Garvin blinks. “What?”
“He’s so stupid,” Cami says to Poppy as she shakes her head.
“What did you call me?” he asks again, trying to intimidate her, and I laugh quietly because my sister is about to eviscerate him. And I can’t wait to watch. He has it coming.
Cami tilts her head. “I called you stupid. I’m sorry. I just assumed you already knew.”
Poppy sucks in a breath, trying not to laugh. I don’t even try to hide my smile.
Garvin’s face goes red. “You can’t talk to me like that.”
Poppy doesn’t raise her voice or step back. “You’re done here. Get out. You can add this place to the list of places you’re already banned from. At some point, you might want to move to another town.”
He looks at Poppy as if she expects her to fix this, to smooth it over like she always does. She doesn’t. She stands a little straighter instead.
“Don’t come back,” Poppy says.
I sidle up behind the counter then, just enough to be seen.Garvin clocks me and hesitates. He mutters something under his breath and turns for the door. The bell jingles when he leaves.
Cami smirks at Poppy. “Anytime you want me on standby, I’m happy to ruin a man’s day.”
Poppy laughs, soft but real as she shuts the hood to the car she’s working on.
I don’t even think about it. I cross the shop in three long strides, slide a hand to her waist, and lean in.
“Hey, baby,” I murmur before I kiss her.
It’s soft and grounding and just for us. The kind of kiss that says I’m here and I’ve got you without needing to spell it out. I pull back slowly, my forehead brushing hers, and I can feel the last of the tension bleed out of her body.
Cami scoots back on a stool to give us space, grinning like she’s proud of herself. “Hey, Ollie. You missed me trying to make Garvin cry.”
Poppy snorts, her hands landing on my chest like she needs to make sure I’m real. “It was beautiful,” she says. “Truly inspirational.”
“I heard some of it,” I say, my thumb brushing her hip. “Sounded like you had it handled.”
Cami shrugs. “I like to give back to the community.”
Poppy laughs then, real and full, and it hits me straight in the chest God, I love that sound. The way she finally looks relaxed in her own space again. But I look closer and think maybe this isn’t what she wants. The shop feels more like a means to an end now.
I dip my head closer to her ear. “You okay?”
She nods. “Yeah. I am now.”
Good.
I press another quick kiss to her temple and keep my handright where it is, solid and obvious. Let anyone watching understand exactly where I stand.
Because if Garvin or anyone else gets confused again, I’m more than happy to clear it up. Including that motorcycle club.
The Black Dog is loud with good music and laughter tonight. Owen studies the menu like it’s an official contract, eyes wide, finger tracing every option.
“Get whatever you want,” I tell him.
“Yeah,” Poppy adds, smiling. “Whatever you want. Or we could go home and I could make a Crock Pot dinner.”
“No.” Owen rolls his eyes at her comment. “For real? Even a milkshake?”
“Even a milkshake,” I say, laughing at the Crock Pot honorable mention. I love her dinners. But I think Owen got a little sick of them on repeat. I’m making sure we have balance. I make dinners, too, and we go out sometimes.
