“Girlies, it’s fine,” I assured them as I followed Kennedy into the bar. “It happens. I was more pissed about the kids witnessing it all. I’m the kind of mom who keeps her shit tight. I love them and they can talk to me about anything, but I keep clear boundaries and make sure they know I’m still the parent and the boss. Last night they saw me vulnerable, and I didn’t like it.”
Kennedy led me over to the couches we always congregated on and motioned for me to sit. “Pornstars all around?” she asked.
Everyone agreed emphatically, and I watched her head toward the bar.
I smiled because it was unusual that we all got to drink alcohol together. More often than not, one of the girls (usually Layla) was pregnant, so getting lit with all my friends was a rarity.
The doors opened, and Atlas stomped into the bar alongside Cash, who was giving Wilder a piggyback. They immediately made a beeline for us, and I noticed my brother give me an assessing look.
“You okay?” he barked.
I gave him big eyes. “Jeez, I’m fine. I actually came to talk to you about some work, not my disastrous love life.”
He went to the spot where Sophie sat at the end of the couch and parked his ass on the arm beside her. “Thank fuck. If we pay the boys late again, I think they’ll riot. Cash is too busy to take over the payroll, and Arrow’s just not interested. You already know our systems from the work you did for us before, so we don’t need to train you.”
“Rosie, sweetheart, if you can take over some of the accountin’ work, I’d love you forever,” Cash interrupted. “I’m sick of havin’ to wipe Arrow’s ass every time an invoice needs sendin’, and Atlas is right about the payroll gettin’ fucked up. When can you start?”
I cocked my head questioningly. “How about tomorrow?”
“Done,” he replied. “Take all the hours you need and sort that shit show of an office out, then invoice us weekly for your services and pay yourself. Whatever happens, don’t trust Arrow to do it. It’s a big job, and even when you get everythin’ organized, we’ll need you a few days every week at least to keepon top of things. The businesses have expanded since you last worked for us, and we’re owed thousands in work that Arrow hasn’t invoiced for. Gonna need you to make some phone calls and send some bills out, not just for the construction team but for the auto shop too.”
I looked around the couches at the girls and threw my arms in the air. “Yay! I’ve gotta job!”
Layla’s eyes shone at me as she copied my arm thing and parroted, “Yay!”
Sophie laughed.
“I’ve got work for you, too, if you want it,” Kennedy called over. “My accountant’s charging me a fortune. I need someone to do my monthly accounting. That way, I’d only need to use his firm when it comes to submitting my tax returns.”
“It’s the least I can do,” I agreed. “I could work for free until I’ve paid you back for the custody work you’re doing for me.”
“I already told you, there’s no charge for that,” she argued, mixing up a big pitcher. “I’m doing that for fun.”
Sophie laughed.
Atlas’s eyes narrowed on me. “Wait. What custody work?”
“Evan’s girlfriend’s giving Gabby hassle,” I explained. “Rachel was a bitch to her on their last visit, so DJ got them out of there. Now they’ve both decided they don’t want to see him, at least for the time being. Kennedy’s going to write to his lawyer with a few new conditions.”
Atlas shot me a glare. “Why didn’t you come to me?”
“For two reasons, Danny.” I sat forward and stuck my thumb out. “Reason one: you’d have gotten the boys together, rode over there, burned his house down, and no doubt made everything worse.” I stuck out my index finger next. “And reason two: I had it in hand already.” I leaned across and squeezed his hand. “Thank you for looking out for me, but I’ve got this.”
Atlas’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t argue with my logic. “Okay, I’ll give you this one, Ro, but if your asshole ex pulls any more bullshit, you tell me, and Iwillgo pay him a visit. No fucker messes with my sister, or my niece and nephew. Feel me?”
I smiled and released his hand. “I feel you, honey. Thank you. Gabby isn’t hurt about the shit Rachel said to her; she’s more upset that Evan didn’t have her back.”
“My little Gabby’s sensitive,” he muttered, sitting back and shaking his head frustratedly. “Your ex-husband and his bitch are lucky they live a fuckin’ state away, ‘cause if I saw ‘em in the street, all bets would be off. Unfortunately for Donovan ‘fucknut’ O’Shea, he doesn’t have that luxury. What the hell kinda game is he playin’?”
My belly clenched. “I don’t know, but you’re all making it into more of a big deal than it really is.”
“Are you sure you didn’t get the days messed up or somethin’?” Cash asked while wrestling with a wriggling Wilder. “He really seemed into you at the weddin’. Even Pop agreed. He made plans with DJ and talked about startin’ a boxing league. Why would he do that if he was gonna screw you over? Doesn’t make sense to me whatso-fuckin’-ever.”
Cash was right. WhywouldDonovan go out of his way to try and involve himself in my life if he had no intention of being in it?
I was happy to keep us in the friend zone; it was him who pushed for more. Donny’s words didn’t match his actions, and maybe that was why I was so pissed at him. But what confused me the most was that I’d known the guy for a long time; we had history, and I knew he wasn’t usually an asshole.
He’d always been respectful, especially with women linked to the Speed Demons because of the close relationship between the MC and the O’Shea family.
