Her Keeper, page 7
“Only reason I’m not sitting next to you is because I want you more than my next fuckin’ breath, Spitfire. If I’m too close right now, I won’t be held accountable for my actions,” he states, another smirk on his face.
“Okay. I appreciate that. What did you want to talk about?” I ask him, my nerves ramping back up again.
Despite my best efforts, my leg starts bouncing up and down as I wait for him to speak. He places his hand on my knee to calm me. The only problem is the fire I was trying to bank during this important discussion we’re about to have has flared back to life.
“First of all, I get why you’re upset with me. I could have messaged the last week before we showed up here. However, you could have also called or messaged me at any time. You didn’t. We were all busy finalizing the plans we’ve been working so long and hard on in order to come here and start our lives. A life I want to move forward building with you,” he begins as I stare at him without saying a word. “So, we’re both at fault for the lack of communication during that time. I’m not upset with you about it though. We’re both busy people and things didn’t work out. Moving forward, I don’t want to go a week without talking to you again. I refuse to go that long not talking to you.”
“I get it, Kaiden. I could have handled the situation better and not put everything on you the way I did. I’m not used to having someone there for me no matter what’s going on. Someone who wants to get to know who I truly am and is working to make one of my only dreams come true with the help of his club. You honestly have no clue what this bar means to me. If everything checks out this afternoon, then I’ll be moving forward with signing the papers,” I respond honestly, completely understanding where he’s coming from. “I don’t want to go that long without speaking again either. At the same time, I don’t know how to move forward with you.”
“What do you mean?” he asks, confusion filling his face as he leans forward with his forearms resting on his thighs.
“What I mean is, you’re older than me and have a ton more experience than I do. I remember the letters you wrote, explaining your past once I started opening up about myself. The only so-called relationship I ever had was with him. We both know how that ended, so yeah, no real background here.”
I refuse to mention that fucker’s name. That night still haunts my dreams, despite the therapy I’ve gotten and the countless hours of junking Fee and I have done. She has been my rock throughout the entire aftermath of what happened. Kaiden has been too if I’m being honest. The words in his letters helped get me through some of my darkest hours. I reread them so often the papers are smudged and wrinkled.
“I don’t give a fuck about your experience or lack thereof. I’m honestly glad you don’t have a past as extensive as mine. It’s one of the many things I like about you. I might be older than you in age, but you’re not childish, immature, or anything else. If anything, I think you’re older than I am in maturity. Just ask Hulk. I want to continue getting to know you. If you want to take things slow, we’ll take things slow. This is your show, Spitfire. I’m just along for the ride. And from here on out, we’re going to talk shit through. None of this locking one another out bullshit. Though, if I’m being quiet, it’s more than likely because I’m lost in my head about what’s happened when we were on missions and shit. Not anything to do with you. Your brother is actually very good at getting me to talk about shit and remain out of my head. Is this sounding good to you so far?” he asks, not once taking his eyes off me so I can hear the honesty of his words.
“It all sounds good. Were you serious about wanting to work at the bar instead of doing something else?” The idea of working together almost sounds too good to be true, but it would be another environment in which to better get to know him.
“Of course I’m serious about it. We all got choices of where we wanted to work. If you take on the bar, there’s nowhere else I’ll be. I want to have eyes on you at all times when you’re working around a bunch of drunk fucks. Not because I don’t trust you, but because no one’s going to lay a hand on you for any reason. I’ll be bartending, stocking, helping out where I’m needed, and playing the role of bouncer. Hell, I’ll even help with the fucking paperwork so you can get it turned in timely to the accountant for tax purposes since I’m good with numbers. I’m guessing you’re going to talk to Ophelia about cooking there for you too?”
“Yeah. We haven’t really talked about it yet. I’d love for her to be the cook there, but I know she’s not ever going to leave the diner. It’s a lot for her to take on. Maybe she can train someone to cook the way she does and then only come in once in a while when we’re really busy,” I tell him, not sure if she’ll even go for the idea of working in a place Scorch will more than likely hang out in.
“I’ve actually got the perfect guy in mind,” Kaiden informs me, before launching into the story of their new Prospect.
My heart breaks for the poor kid. To be homeless, scrounging for bits of food from garbage cans and other shit. Not ever having money of his own, clean clothes, or anything else. I’d love to have him working at the bar. There are no concerns about him doing anything wrong on my end. If the guys didn’t trust him, he wouldn’t have been allowed to come to Odin’s Gap with them in the first place.
“If you think he’ll want to work in the bar, then I’m cool with it. We’ll still need a few more people. But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. I haven’t even seen my lawyer yet to go over everything. I’m actually meeting her in about two hours. Then, we’ll start figuring things out and I’ll talk to Ophelia. I want her to see the place before I ask her to work there.”
“I get it. I also need to let you know I’m going to be gone for about a week or so. Hulk and I are flying out to get Nanny moved up here. She’s been packing her house up and is ready to leave the painful memories behind. Plus, she wants to be close to us,” he informs me, leaning back in the corner of the couch.
“Okay. Will you let me know you make it there okay? And talk to me while you’re gone if you have time?” I ask, sounding weak but needing reassurance at the same time.
“Of course I will. Told you I’m not going that long without talking to you again. You’ll get sick of me calling and messaging you,” he states with a grin on his face. “I have to head out to pack some things before we take off. We’re leaving early as fuck in the morning. I’m gonna be up for a while, so call me when you get done with the lawyer to let me know what’s going on.”
“Is Anguish gonna be at the clubhouse today?”
“I think he’s heading out in an hour or so to get his family moved here,” he answers me as he stands from the love seat and walks closer to me. “What’s up?”
“Well, I was just thinking if the lawyer agrees to the deal then I’d stop by after signing off and hand y’all’s copies of the paperwork over to him. Maybe get the keys so I can show Ophelia. If he’s not gonna be there it’s not a big deal. I can wait,” I tell him, letting him pull me up from the couch to land in his arms.
“I’ll let him know. I’m sure he won’t have a problem leaving shit behind for you. If you need anything, your brother will be around. Not sure he’ll come here because of Fee, but he’s not going anywhere.”
“Okay. They need to sit down and talk about things. I’m in the middle and it’s not a fun place to be.” Being caught between a rock and a hard place is something their present situation reminds me of and I hate it. Not just for me, but for them. Fee is suffering as is my brother. Loving them both makes it difficult for me to stand off to the side and not try to do something to fix it.
Kaiden nods his head in response before leaning down and kissing me senseless once again. We kiss for what feels like hours instead of him leaving like he needs to. Finally, he leaves me in the duplex alone as he makes his way back to the clubhouse. Now, I can shower and get ready to head to see my lawyer. Nothing is going to take the smile off my face at knowing Kaiden and I are okay and he’s letting me control the relationship we’re building toward. In some aspects at any rate.
I’m sitting in the law offices of Dugan, McGreer, and Jenkins with the contract Anguish gave me a few days ago clutched in my hand. For some reason I’m nervous as hell with the knowledge my life could be changing. That one of my dreams is possibly becoming a reality. Abby Jenkins is my lawyer. Well, she’s the lawyer our family has always used for whatever reason we needed one. So, she’s my lawyer on a technicality I guess you could say. However, she’s excited to look over the contract. Abby also knows how bad I want to open a bar up.
“Miss Takle,” the secretary calls my name. “Mrs. Jenkins is ready to see you now.”
“Thank you. I know where her office is.”
Walking across the thickly carpeted hallway toward Abby’s office, I take in the pictures of the lawyers working here. Everything is over the top in this place letting me know these men and women get paid the big bucks for their time. It kind of intimidates me, and not much does. I think I can count on one hand the number of things which scare me or make me rethink my decisions. Still, I put one foot in front of the other and make my way to Abby. She’s located at the end of the hallway. When I get there, I knock on the door and wait for her to let me enter her domain.
“Come in,” is called out, muffled by the thick wood door.
Opening the door, I step inside and close it behind me. Abby looks up from the papers in front of her with a smile on her face.
“Cristen, it’s good to see you,” she greets me, standing from her chair and holding out her hand for me to shake before gesturing to the seat behind me. “I’ve had a chance to look over the contract you faxed over. Have you gone through it? Do you have any questions?”
“I’ve read through it. I’m not sure what questions to even ask because I don’t understand all of the terms used throughout the contract. Can you explain it to me?”
“Of course. Essentially what’s been laid out is you’ll own ninety-five percent of the bar. All decisions will be yours when it comes to staffing, hours as long as they follow the laws, and everything else. Only major decisions such as remodeling and other expenditures will need to be brought up with the other owner. They want this to be your project, your baby, but will have a say in important decisions,” Abby explains while keeping her eyes on me. “Each month, you’ll pay them the amount listed in the contract for what they’ve already put into the business. Every quarter they’ll get their five percent and you keep the rest. They’ll also want whoever is in charge of their funds to go over the books with you once a month as well. It’s just to make sure the best decisions are being made and things don’t go south before you start turning a profit.”
“Okay. That all sounds very reasonable. If this was a deal being offered to you, would you accept it?” I question her, needing to hear her thoughts if this were about her.
“I’d accept it in a heartbeat. The terms listed here are extremely in favor of you and it sounds as if they’ll do whatever is needed to ensure you succeed. They’re handing you your dream on a silver platter,” she assures me, the smile returning to her face.
“Okay. If you’re positive about this, then I’ll sign.”
Abby hands me a pen and watches me sign off on the deal. Once she’s gone through to make sure I’ve signed and initialed everywhere necessary, Abby looks it over once more before heading off to make copies of the contract. She’ll keep one, I’ll have one, and one will be returned to the club. With nothing more to discuss, I leave the law offices with a smile on my face. I’m so damn excited about this happening. Now I just need to drop this off for Anguish, grab the keys, and talk to Fee about everything. I can’t wait to hear what she thinks.
Chapter Seven
Goliath
“FUCK, IT’S EARLY,” Hulk grumbles as he walks into the kitchen where Fetch already has coffee and a light breakfast waiting. “Damn, kid, you didn’t have to get up to do this for us. We coulda grabbed some shitty coffee and a donut at the airport.”
“No, sir, it wasn’t a problem at all,” Fetch replies, ducking his head while blushing.
I’ve noticed that he’s a bit shy when it comes to taking a compliment, something we need to work on. I’m guessing the kid is so starved for human interaction and compliments, he doesn’t know how to take them. We might have all been through hell while serving, but this kid has been through things none of us could even begin to imagine. None of us will force him to talk, but I hope one day he trusts us enough to truly open up and doesn’t carry the burdens he faces all alone. We’re building a family of our own choosing and he’s a member of it now.
“Well, we appreciate it, don’t we, Goliath?” Hulk asks, looking at me as I wolf down the biscuits and gravy that Fetch made.
“Sure do. You’re still okay to drop us off at the airport, Prospect?” I question, standing to carry my dishes to the sink. Before he can take over, I rinse them and put them into the dishwasher. It’s a long-standing habit since Nanny expected us to take care of our dirty dishes after we ate. In fact, Hulk and I were in charge of clearing the table then taking care of washing dishes while Nanny put up any leftovers. Of course, with us living there, we seldom had much.
“Yes, sir. I mean, Goliath,” he states, remembering that we’ve all told him repeatedly to call us by our names, not ‘sir’. “Got the SUV Scorch’s dad lent us until ours come in all gassed up and ready to go whenever y’all are.”
“We’ll go as soon as Hulk finishes eating,” I say, pulling out my phone. It’s far too early to text or call Cricket, but I want to reread our texts from last night.
Spitfire: Attorney said all looked good, not that I doubted y’all. So the papers have been signed, sealed and delivered to Anguish.
Me: Good to know.
Spitfire: I can’t wait to spend time with your nanny, Kaiden. She was pretty awesome the small amount of time I got to see her when you were all in the hospital.
Me: She is pretty great.
Spitfire: Are you really bringing her chickens back with her? I’ve always wanted a mini pig or maybe one of those mini donkeys, possibly a cow.
Me: LOL. Are you telling me we’re going to have a petting zoo?
Spitfire: Maybe? LOL. I mean, I want inside pets as well, of course. Probably a cat or two because they’re relatively self-sufficient.
Me: Honestly doesn’t matter to me one bit, Spitfire. Did you get to talk to Fee yet?
Spitfire: No, she had to work later than she thought but I’ve got the keys so we’re going to go to the bar so I can show her. I figure if she’s right there when we talk about it, she’s less likely to tell me no.
Me: Sounds like you’ve got a plan in place.
Spitfire: Are you kidding me? How many of my letters over the years have bored you to death with all of my plans if I ever got my own bar?
Me: Your letters were never boring, Cricket.
Spitfire: Neither were yours. I’ll let you go finish getting yourself ready because I’m sure you’ve got a ton of shit to take care of. Be careful and I’ll see you when y’all get back!
Me: You’ll see me before then, woman! It’s called FaceTime and we’re going to use it.
Spitfire: Yes, sir!
Me: Kinda like the sound of that.
Spitfire: Don’t get used to it, Kaiden.
Me: As long as whatever we call each other is done with respect, I’m fine, Cricket. Don’t work too hard while I’m gone. I’m sure that’ll fall on deaf ears, but I figured it was worth a shot.
Spitfire: Cya later, Kaiden.
Me: Night, Spitfire. Sweet dreams.
“Jesus fucking Christ, if you’re going to grin like a fucking lunatic the whole time we’re gone, I’m gonna need therapy,” Hulk snarks, smacking my shoulder. “Let’s get going, time’s awasting.”
“You already need therapy, asshole,” I retort, slipping my phone in my back pocket. Hardest part of being gone is despite the newness, I’ve grown used to the leather cut gracing my body. Since we’ll be in a cage then a plane, we’re leaving them home. We could, theoretically, turn them inside out so our colors aren’t showing, but decided against doing that. So, mine hangs on the hook on the back of my door waiting for my return.
“Nanny, how do you keep growing even more beautiful than the last time we saw you?” Hulk asks as she answers her door. Despite the earliness of the day, she’s already dressed with her familiar apron tied around her waist.
“Don’t be flattering me, boy. Come on, get in here, I’ve got breakfast waiting.” Neither of us bother to tell her we ate at the clubhouse.
When Nanny cooks? We eat, simple as that. Besides, we’re going to need the energy because we’ve got to help load the truck, then get each of the chickens into a carrier, which should be interesting to say the least.
As we follow her to the kitchen, I see everything she’s got packed and ready to go, but see that some things have notes on them. “Nanny, what are the notes for?”
“Oh, I thought about it some and realized I wouldn’t need all of my furniture, so once we’ve gotten my stuff loaded, I’ll call the church and the pastor will send over some men with trucks to get what I’ve decided not to take. One of the members in our congregation had a house fire and lost everything. Pastor found them a new place to live so we’re all helping as much as possible since insurance takes a bit. I also gave him some money from my veggie stand to help stock their kitchen.”
I sit at the table as does Hulk while Nanny bustles around bringing food to the already set table. While we wait, I pull my wallet out and grab a wad of money. I see Hulk doing the same thing. Once she sits to join us, we hold hands as she prays over our meal then prays for a safe, uneventful trip. After our ‘amens’ are said, we both slide the money toward her. “What’s this?” she asks, eyeing the stack of hundreds.
“Give that to your pastor as well. I’m sure their insurance only covers so much plus they’ll have deductibles and sh-stuff.” We try not to curse around Nanny whenever possible. It happens from time to time, of course, because we’re who we are, but we do our best.
