly to my peanut butter. The marshmallow to my chocolate and graham crackers. The cream to my pie. Wait, that one didn’t sound PG-13.”
Leia laughed. “You wouldn’t, by chance, be hungry?”
Vivi thought about that for a moment. “Not really, but now that I said coffee, I could really go for that.”
“You got it,” Leia said. A moment later she maneuvered into the parking lot of the local java place. The delicious smell engulfed the cab and made Vivi’s mouth water.
It didn’t take long to place their order and get their cup of joe. Vivi dumped a shitload of sugar into her coffee, and when the hot sugary concoction met her taste bud’s approval, she smacked her lips together in happiness.
“Do you like living with a bunch of bikers?” Vivi asked after they grabbed a table in the corner, away from other people.
“I do,” Leia answered. “I’ve been alone too much of my life so I like being near constant noise. Brim is busy with club business, and sometimes I feel if I didn’t hang out on his couch, then our relationship would be in the toilet. I know that’s not true. That it’s all in my head, but still.”
“Yeah,” Vivi murmured. “Still. That makes sense, though.”
Leia’s brow furrowed. “It does?”
“Yep. You, my friend, need a hobby. So, let’s brainstorm what you can do. What things do you consider fun?”
“I read a lot. I like playing pranks on the guys. Once I changed Brim’s screensaver to a unicorn with hearts.”
“Oh, nice! I bet his face was priceless. Did you happen to get a pic? No? Too bad.” Vivi took a sip of coffee and smacked her lips. “Can’t really make that into a legitimate hobby because at some point they’re gonna prank you back. But books! We can work with that. Have you ever tried to write one?”
