I hope to one day find a Roland Ashwood of my own. Minus the long grey hair and hippie outfits. He wears more tie-dye than any normal person should in the twenty-first century. Probably more than anyone should have in the sixties.
“He’s checking to make sure you haven’t run off with a younger man.”
Pearl laughs, her head thrown back in abandon and the end of her long grey braid smacking the back of the chair. “I know too many of his secrets for him to let me run off with the pool boy.”
She laughs again but abruptly cuts off when the bell above the door jingles. It’s safe to say one of my favorite parts of living in Pelican Bay is its eclectic make-up of residents. As the city grows and expands, a new and younger generation of people mix in with the older crowd. It’s a fascinating thing to see the two interact from my side of the counter.
All that said, my new customer is one unlike anyone I’ve encountered in town before.
His jeans are such a dark black I’m pretty sure they’re leather. The rest of his outfit conveys the same message. A short-sleeve white shirt stretched tightly against his chest is partially covered up with a sleeveless leather vest. If the tattoos running up and down his arms and over his neck weren’t enough, the patches of varying shapes and sizes sewn to the front of his vest finish the story.
A biker has entered the building.
Now I have some experience with bikers. They stopped into the diner back in Washington from time to time. Rough-and-tumble, they usually look ready to be thrown in the back of the cop car, but once you get to know them most are okay guys.
Most of them.
Not all of them.
And from the scowl on this guy’s face I’m not ready to stick him in the kitten department yet.
“You run this place?” he asks stopping halfway to the front counter.
I cross my arms so my stance matches his. “Yup.”
“Jeremy Hayes, don’t you scare Anessa. She makes me brownies.” Pearl’s expression is fierce like she’s willing to jump up and defend me if I need it.
Jeremy cocks an eyebrow at me. “Are these brownies special?”
With narrowed eyes I reply, “No.”
“Then it doesn’t much do me any good.” He levels his attention on Pearl. “And they call me Mad Dog now.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Pearl counters. “I’ve known you since you were in diapers. Don’t think because you joined a little gang with your friends that I’ve forgotten.”
I smash the back of my lips together to stop myself from laughing. Tough biker guys definitely don’t enjoy being laughed at.
“Can I get you something?” I ask in an attempt to figure out why he’s here. I’m not normally one to judge, but the man looks out of place amidst my bright pink décor. Plus I can’t imagine Bennett will react well to this situation when he comes out from the back.
Mad Dog approaches my counter and leans on the top, his elbow leaving prints on the glass. That’s annoying. “We heard you have a little money problem.” He raises his eyebrows and tilts his head back to Pearl.
“Me? Not at all.”
“Not what the boss heard. He sent me here to take it off your hands.”
I’m sure he did. “Why? Does the money belong to him?”
It’s a tough game I’m playing, but the guy’s demeanor is starting to wear on me. It doesn’t help that Pearl chooses this moment to get up and leave her stuff on the table while visiting the bathroom.
If I were smart, I’d shut up. But the sooner we figure out the answer to my money problem, the sooner Bennett can leave. And I can go back to fantasies of him being around rather than actually having him around. I’m much cooler in my fantasies.
“This isn’t something you want to get wrapped up in, Missy.” His eyes narrow as he leans farther into the glass.
Okay, now he’s starting to become a little scary. It’s the leather and foreboding expression. This guy definitely isn’t a kitten, regardless of Pearl’s belief.
“Listen up. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it ends now. This is not a situation you’ll be happy to find yourself in the middle of. Got me?” He’s so close his breath—a minty flavor—tickles my nose, but I refuse to lean back.
The metal swing of the door bottom against the tile catches my attention and I turn my head in time to catch Bennet as he walks through.
