“Who’s Katherine?” Abby asked.
“It’s her house. Her husband is the president of the club.”
The older woman was a little taller than Abby, and she had her waist-length, salt-and-pepper hair pulled back into a long braid. She pulled Lindsey into a quick hug. “I’m so glad you made it.”
“Thanks. Katherine, this is Abby, one of my best friends. Abby, this is Katherine, one of the coolest people I’ve ever met.”
Katherine laughed. “I don’t know about coolest, but thanks.”
“Don’t let her fool you,” Lindsey said. “She’s lived all over the world, used to fly C-17s, nursed her husband back to health when everyone said he’d probably never walk again, and wrote a book about it.”
“Wow.” That was impressive.
Katherine shook her head. “We all do what we have to do when there’s no other choice.”
She was also profound. Abby felt like she’d been doing what she had to do for a very long time.
“Anyway,” Katherine said. “Welcome. Beer, wine, and other drinks are at the bar in the backroom. There’s also burgers, chicken, and more sides than I want to keep as leftovers, so please help yourselves.”
“Thank you,” Abby said.
“Thanks,” Lindsey said. “Let’s get some drinks.”
The bar was manned by two guys in black vests. Glancing around, Abby noticed several of the men and a few of the women, including Katherine, wore similar vests. The large patch on the back of their vests bore a depiction of the suit of armor in the foyer.
They wandered into the rooms on the other side of the house. There were probably a hundred or more people in the house, but it didn’t feel crowded since they were scattered throughout the rooms. She also saw several people out on the porch through the open French doors.
“Ooh. There’s someone else I want you to meet.”
Lindsey led her to one of the small tables in the other room at the front of the house. The armor was visible in the foyer—they’d essentially walked in a full circle.
“Lindsey!” A dark-haired woman jumped out of her chair and hugged Lindsey, rocking from side to side. She let her go and looked at Abby. “Who are you?”
Abby was surprised at the excitedness of her question. Like a kid on the playground making a new friend. “Uh, Abby.”
“Hi, Abby. I’m Angela. Or Angie. Or Ange. I’ll answer to all of them. How do you know Lindsey?”
“We work together.” Abby didn’t know what to make of the overly friendly woman.
“You’re a teacher too? That’s so cool. What do you teach? Sit down. Join us. This is Dani, my best friend.” Angela sat and patted the blonde woman next to her on the head.
“Don’t mind Angie,” Dani said, batting Angela’s hand away from her head. “She gets excited when she meets new people. Like a puppy, but she doesn’t pee on you—unless you pay extra.”
“Shut up. It’s just nice to meet new women who I don’t know through work and aren’t biker chicks.” Angela’s eyebrows pinched together, and she leaned forward. “You’re not a biker chick, are you?”
Lindsey laughed, and Abby glared at her as they took seats at the table. She had a direct view of the suit of armor from her seat. “No, I’m not a biker chick.”
“Oh, good.”
“What’s good?” A curvy brunette joined them and sat in the last vacant chair.
Abby noticed Angela side-eye Dani, who rolled her eyes.
“Hey, Julia,” Angela said. “Not working this weekend?”
“No. I heard the Knights were having a party and made sure I asked for the night off.” She looked at Abby. “We haven’t met. I’m Julia.”
“Abby.” She waved in greeting.
