“So, what was the fight about?” I asked curiously.
Jason had been living with his girlfriend for almost two years, and I thought they’d be engaged by now. They were a great fit, but I had a feeling that my brother’s priorities weren’t quite lined up for that ultimate commitment. Not that I had any room to talk. Thinking about and planning for the future wasn’t really my thing.
“She’s pissed because I have to cancel our date on Saturday.”
“Isn’t Saturday her birthday?”
“Yeah,” he sighed and rubbed his eyes. “But Las Balas wants me to do some work for them that night. You know that I can’t say no.”
That was true. Jason was a prospect, which meant that he wasn’t a full member until he proved himself. He basically had to do whatever they said to get in.
“What do they want you to do?”
“I can’t talk about it.”
I frowned. My dad had always been secretive about Las Balas’s activities, but I didn’t think that Jason would be the same way when he followed in our father’s footsteps. What the hell were they always so secretive about?
“And I’m sure that pissed her off.” I nodded. I got it. Lexie needed to feel like she came first, but Las Balas was demanding of his time. It was one of the problems that our parents had in their marriage, and they’d gotten divorced when I was eight. Jason had been ten, and it was disappointing to see him repeating our father’s mistakes when he should know better.
“She’ll get over it,” he said confidently. “She always does.”
I didn’t bother to express my doubts. A person could only bend so far before they broke, and I’d hate to see that happen with Lexie. Still, they’d have to work it out on their own.
“I better go shower. I have to be at work at nine.”
“I can’t believe you stayed out all night when you have to work today,” he commented with a slight shake of his head. “Seriously, what’s the deal with that? It seems like you’re never home anymore.”
“I’m only twenty-three. I’m too young to spend every night cooped up at home.”
I was deflecting, but he didn’t call me out on it. I didn’t want to get into my motives because talking about how lonely I’d been since our mom died made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable. And it depressed the hell out of me. She’d only been gone for six months, and I hadn’t brought myself to even clean out her bedroom yet. This was my home, but being here alone too much made me feel like I was suffocating.
I excused myself, going to the bathroom. The first thing I did was grab a bottle of ibuprofen out of the medicine cabinet and shake three pills out into my hand. I took them with some water from the tap and brushed my teeth.
Turning on the water in the shower stall, I ran it as hot as I could stand it, then stepped in, letting it wash over me, getting rid of the sand that managed to cover every inch of me. I couldn’t linger too long, but by the time I shut off the water and stepped out, I felt rejuvenated, and there wasn’t a single grain of sand left on my body.
My headache was still there, but it had diminished to a dull ache that I could live with. By the time I emerged from the bathroom, I was running short on time. So, I dressed in a flash, but when I went to grab my purse, my car keys were no longer sitting next to it.
“What the hell, Jason?” I asked. He was the only person here, so he must have taken them.
“I need the car if you want me to replace the tire,” he explained. “Or are you going to let me off the hook for that one?”
“Not a chance.”
“Then, let’s go. We’ll take my bike.”
That sounded good to me. I grabbed my helmet, a full-faced white one, out of my coat closet and followed him outside. It was a great day for riding, with almost no wind blowing and the sun shining down on us.
I loved springtime.
I used to have my own bike, a small Suzuki 650, but when my mom died unexpectedly, I needed cash to cover the bills I was used to splitting with her. So, I sold it. I hoped to buy a new motorcycle sometime soon when I could afford it. Things were finally starting to even out for me, and I’d even managed to start squirreling a little away.
“I’ll pick you up at six,” Jason said when he dropped me off in front of the shop.
“Make it seven,” I said, thinking about all of the extra work I would have to do to make up for Gary’s absence.
“Got it.”
As he rode away, I walked into the shop to be greeted by Brie and a customer already waiting. I was right on time, so it was a surprise to see a customer had beat me to the shop. Looking into her face, I could see her eagerness.
