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“So, when do we go collect on the inheritance?” she asked, taking a sip of her water. She bent down to pat Max’s head.
He loved it, leaning into her touch and letting his tongue fall out of his mouth.
“We?” There was no way I would be taking her down to Rose Ridge. It could be dangerous; besides, she’d go to jail. Her temper couldnever.
Standing to her full height, she planted her hands on her hips.
“Yes,we.I’m coming. You know I work like two shitty jobs at once, but I’m always two strikes away from losing them both.”
She wasn’t wrong, and I knew her lust for adventure would always compete with her willingness to keep a roof over her head. As it was, she shared an apartment with two other roommates and didn’t get along with either of them. The only reason I had this tiny place to myself was because I didn’t mind living on this side of the city. The rent was nearly a third of what she chose to pay near Capitol Hill.
“Laura, this isn’t like a normal family inheritance. My dad was the president of a biker club, and not the nice kind that does teddy bear runs. Their club did illegal stuff—and somehow my ex-boyfriend is the new president.”
My friends’ eyes didn’t shift or move. In fact, she began inspecting her nails while I spoke.
“Sounds juicy, I can’t wait.”
“Laura, I’m serious. It’s dangerous.”
She clicked her tongue and slumped onto my two-seater couch, while Maxwell tracked the movement with his eyes.
“Look, if you really don’t want me to go, I won’t. I can watch Max and let you go take care of business, but I would love to go and see all the craziness that made you who you are.”
I tipped my head and stared up at the ceiling. A water spot was in the corner above the window. I liked to keep tabs on it to ensure it didn’t grow. I honestly didn’t mind her tagging along, but the idea of putting anyone in harm’s way made my stomach sour.
Growing up, I was shielded from a lot of the realities of club life because of who my dad was. No one touched me, no one hurt me, no one did anything harmful at all except forget that I even existed. Still, the parties got to me. The noise, all the chaos of having people in my house all the time. It was manageable until other clubs mingled and Dad would drink too much. Those nights were the scariest, because the new people didn’t realize I was Simon Stone’s daughter. I had way too many close calls, one of which had initially run me out of the house that night and down the road to Wesley’s.
“What are you going to tell Jacks? Didn’t he just threaten to give your chair away like last week?” Laura turned her head until her blue eyes were on me.
I hated the way worry feathered her brows. She didn’t like my boss, and not just because he’d hit on her with a little too much enthusiasm. He was an asshole, through and through.
I shrugged. “I have the office job, too. The tattoo shop is only part-time anyway, and it’s not like I have a ton of clients. Jacks refusing to put my card out there until I paid the advance for the space sort of ensured that. I get it, but I don’t have that kind of cash.”
Laura sat up and pointed at me. “Yet! Here’s the plan: you go down to Rose Town by the end of the week.”
“Rose Ridge,” I corrected her.
She waved me off and powered on. “Rose whatever. You talk to a realtor about selling the place, get an estimate, and who knows? Maybe it will be enough to open your own shop and you’ll become Jacks’s competition.”
While that did sound amazing, there was still that tiny flicker in the back of my mind that wanted the shop I settled in to be facing Main Street in Rose Ridge. In this fantasy, I lived right above it, and Maxwell had his own space to lounge while I worked. Afterward, we’d walk downtown for dinner, and he’d play at the park. Every time I conjured up that image, it felt safe and peaceful. Which always made my stomach flutter with excitement. Maybe while I was there, I could see if there were even any potential storefronts that would work. But that would mean I’d be returning home, and was I really ready to go back?
Wes would be everywhere, and my clientele would frequently mix with club members.
Doubt sank my dream like a paper boat, making me reconsider the whole thing.
“What about the law office where I work four days a week? That’s a good gig, and they pretty much let me do whatever I want.” I bit my lip as I fussed over the idea of losing my place there. It was good money, and reliable.
Max took this opportunity to crawl on top of us, which made us both groan.
“Max!”
Laura held his face, so it was pointed away from hers.
“No offense, Cal, but all you do is make copies, get their coffee, and sit there looking pretty for the disgusting windbags to stare at. You get paid barely above minimum wage.”
Ouch. I had worked hard to secure my spot at that law office, and yes, it was practically meaningless, but it came with some tiny scrap of pride when I was able to tell people I worked at the Law Offices of Welsh & Meyer. I felt respected when I was there. If the windbags she mentioned did stare at me, I never noticed it.
“Look.” She reached around Max’s chest and grabbed my hand. “Just ask if you can take a week off. Start with a week, and we’ll figure it out from there. Okay?”
